(David playing the harp, Mount Zion - Photo courtesy of Teach All Nations)
Psalm
23
A Psalm of David
1 The LORD
is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s
sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever.
It
is the most beloved prose in the English language. Recited at secular funerals,
Psalm 23 is part of the largest book of the Bible.
If
we could only have one book of the Bible, instead of 66, that contained the
essential message of Scripture, which one would it be? The answer is The
Psalms.
The
longest book of the Bible, with the longest chapter (Psalm 119 - 176 verses),
contains the Bible in miniature. History, prophecy, covenants, personal
struggles, victorious living, every type of human experience - it’s all there in the Psalms. The New
Testament has 116 direct quotes from the Psalms. That’s why Martin Luther
called Psalms ‘a little Bible.’
Written
in order to be sung, the Book of Psalms has been the ‘hymnbook’ of Israel and
the church for centuries. David the king authored most of them. Some of the
psalms are stand-alone
Another
great reformer said this of the Psalms: ‘An anatomy of all the parts of the
soul; for no one will find in himself a single feeling of which the image is
not reflected in this mirror’ — John CALVIN
HEBREW NAME
Called Sepher Tehillim or
the ‘Book of Praises.’ In the Greek it is called psalmos or psalmoi, meaning
‘a song, words with music, or a song accompanied by a stringed instrument. ‘
AUTHORS OF THE PSALMS
Psalms clearly has several
authors, since it is a compilation of praises and prayers to God. There are 150
psalms or poems set to music and meant to be sung. Here is what we know about
the authorship of Psalms and how many they wrote:
•
David,
the ‘sweet psalmist of Israel - II Samuel 23:1 - (73), nearly half.
•
Asaph
(12);
•
Sons
of Korah (10);
•
Solomon
(2).
•
Moses,
author of the Pentateuch, (1 - Psalm 90).
•
Ethan
(1 - Psalm 89);
•
Heman
(1 - Psalm 88);
•
Anonymous
(50)
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST
The entire gamut of the
gospel is represented in Psalm. Jesus tells His disciples after His
resurrection that ‘All things must be fulfilled, which were written
in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning
me’ (Luke 24:44ff).
The Son of God & King: In Psalm 2, Christ is the Son
(v. 7), the king set on the holy hill of Zion (v. 6), who will rule with a rod
of iron (v. 9) from David’s throne. Other kingly notations are found in Psalms
21, 45, and 72.
Priestly Messiah: Psalm 40:6, 8; 22; 49; 110.
Suffering of Messiah: Psalm 22 and 69.
Christ’s resurrection: Psalm 16.
THEME OF PSALMS
The Psalms cover the entire
range human experience and emotion from the heights of praise to the depths of
depression (Psalm 42; 88). The Psalms teach on praise, thanksgiving, repentance,
trust, distress, history, and prophecy.
The bottom line: Psalms takes
a person from where they are at, turns their focus off sin, self, and the world
and finally puts it squarely on Almighty God Himself, who is worthy to be
praised. It takes their eyes off the problem and puts in on the (divine)
solution.
KEY VERSES IN PSALMS
Psalm
149
1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the
LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 2 Let
Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in
their King. 3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them
sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD
taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let
the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let
the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 7 To
execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To
bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To
execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise
ye the LORD.
Psalm
150
6 Let
every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
SUMMARY OF PSALMS
In the
Psalms, you can find:
•
Biblical history (42; 63; 80; 84; 137);
•
Confession and Repentance, a key theme in
Psalms (6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143);
•
Times of Distress (4; 13; 55; 64; 88). The
psalmist experienced the same challenges and emotions that we all do;
•
Teaching psalms (1, 5, 7, 15, 17, 50, 73, 94,
101);
•
Curses (35, 52, 58, 59, 69, 83, 109, 137, 140).
This is before the coming of Christ; now, we are called to ‘bless’ our enemies;
•
Trusting God (3; 27; 31; 46; 56; 62; 86);
•
Praise (8, 29, 93; 100);
•
Thanksgiving (16, 18, 30, 65; 103; 107; 116);
•
Messianic prophecy (2; 16; 22; 24; 40; 45; 68;
69; 72; 97; 110; 118);
•
Pilgrimage psalms (120-134). These were what
the pilgrims sang when they made the ascent to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.
OUTLINE OF
PSALMS
Psalms, like the Torah or
Pentateuch, can be divided into five books:
Book One -- Psalms 1
- 41
Psalms
of humanity, mostly all from David
Book Two -- Psalms 41
- 72
Psalms
of Israel, from ruin to redemption
Book Three -- Psalms 73 - 89
Psalms
of the Sanctuary
Book Four -- Psalms 90
- 106
Psalms
of the earth
Book Five -- Psalms 107 - 150
The
Word of God (especially Psalm 119)
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