Psalms Book 1 (1-41) An Overview
Psalms: Book 1 (1-41)
5 Books
1 confrontation (1-41)
2 communication (42-72)
3 devastation (73-89)
4 contemplation (90-106)
5 consummation (107-150)
Introduction (1-2)
Psalm 1: Great blessings in righteousness and God's law
Psalm 2: Great blessings in God's Son, his King
Conflict (3-17)
Conflict in David’s rise to the throne
Ps 3:1-2 O LORD, how many are my foes! / Many are rising against me; / many are saying of my soul, / “There is no salvation for him in God.”
Ps. 4:1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! / You have given me relief when I was in distress. / Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
Ps. 5:1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; / consider my groaning. / Give attention to the sound of my cry,
Ps. 6:8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, / for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
This continues in Psalm 7
The Oasis that is Psalm 8
We resume this conflict in 9-17
Theme of refuge (11:1) and the Lord coming to David's aid are found.
A cry for deliverance (Ps. 12:1)
Enemies and foes in 13 (13:3)
A wisdom psalms: wise and foolish living (14-15)
Back to deliverance (16-17)
Conquest (18)
The LORD answers!
Psa. 18:6 ¶ In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psa. 18:7 ¶ Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
The LORD empowers his king to conquer
God's Creation and Law (19)
God orders his creation and his creatures. He set in motion creation and gives his law to order his creatures.
After this, Psalm 18-19 things begin to change. We still have conflict (25-33, 34-41) but it is different now.
"Teaching", "Sin", and Stability (God as a "rock") become themes more present in 20 through the end of the book.
God as King (20-24)
Psalm 20 - the LORD saves his anointed [=king / messiah] (20:6)
Psalm 21 - the earthly king trusts in the great King
Psalm 22 - God the King saves his people
22:28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, / and he rules over the nations.
Psalm 23 - God the King shepherding his people
Psalm 24 - God the King coming in victorious
These psalms are about David as king or David becoming king
But the psalter is ultimately about God as King and God's Davidic King, Great David's Greater Son
Conflict Again (25-33)
Psalm 25 -"I'm lonely and afflicted" & forgiveness of sins
Psalm 26 "vindicate me!"
Psalm 27 - a stronghold
Psalm 29 - voice of God in battle
Psalm 31 - "deliver me!"
Innocent Sufferers (34-37)
Conflict - externally
Psalm 34:16 - the righteous cry for help, the LORD delivers
Psalm 35:7 - without cause (I.e., he is innocent) evildoers came against him
Psalms 36-37 shun evil and pursue righteousness
37:29 the righteous shall inherit the land
Guilty Sufferers (38-41)
Conflict - internally
Psalm 38 - rebuke me not in your anger
38:18 I confess my sins…
Psalm 39:8 deliver me from all my transgressions
Psalm 40:12 - my iniquity has overtaken me
Psalm 41:4 - heal me, for I have sinned against you (the LORD)
Application: OK, so what?
The Book of Psalms has order to it. It has what looks like even more order than this. There are accrostic psalms (9/10, 34, 37) positioned at places to help memorisation.
41 Psalms on conflict.
What about your life? Do you feel buffeted by evil?
Evil in this world and evil in your heart?
Do you know that spiritual forces are real? Evil is real?
How do we pray in the face of such evil (externally and internally)?
We come to the Psalms. We drink deeply of the Psalms.
We acknowledge the battle and come armed with all manner of spiritual weapons.
What about evil inside of us?
Psalms 38-41 teach us to pray for forgiveness. The life of David shows us that this comes true.
In Jesus Christ this is the reason for his coming!
Luke 24:45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
Luke 24:46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
Luke 24:47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Do you know the Messiah-King who defeats evil?
This theme is the theme of the Psalms. From beginning to end we see the conquering king and his dependence upon God.
What do we see in Jesus? A king who comes to be victorious.
The Temptation of Jesus (and Psalm 91; Matt 4:6)
Satan tempted Jesus by using the Psalms against him.
Psa. 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
What Satan doesn't quote is v. 13
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
Jesus is the one who has come to do his Father's will. He will conquer. Unlike Israel who never fully captured Canaan, Jesus in the wilderness undoes Adam and Israel's failures.
So we pray knowing that Jesus has conquered and is conquering.
Westminster Confession 1.2-5
Chapter 1: Of Holy Scripture
1.2 Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testament, which are these: Of the Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth I Samuel II Samuel I Kings II Kings I Chronicles II Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes The Song of Songs Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Of the New Testament The Gospels according to Matthew Mark Luke John The Acts of the Apostles Paul's Epistles to the Romans Corinthians I Corinthians II Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians I Thessalonians II to Timothy I to Timothy II to Titus to Philemon The Epistle to the Hebrews The Epistle of James The First and Second Epistles of Peter The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John The Epistle of Jude The Revelation All which are given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.
1.3 The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the Canon of Scripture; and therefore are of no authority in the church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.
1.4 The authority of the holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the Author thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.
1.5 We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem of the holy Scripture; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.
Westminster Confession 1.1
CHAPTER 1 Of the Holy Scripture
1 Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation; therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.
