Psalms: Part 2
Common Theme
Continuing on with our study of the Psalms, we will be doing our best today to break down the final 3 books in this massive collection of wisdom literature. As noted in our last blog post, The Psalms is without a doubt the most difficult book to write a two-post overview about because of how long of a book it is, but the division of this great book into 5 smaller books helps us understand the overall goal of these writings in their entirety. We covered books 1 & 2 last week and revealed the bridge that will be used to go from 2 to 3 as well. Book 2 discusses the hope we all have because of the future Messiah and leads us right into book 3 where we will continue this common theme. It is important to remember that even though we are breaking down this book into 5 smaller books, the overall message is linear and has an overarching point. The Gospel Coalition does a great job at describing what this overall point is when they state, “The Psalms shape our affections so that we love what God says is right and deeply desire the blessings he promises us in the gospel.” With many of the Psalms being prayers or worship notes from people who have gone before us, we can see why this statement from TGC makes so much sense and why it is very applicable to us today. With this in mind, let’s dive into the last 3 books of the Psalms.
Books 3 & 4
Book 3 in the Psalms covers chapters 73-89. And while this may not be a large portion of scripture like the other books, the principle it covers is great indeed. While book 2 shares of the coming Messiah, book 3 talks about the hope of the coming Messiah amid suffering. This section of the Psalms was clearly written in correlation to the Major and Minor Prophets. We know this because the timeframe and language used here in the Psalms reflect us back to when God had warned His people of the coming hardship for turning away from Him. To see this take place in this book, you don’t have to go far. Look at the strong language the psalmist Asaph uses in Psalm 74:1-2 “God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.” Asaph in just these two verses alone shares how he feels abandoned by God in this midst of suffering, pleads with God to remember His people, and reminds God of His redeeming power that He used for His people. This has clearly come from the mouth of a follower of God who is crying out to Him in a moment of sorrow and suffering. We can easily see now why this one section of scripture, while short, is identified as the book in Psalms that is dedicated to remembering Christ in the midst of hardship.
In comparison to book 3, book 4 also covers a much shorter section of scripture before closing out with book 5. Book 4 acts as a response to the hardship and suffering of God’s people in book 3 and is all centered around the greatness of God and how He is the ultimate creator overall. This is why the author of the very first book in this section is no one other than Moses himself. Moses writes in Psalm 90:1-2 “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Now clearly Moses wasn’t alive when the Major and Minor Prophets were writing these warnings to the nations who were suffering under God’s wrath, but that’s what makes the Psalms so beautiful. No matter what the timeframe was, we can easily see how God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, regardless of what might be going on. This is why this prayer from Moses being recorded here is not a misplacement, but a beautiful display of how God is the ultimate King over everything, even when mankind is corrupt and seems to have forgotten Him. It is statements of faith like this that lead us to our final book of the Psalms that wrap up everything we’ve learned thus far.
Book 5
Book 5 covers assorted poems and worship that are offered to God and covers chapters 107-150. Now you may be thinking, ‘Why would this great book close with poems and songs?’, and to that I would simply ask, what better reaction can we have to God after learning about His faithfulness, His coming Messiah, and His greatness as Lord overall? It would seem that this book closing with poems and worship is the absolutely perfect way that this book should end. Just like the last two books, we don’t need to look far to see this worship being poured out to God. Psalm 107:1-2 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His mercy is everlasting. The redeemed of the LORD shall say so, Those whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.” God unquestionably deserves all the praise in the world for never breaking His promise, for redeeming His people through Christ, and for being the greatest God in all of the cosmos. This is why the very last Psalm itself is simply titled, ‘A Psalm of Praise’ because this is how the reader should walk away from reading the Psalms. By praising and worshiping God. In fact, instead of just cutting out one part of this passage, we are going to close this study of the Psalms by reading Psalm 150. I hope this overview has been a blessing to you. “Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute. Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. Everything that has breath shall praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!”
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] BibleProject. (2024, August 8). Guide to the Book of Psalms. BibleProject. https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-psalms/#psalms-42-72-summary
[3] Ash, C. (2020, November 16). 7 Reasons You should Pray the Psalms. The Gospel Coalition. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/7-reasons-pray-the-psalms/
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