KNOW YOUR BIBLE IN 50 DAYS:
A GUIDE TO ALL 66 BOOKS

Previous Chapter | Full Table of Contents | Purchase Book | Next Chapter

CHAPTER 19 – Psalms: Approx. 1445 B.C.-Approx. 586 B.C.

Psalms is the nineteenth book of the Bible. The title of the book in the Hebrew Bible is Tehillim meaning “Praises.” The English title comes from the Septuagint which has the title Psalmoi, “Songs of praise to be sung to the accompaniment of stringed instruments” or “Psalms.”

Authorship

A total of eight persons are mentioned in the superscription to the various psalms as authors, compilers, or musicians as follows: 73 psalms attributed to David, 11 to Korah, 12 to Asaph, 1 to Heman, 1 to Ethan, 2 to Solomon, 1 to Ezra, 1 to Moses. The author of the remaining psalms is uncertain.

Summary

The book of Psalms covers the period 1445 B.C. to 586 B.C. and consists of 150 of ancient Israel’s worship songs, each known as a psalm. They are essentially prayers to God and the record of the psalmist’s (the author’s) own intimate conversation with God. The psalms contain the whole range of human experience as the psalmist pours out his heart to God and joyfully hears from God in return.

Many attributes of God such as His being eternal, His being Judge over the earth, His rule over the universe, His holiness, wisdom, love, majesty, power, mercy, goodness, hatred of evil, infinite knowledge, and creative power, are on full display in the psalms.

Almost every psalm expresses praise and adoration of God. So, there are psalms in which the saint of God (one who is a true disciple of Christ) joins the vast assembly of worshippers in the great congregation, and to the accompaniment of all kinds of musical instruments, shouts aloud the praise of God with their whole heart.

There is a psalm for every mood, every need: Psalms for the disappointed, the discouraged, the aged, the despairing, the sick, the sinner, the youthful, the hopeful, the faithful, the believing child of God, the triumphant saint.

There are psalms that reflect faith in the reality of the world to come, that deal with various aspects of nature, and the experiences in Israel’s history. Some denounce the enemies of God and of His people and bring down curses upon their heads.

There are psalms that deal with the wicked, contrasting them with the godly, that look at the delay in their punishment, their prosperity, their trust in riches, and their ultimate fate.

Some psalms deal with penitence, pardon, conversion to God, consecration to God, trust, teachableness, prayer, longing for God, worship, affliction, the vanity of life, the home, and homesickness. Other psalms deal with God’s law, the word of God, the missionary outlook, and the duty of rulers.

Some psalms take the individual sinner in secret into the very presence of God and help them to pour out their soul in confession of sin, while some express national confession of sin. There are psalms where the writer cries out to God from the depths of disaster, defeat, and conviction of sin.

Many psalms anticipate the coming of the Messiah, the title of the promised King and Deliverer of Israel, which was Christ who was born in human flesh in approximately 5 B.C. as a baby boy named Jesus. They testify of the Messiah’s, that is, of Christ’s coming to save His people from their sins and to usher in His eternal reign of righteousness.

These psalms speak of the Christ’s deity, His Sonship to God the Father, His incarnation, priesthood, betrayal, rejection, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven.

Themes

• The devout person can imagine no greater blessing than being in God’s presence, and no greater calamity than to be shut away from His presence.
• True religion is an intensely joyful experience, abundant in all manner of expression, and requiring the consecration of the individual and the praise of God.
• Petition and thanksgiving go hand in hand, and so do prayer and praise.
• The contemplation of nature always leads the individual to have reverence for God and to praise Him.
• It is the privilege and responsibility of the genuine Christian to share their experience with God with others.

God as Revealed in the Book

• God as humanity’s Comforter, hope, confidence, strength, triumph, defence, refuge, Saviour, joy.
• God is exalted as the solution to all of humanity’s problems, the One who is All in all.
• God, who is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, is at the same time the loving Father of his human children, the tender Shepherd of humanity, who are the sheep of His pasture.
• God as One who always blesses His people abundantly.
• Righteousness is rewarded by God, while wickedness will ultimately reap God’s justice in the annihilation of the wicked.
• All life’s problems—trouble, pain, and sickness—will ultimately be solved by the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of His everlasting kingdom of righteousness.

Connections with the Rest of the Bible

God says, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” James 5:13. “Be filled with the [Holy] Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:18, 19.

Spiritual Applications

Pray to God sincerely and ask God to help you to do His will, believing that God will help you, and thus you will be enabled to make the spiritual applications noted below:

• Read the book of Psalms to gain an intimate knowledge of who God is, to hear God speak, to see God’s heart, and to learn how to pray.
• Read the book of Psalms to receive the blessings they impart of courage, hope, strength, the certainty of forgiveness by God, faith, trust, joy, peace, thanksgiving.
• When you ask God for a blessing, praise God and thank God at that time for the abundance of His blessings as if these blessings were already received.
• Contemplate nature, though blighted by sin, as God’s second book by which He, as Creator, speaks to humanity and praise God for His excellent greatness.
• Be confident that God will bless you if you are a true Christian.
• Share your knowledge of God with others and seek to win them to Christ.

Previous Chapter | Full Table of Contents | Purchase Book | Next Chapter