Introduction to the Psalms

We will be spending some time to reflect on the book of Psalms, the longest book in the Bible. There are altogether 150 Psalms. In truth this book is neatly divided into volumes: (1) Psalms 1 – 41; (2) Psalms 42-72; (3) Psalms 73-89; (4) Psalms 90-106; and (5) Psalms 107-150. It was thought that they were divided this way to parallel the first five books of Moses. Some of the themes include: praise and worship, prayer, sorrow, anguish and suffering, dependence on God, divine enablement, and victory in God, blessed living and many more. 

Psalms are composed and written roughly over a period of 900 years. Moses’ Psalm 90 was probably the earliest one to be written. Other Psalms were written later, when the people of Israel returned from the Babylonian exile. The rest were written in between those two time frames. David had often been thought to be the author because he had written many of the Psalms. Other authors include Solomon, Asaph, Heman, Ethan, and descendants of Korah. Some were even anonymously written.

Psalms are actually songs or poems to be accompanied by stringed instruments. In Hebrew, this book is known as the “Tehillim” meaning “praise songs.” In the Psalms, we are introduced to different types of Hebrew poetic parallelism (a subject for serious students of the Bible to study). Some of the Psalms even have a superscript to provide the historical background for the composition. A good example is Psalm 3. The heading tells us that it was composed while David was fleeing from Absalom, his son. Another thing we may see in the Psalms would be the word “Selah.” This is a term indicating a pause or an interlude. It could either be a pause for the musicians to change instruments, or a pause to allow musicians and listeners to reflect on the truth that had been sung.

We want to reflect on the Psalms because like all the books of the Bible, they are God’s words to us. They were written by the people of God, who found God to be real in their personal experiences, whether the moments were genial and non-congenial. In fact Jesus had also quoted from them. In the Messianic Psalms we find the life of Jesus predicted and alluded to. Through them, we are directed to Christ our Lord and Savior.

Here are six reasons why we should spend time to meditate on them:

·        To keep our mind focused on God

·        To receive the wisdom of God

·        To build our faith in God

·        To be inspired to live for God

·        To learn how to praise God

·        To know the value of both personal and public worship

So let’s poise to begin on the journey to discover the rich lessons of the Psalms.