Introduction to the Book of Psalms
The Teachers Commentary -
Overview
The Psalms have a wonderful capacity to capture the reality of our human experience. Dr. Samuel Schultz notes in The Old Testament Speaks (Harper and Row) that “they express the common experience of the human race. Composed by numerous authors, the various psalms express the emotions, personal feelings, attitudes, gratitude, and interests of the average individual. Universally, people have identified their lot in life with that of the psalmists.”
In every experience of our own, no matter how deep the pain or how great the frustration or how exhilarating the joy, we can find psalms which echo our inmost being; psalms which God uses to bring comfort or to confirm release.
The Psalms were written over an extended period of time, most probably coming between 1000 and 400 b.c. They were written by different authors, and at several times new groups of psalms were added to the collection. Seventy-three of the psalms were written by David. Forty-nine are anonymous.
The psalms were used in public worship in
Selah. This word appears 71 times in the psalms. The word means “to lift up” and most believe it is a musical sign, perhaps of a pause.
Commentary - The era of David brought not only political but also literary revival. Many of the psalms recorded in Scripture come from David’s own pen, and many others were written during his reign.
The 150 psalms are organized into five books, which represent four later collections added to the first worship book. Book I (Pss. 1–41) is Davidic, compiled prior to his death. Book II (Pss. 42–72) was most likely added in the era of Solomon. Books III and IV (Pss. 73–89; 90–106) were probably collected during the Exile, and Book V (Pss. 107–150) in the time of Ezra. This last book is the most liturgical.
The various books of Psalms, then, are not organized by content but by the time they were added to the official worship collection. It is likely that many if not most of the psalms were used before the official compilations were made. The structure of the books is just one of several things we need to understand before we look into this wonderful Bible book.
Hebrew poetry. Unlike English poetry, which emphasizes rhyme and meter, Hebrew poetry relies on other characteristics for its impact. These are parallelism, rhythm, and figures of speech.
Parallelism. English verse manipulates sound, and emphasizes rhyme and meter. Hebrew poetry repeats and rearranges thoughts rather than sounds. There are several types of parallel arrangement of thoughts, with three being basic.
* Synonymous parallelism indicates verses in which the same thought is repeated in different words.
But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans. Psalm 2:4 (tlb)
* Antithetical parallelism indicates verses in which a thought is emphasized by a following contrasting thought. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10
* Synthetic parallelism indicates a pattern of adding thoughts to explain or develop an original expression. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Psalm 1:3
When reading the Psalms or any other Hebrew poetry, it is important to be aware of parallelism. Our understanding of the text, and our interpretation of it, hinges on sensing this thought pattern.
Rhythm. In the original text there are accent marks, which indicate stress to be placed on words and phrases. But this rhythm is not metrical, and it cannot be distinguished in English translations.
Figures of speech. Hebrew poetry, like the Hebrew language itself, uses vivid images, similies, and metaphores to communicate thoughts and feelings. These, like parallelism, are easily translated into other languages, even though at times idiomatic uses may be obscure.
In reading Hebrew poetry then, and especially in reading the Psalms, we need to be sensitive to these literary distinctives. We need to be aware of the role of repetition and imagery in the Psalms, and discover their meaning in these characteristics.
Themes of the Psalms. While the books of Psalms are not organized by topics but by the era they were added to the official collection, the Psalms do show a number of repeated themes. So we can classify some psalms by their content. What types of psalms have been identified? Here are the major types.
* Praise psalms. These focus on the person of God and praise Him by describing His nature or His qualities. This type of psalm is illustrated by Psalms 33, 103, and 139, and by such expressions as:
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases; He redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion. Psalm 103:1–4
* Historical psalms. These review God’s dealings with His people. Illustrations are Psalms 68, 78, 105, and 106, and such expressions as: In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. So He ended their days in futility and their years in terror.Psalm 78:32–33
* Relational psalms. These psalms explore the personal relationship which exists between God and the believer. They are illustrated by Psalms 8, 16, 20, 23, and 55, and such expressions as:
Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:1–2 (italics added)
* Imprecatory psalms. These are psalms in which the worshiper calls on God to overthrow the wicked. Among them are Psalms 35, 69, 109, and 137. They contain such expressions as: May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away. Psalm 35:4–5
* Penitential psalms. In these the psalmist expresses sorrow over his failures and confesses his sins to God. Examples are Psalms 6, 32, 51, 102, 130, and 143. They contain expressions like:
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? Psalm 6:1–3
* Messianic psalms. These psalms refer in some way to Christ, who is to come from David’s family line. Many such psalms are indicated by references in the New Testament. Psalms which the New Testament indicates refer to Christ are Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 40, 45, 69, 72, 89, 102, 109–110, and 132. Others also may have messianic elements or make prophetic references.
* Liturgical psalms. These are psalms which were used in
Personal Messages from the Psalms
The Book of Psalms has long been recognized as a guidebook for prayer. As we read the psalms, there are a number of very personal messages about prayer that come through with clarity and beauty.
It’s all right to be human. The Bible tells us that in Creation God viewed man, the culmination of His creative work, and affirmed that work as “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Man, the Bible says, was made in God’s image, and we are taught to value our humanity. As people we do bear a certain likeness to the Lord.
Sometimes, aware that sin has entered the race and warped mankind out of the intended pattern, Christians have come to view their humanity with shame and guilt rather than pride. A person who tends to locate the identity of mankind in our character as sinners, rather than in our nature as those who bear God’s image, is likely to repress human feelings and emotions. Struggling for “control,” such people may be uncomfortable with strong emotions and may attempt to hold them down or to deny them.
The Bible really does teach us to affirm our value and worth as human beings. Psalm 8 speaks in wonder that God should have created man “a little lower than the heavenly beings” and “crowned him with glory and honor.” Hebrews echoes the thought that we are never to let slip the awareness that God’s intention in Christ is to bring “many sons to glory.” Christ calls Himself our brother; He was “made like His brethren in all things” (, nasb). Far from being ashamed of his humanity, the Christian is free to rejoice in who he is, knowing that in Creation and in redemption God has affirmed our worth.
Such teaching passages might help us grasp this affirmation about man intellectually. But we are gripped by it when we read the Psalms! For here we see our own inner experiences openly shared without shame or hesitation, and we discover that God values man’s inner life enough to record this dynamic record of it in His own Word. When we read the Psalms and see in them our own emotions and struggles, we find a great release. It is all right to be human. It is all right to be ourselves. We need not fear what is within us or repress the feeling side of life.
There’s a way out.
One reason why emotions frighten us is that many people do not know how to express or release them. In our culture, the recognition and expression of feelings is not encouraged—especially of negative feelings. Feelings are feared. To feel anger well up within and to sense that we’re on the verge of losing control is a frightening thing.
For Christians there is the added pressure of the notion that it’s wrong to feel anger or sense tension. “If only I were a good Christian,” we’re liable to tell ourselves. “If only I were really trusting the Lord.” So we feel guilt over the emotions that well up, and then, all too often, we try to deny this very important aspect of personhood.
Reading the Psalms carefully, however, we note that they often trace a process in which the writer begins with strong and almost uncontrollable feelings. We see how he struggles with them, and we see how he brings his feelings to God or relates them to what he knows of the Lord and His ways. In reading Psalms, you and I can learn how to handle our emotions creatively, and how to relate feelings to faith.
Psalm 73 is a good example of this “working through” process. It begins with the writer confessing that he has become envious of the wicked—certainly not an unusual experience when we face difficulties and then see everything going well for the person who cares nothing about God!
The psalmist shares: I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence . … They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” This is what the wicked are like—always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. Psalm 73:3–6, 11–14
How hard it seemed! What good was it to be good? Frustration, envy, self-pity—all had gripped Asaph, the Levite who wrote this psalm, and who now faced rather than repressed his inner state.
The passage goes on to explain how the writer handled these feelings. First of all, he tried to think the problem through, but “it was oppressive to me” (v. 16). He went to God with his problem, to pray at His sanctuary. There God gave him an answer. Asaph’s thoughts were directed to the end toward which the sinner’s life leads. Surely You place them on slippery places; You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies. Psalm 73:18–20
The easy life of the scoffers had led them to forget God, and their success had not permitted them to sense their need of Him. The very wealth and ease which Asaph had envied were “slippery” places that Asaph’s trials helped him to avoid!
This new perspective changed Asaph’s feelings. His past feelings were “senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You” (v. 22). His emotional reactions in this case had not corresponded with reality. Yet, when God showed Asaph reality, his emotions changed.
Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And being with You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:23–26
Real life always holds such struggles for us. There is nothing wrong with them. The emotions we feel then are not bad; they are part of being a human being. The glory of the believer’s privilege is that, because he knows God, his emotions can be brought into fullest harmony with reality. You and I can face all of our feelings—and find freedom to be ourselves with the Lord. What a privilege to be ourselves with God, and to experience His gentle transformation!
We can be honest with God.
This is a third great message of Psalms. Just as we need not repress our feelings, we need not try to hide our feelings from God. He loves us and accepts us as we are—yet always so creatively that we are free to grow toward all that we want to become.
How freeing to realize that God’s love is unconditional. He is concerned about every aspect of our lives, inviting us to share all that we are with Him, that in return He might share Himself with us and bring us to health and wholeness.
Psalms, then, speaks directly to our inner lives. The patterns of relationship we find there guide you and me in our prayer lives. Like the poetry of other peoples, Hebrew poetry is not designed so much to communicate information as to share the inner life and feelings of its writers.
This characteristic of the Psalms is very important to us, and is a dynamic aspect of divine revelation. Through the Psalms we are able to see the men and women of Scripture as real people, gripped by the feelings that move us. We are also able to sense a relationship with God that is deeply personal and real. Every dimension of the human personality is touched when faith establishes that personal relationship.
God meets us as whole persons—He touches our feelings, our emotions, our joys and sorrows, our despair and depression. Faith in God is not just an intellectual kind of thing; it is a relationship which engages everything that we are. Thus, in the Psalms we have a picture of the relationship to which God is calling us today—a relationship in which we have freedom to be ourselves, and to share ourselves freely with the Lord and with other believers.
