Week #39 | The Gospel in the Five Books of Psalms

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Psalms 113-121, 123, 125-126, 128-130, 132, 134-135

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The Gospel in the Five Books of Psalms. The whole book of Psalms is, and has been as far back in history as we can tell, divided into five smaller "books." The first, Psalms 1-41,  begins with two chapters of introduction before immediately providing us with a problem: David, the king, is a broken mess who is hemmed in by enemies and troubles on every side. Then in the second book, Psalms 42-72, there is silence from King David until Psalm 51, where we see that he has morally fallen and committed adultery with Bathsheba. And then in Psalms 71-72, he dies.  The third book, Psalms 73-89 is the darkest of the group, reflecting the disappointment of the kings after David and the exile of Israel and Judah, and ends with a plea that God would show his faithfulness by raising up a true, righteous, delivering king from David's line. The fourth book, Psalms 90-106, is likely the most positive group within in the Psalms. It answers the pessimism and doubting of the third book by going back to Moses (Psalm 90) and ending with two historical Psalms (Psalms 105-106) to show that God has been faithful to Israel in the past, and so he will indeed be faithful to Israel by bringing a true king from David's line in the future. This makes the way for the fifth book, Psalms 107-150, where we witness the return of the king. After Psalm 107, the next three Psalms see the voice of David return for the first time consistently, since all the way back in Book 2. The Psalms after this are mostly celebratory, including the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134). The one exception is Psalm 137, which reflects the suffering of Israel in exile, and that is answered by the return, again, of David's voice -although, a new David, one unlike the man we met in Books 1 and 2- who is marked by faithfulness and righteousness and humility (Psalms 138-145) and whose reign leads all who have breath to praise the Lord (Psalms 146-150), capping off the book in celebratory fireworks of praise. The structure of the Psalms leads us to long for, and expect, a Messiah from David's line who will do what David could not do, because this Messiah will be the true and better David.

Reflections from Book Five of the Psalms. The passages that are given to us for Week #39 are all from the fifth and final book of the Psalms. We have the celebratory songs leading up to Psalm 119 (more on that in a second), and then the Psalms of Ascent after, and then two historical Psalms (135-136, though Psalm 136 isn't in this week's reading). The arrival of the good and true king is a worthy source of celebration. Because Jesus, the true and better David, has arrived (Psalms 108-110), we can celebrate (Psalms 111-118), and approach God (Psalms 120-134), and recount the good that he has done for the sake of his people (Psalms 135-136). The arrival of the kingdom depends on the arrival of the king, and when the king arrives, there is cause for celebration!

The longest of the Psalms--Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is a beautiful acrostic poem, working its way through every letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order, to highlight the importance and preciousness of God's law. His laws, and statutes, and precepts, are a gift to us. They are a light to our path, and a sign of God's closeness to us in that he has revealed himself through their testimony. Every part of an Old Testament Jew's life, from what he planted in his field, to the clothing that he wore, to the way that he cut his hair and beard and what he ate, reminded him that he belonged to and was precious to God. Following God's laws was not a burden. It was a blessing. And through God's Word, he reveals to us his promises as well. There is life to be found here.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? I won't lay out exact responses in this space because the possibilities are often endless. But it is worth it to think about application in the categories of worship, attitude, and actions. Does this reading direct me to God in worship and thanksgiving and praise, or does it direct me towards a change that I need to make here and now? If it's about a change that I need to make, is this something inward in my attitude, or outward in my actions? This helps to rescue application from just being a series of how-to tips, or one-size-fits-all instructions that go beyond what the Bible actually states. Sometimes, the most helpful application we can make is to get a different perspective on what's the most important thing, or about how we should respond inwardly to the things going on around us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean