Overview of the book of Psalms
The book of Psalms contains the prayers, hymns, songs of praise, and meditations of Israel. All of them were gathered in a collection that includes joyful songs of praise and Thanksgiving as well as sad songs of distress. The prayers and songs in the book of psalms are addressed to God.
The psalm definition is sacred poems or hymns that are used in worship. These psalms are usually for pleading for help to God’s gracious acts on behalf of God’s people. Due to the emotional and divine activity in the book of psalms, believers in each and every generation have found them applicable to their life and worship.
In ancient times, Jews referred to this book as the book of praises. This book was also the hymnal of the Jewish people. The book of psalms Is quoted 81 times in the new testament of the Bible. It is quoted by every new testament writer except the two writers, James and Jude. The psalms served as a biblical source of prayer and praise to every believer as models for their own response to God. The book of psalms is an invaluable resource for worship.
David was the man after God’s own heart. He had a passion for intimacy with God and a zeal to follow after God with his whole heart. He had a love for God’s word and obeyed his commandments.
The three elements expressed in the book of psalms are praise, petition, and penitence. The book of psalms is all about God. The word God is mentioned in the book of psalms is 1220 times and Yahweh is found 132 times and Elohim is found 109 times.
Our yesayya.com will help your understanding to aid in your Psalms bible study of God’s word. We hope this overview, outline, and Book of psalms Bible study are helpful to you.
What does psalm mean: The book of the psalm was originally titled Tehillim and the meaning was praise songs in Hebrew. The English title of psalms originated from the Greek title Psalmoi, which means songs of praise.
Who wrote the book of psalms: The book of psalms was a collection of prayers, hymns, and lyrical poems. It is one of the old testament books that contain multiple authors. Some psalms name their author in their titles.
David: He wrote seventy-three psalms, less than half.
Asaph: He wrote 12 psalms and was the music director during the Reigns of David and Solomon.
The sons of Korah: They wrote 12 psalms. These were Levites who served in the temple.
Solomon: He wrote only two psalms ( ps 72, 127)
Moses: He wrote the earliest psalms which are included in psalms ( ps 90). It is a song of meditation, reflection, and prayer.
Heman: He is known as the singer. He wrote only one psalm( ps 88) that has been preserved till now.
Ethan: He was the companion with Asaph and Heman in the temple worship. He wrote one psalm. ( ps 89)
Anonymous: The author of forty-eight of the psalms is unknown.
When were psalms written: psalms were written and collected throughout the history of Israel. It contains prayers and songs from every period of Israel’s history. The oldest psalms in the collection are the prayer of Moses. The latest psalm is 137 a song of lament written during the days when the Hebrews were captive by Babylonians from 586 to 538 B.C. The popular psalms have been put together in the bible in present form by an unknown editor after the captivity ended about 537B.C.
How many chapters in psalms: There were 150 chapters in Psalms
How many psalms did David write: David didn’t write the book of psalms. He wrote about half of the psalms- 73 out of 150.
Purpose of writing the book of psalms: The book of psalms is the longest book in the Bible. The book of psalms deals mainly with the subjects such as God and his creation, war, worship, wisdom, judgment, Justice, sin and evil, and the coming of the Messiah.
Outline of Psalms
Psalm one provides the introduction for the entire collection of psalms and sets the theme of God’s blessing on the righteous and His destruction of the wicked. Psalms 150 calls us to the praise of the lord. The first psalm thought is the man blessed by God and the last thought of psalm 150 is God praised by men.
The book of psalms was divided into five books
The books of the Messiah. Psalms 1-41:
This book is the Messianic of the books with psalms 2,8,16,20-24,31,34,35,40,41. These all psalms mention the Messiah, clearly about the Messiah. The book opens with the Messiah and closes with the messiah. In the center of the book, there were five Messianic psalms, two were describing His prayer( 20-21), three were describing His past, present, and future work ( 22-24). The end of the middle psalms (21) assures God’s judgment.
The books of Desire. Psalms 42-72
This book is a personal book. This book begins with despondency and a deep longing for God. This book ends with the reign of the king (ps 72). Psalm 45 consists of a beautiful marriage song of the king. Psalms 46 consists of the most beautiful song of trust. Psalm 51 displays confession and forgiveness. The end line of the middle psalm presents God as Judge.
The book of Israel. Psalms 73-89
This book deals with God’s dealing with His covenant people, Israel. Psalm 73 is a great song about envying the wicked. Psalm 84 describes a heart longing to be with God. Psalm 82 is a cry for justice.
The book of the rule of God. Psalms 90-106
This book contains great enthronement psalms. These songs are devoted to the establishment of God as king. It consists mostly of God’s rule. Psalm 90 is His rule over our lives. Psalm 94 is his rule over the wicked. Psalm 102 is the enduring rule of God.
Psalm 103 is His kind over our frailty. Psalm 104 is His rule over nature. Psalms 105, 106 is His rule in delivering in Israel. Psalm is a call to give thanks. The book opens with Moses’ great prayer (ps 90) about life. Psalms 98 assures us that the lord is coming to Judge.
The books of praise. Psalms 107-150
The Other four books address praise but this book triumphs praise. Two Hebrew words are used to describe praise. They were “Hallel” meaning to boast and “yadah” meaning to cast our gratitude to God. Psalms 113-118 are known as the Hillel psalms that were sung at Passover.
Psalm 119 is the great acrostic psalm that focused on the role of God’s word. Psalms 120- 134 are known as the songs of ascent. These were sung when pilgrims ascended to Jerusalem. Psalms 135 calls for people to stand in the temple and bless the Lord. Psalm 136 explains the history of God’s deliverance using the worship temple refrain.
Psalm 137 makes the joyous time a sad memory in Babylon. Then the book closes with seven psalms of David ( psalms 138-145) and four psalms to praise the Lord. Two psalms are quoted by Christ about himself.
The Praise and lament psalms
Most of the psalms fall into two categories: praise and lament psalms. The praise psalms begin with an exhortation or proclamation of praise. The psalmist lists the reasons in these books why we should praise God. Sometimes the reasons are based on who God is and on what God has done.
The lament psalms follow a more complex structure
- Opening cry
- Lament proper
- Confession of trust
- Petition
- The motivation for God to respond
- Vow to praise God
The lament psalms give voice to our struggles when our theology of God does not meet our experiences in life. The psalms are raw and refreshing that we need to read the psalms and gasp.
Why the book of psalms is important
The psalms were the ancient hymnal, songs, praises of the Israel people. The psalms express the emotion of the individual authors to God. Different types of psalms were written to communicate different feelings regarding the situation of the psalmist.
What lesson can be learned from the book of Psalms
Singing is the result of being filled with the spirit and word of God. The psalms are the songbooks of the early church. And those songs reflect the new truth in Christ. God is the same lord in the book of psalms. But we respond to Him in different ways according to the circumstances we face in our lives.
Psalmist declares that We worship a marvelous God. He is high and lifted up beyond our human experiences but also enough to touch and walk beside us along with our lives.
We can have all our feelings to God whether they may be negative or complaining and we can rest assured that He will hear and understand. The psalms teach us that the prayer of all is a cry for help as we find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life. Psalms encourage us to praise God for who He is and what He has done. The book of psalms illuminates the greatness of our God.
He affirms his faithfulness in times of our troubles and reminds his words. Psalms present a clear picture of God loving guiding His people. The portrayal of worship in the psalms offers us to devote our hearts to him. The individuals repent before him and change their lives.
Why study the book of psalms
- Enhancing our prayer life
- Enhancing our praise and worship
- Encouraging us to be authentic and transparent
- Learning about the character and person of God
- Learning about Jesus Christ as we see the Messiah in psalms
Book of psalms summary
The book of psalms is a collection of poems, hymns, and prayers that focus the worshiper’s thoughts of God in praising Him. It is a collection of 150 ancient songs. There are many subjects in the book of psalms that include glad songs that praise God. Some psalms are sad prayers.
Some psalms explain that God will rescue from troubles. Some psalms about the history of Israel. Psalm 119 is about the Bible. David confesses an evil deed in psalm 51. Psalm 22 describes how Jesus suffered. Psalm 1 teaches that we must love God and Psalm 2 tells us that God will rule the world.
Conclusion: The psalms will form the expression of the soul of man in a relationship with God. In our despair and cries are seen as lost, we learn to count on a God who will see, hear, and respond. In celebrations, we find a God who enriches our celebrations. Whatever may be our circumstance the psalms have a word that will help us to share our heart with the lord.
The psalms teach to Let God’s word dwell in our lives richly. The psalms are to enjoy, contemplate, learn about God, and grow our relationship with Him.