(Reading Apr 25-May 1)
18. Psalms of Righteousness and PraiseKey Point:
The first 17 psalms in this section extol righteousness and condemn wickedness. The next 24 psalms are filled with joy and praise for God and his creation.
Key Verse:
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs. (Psalm 100:1 , DB page 550)
Facts about the Psalms:
* The inscriptions or titles above many of the psalms were added after they were written; some indicate authorship, although the words "of" and "for" are the same in Hebrew (ie, a psalm "of David" may be a psalm dedicated "for David").
* David is thought to be the author of at least 73 of the psalms.
* The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119 , the shortest chapter is Psalm 117 , and the middle verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8 .
* The term selah occurs 71 times, and its meaning is unknown; it may be a musical instruction to the worshippers indicating a pause, musical interlude, or a crescendo
* The 10 major types of psalms are as follows:
1. Individual lament, predominant type, examples in 3-7 , 25-28 , 38-40 , 54-57
2. Communal lament, lament on behalf of nation, examples in 44 , 60 , 74 , 79-80
3. Individual thanksgiving, examples in 18 , 30 , 32 , 66 , 106
4. Communal thanksgiving, found in 124 , 129
5. General praise, hallelujah (praise the Lord) occurs often, examples in 8 , 19 , 103 , 148
6. Descriptive praise, praise for God's acts and attributes, examples in 33 , 36 , 105 , 146
7. Enthronement psalms, describe God's sovereign rule, found in 47 , 93 , 96-99
8. Pilgrimage songs, sung by pilgrims en route to Jerusalem, examples in 43 , 76 , 120-134
9. Royal psalms, the reigns of the earthly king and heavenly king, examples in 2 , 18 , 21 , 89
10. Wisdom and instruction, found in 1 , 37 , 119
* Many of the psalms are messianic (refer to coming of the messiah), such as 2 , 19 , 22 , 110 .
* There are more references to Psalms in the New Testament than to any other book.
Thought Questions:
1. Read Psalm 36 (DB page 522) and answer these questions:
- From the first few verses, what qualities characterize the wicked?
- What difference do you see between the thoughts of the wicked and the righteous?
- Why does David move from talking about the wicked to a description of God's character?
2. Read Psalm 84 (DB page 532); what makes worship either exciting or dull for you?
3. Read Psalm 8 (DB page 536); what does this psalm say about humans and God?
4. Read Psalm 19 (DB page 538); what does this say about God and his word?
5. How can you become more praise-oriented in your everyday life?
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