Introduction to Psalms

SLIDE 1 This evening we’re supposed to be in Psalm 25. Instead, I want to do an introduction to the book. I gave a very quick introduction when we started, but I want to do a more detailed one now. I’ve been waiting till we finished Psalm 24 to do this. Some of this I covered earlier in this series, but I want to go into more detail.

There are five books in the book of Psalms with the psalms in each book written in about the same time period.

SLIDE 2 Book 1 covers psalms 1 through 41. Your Bible will denote the different books. When you get to Psalm 42 it will say “Book 2.” The first two psalms describe the righteous person. The majority of the remaining psalms in this first book are about David’s conflict with Saul. One obvious exception to this is Psalm 3 which is about David’s conflict with Absolom. Those years on the run from Saul were difficult, but in them David learned how to depend on God when the world around him seemed to be falling apart. That’s an important lesson for all of us. David had the promise from God that he would be king, but as he was hiding in the wilderness it certainly didn’t look like it. Through that process, God was shaping David even as he shapes us in our difficulties.

SLIDE 3 Book 2 is made up of psalms 42 through 72. These psalms pick up on the next phase in David’s life as king. These are songs based on what David learned as king. An important aspect of the psalms is that through them David is able to bring cohesiveness to the nation. They started as twelve individual tribes, but these shared songs helped bring them together as a nation. Many of the psalms have a tone of royalty.

SLIDE 4 Book 3 is made up of psalms 73 through 89. This third book is largely made up of songs that were written during the Assyrian crisis (not all, but many). During the divided kingdom, as God was allowing the northern tribes to be conquered because of their continual breaking of their covenant with God, there were three waves of Assyrian assault until the Assyrians eventually captured the ten northern tribes. These psalms talk about what we do when it looks like evil is winning the day.

SLIDE 5 Book 4 starts with psalm 90 and runs through 106. These are largely temple psalms. They talk about what went on at the temple and the destruction of the temple. There are also a number of exile psalms by those who were taken into captivity by the Babylonians after they destroyed the temple. This means that these psalms were not written till a two and three hundred years after David.

SLIDE 6 Book 5, psalms 107 through 150, contain praises that relate to a return to Jerusalem. They imagine life under the rule of God after they return to the Promised Land. Think about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. It’s not just a physical kingdom, but also God’s spiritual kingdom over his people.

This is a broad overview of the psalms. Not all of the psalms in each section fit into the description I gave, but many do. It is also possible that a few psalms written during the period of the fifth book got put into the first book. We are also pretty certain that some of the psalms David wrote are found in the fifth book. The psalms were collected and arranged later.

SLIDE 7 One of the things that happened during this editing process was the addition of the superscription. The superscription is that line or two that comes at the beginning of the psalm and before verse 1. For example, the first one we find is in Psalm 3 which reads:

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

More than a hundred of the psalms contain a superscription. The superscriptions include such information as the author, directions to the musicians, types of instruments to be played, the style of music, or the occasion on which it was written. The superscription was not written by the author of the psalm, but it can be helpful to understanding the psalm.

The psalms, as I’m sure you know, are all poetry. The problem with poetry is that it rarely says exactly what it wants to say. Poetry is not so much about the cognitive response – what we think about it – but about how it makes us feel. Perhaps that’s why I’ve never been a big fan of poetry. I take things too literal and concrete, but poetry is rarely that. Therefore, we need to be careful as we read poetry to remember that it uses flowery language to describe reality and emotions.

SLIDE 8 Something to look for in Hebrew poetry is its use of parallelisms and there are several different kinds. This type of parallelism is referred to as synonymous parallelism. Look at Psalm 3.

Lord, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me! (Psalm 3:1)

In the second line, David is repeating what he said in the first line. There is a lot of this repetition in the psalms. The reason is it helps with the meter or the beat of the psalm. This poetic device is still used in music today. Words and lines are included only to keep the beat pattern going.

SLIDE 9 Another kind of parallelism used in the psalms is called emblematic parallelism. It uses an image to describe something. For example, in Psalm 23:1, what is the image David uses to describe God? David describes God as a shepherd. Is God really a shepherd? No. Everyone in David’s day were familiar with shepherds. If they hadn’t taken care of sheep themselves, they had seen shepherds. David uses the image of a shepherd to help us understand how God provided for him and us.

SLIDE 10 Another kind of parallelism is called antithetic parallelism. Here, the psalmist will a line and in the next line will say the opposite.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1:6)

These are two opposites. This one is good, but this one is not.

SLIDE 11 One final form of parallelism is called a chiasm. A chiasm repeats several lines. There are two forms. It may go: ABC, ABC or it can go ABC, CBA. Something to look for when you come across a chiasm is the middle or center of the chiasm. That is the point or lesson it is often pointing to.

There are other kinds of forms that the psalms take.

SLIDE 12 Acrostic: each line of the poem begins with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 119 is the most famous example, but Psalm 25 is an acrostic psalm as well. These help the reader to memorize the psalm, but it also conveys that the author considered everything there was to consider about the topic. In Psalm 119, the psalmist tells us all about God’s law – from A to Z.

SLIDE 13 Sometimes the psalm is an alliteration, that is, all the lines start with the same Hebrew letter. These are impossible to see in English, but can be seen in the Hebrew. David liked alliteration.

SLIDE 14 Another form is called inclusio. It is the repletion of a phrase. In Psalm 107, the phrase “give thanks to the Lord” is found five times. In Hebrew, when you say it you mean it, but when you say it twice you mean it more. When it’s repeated it becomes the main thought behind what you are saying. We find this outside of poetry as well.

SLIDE 15 Let’s talk about the authors of the psalms. There is only one psalm that every Hebrew child would have memorized and that is Psalm 90 which was written by Moses. In this psalm Moses says that although he has wandered most of his life and been without a permanent home, wherever he went his home was with God. God was his dwelling place.

SLIDE 16 David wrote most of the psalms and most of those are found in books 1 and 2. There are seventy-three psalms ascribed to David. Most of those say they were written by David. Others are thought to have been written by David because of the vocabulary and pattern or meter of the psalm. So, half the psalms were written by David.

SLIDE 17 Another important author is Asaph and his sons, see especially psalms 73 through 83.

SLIDE 18 A couple of other authors include Korah (psalms 84 and 85). There are Heman and Ethan, both Ezrahites (psalms 88 and 89). Solomon wrote a couple of the psalms as well, psalms 72 and 127.

SLIDE 19 There are several important Hebrews terms for the psalms. The Hebrew name for the book of Psalms is “Tehillim.” The name means “praise” or “hymn.” Technically, it is only one kind of psalm, but it is the name given for all of them. There are more than a half dozen different Hebrew words for psalms and songs in the Old Testament.

SLIDE 20 Another term used for the psalms is “mizmor” as in “a mizmor (or psalm) of David.” Sometimes it’s translated as “psalm” and sometimes it’s transliterated and you’ll see the word mizmor. It usually refers to a psalm that is accompanied by a stringed instrument. Fifty-seven of the psalms are labeled as mizmors. It is generally not a hard driving percussion, but is softer.

SLIDE 21 Another term used for psalms and songs throughout the Old Testament is “shir.” The Song of Solomon is the shir of Solomon. It is simply a song. Twelve of the psalms are labeled as a shir or song. Generally speaking, a shir is more dramatic and is developed by the idea and not the rhythm.

SLIDE 22 A maskil tends to be contemplative. It is almost a quiet force to push along your thoughts. It packs lots of thought in a small space.

SLIDE 23 A michtam is a suspenseful song that builds along the way with a climactic ending. Psalm 16, 56 and 60 carry this description.

SLIDE 24 Many think the Hebrew term selah can either mean rest/break or climax. Those are two very different ideas, but it is a term that means you bring the music to a point, a quiet point or a dramatic point.

SLIDE 25 There are five psalms as well as Habakkuk that are referred to as tephillah. It is a general word for prayer.

SLIDE 26 Turn to Psalm 150. There are many different instruments mentioned in Psalms. Psalm 150 has the longest list of instruments.

1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150)

This psalm mentions the trumpet, harp and lyre, timbrel, strings, pipe, and cymbals. What we see in the psalms is different instruments and different styles of worship. Additionally, in this psalm, Psalm 149, and other places in the Old Testament, we read about people dancing in their worship of God.

Are you familiar with the book “Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman? In that book, Chapman says that different people receive and give love differently. Some people express love through words of affirmation. Some give love though touch. Others show love by the giving of gifts. Chapman identifies five different ways people show love.

Similarly, we worship in different ways. Some prefer the quiet and contemplative songs for their worship. Others prefer louder and more active forms of worship. If they aren’t clapping they don’t feel like they’ve worshiped. That’s certainly what I experienced with the churches in Jamaica. Almost everyone there had some kind of percussion instrument and the ones that didn’t were clapping. Our service would seem very strange to them. If we could see the different ways people worship around the world I think we’d have fewer problems with worship wars. People worship in different parts of the world and in the psalms we see different styles of worship.

When we were on vacation last month the church the music at we attended was so loud that I tried to talk into Mary Anne’s ear and she couldn’t what I was saying. As loud as it was, I’ve attended worship services where it was louder and they gave out ear plugs at the door. Those in attendance were full of emotion as they sang to God. I’ve also attended services that were much quieter where no one moved and there was no emotion was shown. Which is right? Which is better? Which do you think God prefers? Does God have a preference? We do, but does God? I think if God preferred a particular style that would have been written down as well.

Something else we should think about in our worship is who do our songs address? There are songs we sing that are addressed to God. For example: “How Great Thou Art” is addressed to God. But other hymns, like “Since Jesus Came into My Heart” isn’t about God but about how I feel. Both are good, but they have different purposes. We those in the psalms as well.

SLIDE 27 There are also some musical terms in the psalms that can be helpful to know. One is “l’ menatsa’ ach” or “to the chief musician.” Fifty psalms are addressed to the chief musician or director of music such as Psalm 59. These are largely responsive songs. The song leader says a line and it is supposed to be repeated by the congregation. There were no song books or PowerPoint so this was a n easy way to lead those who didn’t know the words.

SLIDE 28 We talked earlier about the psalms written by Korah. Psalms 42, 44-49 were written by the sons of Korah. They were musical performers or soloists.

SLIDE 29 Neginoth (Psalms 4 and 6 are examples) are psalms sung to stringed instruments. These psalms are melodic and soothing as opposed to those sung to brass instruments which tend to be brasher (like a marching band).

SLIDE 30 A sheminith is a woodwind.

SLIDE 31 There’s one more term I want to mention and that the gittith.

Who remembers the episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy is stomping grapes? You stomp grapes with your feet because you are trying to break the skin open without crushing the seed which will make the juice bitter. The problem in that episode is she began falling into the grape vat. There are certain parts of the anatomy that you didn’t want to touch the grape juice. To prevent that from happening there was a rope that hung down to the middle of the vat. You would hold onto the rope to help keep your balance. Lucy didn’t have that rope to hold onto. Gittith refers to that treading of the grapes. These psalms (8, 81, and 84) were to be sung to the stomping of the grapes.

There are some songs we are familiar with that have a similar cadence. Think of the beat to “Onward Christian Soldiers.” You can almost see the marching or stomping.

At the western wall in Jerusalem you will see people bowing in prayer. They are reading the prayers and the prayers are read in a similar cadence. That makes it easy for someone to jump in beside them and join in the reading of the prayer.

SLIDE 32 Turn to Psalm 1. In this psalm we have stanzas or verses and the chorus. The chorus of the psalm is verse 6. The first stanza of the psalm is verse 1, the second stanza is verses 2 and 3, and the third stanza is verses 4 and 5. After each stanza you would sing the chorus.

This may not look right to us because the second stanza is so much longer than the first and third one, but it isn’t in the Hebrew. It just takes more words in English to say what was written in Hebrew. When you translate poetry it messes up the rhythm and cadence.

In stanza 1 we’re told what not to do – the negative choice. The chorus says that the Lord knows those who do what is right and those who do not. In the second stanza we are given positive choices with the results. We are reminded again with the chorus that God knows the difference between these choices. And then stanza 3 describes the way of the wicked.

SLIDE 33 In Psalm 2, we see the world’s perspective. The first stanza is verses 1, 2, and 3. The second stanza is verses 4, 5, and 6. The third stanza is verses 7, 8, and 9. And the fourth stanza is verses 10, 11, and 12. However, verse 12 also contains the chorus which is the last line:

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:12d)

The chorus would be sung after each of the stanzas. There are markings in the Hebrew text that help the reader understand how it’s supposed to go.

In stanza 1, we see the world’s perception.

1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” (Psalm 2:1-3)

They are in an uproar against God. They spend their time thinking about things that don’t matter. Why do people do this? Why do they trust in things that are empty? Why do they try to destroy anything that has to do with God? They act like God and his people are keeping them from doing what they want. When you feel like that, remember that we take refuge in God, not in our arguments.

In stanza 2 we find God’s view. God isn’t afraid of them, he laughs at them. God doesn’t care if “Time Magazine” thinks God is dead. God has his own people who worship him and those who take refuge in him are blessed.

In stanza 3 we have the perspective of God’s people. God’s people declare God’s laws and commands. They know the relationship they have with God and that he can destroy the powers of the earth, therefore take refuge in God and you will be blessed.

The final stanza contains God’s warnings. God is encouraging the people of the world to consider just who it is that they are complaining about. He’s encouraging them to worship him and to honor his people because if you mess with God’s people you are messing with God. Later this becomes seen as a reference to Jesus. However, if you want to be blessed, take your refuge in God.

When we get overtaken by the problems of the world, remember that peace is found in our relationship with God.

SLIDE 34 The story behind Psalm 3 is found in 2 Samuel 13-15. We know this because of the superscription. This is the first superscription we find in the psalms. We’re told that it is a psalm of David. The word for psalm is mizmor, which we looked at earlier. It is the most used word for psalm.

At the end of verse 2 we find the word selah. Remember, it can refer to a pause or a crescendo. In this instance it is a rest.

The psalm ends with a chorus slash, doxology. It is to be read at the beginning as well as after the stanzas. So the psalm begins with the chorus and has a rest after each stanza and before the chorus is sung again.

You get the picture. The psalm is laid out in a way that is quiet and contemplative. In the English it starts out with the wringing of hands and complaining about the increase in enemies. But the psalm is supposed to start with the acknowledgement that salvation comes from the Lord. Can you see the dramatic difference in these two approaches? It sounds much better in the right order.

SLIDE 35 The superscription of Psalm 4 is directed to the director of music. This is the chief musician. There were some songs we sang when I was growing up where the song leader sang a line and then we repeated it or the guys sang the line and the girls repeated it. That’s what this is referring to. We mentioned this style of psalm earlier. So when you see a reference to the director you should be looking for this in the psalm.

We also see this psalm 4 is sung to stringed instruments. How brash and loud are stringed instruments? They aren’t. Now, if this were sung to trumpets, it would be different. Trumpets are in your face, but this is not. This should be slow and quiet with a single voice that sings with a choir behind him.

We again find a rest at the end of verses 2 and 4. Verse 8 contains the chorus. So when it’s sung it goes: verse 1 and 2, verse 8; verses 3 and 4, verse 8; verses 5, 6, 7, and 8. Why are verses 5, 6, and 7 longer? It’s a song that builds as it goes.

SLIDE 36 Psalm 5 is again directed to the music director, so there is a soloist. It is to be accompanied by flutes, which would give a different feel than stringed instruments. The chorus for the psalm is found in verse 3.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)

While this, like the previous psalm is more contemplative, there are also psalm that are loud and in your face.

In Psalm 5 the order is: verse 1, 2 and 3; verses 4, 5, and 3; verse 6, 7, and 3; 8, 9, and 3; 10, 11 and 3. Verse 12 is the ending.

SLIDE 37 We’ll look at one last psalm, Psalm 6. This psalm is also directed to music director so there is a leader and then the people repeat what he has sung. It is also accompanied by stringed instruments. Additionally, we told that it is according to sheminith. Many believe that the style for this psalm would be more like jazz with a deep bass sound. Because it is a jazz song it does not have a chorus. The stanzas are: Stanza 1: verses 1, 2, and 3; stanza 2: verses 4, and 5; stanza 3: verse 6 and 7; stanza 4: verses 8, 9, 10. So the stanzas are made up of 3 verses, 2 verses, 2 verses, and 3 verses. Remember what we said about a chiasm. This time it has to do with length. Long short, short, long.

We can’t continue this all night, but I wanted to give you an idea of how the psalms were sung.