RETURN TO SYLLABUS
PSALMS (PART 2 and PART 3)
LESSON #01/P2
INTRODUCTION TO PART 2

• A SPECIAL NOTE: THIS SECTION OF LESSONS IS THE SECOND AND THIRD PART OF THE STUDY OF THE BOOK OF PSALMS.
• IF YOU HAVE NOT STUDIED THE FIRST SECTION OF LESSONS ON THE PSALMS (PART 1), YOU SHOULD AT LEAST READ THE FIRST INTRODUCTORY LESSON IN PART 1.
• THIS PARTICULAR PAGE OF INTRODUCTION IS A BRIEF REVIEW OF SOME OF THE IMPORTANT POINTS IN THAT LESSON FOR THOSE WHO HAVE STUDIED PART 1 PLUS SOME RELEVANT POINTS THAT PERTAIN SPECIFICALLY TO OUR STUDY OF PSALMS, PART 2 AND PART 3.
• THE TITLE OF THE BOOK OF PSALMS:
• THE WORD "PSALMS" MEANS = PRAISES WITH MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT.

THE HEBREW TITLE FOR THE BOOK WAS "sepher tehillim" WHICH MEANS "BOOK OF PRAISES". THE WORDS OF THE PSALMS WERE TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. THE PSALMS WERE USED FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD IN THE JEWISH TEMPLE.

• THE AUTHORS IN PSALMS PART 2:
• DAVID
• DAVID WROTE NINETEEN OF THE PSALMS IN PART 2.
• THE SONS OF KORAH
• THE SONS OF KORAH, MEMBERS OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI WHO WERE THE PRIESTS, WROTE SEVEN PSALMS IN PART 2.
• ASAPH
• ASAPH WROTE 1 PSALM.
• ORPHAN PSALMS:
• THREE PSALMS IN PART 2 HAVE UNKNOWN AUTHORS, AND THEREFORE, THEY ARE CALLED ORPHANS. DAVID COULD HAVE WRITTEN THEM OR PERHAPS SOMEONE OTHER THAN DAVID WROTE THEM.

• THE THEME OF THE WHOLE BOOK OF PSALMS:.
• THE KING AND THE KINGDOM
• THERE IS A MORE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST IN THIS BOOK THAN THERE IS IN THE GOSPELS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
• THE GOSPELS TELL US THAT JESUS PRAYED, BUT THE PSALMS TELL US WHAT HE PRAYED.
• THE GOSPELS TELL US THAT JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED, BUT THE PSALMS TELL US WHAT HE WAS THINKING AND FEELING.
• WHILE THE THEME OF THE BOOK IS THE KING AND THE KINGDOM, IT IS VERY MUCH PERSONALLY ORIENTED TO A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS KING. THE AUTHORS BARE THEIR SOULS TO THE LORD. THEREFORE, WE COULD SAY THAT THIS IS THE ONLY BOOK IN THE BIBLE THAT CONTAINS EVERY HUMAN EMOTION AND EVERY HUMAN EXPERIENCE. IT IS AN ANATOMY OF THE SOUL.
• OUR EMPHASIS ON THE THEME:
• THE THEME IS THE KING AND THE KINGDOM, BUT WE WILL EMPHASIZE OUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS KING.
• THE RESULTS OF THIS EMPHASIS SHOULD PROMPT YOU TO WORSHIP THE KING MORE FULLY.
• THE KEY WORD:
• "HALLELUJAH" WHICH MEANS = PRAISE THE LORD

• AN OFTEN REPEATED WORD:
• THE WORD, "SELAH", IS OFTEN SEEN IN THE PSALMS. DO NOT SKIP OVER IT FOR IT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT WORD.
• THIS LITTLE WORD IS A MUSICAL NOTATION OF A "REST". IT IS WHEN ALL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS STOP PLAYING AND THERE IS A PAUSE. WHEN IT OCCURS HERE IN THE PSALMS, IT MEANS = STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WAS JUST SAID!
• WHEN WE READ THE PSALMS, WE SHOULD USE IT IN THE SAME WAY…PAUSE, THINK ABOUT THE MARVELOUS TRUTH THE AUTHOR JUST PROCLAIMED. THESE TRUTHS ARE LITTLE GEMS DROPPED IN THE TEXT FOR US TO NOTICE AS AN EMPHASIS.
• THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE PSALMS:
• THE ORDER OF THE PSALMS FOLLOWS THE GENERAL ORDER OF THE BIBLE ITSELF.

    UNDERSTANDING THE OUTLINE FOR PART 2 OF OUR STUDY: (THE EXODUS SECTION=
    =PSALMS 42-72)

• IN THE EXODUS SECTION OF THE PSALMS, IT CORRESPONDS TO THE ACTIONS IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS.
• THE BOOK OF EXODUS BEGINS WITH GOD’S PEOPLE IN SLAVERY IN EGYPT.
• THEY ARE IN A FOREIGN LAND UNDER A HEAVY YOKE OF BONDAGE.
• NEXT WE SEE THE STRUGGLE OF GOD’S PEOPLE TO BE FREE FROM THIS SLAVERY.
• IN GOD’S MAGNIFICENT MERCY, HE RAISES UP A LEADER, MOSES, TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT.
• MOSES FIRST CONFRONTS PHARAOH TO LET GOD’S PEOPLE GO. AFTER A SERIES OF PLAGUES THAT GOD SENT UPON THE EGYPTIANS, PHARAOH FINALLY AGREES.
• THE FIRST PASSOVER IS THE FINAL PLAGUE.
• READ EXO 12:1-14
• THIS FIRST PASSOVER DEFINES GOD’S PEOPLE AS A REDEEMED PEOPLE BELONGING TO GOD. THE ISRAELITES WERE TO KEEP THIS MEMORIAL FEAST EVERY YEAR, AND THEY STILL DO. IT IS THEIR NATIONAL IDENTITY.
• THE FIRST PASSOVER DEFINES GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION THROUGH THE BLOOD OF A LAMB WHICH IS A TYPE OR ILLUSTRATION OF OUR NEW TESTAMENT REDEMPTION THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, WHO JOHN THE BAPTIST CALLED THE LAMB OF GOD. (JOH 1:29) REDEMPTION THROUGH CHRIST IS THE CHRISTIAN’S IDENTITY.
• WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE WERE FREE FROM EGYPT, IN THE WILDERNESS, GOD GAVE THEM THE LAW AND THE PATTERN FOR THEIR TABERNACLE WORSHIP.
• THE NAMES OF GOD:
• THERE IS AN INTERESTING CONTRAST BETWEEN PSALMS PART 1 AND PSALMS PART 2 REGARDING THE USE OF THE DIFFERENT NAMES USED FOR GOD.

• THE NAME ELOHIM REFERS TO THE COMPLETENESS AND FULLNESS OF THE POWER OF GOD.
• THE NAME JEHOVAH REFERS TO A GOD WHO MAKES COVENANTS WITH HIS PEOPLE. JEHOVAH IS THE NAME FOR THE GOD WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE PRESERVATION AND REDEMPTION OF HIS PEOPLE.

• INTERPRETATION OF THE PSALMS:
• THE PSALMS SERVE MORE THAN ONE PURPOSE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND WE WILL CONSIDER THESE MULTI-FACETED ASPECTS AS WE STUDY THEM.
• =1= THEY WERE WRITTEN FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE BY THE AUTHOR FOR THOSE PEOPLE OF HIS TIME, AND FOR THEIR USE IN TEMPLE WORSHIP.
• =2= THEY GIVE US THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HUMAN WRITER REGARDING HIS OWN EXPERIENCES WITH GOD.
• =3= THEY GIVE US THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF GOD FOR THEY ARE PART OF HIS INSPIRED WORD.
• =4= THEY GIVE US INSPIRED PROPHECY OF A FUTURE FIRST COMING AND A SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, THE MESSIAH.
• THERE ARE 186 QUOTATIONS FROM THE BOOK OF PSALMS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
• OUTLINE FOR PSALMS PART 2==THE EXODUS SECTION==(PSALMS 42-72)
• ISRAEL’S RUIN (PSALMS 42-49)
• ISRAEL’S REDEEMER (PSALMS 50-60)
• ISRAEL’S REDEMPTION (PSALMS 61-72)
• SOURCES FOR OUR STUDY OF PSALMS PART 2:
• THRU THE BIBLE COMMENTARY SERIES BY J. VERNON McGee.
• TEACHING NOTES BY ADELE CARMICHAEL.
• THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY --OLD TESTAMENT BY JOHN F. WALVOORD AND ROY B. ZUCK.
• THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE BY RICK WARREN
• MISC. NOTES

 

HOMEWORK
PSALMS 42 AND PSALMS 43
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

• PREPARATION FOR PSA 42 AND PSA 43
• BACKGROUND CONCERNING KORAH AND HIS SONS:
• READ NUM 16:1-33; 26:10-11; 1CHR 9:19; 1CHR 6:31-33, 37
• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT THE SONS OF KORAH FROM THESE VERSES?

• READ PSA 42:1-11
• READ PSA 43:1-5
• THESE TWO PSALMS BELONG TOGETHER BECAUSE THERE IS A PHRASE REPEATED IN BOTH THESE PSALMS THAT TIE THEM TOGETHER. WHAT IS THE PHRASE AND HOW MANY TIMES IS IT REPEATED IN THESE TWO PSALMS?

• SINCE PSALMS 42 AND 43 ARE IN THE EXODUS SECTION OF THE PSALMS, WHY DO YOU THINK THE AUTHOR SEEMS VERY DISCOURAGED?

• WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE "UNJUST MAN" IN PSA 43:1?

• THESE TWO PSALMS HAVE A PROPHETIC ASPECT TO THEM. TO WHAT FUTURE PERIOD OF TIME DO YOU THINK THEY REFER?

• MEMORY VERSE: PSA 42:1