Latest / Reformed Thinking / How to Read the Psalms: Poetry, Prayer, and Praise | M. G. Easton

Transcript

How to Read the Psalms: Poetry, Prayer, and Praise | M. G. Easton · Reformed Thinking

• 0:00
  Welcome to Reformed Thinking. This is the deep dive where we
• 0:02
  take a stack of source material, articles, research notes, and
• 0:05
  pull out the key insights for you.
• 0:07
  We basically do the readings so you don't have to, giving you a
• 0:10
  shortcut to being well informed on some pretty big topics for
• 0:14
  the church. And this particular deep dive is
• 0:16
  all about the internal structure of the Book of Psalms.
• 0:19
  It's something that's really vital for any serious reader of
• 0:22
  Scripture. That's right, our listener gave
• 0:24
  us some excellent sources that go into the architecture, the
• 0:28
  authorship, and just the sheer historical sweep of the Psalter.
• 0:32
  So our objective today is pretty straightforward.
• 0:35
  We want to unpack the evidence about its historical span, its
• 0:38
  organization, and, you know, the surprisingly diverse list of
• 0:42
  people who actually put this book together.
• 0:43
  And we want you, the listener, to walk away with a real
• 0:46
  appreciation for just how intentional the Psalter's
• 0:50
  structure is. It's not just a random
• 0:52
  collection of songs. Not at all.
• 0:54
  It might be the most personal and comprehensive book in all of
• 0:57
  Scripture, and that accessibility isn't an accident.
• 1:00
  The very structure shows the careful guidance of Providence.
• 1:03
  How so? Well, just think about it.
• 1:05
  The collection gathers contributions from inspired
• 1:08
  poets who lived across a Millennium.
• 1:11
  They faced wildly different circumstances from, you know,
• 1:14
  the wilderness wanderings all the way to the exile on the
• 1:17
  Return. So that variety allows the book
• 1:19
  to speak to everything. It does.
• 1:21
  It can speak completely and adequately to every conceivable
• 1:25
  phase of human emotion and circumstance which you know a
• 1:29
  single author just never could have done.
• 1:31
  That's a critical starting point.
• 1:33
  We aren't treating this like an anthology of randomly picked
• 1:36
  songs. We're looking at an inspired and
• 1:39
  organized collection that stands 1000 years.
• 1:43
  Which right away brings up questions about its boundaries
• 1:45
  and its chronology. So let's start there with the
• 1:47
  span and scope of the Psalter. When we talk about the time
• 1:50
  horizon, the length of time is, it's just staggering.
• 1:54
  It is. The sources make it very clear
• 1:55
  we're talking about a compositional period that covers
• 1:57
  approximately 1000 years. A. 1000 years.
• 2:00
  That's on par with the time span of the entire rest of the Old
• 2:03
  Testament itself. It creates a unique historical
• 2:06
  anchor for the book. I mean, imagine holding a single
• 2:09
  volume of poetry composed across 30 or even 40 generations.
• 2:14
  It's incredible. And that thousand year scope
• 2:17
  means the Psalter documents the spiritual life of Israel from
• 2:21
  its earliest covenant foundations right up until the
• 2:24
  Old Testament Canon was finalized.
• 2:26
  It's a continuous stream of worship.
• 2:28
  A theological reflection across, what, a dozen centuries?
• 2:32
  Something like that, yes. And the chronological limits
• 2:34
  help define that thousand year span.
• 2:36
  Our source material is very explicit here.
• 2:38
  It says none of the Psalms can be proven to be later than the
• 2:41
  time of Ezra and Nehemiah. And that's a key detail.
• 2:44
  It places the finalization of the compilation squarely in the
• 2:47
  post exilic period, so roughly the mid 5th century BC.
• 2:50
  And that moment in history is so crucial.
• 2:52
  It is because it marks the restoration of temple worship
• 2:55
  and the re establishment of the Jewish community in Jerusalem.
• 2:59
  The Psalter in its final form really became a cornerstone of
• 3:03
  that restored community's worship and identity.
• 3:06
  So it's like a retrospective collection, all the spiritual
• 3:09
  wisdom gathered during the 1000 years leading up to that point.
• 3:12
  That's a good way to put it. But to span the 1000 years, you
• 3:14
  have to go all the way back, I mean back to the very beginnings
• 3:17
  of Israel's historical self-awareness.
• 3:20
  So who is the earliest voice we hear?
• 3:24
  The earliest known author cited in the tradition and supported
• 3:27
  by the internal title is Moses. Moses himself.
• 3:30
  Yes, Psalm 90 is specifically ascribed to him.
• 3:33
  We're talking about the Lawgiver, the figure at the very
• 3:36
  headwaters of Israel's journey. And Psalm 90 is it's a very
• 3:40
  stark and weighty piece, isn't it?
• 3:42
  It's so different from the joyful hymns of the later kings.
• 3:45
  The title is A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
• 3:50
  And the content itself fits perfectly.
• 3:52
  It reflects on the brevity of life, on the wrath of God
• 3:54
  against sin, the transients of human existence.
• 3:57
  All things that would fit perfectly with the experience of
• 4:00
  that wilderness generation watching their lives expire
• 4:03
  under God's judgement. Right.
• 4:05
  And that's why it's inclusion is so strategic.
• 4:07
  It grounds the entire collection in that wilderness experience,
• 4:11
  in the core covenant relationship that Moses
• 4:13
  established. It bridges the gap between the
• 4:15
  law and the later lyrical response to that law.
• 4:18
  So it sets the tone, a tone of godly submission and reliance
• 4:21
  that David and the later psalmist would then pick up.
• 4:24
  It really does. OK, so let's shift from the time
• 4:26
  span to the canonical context. The Psalter was obviously
• 4:30
  recognized as inspired scripture, but it's status
• 4:33
  within the Jewish canons seems to have been, I don't know,
• 4:36
  elevated even beyond just being a book.
• 4:39
  This is where we get a surprise at detail.
• 4:41
  It gives you a sense of its theological scale.
• 4:43
  In Luke 24.44 when Jesus is talking to his disciples after
• 4:47
  the resurrection, he references the Law of Moses and the
• 4:50
  prophets and the Psalms. And our sources clarify this for
• 4:53
  us. The word Psalms there can refer
• 4:55
  not just to the book of Psalms itself, but to the entire
• 4:58
  Hagiographa, the Holy Writings. This point is critical for
• 5:02
  understanding how the Jewish Canon was organized.
• 5:04
  It was traditionally divided into 3 main sections, the Law or
• 5:08
  Torah. The Prophets.
• 5:10
  The Niveum. And the writings, the Cath of
• 5:12
  them or Hagiographa. And because the Psalter was the
• 5:16
  most substantial and the most liturgically significant work in
• 5:19
  that third section, its name just became shorthand for the
• 5:23
  whole category. So the book of Psalms wasn't
• 5:25
  just in the third division, it basically represented the third
• 5:28
  division. It did.
• 5:30
  That's a huge elevation of status.
• 5:32
  It tells you that the Jewish community saw the Psalter as the
• 5:36
  definitive interpretive guide on how to live out the law and
• 5:39
  respond to the prophets. So if the law is the instruction
• 5:42
  and the prophets are the interpretation of history.
• 5:45
  Then the writings with the Psalter at the front, or the
• 5:48
  response. They are the guided prayer, the
• 5:51
  inspired meditation, the praise and the lament of God's people.
• 5:55
  It's the proper devotional reaction to God's revelation.
• 5:58
  And this level of authority carries right into the New
• 6:00
  Testament. The source material quantifies
• 6:03
  this influence in a pretty powerful way.
• 6:05
  It does. It notes the high number of
• 6:06
  direct quotations. The New Testament writers
• 6:09
  directly quote the Psalms 116 times. 100 and. 60 That
• 6:13
  numerical saturation means the Psalter is the single most
• 6:17
  quoted Old Testament book. In the New Testament.
• 6:19
  It's quoted more than Isaiah, more than the Pentateuch, often
• 6:23
  more than all the minor prophets combined.
• 6:26
  So what does that reliance suggest about how the early
• 6:29
  Church understood this collection?
• 6:32
  It means that the early Christians and the apostles,
• 6:35
  they saw the sulker as a Christological blueprint, a
• 6:38
  blueprint of the Messiah's life, death and resurrection.
• 6:41
  They were finding prophecies everywhere in these songs.
• 6:43
  Yes, concerning his suffering, His rejection, his ascension,
• 6:47
  and His eventual reign. For those of us holding to a
• 6:50
  Reformed view of Scripture, this heavy integration just confirms
• 6:54
  the unity of God's revelation and the idea that Christ is
• 6:58
  illuminated constantly through the Old Testament witness.
• 7:01
  The New Testament writers are using the language of the Psalms
• 7:03
  to articulate their own theology.
• 7:05
  They are that connection from Moses's prayer in the wilderness
• 7:08
  all the way to those 116 quotes in the New Testament.
• 7:12
  It demonstrates A literary and theological arc that's almost
• 7:15
  unparalleled in Scripture. So if we accept this thousand
• 7:19
  year span, we have to talk about authorship.
• 7:22
  I mean, David obviously couldn't have written the whole book even
• 7:24
  though he really dominates the landscape, right?
• 7:27
  And the sheer number of inspired poets involved is what gives the
• 7:30
  Psalter its incredible relational depth.
• 7:33
  David is the center of gravity, you could say.
• 7:35
  He certainly is, but he isn't the entirety of it.
• 7:39
  Our sources do acknowledge his central role.
• 7:42
  They state that about 2/3 of the whole collection has been
• 7:45
  ascribed to him, either through the titles or through historical
• 7:48
  tradition. And when we look at just the
• 7:50
  titles, and our sources tell us there's no good reason to doubt
• 7:53
  their genuineness, we get a specific number.
• 7:55
  We do 73 Psalms carry the designation of David or to
• 8:00
  David. So he is without a doubt the
• 8:02
  primary voice, the royal poet, the central figure whose piety
• 8:06
  and personal struggles formed the core of the nation's
• 8:08
  songbook. But we also have to account for
• 8:11
  the big part of the collection that has No title at all.
• 8:14
  The anonymous works. There are 48 of them I believe.
• 8:16
  48 That's right. And this brings up the question
• 8:19
  of how authorship was determined when the titles were silent.
• 8:22
  And there's a great example of this.
• 8:24
  There is Psalm 2. Why do the nations rage?
• 8:29
  It's one of those 48 anonymous works.
• 8:31
  Yet when Peter and John pray in Acts 4 verse 25, they directly
• 8:36
  attribute that Psalm to David. They say you spoke by the Holy
• 8:40
  Spirit through the mouth of your servant David.
• 8:43
  So that little incident tells us a couple of things.
• 8:45
  First, the inspired writers in the New Testament had access to,
• 8:48
  and they accepted traditions of authorship that went beyond what
• 8:51
  was written in their copies of the Psalter.
• 8:53
  OK. And 2nd.
• 8:54
  Second, it reinforces just how pervasive Davidde influence was.
• 8:58
  Even anonymous works that fit the historical or prophetic
• 9:01
  context of David's life were often and accurately assigned to
• 9:04
  him by tradition. So David sets the standard, but
• 9:07
  the collection is filled out by this specialized cast of
• 9:10
  Levitical musicians and other historical figures.
• 9:12
  Exactly. Let's move beyond David to these
• 9:15
  other inspired poets and contributors, starting with the
• 9:17
  Sons of Korra. The sons of Korra, they
• 9:20
  represent the the professionalization of music
• 9:23
  ministry, you could say. That's a great way to put it.
• 9:25
  The sources detailed their role as part of the Cohesite Singers.
• 9:29
  They're sighted in Two Chronicles 20 in the context of
• 9:32
  leading worship and praise. They were responsible for
• 9:35
  arranging and singing 11 specific Psalms.
• 9:37
  Those are Psalms 4244 through 4980480587 and 88, and they're
• 9:43
  significant because they form these defined blocks within the
• 9:47
  second and third books of the Psalter.
• 9:48
  They do, and what distinguishes their contribution from David's
• 9:52
  is interesting. David's psalms are often
• 9:54
  intensely personal, you know, reflecting his flight from his
• 9:56
  enemies, his sin, his royal hopes.
• 9:59
  But the sons of Chorus Psalms have a different feel.
• 10:01
  They do. They frequently take on a more
• 10:03
  corporate or institutional tone. They're often prayers of the
• 10:06
  community, expressing a national lament like in Psalm 44, or a
• 10:10
  longing for the temple, like in Psalm 42 or 84.
• 10:13
  So their very existence as accredited group confirms that
• 10:16
  the Psalter was compiled not just for individual devotion.
• 10:19
  But for public structured temple liturgy.
• 10:22
  OK. And Speaking of specialized
• 10:23
  liturgical people, we have to talk about Asaph, another major
• 10:26
  contributor. Right, the sources mentioned 11
• 10:29
  Psalms, Psalm 50 and then 73 through 83 are addressed to Asaf
• 10:34
  and this. Brings up an interesting
• 10:35
  distinction our sources clarify. Is Asaf the author or is he the
• 10:39
  director? And the material frames it that
• 10:42
  these psalms are addressed to Asaf, recognizing him as the
• 10:44
  master of his choir. This means they were intended to
• 10:48
  be sung under his specific direction or by his designated
• 10:51
  group in the worship of God. It's kind of like a modern
• 10:54
  composer writing a piece for the London Symphony Orchestra.
• 10:58
  It's a designation recognizing the specific ensemble and the
• 11:02
  conductor style. That's a perfect analogy.
• 11:04
  Asaf was the artistic and spiritual leader responsible for
• 11:08
  executing this specific large scale portion of the collection,
• 11:11
  and his Psalms often carry a focus on wisdom on Providence
• 11:15
  and the justice of God. Psalm 73 is a famous example of
• 11:19
  that. And all this just further
• 11:20
  cements the idea that the Psalter isn't just a collection
• 11:23
  of spontaneous writings. No, it's a meticulously
• 11:25
  organized songbook for a large, complex and specialized temple
• 11:29
  service. Now, beyond the major choir
• 11:32
  leaders, we have specific contributions from the Ezra
• 11:34
  Heights. They only appear once each, but
• 11:37
  their presence adds to the historical fidelity of the
• 11:39
  collection. That's right, Heeman the Ezra
• 11:41
  Hite is credited with Psalm 88 and Ethan the Ezra Hite with
• 11:45
  Psalm 89. And these two are highly unique
• 11:47
  compositions. They are especially Psalm 88,
• 11:50
  which is one of the darkest, most unrelieved laments in the
• 11:53
  entire book, and the fact that it was preserved right alongside
• 11:57
  the more triumphant Psalms shows the compiler S commitment to
• 12:00
  retaining the full spectrum of spiritual experience.
• 12:03
  Even the experience of total despair.
• 12:05
  Even that. And finally, let's circle back
• 12:07
  to the historical bookends, Moses and Solomon.
• 12:10
  We talked about Moses's Psalm 90 is that ancient cornerstone.
• 12:14
  Then you have Solomon, David's successor, who brings the voice
• 12:17
  of royal wisdom and institutional blessing.
• 12:20
  Psalm 72 and 127 are ascribed to him.
• 12:23
  Psalm 72 is a beautiful prayer for a righteous king.
• 12:26
  Right may be written for his son or on his own behalf.
• 12:29
  It links the spiritual life of Israel directly to the stability
• 12:32
  and justice of the monarchy. And Psalm 127 is that famous
• 12:35
  wisdom piece about the futility of humans striving without God's
• 12:39
  blessing. Unless the Lord builds the
• 12:41
  house, those who build it labor in vain.
• 12:44
  So it balances the intensely personal piety of David with
• 12:48
  these broad institutional or sepiential reflections of the
• 12:51
  king who built the temple. It does, and when you look at
• 12:54
  the total collection from a lawgiver to the temple builder
• 12:58
  to the Shepherd king and the dedicated Levitical choir
• 13:01
  masters, you see a collection that speaks with a unified voice
• 13:04
  of the whole covenant community. Across all epochs and all
• 13:08
  stations of life. Right, that diversity is a sign
• 13:10
  of its completeness. OK, so this brings us to the
• 13:13
  architecture. This is where the precision of
• 13:15
  the Salter really comes into focus.
• 13:17
  Any reader picking it up realizes pretty quickly that it
• 13:20
  isn't just 150 songs in a random order.
• 13:22
  No, there's a macro structure that speaks volumes about the
• 13:25
  compilation's intent. And that macro structure is
• 13:27
  defined by an analogy to the Pentateuch.
• 13:29
  It is the Psalter is divided into 5 distinct books, which is
• 13:33
  a deliberate echo, a mirror of the five books of Moses,
• 13:36
  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
• 13:40
  And that is just immensely significant, especially within
• 13:43
  our theological framework, for the compilers to organize the
• 13:47
  Psalter in A5 part structure. They are signaling to the reader
• 13:50
  that this book is intended to be read as a systematic response to
• 13:54
  the five part revelation of the Torah.
• 13:56
  It's like the Song book is structured as a second Torah, a
• 14:00
  guide for life based on God's prior revelation.
• 14:03
  And structurally, how is this division marked?
• 14:06
  By clear liturgical punctuation, each of the five books closes
• 14:10
  with a specific doxology or benediction.
• 14:13
  This gives a clear, formalized, Worshipful conclusion to the
• 14:17
  section and signals the start of the next phase.
• 14:19
  And Psalm 150 at the very end. Psalm 150 acts as the final
• 14:23
  grand doxology for the entire collection.
• 14:26
  Let's break this down book by book, and as we do, let's focus
• 14:29
  on the thematic progression that runs through the five divisions,
• 14:32
  because it really argues for a deliberate narrative arc.
• 14:34
  Let's Do It, Book 1, which is Psalms One through 41, is the
• 14:37
  starting point. It's dominated by a single voice
• 14:40
  and a specific theme. The authorship is overwhelmingly
• 14:43
  Davidic. All 41 Psalms are ascribed to
• 14:46
  David, except for four psalms. 1210 and 33.
• 14:50
  But even those 4, though they're anonymous in the title, are
• 14:54
  often ascribed to him based on tradition or context, like we
• 14:58
  discussed with Psalm 2. This book is the Concentrated
• 15:02
  David collection. And the theme.
• 15:04
  The theme of Book One often centers on personal piety, the
• 15:07
  struggle of the righteous individual against the wicked,
• 15:10
  and the establishment of David's throne.
• 15:12
  It sets the stage by focusing on the blessings of adhering to the
• 15:16
  Torah in Psalm 1 and the rule of the anointed King in Psalm 2.
• 15:20
  Which parallels the book of Genesis focusing on foundations,
• 15:24
  individuals and the initial covenant promises.
• 15:27
  It's a very good parallel. Then we moved to book 2, which
• 15:29
  is Psalms 42 to 72. That's the next 31 Psalms, and
• 15:33
  here the voice begins to diversify.
• 15:35
  And the focus shifts a bit more toward the national community.
• 15:38
  It does. In this section, we still find
• 15:40
  David as prominent, with 18 psalms ascribed to him, but the
• 15:43
  key transition here is the introduction of the sons of
• 15:45
  Korra and Asaph, which reflects the expansion of the temple
• 15:48
  organization. And the central themes start to
• 15:50
  shift, don't they? More toward God's relationship
• 15:53
  with his people during times of distress, often asking that
• 15:56
  question. Why?
• 15:57
  Yes, a common lament during periods of persecution or exile.
• 16:01
  We also see the inclusion of the 72nd Psalm ascribed to Solomon,
• 16:05
  so the end of this book moves toward the hope of the Messianic
• 16:08
  Kingdom. Which is a fitting parallel to
• 16:10
  the book of Exodus, which details Israel's redemption and
• 16:13
  the establishment of God's dwelling, the Tabernacle.
• 16:16
  That's right, the structure guides us.
• 16:18
  The personal struggle of David in book one leads to the
• 16:21
  national hope and the question of redemption in Book 2.
• 16:24
  So now we get to book 3 psalms 73 to 89.
• 16:27
  Just 17 psalms. But this bookmarks a big
• 16:30
  departure from David as the primary voice.
• 16:32
  And a deep thematic shift as well.
• 16:35
  This section is the most predominantly non Davidic of the
• 16:37
  whole Psalter. Only the 86th Psalm is ascribed
• 16:40
  to David. The majority are from Azaph and
• 16:43
  the Ezra Heights. And the thematic content really
• 16:45
  mirrors the covenant crises of the later monarchies.
• 16:48
  It does. These Psalms often deal with
• 16:50
  theological anguish. Why does God allow the wicked to
• 16:53
  prosper? Why has God cast off his people?
• 16:56
  Psalm 74 and 79, for instance, are laments over the destruction
• 16:59
  of the temple. So this whole book is steeped in
• 17:01
  the pain of the exile and the questioning of God's covenant
• 17:04
  faithfulness amidst national disaster.
• 17:07
  If book 2 felt like Exodus, which is redemption, Book 3
• 17:11
  feels like the historical consequence of failing to obey
• 17:14
  the law. Maybe it parallels Leviticus
• 17:16
  with its focus on holiness or numbers detailing the trials in
• 17:20
  the wilderness. Well, lament here is very
• 17:22
  corporate, very historical. It is then book 4 Psalms 90 to
• 17:27
  one O 6 another 17 psalms introduces a turn in the
• 17:30
  narrative. This is where we find Moses's
• 17:33
  Psalm. Yes, the defining characteristic
• 17:34
  is the inclusion of the 90th Psalm ascribed to Moses,
• 17:38
  grounding this section in the very ancient memory of God's
• 17:41
  faithfulness despite human frailty.
• 17:43
  This book shifts from the lament of Book 3 to a resounding
• 17:46
  declaration of God's reign as king over creation and history.
• 17:50
  Right, the enthronement Psalms 9396979899, they're all
• 17:54
  concentrated. Here they are.
• 17:56
  This shift toward the universal reign of God acts as a response
• 17:59
  to the despair of the previous book.
• 18:01
  After questioning God's faithfulness, Book 4 declares
• 18:04
  His eternal sovereignty. Which aligns thematically with
• 18:06
  Deuteronomy providing that retrospective look at the law
• 18:09
  and preparing the people for the Promised Land.
• 18:11
  A good connection, and David's voice returns only briefly here
• 18:15
  with Psalms one O 1 and one O 3, which underscores the universal
• 18:18
  trans historical focus of this section.
• 18:20
  It's moving beyond just the Davidic covenant to the wider
• 18:24
  covenant with creation. And finally, book 5 Psalms, one
• 18:28
  O 7 to 150, the grand conclusion with the remaining 44 psalms.
• 18:33
  It's the largest single book. And this book acts as the
• 18:35
  culmination of the entire narrative arc.
• 18:38
  It's marked by a strong resurgence of Davidic material.
• 18:40
  15 psalms and it includes the Songs of Ascent Psalms 120 to
• 18:44
  134, which are pilgrimage songs. And the final five Psalms, 146
• 18:49
  to 150, are the great concluding hello, a sustained, thunderous
• 18:54
  call for universal craze. So the theme here is restoration
• 18:57
  and consummate praise. It's the destination of the
• 19:00
  faithful, a triumphant, redeemed community praising God in the
• 19:03
  restored city. It mirrors that transition from
• 19:05
  the end of Deuteronomy to the entrance into the land, or maybe
• 19:08
  even more strongly, the ultimate hope of the new creation.
• 19:11
  So the entire five book structure then it's charts and
• 19:15
  narrative trajectory. It does from the individual
• 19:18
  adherence to the Torah in Book 1, through national distress in
• 19:21
  books two and three, to the declaration of God's sovereign
• 19:24
  reign in Book 4, and culminating in unrestrained universal praise
• 19:28
  in Book 5. This intentional design really
• 19:32
  speaks volumes about the theological ambition of the
• 19:35
  canonical process. The existence of this five part
• 19:39
  organized structure spanning 1000 years, it just begs A
• 19:42
  crucial question, how did these songs get gathered in a range?
• 19:46
  The process of compilation clearly wasn't a single event.
• 19:49
  It was a sepulchre process and it was tied directly to the
• 19:52
  spiritual health of the nation. Our sources presume that these
• 19:55
  collections were made during times of high religious life.
• 19:58
  Which means these weren't boring administrative.
• 20:00
  Tasks. They were acts of spiritual
• 20:02
  revival where the community, returning to faithfulness,
• 20:05
  sought to restore and formalize their inspired song.
• 20:08
  Book and we can trace this history through 5 specific
• 20:11
  periods that are identified in the source material.
• 20:13
  Let's start at the core. The first collection was
• 20:16
  probably made near the close of David's own life.
• 20:18
  As the primary author and the one who initiated liturgical
• 20:22
  music. It just makes sense that his
• 20:24
  personal output, which largely forms Book 1, would be the
• 20:28
  earliest organized core. It provided the essential
• 20:31
  material for the other four books to attach to.
• 20:34
  Then came the second collection in the days of Solomon, his son.
• 20:38
  With the building of the permanent temple, the ritual
• 20:41
  needed to be formalized and expanded.
• 20:43
  This collection would have integrated works from the Sons
• 20:46
  of Korra and Asaph, establishing that temple choir structure we
• 20:49
  see later on. OK, then we move into the period
• 20:52
  of the divided monarchy and we see a third collection
• 20:55
  associated with the singers of Jehoshaphat.
• 20:57
  This is a reference back to the sons of Korra mentioned in Two
• 21:00
  Chronicles 20.19. They're specifically listed as
• 21:03
  participants in a great victory under King Jehoshaphat.
• 21:06
  And a victory like that, attributed to God's hand, would
• 21:08
  be a high point of religious life.
• 21:10
  It would. It would spur the need to
• 21:12
  formalize and expand the songbook to match that
• 21:15
  heightened spiritual fervor. The 4th collection is credited
• 21:18
  to the men of Hezekiah. Citing chapters 2930 and 31 of
• 21:24
  Two Chronicles, Hezekiah's reign was marked by a dramatic
• 21:27
  spiritual purging and restoration of the Temple after
• 21:30
  decades of decay and idolatry. His men were scribes and
• 21:34
  restorers cleaning up the worship life.
• 21:36
  Making it the perfect historical context for organizing the
• 21:39
  sacred writings and hymns that had fallen into disuse.
• 21:42
  It really was. And finally, the 5th collection.
• 21:45
  This is the one believed to have finalized the entire 150 Psalm 5
• 21:50
  book arrangement we use today, and it occurred in the days of
• 21:52
  Ezra. Ezra, the priest and scribe who
• 21:55
  returned after the Babylonian exile and dedicated himself to
• 21:58
  organizing and teaching the law. So it's logical that he and his
• 22:01
  contemporaries would have been responsible for giving the
• 22:03
  Psalter its final canonical structure, tying it permanently
• 22:06
  to the law. This historical progression is
• 22:09
  so vital for understanding the Psalter's status, but it leads
• 22:12
  to a genuinely surprising historical detail about worship
• 22:15
  itself. And that is?
• 22:17
  The Mosaic ritual made no provision for the service of
• 22:19
  song in the formal worship of God.
• 22:21
  It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it?
• 22:24
  The Law of Moses specified everything from the size of the
• 22:26
  Tabernacle furnishings to the precise ingredients of the
• 22:29
  incense, but there was no scriptural mandate for singing
• 22:32
  or music in the Liturgy of Sacrifice.
• 22:34
  The primary engagement was through ritual and blood, not
• 22:37
  lyrical expression. Which makes David's role utterly
• 22:40
  revolutionary. He's the figure credited with
• 22:43
  initiating liturgical music. He was the first to introduce
• 22:47
  music and song into the ritual of the Tabernacle.
• 22:50
  That represents a massive spiritual.
• 22:52
  Shift it does David. As the prophetic king, he
• 22:55
  understood that the law and the sacrificial system were
• 22:57
  incomplete without the expressive, emotional and
• 23:00
  theological engagement of song. He recognized that God desired
• 23:04
  not just passive ritual adherence, but passionate,
• 23:07
  articulated worship that reflected the worshippers entire
• 23:10
  heart, mind and strength. So he set up the Levitical
• 23:13
  choirs, he composed the music, and he fundamentally changed the
• 23:17
  nature of communal worship forever.
• 23:19
  He did, and this liturgical innovation paved the way for the
• 23:22
  specific, highly organized uses we see reflected in the Psalm
• 23:26
  titles themselves. Practical operational
• 23:29
  instructions embedded right into the inspired text.
• 23:31
  Yes, Psalms 3962 and 77, for instance, are addressed
• 23:36
  specifically to Jaduthan, indicating they were to be sung
• 23:39
  after his manner or in his choir.
• 23:41
  Which suggests that Jaduthan was a specialized choir master with
• 23:44
  a distinctive musical style or tradition.
• 23:46
  It does. The compilers are not just
• 23:48
  listing authors, they're preserving performance
• 23:50
  instructions for the temple liturgy.
• 23:52
  And one of the most famous examples of this organized
• 23:55
  liturgical use is the halal collection, which was essential
• 23:59
  for the great feasts. Right, there's the standard
• 24:01
  Halal, which consists of psalms 113 through 118.
• 24:05
  This block of 6 Psalms was recited at the three great
• 24:08
  annual feasts, Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, and
• 24:13
  also at New Moon celebrations and during the Feast of
• 24:15
  Dedication. That means these six psalms were
• 24:18
  the constant soundtrack to the highest holy days of the Jewish
• 24:20
  year. If you were an Israelite
• 24:22
  attending the Temple, you knew these psalms by heart.
• 24:26
  And then there is the designation, The Great Hallel.
• 24:28
  Psalm 136 is generally identified as the Great Hallel
• 24:32
  primarily because of its striking structure, repeating
• 24:35
  the refrain for His Steadfast love endures forever 26 times.
• 24:40
  A monumental expression of God's sovereignty over creation and
• 24:43
  history. It is, however, the sources
• 24:46
  remind us, that the Talmud also includes a much broader grouping
• 24:49
  in this designation. Psalms 120 through 135.
• 24:53
  Which is a significant block covering the songs of Ascent and
• 24:56
  then Psalm 1:35 and 1:36. Right.
• 24:59
  These were the songs sung by pilgrims as they were going up
• 25:02
  to Jerusalem for the feasts. Calling this entire block the
• 25:05
  Great Hello underscores its function as a massive, organized
• 25:08
  collection of praise and pilgrimage reflection.
• 25:11
  The depth of organization we see here is just astounding.
• 25:14
  It really affirms that the Psalms were canonized not just
• 25:17
  as individual pieces of poetry, but as a deliberate, organized
• 25:21
  liturgical manual for the people of God.
• 25:23
  It certainly does. OK, so now we get into some of
• 25:25
  the linguistic details. These titles often contain clues
• 25:28
  about the genre, the function, or even how the song was
• 25:31
  supposed to be performed. Absolutely.
• 25:33
  If we want to really understand the Psalter, we need to
• 25:36
  understand what these technical Hebrew designations in the
• 25:39
  titles actually mean. Moving beyond just a generic
• 25:42
  understanding of song or hymn requires looking at these
• 25:46
  specific terms. So let's start with the three
• 25:49
  most common designations, beginning with, sure, a song or
• 25:53
  an ode. Right.
• 25:54
  Sure. Translates to the Greek ODE.
• 25:57
  The fundamental meaning of the Hebrew word describes the flow
• 26:00
  of speech, you know, in a straight line or regular strain.
• 26:03
  It denotes the general literary form of a lyrical, elevated
• 26:08
  composition. It's simply a song.
• 26:09
  And the scope of Sure is pretty wide.
• 26:11
  The sources note that this title includes secular as well as
• 26:14
  sacred song, though in the Psalter it's obviously sacred.
• 26:17
  We find this designation 13 times.
• 26:20
  It's the broadest classification.
• 26:21
  It is the 2nd and maybe the most significant for the name of the
• 26:25
  book itself. Is Mitts more a Psalm or a lyric
• 26:27
  ode? Mitts more translates to the
• 26:30
  Greek psalmos, which gives us our English word Psalm.
• 26:32
  So what does the Hebrew convey that sure does not?
• 26:35
  Mitts More is much more specific.
• 26:36
  It's defined as a lyric, ode, or a song specifically set to
• 26:40
  music. And crucially, the source
• 26:42
  material specifies it as a sacred song accompanied with a
• 26:46
  musical instrument. Oh, that's interesting.
• 26:48
  The Hebrew root implies the plucking or striking of strings.
• 26:51
  This confirms the centrality of instrumental accompaniment,
• 26:55
  linking the text directly back to David's role as the harpist
• 26:58
  or liar player. So if sure is a song, Mitts
• 27:00
  Moore is specifically a song performed with instrumental
• 27:03
  accompaniment. It dictates the delivery method.
• 27:06
  That's right. And this is the dominant form in
• 27:08
  the book. It appears 58 times.
• 27:10
  That fact alone suggests that the overwhelming majority of the
• 27:13
  Psalter was designed for active instrumental liturgy.
• 27:16
  OK. And the third major common
• 27:18
  designation is Tahila, a hymn or a song of praise?
• 27:22
  Tehila translates to the Greek hypnos.
• 27:24
  Its meaning is simple and thematic, a song of praise, a
• 27:27
  song where the prominent thought is the exaltation of God.
• 27:31
  And while only Psalm 145 formally has this title, A
• 27:34
  Tehila of David. The source notes that many
• 27:37
  others in the collection function as Tehela.
• 27:40
  This designation defines the Central Spiritual Purpose, a
• 27:44
  piece specifically composed to celebrate the attributes and
• 27:48
  actions of the Lord. And these are concentrated more
• 27:50
  toward the conclusion of the five book structure.
• 27:52
  They are OK. Beyond these three, we should
• 27:54
  touch on some of the more obscure technical terms that
• 27:57
  give even more nuance. What about SELA?
• 28:01
  It's not a title, but it appears over 70 times within the text
• 28:04
  itself. Sela is one of the most debated
• 28:07
  words in the Old Testament, but its function seems pretty clear.
• 28:10
  It's a liturgical instruction. It likely means either a musical
• 28:13
  interlude where the instruments continue while the voices pause,
• 28:17
  or an instruction for the singers to lift their voices in
• 28:20
  a burst of praise, or maybe to meditate silently on the
• 28:22
  preceding lines. It's an instruction for
• 28:24
  reflection and pacing, not for genre.
• 28:27
  And then there is Mashil. This title is on 13 psalms like
• 28:31
  Psalm 324244 and so on. What does that tell us about the
• 28:35
  song's purpose? Mashil means to be successful,
• 28:39
  or more commonly, to teach or to make wise.
• 28:42
  These songs are generally understood as having a didactic
• 28:45
  purpose. They're instructional or
• 28:47
  contemplative poems designed to impart wisdom.
• 28:50
  So when you see Michelle, it's like a note to the reader.
• 28:53
  Pay close attention. This song is meant to teach you
• 28:55
  something. That's a great way to think
• 28:57
  about it. And then we have the two most
• 28:59
  obscure terms, starting with mictum.
• 29:02
  This title is on 6 psalms 16 and then 56 through 60.
• 29:06
  Mixim is less understood. It's often translated as golden
• 29:10
  or engraved. The fact that these six specific
• 29:13
  Psalms, all tied to moments of intense personal distress in
• 29:16
  David's life, are grouped together under this title
• 29:19
  suggests a unique genre. So maybe psalms deemed
• 29:22
  especially valuable or essential, or maybe psalms that
• 29:24
  were literally inscribed in some prominent way.
• 29:27
  Could be whatever the precise translation.
• 29:29
  The grouping by the compilers confirms a specific glitterary
• 29:32
  or historical connection between these six works.
• 29:35
  And finally, she gave him. This one is rare.
• 29:37
  It's only on Psalm 7, and remarkably also in the prayer of
• 29:40
  Habakkuk chapter 3. Shigeon usually relates to
• 29:43
  wandering or airing, suggesting a wild, irregular, or perhaps a
• 29:48
  highly emotional and passionate ode.
• 29:50
  Psalm 7, which addresses Cush the Benjamite, is a very
• 29:54
  personal and urgent cry for justice and deliverance.
• 29:57
  So the title Shigeon fits its content, a frantic, distressed,
• 30:01
  irregular plea to God, possibly composed in a moment of great
• 30:04
  mental or physical agitation. It seems to fit, and the
• 30:07
  preservation of these technical obscure terms just confirms the
• 30:11
  dedication of the ancient scribes to maintaining the
• 30:13
  integrity of the original inspired titles, ensuring that
• 30:17
  we today retain the context of the song's creation and
• 30:19
  performance. This deep dive into the
• 30:22
  architecture and authorship of the Psalter really demonstrates
• 30:25
  that this book is far more than a collection of devotional
• 30:27
  poetry. It is.
• 30:28
  It's a highly organized, theologically integrated, and
• 30:31
  intentionally compiled volume spanning 1000 years of covenant
• 30:34
  history. So let's summarize the key
• 30:36
  structural lessons for you, a listener.
• 30:38
  First you have to grasp that thousand year span of
• 30:40
  composition running from Moses the Lawgiver all the way to Ezra
• 30:44
  the final compiler. That gives the Psalter A
• 30:46
  continuity that's unmatched in much of Scripture.
• 30:49
  Second, recognize the intentional inclusion of all
• 30:52
  these diverse contributors beyond David, the musicians
• 30:55
  Asaph and Cora, the kings, Solomon and Moses.
• 30:58
  Which ensures the songs fully reflect the full spectrum of
• 31:01
  spiritual experience from royal victory to communal despair.
• 31:05
  And 3rd, the single most powerful structural insight,
• 31:09
  that purposeful 5 book structure modeled precisely after the five
• 31:13
  books of the Torah. Right.
• 31:14
  That analogy frames the collection as the inspired
• 31:18
  lyrical response to God's law and history.
• 31:20
  For those of us coming from a reformed perspective, this
• 31:23
  structural evidence really confirms what we already believe
• 31:26
  about the Canon the Salter's deliberate organization achieved
• 31:29
  over centuries through various inspired writers and collectors.
• 31:33
  It just shows the precise guidance of Providence.
• 31:35
  It's a structure designed over time, guided by God's hand,
• 31:38
  compiling a complete and accessible volume for the
• 31:41
  church's worship and instruction.
• 31:43
  So here is a final thought for you to carry with you as you
• 31:45
  engage with the Psalms going forward.
• 31:47
  Given that the compilation of the Psalter mirrors the five
• 31:49
  book structure of the Pentateuch, how might this
• 31:52
  intentional organization inform our reading of the Psalms?
• 31:56
  Reading them not just as individual prayers, but as a
• 32:00
  deliberate narrative guide for God's people.
• 32:02
  The guide that reflects and responds to the history
• 32:05
  contained in the Law, guiding us from the foundation of the law
• 32:08
  in book one toward the ultimate destiny of praise in Book 5.
• 32:12
  The five part structure invites you to look for a storyline that
• 32:16
  explains the progress of redemption in the life of the
• 32:18
  people of God. It's something worth reflecting
• 32:20
  upon every time you turn a page. Indeed.
• 32:23
  Thank you for joining us on this deep dive.
• 32:25
  We look forward to getting into the sources with you next time.