Psalm Introduction
Introduction
The book of Psalms is a collection of songs. These are the songs the people of Israel used to worship God. When Israel returned from exile in Babylon, many of the songs were collected. This is how the book of Psalms came to be. The songs are about many different things. Some are for praising God. Some are asking God for help when there is trouble. Some are about telling people that God is King.
The book is divided into five parts. Each part ends with “Give praise to the Lord” and “Amen and Amen.” The five parts are called Books. This reminds us of the first five books of the Bible. They are often called the Books of the Law. The words of the Psalms can be used like the law. They can be read and studied for instruction.
The five Books of Psalms also tell a story about Israel. That story has three parts. The first part of Israel’s story is found in Books 1 and 2 of the Psalms. Most of the psalms in these books were written by King David. The second part of Israel’s story is found in Books 3 and 4. They tell about Israel being defeated and taken away as prisoners and slaves. These Psalms ask God to bring Israel back home. Book 5 states that God has brought his people back home. This book ends with a group of praise psalms. God has been faithful. He judged his people by allowing them to be taken away as prisoners. But now God has allowed his people to return home again.
Each Psalm tells how people respond to God in different ways. We can read them to help us as we respond to God ourselves. We can also look at the way the whole book is put together. This helps us learn the story of Israel. It shows us that God keeps his promises to his people.
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Psalm Introduction: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Psalms Introduction
Introduction
The book of Psalms is a collection of song lyrics. Like many songs, they were first written in response to events in the lives of their authors. Later, the whole community used them in worship. When Israel returned from exile in Babylon many of the songs from over the centuries were collected in the book of Psalms.
The book is structured into five parts marked off by the phrase, Praise be to the Lord… Amen and Amen! These five ‘books’ remind the reader of the five books of Moses. Like the law, these song lyrics can be read and studied for instruction. Psalm 1 emphasizes such meditation and seems to have been placed first to make this point.
The five books also tell a three-part story of Israel’s redemption: monarchy, exile and return. The psalms of King David dominate books one and two. The beginning and ending of book three highlight Israel’s exile. The fourth book ends with a plea that God bring the exiled people home. The fifth book declares that God has done just that. Now the reason for the group of praise psalms at the end of the book is apparent: God has been faithful, judging Israel in exile but then bringing the nation home again.
The book of Psalms thus operates at two levels: individually the songs explore a wide variety of honest spiritual responses to God, while the overall collection tells, and celebrates, the work of God in history to save his people.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.