journeythroughpsalms

Blog by Rob Vandeman

Early Church leader and scholar Jerome quoted the opinion of some that the first psalm is “the preface of the Holy Spirit” to the Psalter. It is certainly a very apt introduction. Two particular themes are found in it, which recur in many other psalms.

The first is the clear-cut distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The Bible as a whole, and specifically the Wisdom Literature, divides humankind into these two absolute categories, and does not recognize a third. Psalm 32, 36 and 112 also compare and contrast the righteous and the wicked.

Blog by Rob Vandeman

For centuries, throngs of people sung Psalm 133 on the road as they made the ascent to Jerusalem for festival worship. Our imaginations readily reconstruct those scenes. How great to have everyone sharing a common purpose, traveling a common path, arriving toward a common goal, that path and purpose and goal being God. How much better than making the long trip alone: “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” (Ps 133:1 NLT)

Blog by Rob Vandeman

It could have had application to a person who was going through very difficult days. But it is not a psalm written out of illness or perplexing situation, it is a description of an execution. Renowned commentator Derek Kidner writes, “No incident recorded of David can begin to account for this. . . The language of the psalm defies a naturalistic explanation; the best account is in the terms used by Peter concerning another psalm of David: ‘Being therefore a prophet, . . . he foresaw and spoke of . . . the Christ’ (Acts 2:30f.).

Blog by Rob Vandeman

Psalms 69 is written by a man in crisis. The waters of depression and oppression threaten his very life. He suffers at the hands of his enemies because of his devotion to God. The troubles are not specific, which is in keeping with the purpose of the Psalms to provide templates of prayers for later worshippers who have similar, though not identical, issues.

Blog by Rob Vandeman

The psalmist’s appeal to God for forgiveness of his sins is one of the most memorable in the entire Psalter, due in part, to the historical title that situates its composition by David after Nathan the prophet confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12). While the words of this prayer fit the occasion well, we should note that nowhere is this particular historical event mentioned specifically, indicating that the poem was not written to memorialize that moment, but to serve as a model prayer for others coming later who find themselves in similar, though not identical, circumstances.