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Words of a Fether

I am the way, the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father except through me. ~Jesus

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Psalms 90-150

Main Lesson List  > Old Testament  > Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiates, Song of Solomon  > Psalms 90-150

Introduction

The Psalms, penned by at least 8 different people over many generations, are essentially worship song lyrics or hymnals. They cover the span of human emotions in relation to God, and are generally divided into five “books”: 1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, and 107-150. But the New Testament seems to indicate that they also contain some prophecy, the primary topic of which is the Messiah and his coming kingdom. Please refer to these resources as well: this commentary, the NETS Bible, and this LXX Interlinear.

Book 4 General Intro

The Psalms of the fourth book were written by Moses (90) and David (101, 103), but the rest are anonymous. Its themes are the fleeting nature of life, God’s future earthly kingdom, the proper attitude and actions of his subjects, and the Creator’s power.

Psalm 90-106

Psalm 90 uses that creative power of God to remind us of our place and our need for both humility and gratitude. Verse 4 might be what 2 Peter 3:8 was drawn from, though it’s in the context of patience there as opposed to here, where our very short lives can’t be compared to God’s timelessness. The phrase about the length of our lives in verse 10 is taken by many as a prophetic limiter in reference to what Jesus said in Mat. 24:34, but the context here is that not only are our lives short, they’re also filled with struggle.

Psalm 91 has the familiar theme of God as our refuge. But notice that verses 10-11 are what Satan quoted when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness in Mat. 4:6. Jesus quoted Deut. 6:16 in response, and some take it as that he was calling himself God, which of course he is. But what he was actually saying is that if he had done what Satan tempted him to do, Jesus himself would have been testing God. So the lesson for us is that we too must not test God, even by citing scripture. The popular habit known as “name it and claim it” is one way people test God today. Also, Jesus referenced verse 13 when he sent out the disciples in Luke 10:19.

Psalm 92 praises God for his character of love and faithfulness to the righteous, but also his judgments against the wicked. Psalm 93 is another royal psalm, focused on both the earthly king of Israel and God as the ultimate undefeatable king over all. Psalm 94 exalts God as the great avenger, who is certain to punish those who think that his patience means he turns a blind eye to their evil.

Psalm 95 is another royal psalm, with more lessons from history. Verse 10-11 are quoted in Heb. 3 and 4, which points to the literal nation of Israel being denied entry to the promised land as a lesson for people today, who by their rejection of Jesus will be denied eternal rest. Psalm 96 continues to focus on God as king, and that all the nations should honor him. This had been Israel’s mission, to represent the one true God to the nations so they would want to abandon their false gods. But like many Christians today, Israel largely failed in that mission.

Psalm 97 stays with this royal theme, but focuses more on the yet-future time when God will finally establish his kingdom on earth. This is more obvious in the Greek OT, which has verse 1 as “The Lord BECAME king.” God has of course been king in eternity past, so anything that happens at a point in time is NOT from eternity past. Psalm 98 is yet another royal psalm of praise for respect for Israel’s God from all the nations, and Psalm 99 is another reminder of how the nations came to know him.

Psalm 100 is one of the most familiar and memorized of the Psalms along with the 23rd, being both short and happy. Notice that we should worship with joy, not always the somberness that many associate with being in God’s presence.

Psalm 101 is another of David’s songs, where he pledges loyalty to God by living a holy life. It reminds us as Christians that reaching out to a lost world doesn’t mean sinking to its level. David’s standards were much higher than that of many Christians. It’s possible that this psalm extended beyond the historical kingdom ruled by David, to the future kingdom of God.

Psalm 102 is another lament and confession, and a plea for deliverance. Psalm 103 is a praise song, and once again we should remember that the promises to deliver, forgive, and heal are not always realized in this life. The section beginning in verse 10 is a familiar description of God’s forgiveness, mercy, and love, because God remembers that we’re lowly clay pots that only last a short while.

Psalm 104 continues by describing God in regal terms, and that he is the Creator above all. Notice the descriptions of how the world was made: stretching out the skies like a tent curtain, laying the beams on clouds, setting the earth on foundations that will never move, and so on. Most take all this poetically, but nowhere in the Bible is the earth described as moving or spinning. This realm was made for us, so it seems reasonable to conclude that it is the heavens that move around us, rather than the earth “worshiping the sun” so to speak. Recall Genesis 1, which says the heavenly bodies serve to not only light the earth but also to tell us of hours, days, and appointed times. Was the clock made for people, or were people made for the clock?

Psalm 105 is a long praise of God for his faithfulness to Israel, which is named in verse 6 as Jacob. As stated in 1 Cor. 10:6 and 11, we should learn lessons from the history of the nation of Israel. Psalm 106 is the final one in Book 4, and it’s another reminder to learn those lessons. One of the most important lessons is the dangers of compromise and appeasement, of longing for the world instead of God.

Book 5 General Intro

The Psalms of the fifth book were written by David (108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145) and Solomon (127), but the rest are anonymous. The overall character is praise for what God has and will do.

Psalm 107-119

Psalm 107 is a reminder to not keep silent when God has answered prayer, and that suffering should humble us. Psalm 108 is believed to be drawn from various others, and it focuses on the nation of Israel. Psalm 109 is a lament and a plea for vengeance, which should be a last resort rather than a first one. God delays his punishments, and so should we. But as Jesus said in Mat. 7:2, God will judge everyone according to how they judged others, so be careful to remember the Golden Rule Mat. 7:12.

Psalm 110 begins with a very familiar section concerning the Messiah, one Jesus quoted in Luke 20:42, and was also quoted in Luke, Acts, and Hebrews. He was telling them that the Messiah could not be a mere human, and at the same time, telling us all of the triune nature of God. Though the Hebrew text uses two different words translated “Lord” here, the Greek of both Testaments uses the same word for each. As for “footstool”, it referred to the ancient practice of the conquering king putting his foot on the neck of the defeated king. Here in verse 4 see the Messiah identified as an eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek, which is cited many times in Hebrews 5-7. The original Melchizedek, David, and Jesus have or will rule from the physical city of Jerusalem.

Psalm 111 is another acrostic poem, meaning it follows in the order of the Hebrew alphabet, which aided in memorization. And again, what needs to be memorized is the history of God with Israel. Psalm 112 continues, with emphasis on how we should live in light of that history, and Psalm 113 focuses on what God will do in the future if we learn those lessons.

Psalm 114 is a reminder specifically of God’s miracles in Egypt. Psalm 115 includes a warning against worshiping idols, as Israel had done even after seeing the miracles God performed to get them out of slavery. Psalm 116 is praise for deliverance, Psalm 117 calls on all the nations to praise him, and Psalm 118 describes God once again as a strong fortress.

Psalm 119, the longest acrostic psalm of all, is all about the commands (really teachings) of God. So we shouldn’t think of it so much as limited to the laws of Moses, but rather any and all that is part of the Word of God. We’ll make brief observations about each section, to highlight the differences from all the repetition.

Psalm 120-135

Psalm 120 through 136 are all “songs of ascent”, because they were sung as the people of Israel traveled “up” to Zion for the annual feasts. This one pleads with God for vindication and deliverance from liars.

Psalm 121 looks to the hills around Mt. Zion and is often quoted as a parting blessing, and Psalm 122 expresses the joy people should have at the thought of being in the presence of God. Psalm 123 reminds us of our dependence on God, and Psalm 124 is praise from David for delivering Israel from all her enemies.

Psalm 125 once again uses Zion as a symbol of God’s protection and blessing, and Psalm 126 praises God for proving it true. Psalm 127 is often quoted as a warning against forgetting God in our daily lives. But it also promises blessings for remembering God, though some twist verses 4-5 to mean Christians must have large families. Cherry-picking, which ignores context, has given birth to many heresies and damaged many lives.

Psalm 128 praises God again for his blessings, and Psalm 129 recalls the many times God delivered Israel. Psalm 130 is another cry for deliverance, and Psalm 131 urges people to follow the examples of godly people. Psalm 132 is where David expresses his frustration at being denied the honor of building a temple for God, as Solomon stated in 1 Kings 5:3.

Psalm 133 expresses the delight when people actually manage to get along, and Psalm 134 is about temple priests praising God. Psalm 135 continues by extending the call for praise from all the people, along with more lessons from Israel’s history to justify such praise.

Psalm 136-150

Psalm 136 is a responsive hymn of praise between song leaders and congregation, about the enduring love of God. In contrast, Psalm 137 is a lament during Israel’s exile in Babylon, when singing praise songs was most difficult. Notice that verse 8 says “daughter of Babylon” and not just “Babylon”, so we should be careful not to always think the word “daughter” means someone else, as many do when studying prophecy.

Psalm 138 is a praise from David for God’s deliverance, blessings, and empowerment, and in Psalm 139 the praise is for God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and superiority in every way. Verse 15 is proof that our spirits exist before we’re born, so it’s a strong rebuttal to abortion. Yet verse 16 is often taken out of context to teach that we have no free will, but what it actually says is that the number of our days is predetermined, not whether we’ll spend eternity with God.

But what about verses 21-22 where David expresses absolute hatred for those who hate God? We know from John 3:16 that God loves the whole world, and from Ezekiel 18:32 that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and from 2 Peter 3:9 that God doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. Yet we also know that God will punish the wicked themselves, not just their deeds, per Mat. 25:46 and Rev. 14:11. But God’s punishment is not out of hatred but holiness, so was David wrong to hate? Notice that he follows that thought with a plea for God to examine his heart and to lead him in the right way; could it be that he knew it was wrong to hate? This seems, at least to me, to be a better solution than that the clear expression of hatred doesn’t mean what it says. The last two verses are often prayed by Christians today, but we need to make sure we really mean those words.

Psalm 140 is yet another plea for deliverance, and verse 3 is quoted in Rom. 3:13. Psalm 141 continues that theme, as also does Psalm 142 and Psalm 143. Psalm 144 continues as well, and verse 3 is quoted in Heb. 2:6. Then it turns to confident hope, which continues into Psalm 145. Then Psalm 146 reminds us that we only overcome evil by God’s power.

Psalm 147 praises God for his wisdom and provision, while Psalm 148 invites all of creation to join in the praise. Notice that verse 4, written well after the Flood, still refers to waters above the sky. Psalm 149 is a praise of victory for Israel, and finally Psalm 150 is nothing but praise, in the most energetic and loud terms.

So ends our study of the Psalms, and hopefully this birds’-eye view will provide a perspective that’s often missed.