TyndaleStudyNotes
Ps.123.1-4
Ps 123 This lament on the psalmist’s lowly position expresses vivid trust in the Lord (123:1-2). The psalmist prays for God’s favor on the community, as the reality of evil surrounds them (123:3-4). The poet looks beyond Jerusalem (Ps 122) to God’s throne in heaven.
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TyndaleStudyNotes
Ps.120.1-134.3
Pss 120–134 These short, appealing songs were sung during pilgrims’ journeys to Jerusalem for the national festivals three times per year (Deut 16:16). The title of these psalms includes the Hebrew word for stairs, which some take to mean “ascending to Jerusalem.” These psalms (sometimes called the Songs of Ascents) take the reader on a pilgrimage to Jerusal...
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Pss 120–134 These short, appealing songs were sung during pilgrims’ journeys to Jerusalem for the national festivals three times per year (Deut 16:16). The title of these psalms includes the Hebrew word for stairs, which some take to mean “ascending to Jerusalem.” These psalms (sometimes called the Songs of Ascents) take the reader on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to praise God for his goodness to Israel throughout history.
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TyndaleBook Introductions
Psalms
Jesus and the apostles loved the book of Psalms—they quoted from it and lived out of it. These ancient prayers and praises of Israel provide a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament; the themes introduced in the psalms find further development in the New Testament. Where David’s dynasty failed, Jesus gives hope. Yet, certain expectations that...
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Jesus and the apostles loved the book of Psalms—they quoted from it and lived out of it. These ancient prayers and praises of Israel provide a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament; the themes introduced in the psalms find further development in the New Testament. Where David’s dynasty failed, Jesus gives hope. Yet, certain expectations that emerge in the book of Psalms still remain for the future, namely that God’s people will completely fulfill his purposes and that all nations will submit to the Messiah.
Summary
The psalms, like all Scripture, are inspired and given by God (see 2 Tim 3:16). Yet each psalm originated with a human author as a prayer or praise to the Lord. The psalms are diverse: The Psalter includes laments, praise psalms, wisdom, thanksgiving, reflections on God’s actions, celebrations of God’s revelation, and worship.
The first two psalms serve as an introduction to the entire Psalter (the book of Psalms). Psalm 1 describes a godly person who delights in God, lives by divine instruction, and is not influenced by evildoers. Psalm 1 points to three questions: (1) Is there forgiveness for sins? (2) Why do the godly suffer? and (3) Why do t...
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TyndaleBook Introduction Summaries
Psalms
The Book of Psalms
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The Book of Psalms
Purpose
To offer praise and prayer to God, to supply God’s people with texts for worship, and to provide reflection on the sovereignty of God and some of life’s toughest questions
Author
Various; nearly half are linked with David
Date
Written over the course of many centuries; the process of collecting and editing was likely completed after the Babylonian exile
Setting
Varied, but a postexilic setting accounts for much of the editorial activity and grouping of the psalms
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