Psalms: Book 1

Reading Scripture Together

In reflecting on the Psalms, there are many topics that could be broached. The Psalms encompass themes ranging from the Lord’s innumerable attributes to desperate cries for help to joyous proclamations of praise to sorrowful laments. These themes and their variability are akin to the emotions we might feel throughout our daily lives.

The Psalms provide a skeleton for our emotions to attach themselves to; they give structure to what feels arbitrary and positive motion forward from what is paralyzing. They are a window through which we can see the people of God consistently persevering amidst temptations, sorrows, and celebrations through God’s sovereign hand, generous grace, and steadfast love. The Psalms connect the Old Testament to the New Testament, older believers to newer believers, emotion to logic, and God to His people. In this, we can be comforted, convicted, encouraged, refined, and replenished.

Foundation

The first two Psalms establish a foundation for the book. Psalm 1 challenges believers to choose daily what authority we sit under. Will we be with the scoffers or under the law? Will we wither like the chaff—choosing to forego God’s design—or prosper like the tree—abiding in Him? Psalm 2 asserts that God is indeed sovereign over all and that we should submit to his rule. The Psalms that follow demonstrate the outworkings of believers’ experiences of distress, confidence, doubt, loneliness, and affirmation in light of these realities.

The Word to the Word

Throughout the Torah, we are enamored by Yahweh as our glorious creator, our covenant mediator, our perfect guide, and our only God. We see these themes echoed throughout the Psalms. When we consider the background the Torah supplies, we have a strong springboard to remind us why we should choose to follow God in the face of the Psalmists’ question: be like the chaff or a tree?

For example, Genesis details how the Lord perfectly designed all of creation and how humanity interrupted that design. Yet, God promised re-creation through redemption to perfection. Psalm 8 gives words to the awestruck demeanor humanity should have when considering creation:

“You have set your glory above the heavens. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet… O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (vv. 1, 5–6, 9)

Psalm 8 enforces that God’s glory is seen in His creation, and despite our fallen state, God has maintained our dominion over it. Yet we, as God’s creation, are also under His careful eye, living within His orchestration and sustenance.

For another example, we see God as creator in Psalm 19:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge… The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple…” (vv. 1–2, 7)

Just as explained in Romans 1:19–20 (“for what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made”), here, we are told God reveals Himself in His handiwork. In that revelation, we can be more keenly aware of His design, including the perfect law—ultimately, softening our heart toward a desire to follow Him, our glorious creator, in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves.

Older Believers to Newer Believers

Psalm 25, 42, and 103 are three Psalms that consistently provide relevant words for emotion and remembrances of truth. These three are believed to be written by David, a believer existing in Old Testament times yet wrestling with ponderings with which all believers can still relate.

Throughout Psalm 25, David is pleading for the Lord to “teach [him God’s] paths” and to “lead [him] in [God’s] truth and teach [him] for [God is] the God of [his] salvation; for [God, David] waits all the day long” (vv. 4–5). David also asks the Lord to “remember [His] mercy and [His] steadfast love” while “remember[ing] not the sins of [David’s] youth or [his] transgressions” (vv. 6–7). David’s proclamations reflect a heart that is wrestling with his own unrighteousness and God’s perfect way; this is a great heart posture to maintain when considering what we are chasing after in our day-to-day lives.

This heart posture—of seeking remembrance of the Lord—bleeds into Psalms beyond just Book 1. Psalm 103 reads, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (vv. 2–5). God has authority and intends the best for His own. We can trust Him in every situation—especially in times of lament.

Psalm 42 thrice repeats, “why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (vv. 5, 11; 43:5). David is balancing his feeling of disappointment with the truth of God’s sufficiency. He is fighting to remember God amidst sorrow—a universal experience amongst believers. David gives us words to help us be assured in knowing the Lord is our “exceeding joy” (Ps. 43:4) because of His character seen time and time again.

Believers then and believers now share in felt temptations, sorrows, celebrations, and praises; therefore, we can learn from one another what it looks like to remember God in the face of any and all circumstances. The Psalms provide universal language for believers in any stage of life, time on earth, and position of heart. They force us to consider what is true rather than sitting in what we feel.

Emotions aren’t Sovereign

“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? … But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

David wonders if the Lord has forgotten him; he feels lonely and overlooked. Again, believers in any walk of life can likely relate to having pondered the same: why is this circumstance so difficult? How long must I persist in this? In Psalm 13, David eventually finds his hope in the Lord’s steadfast love rather than in the belief that his circumstance will end. Time and time again throughout the Psalms, believers find comfort in the Lord. After all, He is mindful of man (Ps 8:4). This is the truth, not the weighty emotions that come with our circumstances.

God’s consistent character and our ebb-and-flow mindset riddle the pages of the Psalms. Psalmists put to words what we all have felt in uniquely universal ways, and they ultimately remind us of the truth in the midst of emotions. We can relate to our predecessors, mentors, and peers through the language the Psalms give; we read how some of the oldest believers persisted, and we echo their words about their struggles and the Lord’s superseding faithfulness. The Psalmists demonstrate appropriate heart posture in prayer and give language for believers in all situations. When building on the scaffolding they supply, we can approach the Lord humbly and fight to choose His design, recognizing our fallen state and His eternal glory that He promises to us by His steadfast love in giving His Son for our salvation.