Originally posted 7/23/24
This is the second part of an article about the types of Psalms. If you need to read part one, you can access it here.
Law Psalms
Laws teach us ways to learn from the Word. It reflects God’s character to the believer. As the psalm proceeds, we continue to learn more about God’s character. It typically works out better when we follow these in obedience.
Ps 119 is the longest Psalm. This psalm consists of 22 sections. Each section begins with a Hebrew letter of the alphabet. It can be divided into 5 different sections.
According to www.gotquestions.org, “The psalm opens with two beatitudes. “Blessed” are those whose ways are blameless, who live according to God’s law, who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. The author of the psalm is a man who has known great trouble in his life, but also one who has come through it with a deep and passionate understanding of God’s unfailing love and compassion (Psalm 119:75–77). Throughout his affliction, the author clings to the truths he learns from the Scriptures, which are eternal and “stand firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89–91). His love for the Word of God and his dedication to remember it and live by it is a theme that is repeated over and over (verses 11, 15–16, 24, 34, 44, 47, 55, 60, etc.).
These are the lessons for us in this great psalm. The Word of God is sufficient to make us wise, train us in righteousness, and equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15–17). The Scriptures are a reflection of God’s nature, and from them we learn that we can trust His character and His plan and purposes for mankind, even when those plans include affliction and persecution. Blessed indeed are we if our delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law we meditate day and night (Psalm 1:2).” got questions
1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
Psalms of Praise
We are familiar with praising the Lord. Many of the Psalms serve that purpose. Many of them would have been sung using musical instruments. I heard it said that the Psalms are our hymnal. These are full of rich with beautiful language retelling what God has done for us. According to Jen Wilkin in her Bible study of Psalms, “The primary goal of praise is to call and enable God’s people to admire God’s great attributes and deeds.” p. 38 The praise Psalms were written mostly by David and the sons or Korah.
Royal Psalms
The Royal Psalms primarily deal with the Line of David and how it relates to Christ. You can expect to find Christ in the royal psalms.
According to www.gotquestions, “Royal Psalms: Several psalms were performed in the presence of kings or dignitaries. Psalm 18:50 states, “He gives his king great victories; / he shows unfailing love to his anointed, / to David and to his descendants forever.”
The Royal Psalms are Psalm 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, and 144.
Psalms of Thanksgiving
The thanksgiving psalms show extensive joy and gratitude. These psalms should be used in corporate worship. They remind us of God’s faithfulness. When I see times that God was faithful in the Bible, it helps me to understand that He will be faithful to me.
Www.gotquestions.org says, “Thanksgiving Psalms: These songs of thanks include both thanksgiving from individuals (such as Psalms 30, 32, and 34) and from the community (such as Psalms 67 and 124). One of the best-known thanksgiving psalms is Psalm 100. Verses 4–5 proclaim, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving / and his courts with praise; / give thanks to him and praise his name. / For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; / his faithfulness continues through all generations.””
These include Psalm 8, 18, 19, 29, 30, 32-34, 36, 40, 41, 66, 103-106, 111, 113, 116, 117, 124, 129, 135, 136, 138, 139, 146-148, and 150.
Wisdom Psalms
The wisdom psalms provide exactly what it implies–wisdom. As we read in James 1:5, God graciously gives his wisdom to those that ask. He doesn’t hold onto wisdom like it is a secret that we cannot gain. We need to be careful not to interpret these as commands. These a general guidelines for life not an absolute promise. The Wisdom Palms include Psalms 1, 37, and 119
I encourage you to dive into the Psalms today. I have been listening to them with my audio Bible as I drive to work in the morning. It’s a great way to start your day.
#Psalms, #emotions, #faith, #Bible, #Scriptures, #Christian Women, #Discipleship,