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- Herausgeber: IVP Academic
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
The book of Psalms is a treasure. These one hundred and fifty inspired poems have shaped the worship, prayers, and theology of God's people for thousands of years. While many of its riches are readily apparent, a deeper look into the nature and purposes of the book reveals further layers of meaning with abundant implications for the Christian life. In Treasuring the Psalms, Ian J. Vaillancourt orients readers to the Psalms and lays out a pattern for deeper study and application. From the composition of individual psalms through the shaping of the entire book, he argues, the Holy Spirit guided the creation of a work that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. In particular, Vaillancourt shows how the Psalms point to Christ and provide practical insights for the church community and individual Christians. Through these canonical, Christological, and practical emphases, readers will gain new viewpoints into the flow, context, and message of the Psalms, as well as gospel-centered applications for a living faith.
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DEDICATION
To Gregory John Vaillancourt
We are brothers by birth, brothers in Christ by new birth, and close companions because we couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Contents
Preface
BEFORE WE DIVE INTO OUR STUDY of the Psalms, a few explanations will help us to read with greater understanding. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV). Even where the English and Hebrew verses slightly differ, I have only included the English verse numbers. This includes the psalm superscriptions (or titles): while the Hebrew Old Testament includes them as part (or all) of verse 1 (or sometimes verses 1 and 2), I have cited them as “verse 0,” to line up with the ESV. For short quotations of the psalms, I have placed slash marks in the text to mark off poetic lines (for example, “Truly God is good to Israel, / to those who are pure in heart,” Ps 73:1). In the case of longer quotes, the poetic lines have been retained, so slash marks were not required.
Since I will explain their meaning as the book progresses, the Hebrew words “YHWH,” torah, and hesed are left transliterated throughout, except when I am citing directly from the ESV Bible. This will help readers to remember the meaning of these words, and to identify them in their reading of the ESV, where YHWH is translated as “the LORD,” torah, as “law,” and hesed as “steadfast love.” Readers are encouraged to supply these Hebrew words when they encounter my citations of the ESV.
Because some readers will be familiar with Hebrew, I have included the simple transliteration of some key Hebrew words, along with the actual Hebrew script in parentheses. This way, those who work with Hebrew will be able to identify the words with greater clarity, and those who are not will be able to skip over them. A knowledge of Hebrew is not required in order to understand this book.
Finally, it is important that readers understand when I capitalize (or not) the word Psalms in this book. When referring to the entire book, the word is capitalized, as in “book of Psalms” or “Psalms.” When referring to individual psalms, the word is written in lower case, as in “psalm” or “psalms.” However, when written along with a specific psalm number, the word is capitalized, as in “Psalm 73.” I hope this helps to explain my uses of “book of Psalms,” “Psalms,” “psalm,” “psalms,” and “Psalm 73,” throughout this book.
Acknowledgments
THE INITIAL IDEAS FOR THIS BOOK were born during my doctoral studies at the University of Toronto in 2012–2017. As I researched for seminar papers, comprehensive exams, and then my dissertation on the portrayal of the savior in book 5 (with a focus on Ps 110 and 118), the seeds of this book were germinating in my mind. Lectures on the Psalms to my students at Heritage Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario, have sharpened my thinking. The opportunity to teach a course on the Psalms at both Tyndale University in Toronto, and Millar Graduate School in Saskatchewan, crystallized my thinking even further. Thanks to my very perceptive students from all these schools; their questions and comments have deepened my understanding in more ways than they could imagine.
This book was also shaped by a rich community of Christian friends. I am thankful that the following people gave feedback on a few early chapters: Darren and Andrea Thom, Steve and Sarah Dobrenski, Brigette VanHuistede, Andrew W. Hall, Wyatt Graham, J. Ryan Fullerton, Stephen G. Dempster, David Barker, Jerry Shepherd, Tim Challies, and Natalie Vaillancourt. Their feedback not only strengthened those chapters but helped me to find my voice for the material that followed. I am also thankful to my wife, Natalie Vaillancourt, and my friends, Andrew W. Hall and Cristian Rata, for reading and giving feedback on an early manuscript in its entirety. This work is much stronger and much more coherent because of their labors. Any shortcomings are, of course, my own.
The team at IVP Academic has been a great blessing to this project. I am thankful for their interest in it, and the way they shepherded it toward completion with much more excellence than I could have achieved on my own. In particular, Anna Moseley Gissing (early in the process), along with Jon Boyd and Rachel Hastings (later in the process), were wonderful sources of insight and encouragement.
As always, my amazing wife, Natalie Vaillancourt, has been my best friend, helper, support, and encourager, throughout the writing of this book and in every aspect of my life. Along with Natalie, our two kids, Caleb (17) and Emily (15), were sources of fun (playing Catan or Ticket to Ride or Dominion) and exercise (going for hikes or bike rides) after writing sessions were completed. I pray that as we continue to immerse ourselves in our local church, in God’s Word, and in prayer, each member of our family would grow in their vision of the glory of the God of the Psalms in such a way that we are propelled to love and serve him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Introduction
Getting Oriented to the Book of Psalms
THE BOOK OF PSALMS is a treasure: these 150 Holy Spirit–inspired poems, originally written in Hebrew, have shaped the songs, prayers, and theology of God’s people for thousands of years. Imagine a treasure hunter on a new expedition. Although they are equipped with the best digging and locating equipment available, they don’t need it for this venture: as soon as they arrive at their destination, they find masses of treasure on the surface of the ground. This is a little bit like encountering the book of Psalms for the first time: even an initial reading turns up glorious, surface-level gospel treasure for the taking. For example, in the Psalms,
We are instructed in the life that is blessed by YHWH (e.g., Ps 1).1
We encounter the anointed one who is YHWH’s means of bringing salvation to his people (e.g., Ps 2).2
We are given comfort by the God who always shepherds his people well (e.g., Ps 23).
We are humbled with reminders of how glorious it is to be forgiven by God (e.g., Ps 32).
We are blessed with words of security as we encounter our God as the best refuge imaginable (e.g., Ps 46).
We are led in self-forgetful praise of God (e.g., Ps 150).
It is for good reason, then, that the book of Psalms is among the most cited Old Testament books in the New Testament. Along with countless believers through the ages, it is also one of my favorite books of the Bible. In the Psalms we find the theology of the Old Testament put into poetry and expressed in worship to YHWH. This book is clearly Godward, practical, and encouraging.
Even better, the book of Psalms is not only a treasure when life is easy, but it is also precious when life is hard. In this book,
We are given words to express our sorrow in faith, for times when life is deeply painful (e.g., Ps 3).
We are given words to express our yearning to gather with God’s people when we have been kept from fellowship (e.g., Ps 42).
We are helped with words of confession and repentance for times when we have committed a horrible sin (e.g., Ps 51).
We are blessed with a heavenly perspective for times when following Christ is hard, and when all but the godly seem to be doing well (e.g., Ps 73).
We are given vocabulary to express our longing for God’s presence when he feels distant from us (e.g., Ps 84).
We even encounter the very words Jesus used to express his agony as he hung on the cross (e.g., Ps 22).
How awesome is this book that helps us express our own tears and also gives us a peek into the words and emotions of our Savior.
On the other hand, in our initial encounter with the book of Psalms, we not only find surface treasures but also some puzzling, seemingly impractical, and even deeply disturbing content. For example,
What are we to make of God-the-judge laughing at his enemies (e.g., Ps 2:4)?
Is it right to speak boldly and directly to YHWH, asking him why he stands far away and hides himself in times of trouble (e.g., Ps 10:1)?
Did the psalmist exaggerate the depth of his suffering at times, or did his words always express his exact personal experience (e.g., “all my bones are out of joint,” Ps 22:14)?
Is a psalm that celebrates an ancient Israelite king (e.g., Ps 45) or Zion (e.g., Ps 87) even mildly relevant for us today?
Should believers ever complain to God (e.g., Ps 64:1)?
Can it possibly be right to call “blessed” those who smash the heads of children against “the rock” (Ps 137:9)?
An initial reading of the book of Psalms turns up just as much puzzling, seemingly impractical, and disturbing content as it does surface treasure.
As we continue in the book of Psalms, the questions also continue. For example,
What is a Shiggaion or a Maskil?
What does “according to The Sheminith,” or “according to Muth-labben” mean?
What about Selah?
To be sure, there are many terms in the book of Psalms that seem far removed from our understanding. And then there are the psalm titles in general: “To the choirmaster. Of David” (e.g., Ps 11:0). Does this accurately reflect the poem’s original authorship? If so, why was it written in the third person? Why do our English Bibles set these titles in a different font and place them prior to verse 1? What about the so-called historical psalm superscriptions? Did David really write poems for occasions of his own desperation (e.g., Ps 3) or repentance (e.g., Ps 51)?
Further, is the book of Psalms a random assortment of 150 poems arranged in no particular order, or is there anything significant about the book’s shape? Is there a message to be found in the flow of the psalms? If so, why is it out of chronological order, with a psalm of Moses (approximately 1400 BC) appearing in the middle (Ps 90), and many psalms of David (approximately 1000 BC) appearing before (e.g., almost all of Ps 3–41) and long after it (e.g., Ps 138–145)? And why is the larger book of Psalms separated into five smaller books, or sections? Was this a part of the original shape of the book, or was it a later addition?
Finally, we may also have questions about specific content. For example, if Psalm 72:20 marks the end of the prayers of David, son of Jesse, why do other prayers of David appear in Psalms 86 and 142? Or why does the name of YHWH all but disappear in Psalms 42–83? Is there a reason for the temporary switch to Elohim (אֱלֹהִים, “God”) in this section, and then the switch back to YHWH in Psalms 84–150? An initial encounter with the book of Psalms certainly turns up questions that need to be answered.
TWO KEY WORDS
Although the focus of this book will be on reading the Psalms as a purposefully shaped collection of poems (“reading canonically”) that points to Christ (“reading christologically”) and applies directly to the Christian life (“reading personally and corporately”), in the rest of this introduction we will consider two key words and three helpful insights about the book of Psalms. These will equip us to navigate the particulars through the rest of our study. As we begin to dig a little deeper in search of even more gospel treasure from the book of Psalms, we find that noticing a bit about its use of words will help us to read with understanding. For now we’ll look at two brief but important examples: YHWH (יְהוָה, “Yahweh,” or “the LORD”) and hesed (חֶסֶד, “steadfast love”).
YHWH. First, the name YHWH (most commonly pronounced “Yahweh”) stands out.3 Isn’t it telling that in this intimate book of praise and prayer, the most common way that the poets addressed their God was by his personal, covenant name? This name had been used in praise of God since the earliest days of his people (e.g., Gen 4:26b), by the patriarchs when they spoke to God (e.g., Gen 15:2), and by God when he revealed himself to the patriarchs (e.g., Gen 15:7). However, the full significance of this name was revealed in the exodus from Egypt, when YHWH redeemed his people from slavery (e.g., Ex 3:14-16; 6:2-3).4 Therefore, the name YHWH is wrapped up in the covenant commitment God made with his people: it is the personal name of God that reminds us of his personal commitment to his people’s salvation.
There are 150 individual psalms, and the name YHWH occurs 695 times in the book.5 That is an average of almost five occurrences per psalm. The first of these is found in the second verse of the book, Psalm 1:2: “Blessed is the [one] / who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, / nor stands in the way of sinners, / nor sits in the seat of scoffers; / but [this person’s] delight is in the law of the LORD” (Ps 1:1-2). And the last time the personal name of God occurs is in the very last verse of the book, where we encounter it twice: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! / Praise the LORD!” (Ps 150:6). The psalmists had a boldness to come to their God personally and intimately, and by including the book of Psalms in the Bible, God invites us to enjoy this same kind of intimate, personal access.
Before we move on, a little bit of simple translation information will help transform our reading of the book of Psalms (and the entire Old Testament, for that matter). Our English Bibles almost universally translate the name YHWH with the title “the LORD.”6 While this is common convention, the use of a title is far less personal than is warranted by the name YHWH in the original Hebrew. If the psalmists lead us to employ the personal, covenant name of God that is especially wrapped up in our redemption, would it not seem logical to use this name in favor of an impersonal title? A strategy I use in my own reading is simple: when I encounter the title “the LORD” in my English Bible, I read it as “YHWH.” Over the years, I have found that this transforms my reading of the book of Psalms, and even the entire Old Testament: it constantly reminds me of the personal, intimate way I can and should relate to YHWH. Whether you follow my strategy or not, it is important to at least understand the significance of this Hebrew name, and to know when it is used in our reading of the book of Psalms (or the entire Old Testament).
Hesed (חֶסֶד). Our second key word is hesed (חֶסֶד). This is a Hebrew word that our English Bibles translate in various ways, including “mercy,” “love,” and “kindness,” while the English Standard Version (ESV) translates it uniformly as “steadfast love.” The word hesed occurs 256 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, and 130 of these are found in the book of Psalms. According to Baer and Gordon, this word has a strong relational sense, as well as an emphasis on a prior commitment or bond.7 In the context of YHWH’s hesed toward his people, we can say that it is relational (e.g., “love”), and that it expresses his covenant commitment to his people (e.g., “steadfast”).
In its Old Testament context, this great covenant word reminds us that the God who purchased his people out of slavery is tender toward them, faithful to them, and will never let them go. The ESV has translated this word in a helpful way, because “love” emphasizes God’s tenderness, and “steadfast” emphasizes his covenant faithfulness. A few examples:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions. (Ps 51:1)
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him (Ps 103:11)
So YHWH and hesed are two key words that will help us find even more treasure below the surface in the book of Psalms.
THREE HELPFUL INSIGHTS
As we continue our initial excavation, it would be helpful to ask the question, “What is the book of Psalms?” In this section we will learn three helpful insights: one from the Hebrew Old Testament, and two from the early Reformers.
The book of praises. What comes to your mind when you hear reference to “praising God”? Some of us think of organs and hymns like “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Some of us think of guitars and songs like “10,000 Reasons.” Some of us think of hand clapping and maybe even dancing. Sadly, some of us think of sharp disagreements we’ve had with other Christians about music styles at church. When we come to the Bible, we find an entire book, 150 chapters, devoted to praising God. The book of Psalms contains 150 songs/prayers of worship to YHWH. As we get looking at this book, we find that it mentions body posture like clapping, dancing, and bowing; it mentions instruments like lyres, harps, and cymbals; but its focus is on God and a believer’s relationship with him. According to the book of Psalms, posture and instruments matter, but most important are the words we sing and the God to whom we sing them.
In the original Hebrew, the title of the book of Psalms is Tehillim (תְּהִלִּים), “Praises.” This is related to hallelujah, a frequently occurring word in the Psalms that means “praise YHWH.” The Psalms is a book of Praises, 150 of them, and for thousands of years it has been the song book and the prayer book of God’s people. This means that if we want to learn to give expression to our praises (in song or prayer), we should come to the book of Psalms for guidance. And in this book we find words to praise God in every season of life, whether we are in the heights of joy or the depths of gloom, whether we feel close to God or far from him, whether we are healthy or sick, whether we are happy or sad or angry or anything in between. The book of Psalms teaches us to praise God in all of life.
A little Bible. When I was a new Christian, I heard a professor tell his class that whenever he had focused on the book of Psalms in his personal Bible reading and prayer time, he went through a dry spell in his walk with God. His conclusion (and his recommendation) was that Christians should never sit down to read from the book of Psalms exclusively but should add a psalm to their reading from other parts of the Bible. As a new Christian, this comment seemed out of step with my view of the Bible. After all, the book of Psalms is a part of the Word of God. So I set out to investigate whether this was helpful advice. Having studied the Bible for a few decades, I remain thankful for the impact of this man’s teaching in most areas, but I disagree with this particular counsel.
Martin Luther’s description of the book of Psalms gave me clarity about my uneasiness with this professor’s advice. In his Preface to the Book of Psalms, Luther said that it
might well be called a little Bible. In it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible. . . . In fact, I have a notion that the Holy Spirit wanted to take the trouble himself to compile a short Bible and book of examples of all Christendom or all saints, so that anyone who could not read the whole Bible would here have anyway almost an entire summary of it, comprised in one little book.8
After a few decades of studying the Psalms, I can offer my hearty “amen” to the great Reformer’s description. The book of Psalms is indeed a little Bible, containing a summary of the Bible’s teaching about God, humanity, sin, and salvation. This is awesome when we think about it: a book that began its life as a collection of responses of people to God (in song and prayer) was later gathered into a book and recognized as God’s Word to his people. These songs/prayers are deeply theological, even a little Bible!
An anatomy of all the parts of the soul. A third insight into the nature of the book of Psalms comes from the great theologian and biblical interpreter John Calvin. In his Preface to the Book of Psalms, Calvin noticed the elevated language and the varied nature of its content, and he concluded:
The varied and [resplendent]. . . riches which are contained in this treasury it is no easy matter to express in words . . . I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately, “An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul”; for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated. . . . In a word, whatever may serve to encourage us when we are about to pray to God, is taught us in this book.9
If the book of Psalms may fairly be called “the book of Praises” and “a little Bible,” it may also be called “an anatomy of all the parts of the soul.”
To summarize our findings so far, in the book of Psalms we learn that praises (Tehillim) consist in deeply theological (“a little Bible”) and deeply emotive words from every season of life (“an anatomy of all the parts of the soul”), expressed in songs/prayers to YHWH, the great covenant God who has shown his hesed (“steadfast love”) to his people. What an incredible book! What a treasure!
THE PATH AHEAD
This book was written to help equip college or seminary students, pastors, and church study groups to read and study the book of Psalms. In terms of reading level, I have kept the technical discussions to the footnotes and appendixes—the latter of which is available as a free PDF download on the IVP website (www.ivpress.com/treasuring-the-psalms). This way, church groups can focus on the heart of the book, while pastors and students can read these other items for a more academic study. In keeping with our treasure-hunting analogy, this book is meant to give Christian readers some tools in their toolbelts for a lifetime of digging deeply in the book of Psalms. This is not a book that exhausts everything everyone needs to know about the book of Psalms, but it focuses on some key areas that will equip readers to study deeply on their own.10
If this biblical book exhibits surface-level gospel treasure for the taking, it also contains many questions in need of answers before we can gain a deeper benefit from this book of praises, this little Bible, and this anatomy of all the parts of the soul. The Puritans likened the Bible to a bottomless gold mine, and none of us should be content with surface gold (or treasure!) when there is a depth of gospel riches to be mined. So this is a book about how to read the Psalms. Along the way, I will dig up some treasures and display them, and then invite readers to take the tools found in this book and to mine for themselves.
The chapters in this book are clustered into three sections. After this introduction, which has generally oriented us to the book of Psalms, in part one, “The Story: Reading the Psalms Canonically,” we will ask if there are any implications in the fact that the individual psalms have been gathered into a book. In part two, “The Savior: Reading the Psalms Christologically,” we will explore how to read the book of Psalms in light of the person and work of Christ, and with a desire for rich gospel application to the Christian life. In part three, “The Soul: Reading the Psalms Personally and Corporately,” we will pick up on a key lesson from a previous chapter on the Psalms and the Christian: although the book of Psalms points to the person and work of Christ (i.e., “the gospel”), it also applies immediately and directly to the Christian (what we will refer to as “direct application”).
The last bit of reading will actually come as bonus material available as a free PDF download from the IVP website (www.ivpress.com/treasuring-the-psalms). As I wrote this book with my broad list of readers in mind, I found that there were certain places—six to be exact—where offering a bit of advanced information would be helpful to readers in more academic settings. In these places, I did two things: in the book itself, I provided six “Did You Know?” sections that are marked off in text boxes. Each of these sections introduce and summarize the essence of the teaching in a way that most readers will understand. For each “Did You Know?” section within the book, I then offer a corresponding “Digging Deeper” appendix on the IVP website (www.ivpress.com/treasuring-the-psalms) so that interested readers can turn there to learn more about the subject. Whether you are a pastor or a person in the pew, a student or a layperson who wants to grow in your ability to read God’s Word in a deeper way, you may choose to give these appendixes a try. If you are a pastor or a seminary student, these appendixes are targeted at your reading level, so I especially encourage you to read them.
Before we conclude this initial orientation to the book of Psalms, I return to the question of who should read this book and how they should use it. In my experience, any study of God’s Word is deepened when a person with the gift of teaching leads Christians in group study. As I have written, I have had two such group settings in mind: a college or seminary classroom, and a group Bible study in local churches. For this reason, I have included questions for group discussion at the end of each chapter. If everyone in the class or small group has read the chapter in question, I suggest that discussion, with the questions as a guide, has the potential to deepen everyone’s understanding. Of course, individuals—pastors or students or laypeople—who read this book on their own could very much benefit from these questions too by using them to reflect more on the material. I conclude this introduction, then, with the first set of questions for further reflection.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Early in the chapter, the author shared many examples of “surface treasure” found in the Psalms. Which ones stood out to you as particularly precious?
2. Did any of the author’s examples of puzzling, seemingly impractical, and even deeply disturbing content in the Psalms leave you feeling particularly uneasy or confused? Why?
3. In light of your new understanding of the words YHWH and hesed, read Psalm 103 (ESV) aloud in your group, replacing the English “the LORD” with YHWH, and the English “steadfast love” with hesed.11 What are your initial impressions about how understanding these two key words, and how being able to identify them in your reading of the Psalms in English, will impact your future study of this biblical book?
4. Of the three insights on the character of the book of Psalms as a whole—a book of praises, a little Bible, and an anatomy of the soul—which one seemed most insightful or helpful? Why?
PART ONE
THE STORY
READING THE PSALMS CANONICALLY
IN PART ONE, WE FOCUS ON answering a key question from this book’s introduction: Is the book of Psalms a hodgepodge collection of poems set in no particular order, or have these poems been intentionally arranged to communicate a larger message? If so, is it possible that this message conveys something greater than the sum of the book’s parts—its individual psalms?
Spoiler alert: I do believe that the order of the individual psalms is significant. As you read this, you may remain unconvinced, or perhaps just skeptical. That’s okay. I was unconvinced and skeptical before I considered the evidence within the book of Psalms.
The first two chapters of part one focus on root issues. In chapter one, I argue that the Holy Spirit’s inspiration extended from the original composition of the individual psalms, through the gathering of psalms into collections, all the way to shaping them into a book. Then in chapter two we examine the superscriptions (or titles) of the psalms, with a special focus on how they are relevant to our reading of the book from beginning to end.
This will set us up to gain a sense of the whole in chapters three, four, and five. In chapter three we will approach Psalms 1 and 2 as a gateway to the book as a whole, and in chapter four we will overview the broad narrative of the book of Psalms. Finally, in chapter five we will look at the portrayal of the king across the book and ask if this has anything to teach us about its broader message.
1
From Individual Psalms to the Book of Psalms
IN APRIL OF 2001, forty-nine-year-old Jeffrey Ross Hyman lay dying of lymphoma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Previous to his seven-year illness, Hyman was not used to this kind of frailty. Better known by his stage name, Joey Ramone, he had been the lead vocalist of The Ramones, a pioneer band in the punk rock movement. Mikal Gilmore of Rolling Stone magazine describes the scene:
On April 15, 2001, Joey’s family and a few friends gathered at his bedside. Doctors turned off his respirator. Mickey played a song on a boombox that Joey liked, U2’s “In a Little While” (“In a little while / This hurt will hurt no more / I’ll be home, love”). By the time the song finished, Joey Ramone had closed his eyes. He was 49.1
When Bono—the lead singer of U2 and a life-long fan of The Ramones—reflected on this deathbed scene, he said, “Joe turned this song about a hangover into a gospel song I think cos that’s the way I always hear it now through Joey Ramone’s ears.”2
How did a song about something so unwholesome turn into a gospel song, even in the mind of its author? Bono wrote about one thing, and now when he sings it, the entire “meaning” of the song has shifted.3 We see from this that new life experiences can alter the way a song is received, even in the mind of its author.4
As we come to the book of Psalms, we notice some similarities with the way Bono now hears “In a Little While,” but also some differences. Just like “In a Little While,” all of the psalms have a history in which they have been “heard.” Unlike “In a Little While,” the ultimate author of the various psalms foresaw the entire panorama of that history.5 If the human author of each psalm wrote in their own style and from their own perspective, the divine author was—and is—all-knowing. Therefore, if a psalm was written by King David in 1000 BC, and then “heard” differently by postexilic Jews who read it in its book of Psalms context in 300 BC, both of these “hearings” were intended by the divine author from its time of composition.6
This chapter is about the history of the book of Psalms, and the way that history impacts the way we are intended to “hear” each psalm. Sometimes it was a new life situation that would impact the way a psalm was “heard” (e.g., the way Bono now hears “In a Little While”). And sometimes the major factor was the setting of a given psalm in its new context in a collected book of Psalms. By way of analogy, think of the way a church’s music leader chooses the songs and readings and order of material so that the various elements of the service flow into one another and also prepare the worshiper’s heart for the sermon. These songs and readings were not written with reference to one another but can be given new depth in the mind of the worshiper when they are heard and sung together. In a similar way, we will be able to grasp the meaning of the Psalms best if we begin by considering the big-picture process, from the time each psalm was first penned to the “final form” of the book we now have in our Bibles. (This way of studying the Psalms as a well-ordered book is often referred to as “the canonical approach” to the book of Psalms.)
FROM INDIVIDUAL PSALMS TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS
As we approach the book of Psalms, we can begin with a simple observation: it was not originally written as a book. We can picture the poet—including Moses (Ps 90), King David (seventy-three times, Ps 3–145), Asaph (twelve times, Ps 50–83), or the Sons of Korah (eleven times, Ps 42–88), and others—emerging from their desk with the ink still wet.7 Excited, the author would have run to the temple (or tabernacle) to personally hand their song to the worship leader (notice the note “for the choir director” in fifty-five psalms [Ps 4–140]). We can picture them working with the musician to find the perfect tune to accompany the lyrics (e.g., “according to The Doe of the Dawn,” Ps 22), and then testing it out with the Levitical choir. Finally, we can picture the worship leader assigning a scribe to make some copies of the psalm, and then storing the original with the others in the temple.
The point I am making is that the various psalms started out as individual compositions. And then at some point, these began to be gathered into “mini collections.” For example, it is possible that the Songs of Ascents (Ps 120–134) were gathered as a mini collection well before the book of Psalms received its final shape. This is logical, because these fifteen poems were sung by Jews at festival time as they walked in pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Since Jerusalem is set at the highest point in the land, with the temple “mount” as its pinnacle, the faithful had to “go up” or “ascend” to Jerusalem. As they walked, they sang these fifteen psalms, and this is the reason they are referred to as “Songs of Ascents.”
Did you notice, however, that in my Songs of Ascents example I said that it is possible that they were gathered as a mini collection before the book of Psalms took its final shape? Although it is certain that the various psalms were written as individual compositions over about a seven-hundred- to one-thousand-year period,8 and although it is probable that groups of psalms formed early mini collections that were associated with worship during the late-tabernacle and early first-temple periods, any theories beyond this are simply conjecture. Instead of spending our time theorizing about which psalms formed early mini collections, I suggest that it is better spent by recognizing something of the process of formation for the book, and then moving on to more sure avenues of inquiry.
What did the process of shaping the book of Psalms look like? Being careful to guard against building elaborate theories about its history, we can still make the following observations:
• Each psalm was penned by an author, who consciously wrote a poem as a response of worship to YHWH.
• The various psalms were meant to be sung and/or prayed. For example, Psalm 120 is explicitly called “A Song of Ascents” and Psalm 86 “A Prayer of David.” Most, if not all, of the psalms, however, can do double duty, and be employed as songs and/or prayers.
• The various psalms were meant to be sung and/or prayed by individuals and/or the community as a whole. For example, Psalm 3 is an individual lament. It was written about the personal suffering of King David and is full of first person singular pronouns: “I,” “me,” and “my.” Since David was king over Israel, however, his solitary experience would have impacted the community as a whole. Because of this “corporate solidarity” between the king and his people, the psalms of the individual could have been employed by the community as well.9 Psalm 137, on the other hand, is a community lament. It was written about the community’s experience of living in exile and begins with a string of plural pronouns: “we,” “our,” and “us.” Since the psalm also includes singular pronouns, however, we see that the experience of the community was also radically personal for every individual. As a final example, Psalm 118 was written as a responsive song for a leader and a congregation. We see evidence for this in lines such as “Let Israel say, / ‘his steadfast love endures forever’” (Ps 118:2).
• The psalms were almost certainly used and kept by the song leader and stored in the tabernacle or temple. For example, fifty-five psalms (Ps 4–140) begin with the line, “for the choir director” (lamnatseah [לַמְנַצֵּחַ]).10 This song leader would have led the people in the singing and praying of the various psalms.
• Over time, certain psalms became associated with one another. For example, it is possible that the song leader collected most of the psalms marked “Miktam” (מִכְתָּם, Ps 56–60) and had them written on a small scroll.11 The same possibility holds true for the Songs of Ascents, and other clusters throughout the book of Psalms.12
• All the while, scribes would have been copying the individual psalms and the mini collections of psalms in order to preserve them for future generations. (Remember that there were no printing presses, computers, e-ink readers, or cloud-syncing services.) This copying was also done to distribute psalms to the various communities inside and outside of Jerusalem for personal, and especially corporate, use.13
• Somewhere along the line, the various psalms—which began their life as responses of worshipers to YHWH—were also recognized as God’s Word to his people. In other words, these songs and prayers to God were also Holy Scripture, and so God’s Word to us.
• As time continued to pass and the collection of psalms continued to expand, they would have been transcribed in clusters that became associated with one another. So larger mini collections were born.
• As still more time passed, it is likely that Psalms 3–72—or most of them—were formed into a larger “book.” This is evidenced by the Dead Sea Scrolls.14 Tellingly in this regard, the last verse of Psalm 72 reads, “The prayers of David, son of Jesse, are ended” (Ps 72:20). However, between Psalms 73 and 150, a further nineteen psalms are said to be “Of David” (ledavid [לְדָוִיד]), and Psalms 86 and 142 are explicitly prayers of David. It is most probable, therefore, that Psalm 72:20 was intended as a conclusion to Psalms 3–72 as a whole.
• As still even more time passed, Psalms 73–150 took on something resembling its final “shape,” and Psalms 1–2 were set as an introduction to the book as a whole. We cannot be certain when each of these steps took place. For example, Psalms 1–2 may have been set as an introduction early or late in the process.15
• At some point in the history of the book of Psalms, five “doxologies” were placed throughout in order to form “books.” For example, Psalm 41:13 concludes book 1 with the following doxological refrain: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, / from everlasting to everlasting! / Amen and Amen.” And so the five books of psalms were born,16 mirroring the five books of the Torah, or Pentateuch.17 It is possible that these doxologies were added to pre-existing psalms, but it is also possible that these particular psalms were chosen to conclude a given “book,” because they already concluded with doxologies.18
These are some of the most important points to bear in mind in the process of the formation of the book of Psalms.
As an evangelical Christian, I also think it is important to emphasize that if the shaping of the book of Psalms bears evidence of intentionality, and if the placement of a psalm in the larger book of Psalms can add to its interpretive depth, we must recognize the sovereignty of God throughout this process. If we want to call this a “canonical” approach to the book of Psalms, we may even refer to an individual “canonicler,” or group of “canoniclers,”19 as the one(s) responsible for the final shape of the book of Psalms. In fact, I suggest that it is important to speak of the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of the original author as well as the individual(s) who brought about the final form of the book as a whole. Although we will flesh out some of the particulars in later chapters, for now we see that the “canonical approach” to the book of Psalms takes all these points into consideration. Most important, from this angle of inquiry the book of Psalms is not treated as a ragbag of unrelated elements but as a purposefully shaped book that bears evidence of care and intentionality—even theology—in its final shape.
Did You Know?The Canonical Approach to the Book of Psalms Through Two Thousand Years of Church History
Over the past two thousand years of church history, many interpreters have approached the Psalms as a book with at least some measure of intentional structure and overall message. These include: Augustine (AD 354–430), Cassiodorus (490–583), Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), Franz Delitzsch (1813–1890), and Alexander MacLaren (1826–1910). Although this approach largely fell out of fashion during the 1800s and 1900s, the work of Brevard S. Childs (1923–2007) and Gerald H. Wilson (1945–2005) revived interest in the Psalms as a purposefully shaped book. In fact, since the work of Childs and Wilson, many have followed who have built on and refined their ideas. For those who would like to dig deeper into this issue, appendix A is available as a free download on the IVP website (www.ivpress.com/treasuring-the-psalms).
UNPACKING THE CANONICAL APPROACH: PSALMS 118 AND 119
Although we will return to Psalm 118 later in this book, for now we notice that its placement beside Psalm 119 extended its meaning beyond what it originally conveyed on its own. In other words, the Holy Spirit’s authorial intention—with its later placement in the book of Psalms in full view—went beyond what the human author could have foreseen.20 To set up our observations, it is essential to notice that the speaker of Psalm 118 was the king over God’s people. For example, it was the king’s role to lead the victory procession from the battlefield (Ps 118:19-20), and only the rescue of the king would have occasioned national thanksgiving (Ps 118:1-4, 29).
Although its 176 verses make Psalm 119 the longest psalm in the book of Psalms, we do not need to quote all of it in order to make our point. If we turn to Psalm 119 in our Bible, we will notice that it is broken up into twenty-two sections, with eight verses in each section. Set as a heading above each eight-verse cluster is the name of a different Hebrew letter, from the beginning to the end of the alphabet. For example, above verses 1-8 is the title “Aleph,” and above verses 9-16 is “Beth.” The Hebrew language has twenty-two letters,21 and Psalm 119 is an alphabetic acrostic: in each eight-verse section, the first word of each line begins with the same Hebrew letter. If the theme of Psalm 119 is clearly “the torah” (תּוֹרָה), or “instruction” of YHWH, we can say that this psalm poetically sets forth the beauty and glory of the torah, from A to Z (or from “aleph” to “taw,” in this case).
In order to get a sense of this great psalm, let’s simply quote its first part: the “aleph” section, in verses 1-8:
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me! (Ps 119:1-8)
Notice that the psalm begins with the word “blessed” (ashre [אַשְׁרֵי]). This is the same word used at the beginning of Psalm 1, and the same concept (in a different language) that heads the Sermon on the Mount. The idea is that those who follow the advice of this psalm are blessed by YHWH, in the sense of being happy.
The rest of the psalm reveals that the “blessed one” has a life steeped in and shaped by the torah of YHWH. The word torah in Hebrew is often translated as “law” in our English Bibles, but the fullness of this word’s meaning needs to be fleshed out in a longer explanation. I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “law,” I think of a bunch of dos and don’ts that I need to dutifully follow. Actually, the Hebrew word torah in this context simply speaks of the “instruction” of YHWH in covenant living. The sense is this: “now that you are the people of YHWH—because he has redeemed you and graciously made you his people—here is instruction on how to live with YHWH as your God.” Maybe this helps to explain why Psalm 119 delights so much in the torah, because it is a joy to follow and serve the one who has made us his own.
In the first eight verses of Psalm 119, notice the torah-synonyms that are used: testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, and rules. Each of these represents a different Hebrew word that carries its own unique thrust, but when the meaning of all of them is combined, they can be summed up as the comprehensive, covenantal instruction of YHWH. The psalm also talks about having a blameless way (v. 1), of seeking YHWH with one’s whole heart (v. 2), of one who does no wrong (v. 3), of keeping diligently (v. 4), of steadfast ways (v. 5), of not being put to shame (v. 6), of an upright heart (v. 7), and of not being utterly forsaken by YHWH (v. 8). These blessings will be attained by “walking” in the
