I. Why Study the Book of Psalms?
Other than its length, what else do you know about the book? Do you consider it simply a place to find devotional material?
A. The Profitability of the Book (II Tim. 3:16-17)
1. Comfort–the devotional material (ex. Psa. 42:1-5)
2. Praise–God gave us the words with which we could praise Him. (ex. Psa. 34:1-3)
3. Doctrine–The Crucifixion, the Tribultion, the Second Coming, and the Millenial Reign are all found in the Psalms. (ex. Psa. 22 & 45)
B. The Programming of the Book
1. Spiritual benefit (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16)
2. Spiritual and physical benefits (Jas. 5:13)
Program your mind (brainwash) by meditating on the Psalms.
II. The Placement of the Book of Psalms
A. Physically in the middle of the Bible.
1. A place of importance–the “heart” of the Bible.
2. A place of purpose
a. Middle verses of the Bible (Psa. 103:1-2; verses 15,551 and 15,552 respectively)
b. The verses are composed of 28 (7 x 4) words total. Study the recurring pattern of ”sevens” throughout scripture.
c. If you read 12 words into the verses and count 12 words from the end of the verses, you would find the middle phrase of the middle verses of the Bible–”Bless His holy name.”
B. Job-Song of Solomon outline
1. Job–the Unhappy Man
2. Psalms–the Happy Man (“blessed”)
3. Proverbs–the Wise Man
4. Ecclesiastes–the Worldy Man
5. Song of Solomon–the Heavenly Man (the Bridgroom coming for His bride from Heaven)
C. Ezra–Psalms
1. Ezra–the Jews Regathered (1918 Jewish Homeland Agreement)
2. Nehemiah–the Jews Rebuilding (1948 Israel becomes a nation)
3. Esther–the Gentile bride is out and the Jewish bride is in (the N..T. church, the bride of Christ, is raptured and God’s bride, Israel, is in focus again)
4. Job–the Jews in Great Tribulation (Job has 42 chapters, just as the “time of Jacob’s trouble” will have 42 months)
5. Psalms–the Blessings that accompany the King
III. The Divisions of the Book of Psalms
A. The 150 Psalms were written over a period of several hundred years and by several known and unkown writers by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
B. Their are 5 different books that make up the Psalms. Some point to a correlation between these 5 books and the 5 books of Moses.
1. Book 1 (Psa. 1-41)/Genesis–man’s fall and Jehovah’s redemption of man
2. Book 2 (Psa. 42-72)/Exodus–a ruined nation calling for deliverence
3. Book 4 (Psa. 73-89)/Leviticus–written by the temple priests for worship
4. Book 4 (Psa. 90-106)/Numbers–the Kingdom of Israel is supreme; the Kingdom of God is supreme
5. Book 5 (Psa. 107-150)/Deuteronomy–new beginning in the promised land
