Structure of the Psalms

In 2006-07 I was privileged to have the opportunity to lead a mid-week adult Bible study on the Book of Psalms—something I had wanted to do for some years. While I had loved the Psalms for many years, that process caused an increased love of this wonderful book.

Christians like to repeat the phrase, “God is good … all the time!” That is the message of the Book of Psalms. However, it may not always seem that God is good all the time. The Book of Psalms is a great place to find comfort during stressful times. Repeatedly within the Psalms we find phrases such as, “In my distress I called upon the Lord.” Psalms relates much about the difficult nature of life on earth.

When asked how the Book of Psalms is structured, many would reply it is a collection of individual Psalms. Others would say it was Israel’s hymnbook. Both are right. The Psalms were the hymnal of Israel and hence it has been termed “the faith of the Old Testament set to music.” Still others might view the structure of the book through one of several variations of a five-part outline such as:

Israel’s Redeemer and Remnant (1–41)
Israel’s Ruin and Redemption (42–72)
Israel’s Return and Restoration (73–89)
Israel’s Relapse and Recovery (90–106)
Israel’s Re-gathering and Retrospect (107–150)

SUGGESTION: Read the Book of Psalms in a similar manner as you read any other book. Keep in mind the three main parts of any book, the opening, the body, and the close.

Opening—Introduction ~ Psalm 1, sometimes called “The Preface Psalm,” provides the key to understanding the rest of the Psalms. It introduces the contrast of blessing for those who really seek to follow God and for those who go their own way. It clearly states that the Godly man will possess a deep joy and happiness. However, those who go their own way will be miserable—they never find true satisfaction.

Body—Argument ~ The Book of Psalms is not only the biggest book in the Bible but is placed near the center of the Bible. We must never forget that the Psalms, like all the books of the Bible, are about Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said that much of the Psalms are about Him (Luke 24:44). Did you know that of all the Old Testament quotations included in the New Testament about Christ, nearly one-half are from the Psalms? The Book of Psalms relates to the struggles of life on earth.

Close—Conclusion ~ The last Psalm, which has been labeled “the doxology Psalm,” is the conclusion of the book. It is a psalm of praise—the word occurs over and over within this psalm (three times in verse one and twice in every other verse). Actually the last five psalms, 146-150, build to the great finale of Psalm 150, which is like a choral symphony of praise. Imagine a magnificent chorus of thousands of voices singing hallelujah to God combined with a huge orchestra reaching its great climactic notes—that is how this wonderful book ends!

SUGGESTION: Read the Book of Psalms in a similar manner as you read any other book. Keep in mind the three main parts of any book, the opening, the body, and the close.