A Book for All – Psalms

The book of Psalms is the book for all who are in need, the sick and suffering, the poor and needy, the prisoner and exile, the person in danger, the persecuted. It is a book for the sinner, telling him or her of God’s great mercy and forgiveness. It is a book for the child of God, leading him or her into new experiences with the Lord. It tells of God’s law in its perfection and pronounces blessings upon the one who will keep it. It is the best loved book in the Old Testament.

Every Psalm is a direct expression of the soul’s consciousness of God. The Psalms are full of Christ. They describe the whole program of His suffering and death. Many quotations from this book are found in the New Testament. At least twenty of these directly refer to Christ and His life and death.

Psalms 1 to 41 tells about man, how man is blessed and his road to success (Psalm 1), Mans fall from high position and at enmity with God (Psalm 2) and Mans restoration by his blessed Redeemer, the Man Christ Jesus (Psalms 16 – 41).

Psalms 42 to 72 talks about Israel, Her ruin (Psalms 42 – 49), Her Redeemer (Psalms 50 – 60) and Her Redemption (Psalms 61 – 72).  Several Psalms speak of penitence, but the chief is Psalm 51. It is a Psalm of David. It you turn to 2 Samuel 11 and 12, you will find about David’s sin. When Nathan the prophet was telling David “You are the man!” David did not try to dodge the issue but said, “I have sinned against the Lord”. Notice in Psalm 51:4 these words, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” This psalm is a prayer of contrition and confession. David cries for mercy from a God whom he knows is merciful and full of loving kindness.

We can learn from this Psalm that we must confess our sin to God (1 John 1:9) and that God is just to forgive. Whenever we are sincere in our confession to God, He will cleanse our sin.

Psalms 73 to 89, sanctuary is mentioned or referred in almost every chapter. We see God’s counsels in relation to the sanctuary. The sanctuary is seen from its ruin to its restoration in the fullness of blessing.

Psalms 90 to 106 talks about The Earth. Psalms 90 to 94 tells about the blessings needed, Psalms 95 to 100 tells about the blessings anticipated and psalms 101 to 106 tell about the blessings enjoyed. If you wish to praise the Lord for His goodness, read Psalm 103. It is full of worship, adoration, praise and thanksgiving. This is great exercise for the soul.

The word of God is given importance in Psalm 107 to 150, which tells: “He sent forth his word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). Psalm 119 is the great psalm of the whole book. It extols the Word of God, which is the great revelation of the heart and mind of the Lord. Almost every verse speaks of God’s word or law or precepts or statutes.

Hold your Bible in your hand and turn to the middle of the book. Most often you will open to the Psalms. Not merely is this true physically. There is a deeper truth. The Psalms are central also in human experience. Psalms 118 is the center chapter in the Bible There are 594 chapters before and after Psalms 118. Psalms 117 is the shortest chapter and Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.

The center verse in the Bible is Psalms 118:8. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans”. Does this verse say something significant about God’s perfect will for our lives? The next time you want to find God’s perfect will for your lives, just take the center of God’s word. When things get tougher, always remember – Faith doesn’t get you around trouble. It gets you through it. May God’s Spirit help you to stay close with His word and be blessed in life.