Journey Through Psalms & Song of Songsნიმუში

Psalm Themes

Creation: 8, 65

History: 78, 105–106

Royal: 2, 18, 72, 89, 110

Enthronement: 93–99

Zion: 48, 102, 126

Torah: 1, 19

Worship: 150

Intro

Nicole introduces this lesson in which we switch from looking at the forms of psalms to looking at the themes—what is unique about the psalms of Zion, of Wisdom, of Torah, of Creation, of History, of human royalty and the kingship of YHWH. We’ll look at how all of this shapes the way we engage the Psalms in worship today.

The Kingship of God

Sovereignty in Psalm 90s (Bullock*)

The themes of kingship are especially dense in Psalm 95-99. The expressions are varied, but they revolve around ideas of sovereignty. When you observe a cluster of passages with the same themes, sometimes the best place to start to understand those themes is simply tracking them. The following table does just that.

Words of Wisdom (Bullock*)

If you’re wondering why Psalms, being a book of hymns, can sometimes be classified as “Wisdom Literature,” just look at the list of Wisdom terms in the following graphic. These are words we might associate more with a book like Proverbs, but they all appear in Psalms. Many are in Psalms often described as “Wisdom Psalms” by scholars.

It’s clear from this chapter that Psalms not only feature wisdom language, but can also read like instructions. If you’re used to approaching Psalms merely as a collection of songs related to worship or lament, we hope you’re surprised with their diversity and breadth. The wide range of voices and agendas in this book is one reason so many people in history have had deep personal attachments to it.

Creation

Covenant

Sacrifice, Praise & Worship

*Source: C. Hassell Bullock, Encountering the Book of Psalms, 2001, pp. 195 & 204.