Psalms

Willem A. VanGemeren, Tremper Longman III, David E. Garland

• Publisher: Zondervan Academic
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9780310531845
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

Continuing a Gold Medallion Award-winning legacy, the completely revised Expositor's Bible Commentary puts world-class biblical scholarship in your hands.

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• The complete NIV text
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• Reflections to give expanded thoughts on important issues

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Text and Exposition

I. BOOK I: PSALMS 1-41

Compositional Outline

1. I. Psalms 1-2 Prologue: Wisdom; God’s Kingdom; Messianic Agen
2. II. Psalms 3-41
   1. A. Psalms 3-32 Psalms of David
      1. 1. Psalms 3-8 From Order to Disorder and Back to Order
         1. a. Psalm 3 Trouble; Quietness
         2. b. Psalm 4 Trouble; Quietness
         3. c. Psalm 5 Trouble; Quietness
         4. d. Psalm 6 Deep Trouble
         5. e. Psalm 7 From Lament to Confidence in Yahweh to Praise
         6. f. Psalm 8 The Glory of Yahweh’s Creation; Dignity of the Ideal Human
      2. 2. Psalms 9-14 From the Glory of Humans to Their Folly
         1. a. Psalms 9-10 From Praise to Lament (9); Abandonment; Oppression; Prayer; Confidence (10)
         2. b. Psalm 11 Yahweh’s Righteousness; Collapse of Order
         3. c. Psalm 12 Prayer; Prayer of Imprecation; Divine Oracle of Deliverance
         4. d. Psalm 13 Great Anguish; Confidence in Yahweh
         5. e. Psalm 14 The Folly and Evil of Human Beings
      3. 3. Psalms 15-17 Dwelling with Yahweh; Blamelessness; Evil
         1. a. Psalm 15 Dwelling with Yahweh; Blamelessness
         2. b. Psalm 16 Commitment to Integrity; Eternal Pleasures at Yahweh’s Right Hand
         3. c. Psalm 17 Commitment to Integrity; Evil; Seeing Yahweh
      4. 4. Psalms 18-23 The King: His Victory; His Suffering; His Deliverance; Praise
         1. a. Psalm 18 Confidence in Yahweh; Evil; Deliverance; Commitment to Integrity; God’s Perfect Word
         2. b. Psalm 19 God’s Glory in Creation; Perfection of God’s Word; Commitment to Integrity
         3. c. Psalm 20 Prayer for the King and the Community
         4. d. Psalm 21 The King’s Joy; Confidence; Praise
         5. e. Psalm 22 The king’s Abandonment; Suffering; Prayer; Praise
         6. f. Psalm 23 Yahweh is the King’s Royal Shepherd
      5. 5. Psalms 24-28 A Lifestyle of Integrity
         1. a. Psalm 24 Yahweh is the Great King over the Earth; Invitation to Integrity
         2. b. Psalm 25 A Lifestyle of Wisdom
         3. c. Psalm 26 Commitment to Integrity; Prayer for Redemption
         4. d. Psalm 27 Confidence in Yahweh’s Presence; Prayer; Hope in His Presence
         5. e. Psalm 28 Prayer; Evil; Confidence
      6. 6. Psalm 29 Yahweh’s Glory; His Power in Nature; Redemption of His People
      7. 7. Psalms 30-32 Yahweh’s Absence and Presence
         1. a. Psalm 30 Absence; Pain; Prayer; Restoration
         2. b. Psalm 31 Absence; Anguish; Prayer; Presence; Thanksgiving
         3. c. Psalm 32 Confession of Sin; Restoration; Presence; Way of Wisdom
   2. B. Psalm 33 Orphan Psalm: God’s Wisdom in Creation; His Presence with the Godly; Way of Wisdom
   3. C. Psalms 34-41 Psalms of David
      1. 1. Psalm 34 Thanksgiving; Yahweh’s Presence with the Poor in Spirit; Way of Wisdom
      2. 2. Psalms 35-41 Evil; Suffering; Prayers for Deliverance
         1. a. Psalms 35-37 Evil; Folly; Triumph of Wisdom
            1. 1). Psalm 35 Evil; Prayer for Vindication and Joy of Retribution
            2. 2). Psalm 36 Evil; Nature of Wisdom and Folly
            3. 3). Psalm 37 Invitation to Wisdom; Longevity of the Wise
         2. b. Psalms 38-41 Anguish; Confession of Sin; Prayer for Deliverance
            1. 1). Psalm 38 Adversities; Anguish; Confession of Sin; Prayer for Deliverance
            2. 2). Psalm 39 Nature of Human Existence; Suffering; Hope
            3. 3). Psalm 40 Thanksgiving; Commitment to the Lord; Anguish; Confession of Sin; Prayer
            4. 4). Psalm 41 The Happiness of the Godly; Sin; Adversity; Prayer for Healing; Confidence in God’s Blessing

A. Psalm 1: God’s Blessing on the Godly

OVERVIEW

The first psalm appropriately introduces the book of Psalms, with its pronouncement of blessing on all who respond in fidelity to the God of the covenant. The covenant not only forms the background for distinguishing the righteous from the wicked but also provides the basis for the blessing on the righteous and the curse on the wicked.

The placement of this psalm at the beginning of the Psalter is significant, for it invites anyone to delight himself or herself in the Lord and in his revelation. The Psalter democratizes the prayers of David, Solomon, and the other authors by encouraging anyone to take hold of the instruction (wisdom, laments, praise) of the Psalter. The first psalm sets the tone for the entire Psalter, with its concern for God and godly living and with the hope of ultimate justice (retribution, v.6).

Psalms 1 and 2 are bound together by the opening (1:1) and by closing (2:12) with a blessing. Through these blessings, the Psalter defines the godly as all who delight themselves in the Lord (1:2) and who find refuge in God’s anointed one (2:12). But the subsequent psalms (see esp. Pss 3; 25; 32; 40; 41) bear out the weakness of the Davidide. He is weak on account of his many enemies (3:1), because of his sins (40:12; 41:4), and even because of his own rebelliousness (32:3-5). The placement of Psalm 1 is significant in that it sets forth God’s “ideal” person (Ps 1). The Davidides did not live up to this ideal. The Psalter is not predicting Jesus as the Messiah, but it is instructing the godly to look for the kind of messiah with whom the Lord is pleased (40:8) and who does not sin against the Lord (40:12). In view of the inherent deficiencies of the Davidides, the Psalter instructs anyone to learn from David’s frailty, to await divine retribution, and to long for the “ideal” Davidide.

Psalm 1 sets the tone for the whole Psalter (see Introduction). The happiness of the godly contrasts strongly with the condemnation of the wicked. The future belongs to the godly, even when the wicked are enjoying temporary power and prestige. The godly separate themselves from the control of the wicked in favor of the Lord. Their delight is in him. The idealization of the godly person may well be intentional (see Ps 8), so as to contrast what God expects from his people and especially from the messianic agent (Ps 2). Both Israel and the Davidides failed to live up to this ideal. The best of the godly Israelites and of the Davidides were unable to bring in the state of happiness and peace to which Psalms 1 and 2 (cf. Ps 72) witness. The apostolic reading of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in the light of the Psalter helps the modern reader see how the Psalter witnesses to Jesus as “the human” who alone has pleased God and by whom alone redemption, happiness, and peace are secure.

Psalm 1 is a wisdom psalm and shares many features common to the book of Proverbs and to other psalms designated as wisdom psalms (34; 37; 49; 73; 111-12; 119; 127-28; 133; see Introduction). Psalm 1 holds forth the blessedness of godliness and encourages the godly to pursue the way of God over against the way of the world. The psalm encourages wisdom as the way of life by emphasizing the blessedness of the righteous, the adversity of the wicked, and the contrasting ways of the righteous and the wicked.

As a didactic psalm, Psalm 1 encourages the pursuit of godliness by contrasting God’s rewards and his judgment; therefore, the psalm tends to be idealistic. For example, it does not claim to deal with the totality of human life, such as the problems of suffering (cf. Pss 37; 73; Job) or the meanin...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Contributors
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Psalms
• Introduction
• I. BOOK I: PSALMS 1-41
• II. BOOK II: PSALMS 42-72
• III. BOOK III: PSALMS 73-89
• IV. BOOK IV: PSALMS 90-106
• V. BOOK V: PSALMS 107-150