Introduction
Read: Psalm 111
The book
of Psalms is the longest book of the Bible.
It consists of 150 poems or songs.
Most people think that the Psalms were all written by David which is
partially true. David did write the
majority of them (73) but he is not the only author of the Psalms. Solomon (Ps. 72, 127), and other wise men
such as Heman and Ethan (Ps 88, 89), Moses (Ps 90), Asaph (Ps 50, 73-83) and
Korah (Ps 42-49, 84, 85, 87) were also writers of Psalms. Still the remaining 49 Psalms are
anonymous. This book of the Bible is
gripping and real and possesses some of the most inspiring subject matter in
Scripture. Many show David’s character
and faith in God as he writes openly and honestly about his experiences. Others are praise oriented; such hymns
delight in showing gratitude to the Divine Creator. There are many references to the natural
world around us in the Psalms, the writers saw God’s hand in nature and how He
sustains the world. Historical Psalms
look at man’s need for salvation and how God has provided a means for
redemption. Other Psalms are filled with
confession, laments or cries for help, rejoicing and prayers. There are also Psalms that are Messianic,
this means that they speak about Jesus.
Finally, there are Psalms that describe the liturgies of the Jerusalem
temple and the ritualistic worship of the day.
The Psalms are filled with worship, praise, prayer and repentance which
make them useful in devotions. It is a
book filled faith and trust in the Lord.
This is evident by the core
theme of the Psalms which is God being the centre of life. He is the Sovereign King of all and He
delights in the humble who acknowledge their dependence on Him in all
things. The Psalmist’s hope was for the
future because he trusted God’s ways to be just and put his hope in God and God
alone.
PRAYER AND MEDITATION
1.
Thank
the Lord for providing us with the Bible, a book that is relevant to our
everyday lives!
2.
In
what ways is God the centre of your life?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can grow in keeping Him at the
centre of all you do.
3.
Praise
Him for His goodness, that He is just and that we can hope in Him.
