Introduction to the Psalms

 

The Bible is more than a book; it's a collection of books, written over a timespan of around 1,500 years by over 40 different authors. Its genres (literary types) are diverse, from history and law to prayers and proverbs, from prophecies and poetry to gospels and letters. It's a beautiful book with a fascinating history, but with even more fascinating content. 

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The Book of Psalm is especially beautiful as it portrays the prayers and psalms by different people in different circumstances, expressing their experiences with God. The Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers and songs through which real people in real life related to and called on a real God. We can learn from the psalms how to relate to God and pray to Him. The psalms help us in our devotion to God. We are to praise God with psalms (Psalm 95:2). In the New Testament Paul encourages believers to use psalms in their prayers, worship and edification of one another: people filled with the Spirit of God and the Word of Christ are to make use of the biblical psalms (see Ephesians 5:18-21; Colossians 3:16). The psalms are a great source of encouragement and hope, just as all of Scripture is (Romans 15:4; see D5). We need hope for life on earth and the psalms give much encouragement to trust God in whatever circumstances we might find ourselves in. The psalms encourage us to trust God at all times.

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This series of Encouragement from the Psalms should inspire you to relate to God as the psalmists did. In their struggles, in their imperfections and in their genuineness, they knew they could call on the God who hears and answers prayer. As you read these beautiful writings, you might be surprised how close your life's circumstances are to theirs, although historically and culturally they are millennia apart. Human existence, although different in different epochs of history, is similar in many ways because human nature is basically the same. Once you find circumstances in the psalms similar to yours, you may draw strength and strategy from these inspired prayers. May you find encouragement and hope by reading and meditating (pondering in prayer) on these inspiring writings. We are starting this series with Psalm 23, probably the best-known of all psalms. 

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The Good Shepherd of Psalm 23

 

The shepherd motif for God is used throughout Scripture. It speaks of care, guidance, protection and provision. In some way it is a figure of speech, yet in another way it is a practical reality: God cares and provides for His people. On a personal level, God was Jacob's shepherd all his life (Genesis 48:15), and, on a national level, God is portrayed as the 'Shepherd of Israel' who had led His people like a flock (Psalm 80:1). God's people are 'the sheep of His hand' (Psalm 95:7) and 'the sheep of His pasture' (Psalm 100:3). Moses and Aaron, although one was a prophet and the other a priest, were also shepherds over Israel: God led His people by their hand (Psalm 77:20). God cares for, guides, protects and provides for His people. Hence, the image of God as a shepherd was 'natural amongst a nation of shepherds' (Psalms 249). Jesus showed great care for 'sheep without a shepherd' (Matthew 9:35-38), people lost and plagued by life's sufferings and injustices. As the 'Good Shepherd' He would lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:10-13). He is the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) and Chief Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:24-25; 5:4).

 

The good Shepherd of Psalm 23 expresses these truths about God's nature in a very personal way. It's the intimate reflection of a king who himself had been a shepherd of God's people. David was chosen to shepherd Israel with integrity and skill after he had been taken from his teenage responsibilities of shepherding his father's flock (Psalm 78:70-72). He would be shepherd over Israel and rule them as king because he was a shepherd in his care and protection of God's people (2 Samuel 5:2). David was chosen because he had the heart of a shepherd God was looking for (1 Samuel 16:7), a man after His own heart who would do His will and execute His purpose see (Acts 13:22, 36). God was looking for a man with a shepherd's heart. He found it in David.

 

In his faithful stewardship of his father's sheep (1 Sam 16:11-12), David had been prepared for great tasks. When Goliath challenged the armies of Israel and asked for 'a man' (17:10), it was the unlikely 'shepherd boy' (a teenager at the time) who rose to the occasion, met the challenge and defeated the challenger! David used to defend his father's sheep from bears and lions and would take down this intimidating giant in like manner (vv 34-36). People tried to discourage David (vv 28, 33), yet it didn't faze him. The strength inside of him was greater than the discouragement around him. We must rise above the circumstances; faith in God empowers us to do so. The courage inside of him was expressed in the encouragement he gave to others around him: 'Let no man's heart fail on account of him [Goliath]; your servant [speaking of himself in the third person in the presence of the king of Israel] will go and fight with this Philistine' (v 32).

 

David was not intimidated by the giant warrior who paralysed all of Israel's armies (vv 23-24). There was something different inside of David that made him stand out. In life, it depends what is in you, much more than what is around you! When the opportunity of greatness came his way, David was ready to face the task and rise to the challenge. It is certainly true that when 'preparation meets opportunity,' great things can happen. We must be ready to meet to the opportunities that come our way. His time as a shepherd boy prepared him to be a shepherd king. He would not fight with another's man armour, but with the weapons he was familiar with it, the skills he had learned in preparation for this nation-changing opportunity. We must stay true to ourselves and not seek to someone else. the way God prepares us, is the way He wants us to fight the battles of life. God prepares us properly for the things He has prepared for us. Trust Him, and trust God in the process of preparation.

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The reflections of David on God, his good Shepherd, may best be ascribed to his latter years, as man who has had 'a long experience of God's goodness' (Psalms 249). David's life had 'ups and downs,' like most of us have. In all the different phases of life, David knew God as his good Shepherd and trusted His faithful provision. He was the youngest of many brothers, exalted to hero status by defeating a giant enemy and saving the nation, yet quickly became an outcast due to a jealous king, surviving severe persecution by a man he called king and father. He was exalted to royalty, king over a great nation, yet suffered a devastating rebellion by one of his own sons (Psalm 3; E5). Abshalom, whose name means 'father of peace,' sought power through rebellion yet met death in humiliation. His father would not raise his hand against him, but trusted God to establish justice. David not only suffered the death of one child, he also lost a newborn child due to his own sin. David had to deal with great grief, painful betrayal and grave injustice. He was despised and mocked publicly by his wife, yet later found a faithful, worthy companion. Through it all, David trusted God and His provision. He experienced God's faithfulness and goodness. Psalm 23 is a short reflection of who God was to him.​​​​​

 

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