Introduction
The English name of this book arises from a the Septuagint, and is a Greek word (psalmoi) meaning songs accompanied by a stringed instrument (psalter). David started the collection with older existing material and wrote many more. Quite a few were added later and it’s hard to be sure who and when. The Hebrew language and culture do not lend themselves to our kind of precision in attributing authorship. Most Scripture was regarded as property of the nation via the Covenant of Moses. David had wanted to build the Temple and commenced collecting the materials, including these songs. By the time Solomon actually finished the Temple, much of the organization for worship was already in place, including a very large choral group and orchestra.
Because this collection had a distinct official use in ritual worship, it was arranged, and perhaps the songs edited, up until the time of Ezra when it reached the shape we see today. There is a sense in which all the scholarly discussions of the various types of songs and how they were used may not reflect what the author had in mind. Somewhere between the raw original and historical significance is something we can use to build our own faith.
We could hardly pretend to know how the ancients sang these songs, and it’s unlikely many today would have much appreciation for that style of music. So while something is lost in the translation across centuries and cultures, we can still fulfill the central purpose in seeking to understand something of Hebrew worship. Because of their enduring popularity, it is very easy to find all sorts of commentary celebrating just about every aspect of these songs. Rather than bog down too much in all the academic details, what follows here is a very focused search for the moral significance. If these songs do not contribute to changing us in our context today, it’s hard to justify all the work in preserving the ancient knowledge.
Ch 1
Our first song offers a conceptual contrast between just and unjust hearts. Scholars noted long ago the common Hebrew progression of walk, stand and sit representing a progressive fall into wickedness. How happy is the man who can avoid this vicious slide into sin! The moral justice of God is its own reward, incomparable to whatever it is sinners strive to gain by taking moral shortcuts. This man never takes his eye off pleasing his Lord.
We know that grass and some shrubs simply go quiescent in drought, but such are easily removed when dry. Trees generally require a perennial water supply, however they are far more valuable, particularly in the semi-desert land of Palestine. Men who commit themselves to pleasing God are like trees fortunate enough to grow along a real stream instead of a seasonal wadi, with roots spread far and deep. This fellow is fully in touch with how God created the universe to run and hardly shakes when the storms of life come. His life is morally fruitful. The person who truly desires to please God seldom fails because God does not measure mere performance. Instead, He enables it.
Contrast such with the wicked. They are like what’s left when the harvest is done, discarded and allowed to drift with every wind. They don’t belong anywhere in particular, but are especially out of place when God’s wrath falls. The wording specifically avoids the idea of eternal judgment in favor of the human experience. The image shows the wicked won’t be welcomed among God’s people, won’t be supported and defended from trouble.
The summary is how God holds the just in high regard and protects them, but the unjust wander off into destruction.
