READ IT! - Introduction to Psalms 34-41

Readings for this week

Monday: Psalm 34

Tuesday: Psalm 35

Wednesday: Psalm 36

Thursday: Psalm 37

Friday: Psalm 38

Saturday: Psalm 39

Sunday: Psalm 40

Introduction to Psalms 34-41

Psalm 34

This is a psalm of David from around that time when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek of the Philistines, who drove him away, and he left. This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. David says, "O magnify the LORD with me! I sought him and he answered. Taste and see that the LORD is good. He is close to the brokenhearted."

Psalm 35

This Davidic psalm says, "O LORD, fight against those who fight against me! Then I will rejoice. They repay evil for good. Vindicate me in your righteousness!"

Psalm 36

This Davidic psalm contains a note at the beginning "for the director of music." It refers to David as "the servant of the Lord." The writer says, "The wicked flatter themselves. Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens. In your light we see light. There the evildoers lie fallen."

The word "oracle" is used in verse 1 of this psalm. "Oracle" is a technical term meaning "prophetic utterance," referring to divine revelation or insight. Rather than the usual oracle of judgment or deliverance, as seen in the prophetic books, Psalm 36 might better be called "insight" into the fate of the arrogant, self-motivated and self-focused wicked, who exhibit no "fear of God" but who often seem to prosper nonetheless.

Psalm 37

This Davidic psalm is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. it says, "Do not be envious of evildoers, for they will fade like the grass. The righteous will inherit the earth. The LORD is their stronghold."

Psalm 38

The note at the beginning of this psalm of David states that it is a "petition." David says, "O LORD, your arrows have pierced me! My guilt has overwhelmed me. My strength fails me. I confess my sin. Do not forsake me, my God!"

Psalm 39

This Davidic psalm contains a note at the beginning stating that it is "For the director of music. For Jeduthun." David says, "When I was silent, my anguish increased. O LORD, what is the measure of my days? My hope is in you. Deliver me from my transgressions."

The terms "alien" and "stranger" that are used in this psalm indicate a class of non-Israelites who were permitted to reside among God's people within the promised land but who had no inheritance there. These resident aliens could experience a degree of social interaction with the native inhabitants but enjoyed few rights. David drew upon their experience as an analogy to the kind of painful barriers sin had erected between himself and God.

Psalm 40

This Davidic psalm also contains a note at the beginning "for the director of music." David says, "I waited patiently for the LORD. He drew me up from the pit. I delight to do your will, O God. My heart fails me, but you are my help."

In this psalm, when David says "it is written about me in the scroll", the scroll he is likely referring to is the personal copy of the law the king was to take as his covenant charter at the time of his ascension to the throne.

Psalm 41

This Davidic psalm also contains a note at the beginning "for the director of music." David says, "Blessed are those who consider the weak. My enemies say, "When will he die?" They gather slander. But you, O LORD, have upheld me."