So there are 150 Psalms. How did they get to be put in the order that they are in? We know that they aren't chronological. Did one man or one group of men just take the responsibility and come up with the order of sequence that they did? Well the answer to that is probably yes, but that still begs the question....why did they pick the order that they did? I don't see how this is any different than any other passage of the Bible. A man used his mind and wrote accordingly ...under divine inspiration!
The next question might be, is the order that the Psalms are in important, or in this part of the Bible did God have no particular message to convey other than what is said in each individual Psalm. For the first thirty-two years of my Christian walk I would probably have seen no problem in that scenario at all...if I even gave it thought.....but no more. O. Palmer Robertson is a Christian theologian and Bible scholar whom I have been familiar with for many years. Twenty years ago, when I had a Christian bookstore, every book in it was hand-picked. To the best of my ability I chose books that were not only respected by other Christians that I in turn greatly respected, but were beyond a doubt biblically sound. O. Palmer Robertson's The Christ Of The Covenants was one of those books.
So in 2015 I picked up his latest book, The Flow Of The Psalms, Discovering Their Structure And Theology, without even having to read the blurbs on the back cover. My view, admittedly then weak, has been forever changed by the humble yet declarative structure of the Psalms that O. Palmer Robertson presents in this very readable book complete with a chart of his findings. I've since given a few of these books away and always....always...with a very determined recommendation.
We had already known that the Psalms were divided into five books. This in itself should have given us pause as to what other divisions there were. I've read through The Flow Of The Psalms three times so far...transfixed each and every time. I'm not going to even attempt to give a detailed synopsis on what the author has found, for I want you to read it for yourself. Walter C Kaiser Jr., President Emeritus Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary wrote this in the forward..."...for here is a groundbreaking and innovative piece of research and study that will open up new vistas of study and preaching to the whole body of Christ from the beloved treasury of the Psalter."
I will admit to this. There seems to be a prophetic element to this order of the Psalms. The narrative of the five book division itself indicates a very clear story line but within each of those story lines O. Palmer Robertson has detected additional mini-narratives. Some are messianic in nature. Others are Torah related. Acrostic Psalms are delved into as to the meaning and placement. Pyramid groupings of Psalms, as the author calls them, gives light to the already obvious meanings of these individual Psalms.
God is indeed lifting veils on the structure of the Psalms and O. Palmer Robertson was given one giant step forward on this. Where this will lead we will just have to wait and see but it will, I truly believe, lead somewhere to our great benefit.
I neglected the Psalms for many years and consequently deprived myself of the beauty therein of worship to a majestic God and Savior. Seeing that majesty and beauty for the first time while at the same time being instructed of the precision and order of the Psalms has been overwhelming. The blessings are there for all of us. My hope in this post is that even but a handful of readers might take this journey into the Psalms!
Note: You can purchase The Flow Of The Psalms at cvbbs.com....at a very good price by the way....and thereby support their faithful efforts over many years to distribute this type of excellent Christian literature.
The next question might be, is the order that the Psalms are in important, or in this part of the Bible did God have no particular message to convey other than what is said in each individual Psalm. For the first thirty-two years of my Christian walk I would probably have seen no problem in that scenario at all...if I even gave it thought.....but no more. O. Palmer Robertson is a Christian theologian and Bible scholar whom I have been familiar with for many years. Twenty years ago, when I had a Christian bookstore, every book in it was hand-picked. To the best of my ability I chose books that were not only respected by other Christians that I in turn greatly respected, but were beyond a doubt biblically sound. O. Palmer Robertson's The Christ Of The Covenants was one of those books.
So in 2015 I picked up his latest book, The Flow Of The Psalms, Discovering Their Structure And Theology, without even having to read the blurbs on the back cover. My view, admittedly then weak, has been forever changed by the humble yet declarative structure of the Psalms that O. Palmer Robertson presents in this very readable book complete with a chart of his findings. I've since given a few of these books away and always....always...with a very determined recommendation.
We had already known that the Psalms were divided into five books. This in itself should have given us pause as to what other divisions there were. I've read through The Flow Of The Psalms three times so far...transfixed each and every time. I'm not going to even attempt to give a detailed synopsis on what the author has found, for I want you to read it for yourself. Walter C Kaiser Jr., President Emeritus Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary wrote this in the forward..."...for here is a groundbreaking and innovative piece of research and study that will open up new vistas of study and preaching to the whole body of Christ from the beloved treasury of the Psalter."
I will admit to this. There seems to be a prophetic element to this order of the Psalms. The narrative of the five book division itself indicates a very clear story line but within each of those story lines O. Palmer Robertson has detected additional mini-narratives. Some are messianic in nature. Others are Torah related. Acrostic Psalms are delved into as to the meaning and placement. Pyramid groupings of Psalms, as the author calls them, gives light to the already obvious meanings of these individual Psalms.
God is indeed lifting veils on the structure of the Psalms and O. Palmer Robertson was given one giant step forward on this. Where this will lead we will just have to wait and see but it will, I truly believe, lead somewhere to our great benefit.
I neglected the Psalms for many years and consequently deprived myself of the beauty therein of worship to a majestic God and Savior. Seeing that majesty and beauty for the first time while at the same time being instructed of the precision and order of the Psalms has been overwhelming. The blessings are there for all of us. My hope in this post is that even but a handful of readers might take this journey into the Psalms!
Note: You can purchase The Flow Of The Psalms at cvbbs.com....at a very good price by the way....and thereby support their faithful efforts over many years to distribute this type of excellent Christian literature.
