Knowable Word - Bible study help

Seeing Jesus in the Most-Quoted Psalm

October 28, 2020 By Peter Krol

Justin Dillehay takes a close look at Psalm 110 to unpack what it has to say about the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus said the Psalms were about him (Luke 24:44), and Psalm 110 was one the apostles returned to time and again to show forth Jesus’ work.

Out of all the verses in the Hebrew Bible, the most frequently quoted in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1. But that’s not all. Verse 4 of the same psalm gets almost an entire chapter’s worth of commentary (Heb. 7:11–28). Clearly, the apostles and prophets saw this messianic psalm as highly significant for their understanding of Jesus.
We would do well, then, to consider how this psalm presents the Messiah whom we worship.

Check it out!

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Quick! You Have One Hour to Prepare a Bible Study

October 26, 2020 By Ryan Higginbottom

The phone rings, and you’re needed. Maybe there’s been an injury or an illness, or maybe your church has changed plans at the last minute. You need to prepare a Bible study, and you only have an hour.

This may sound more like a Mission: Impossible plot than real life. But these scenarios really do happen! And it’s not too hard in 2020 to imagine an event not working out as planned.

In my previous article I described an ideal setting, where I take an average of 6.5 hours to prepare a Bible study. Today I want to consider a scenario that’s much less than ideal.

Rethink the Bible Study

With such limited preparation time, I suggest rethinking the purpose of this particular gathering. Where most meetings center on discovery guided by a leader who has thoroughly considered the passage, this meeting might be better focused on mutual discovery.

Since you’ll have only a tiny head start on the rest of the group, I suggest treating this study as a workshop more than a traditional Bible study. Together, you and the group can study the passage and move toward the author’s main point.

This approach takes a great deal of humility and trust in the Lord. This approach also rests on the fact that the Holy Spirit is our Bible teacher. During a standard Bible study meeting I find God often brings understanding and clarity (and conviction!) through other group members; this will be even more likely during a meeting with light preparation.

Treat this meeting as an opportunity to teach your friends how to study the Bible as you practice observation, interpretation, and application together. And for those who know the OIA method already—we all need to practice and sharpen those skills.

How to Spend Your One Precious Hour

If you’ve re-framed this last-minute Bible study in the way I’ve suggested, a crucial question still remains. How exactly should you use that one hour of preparation time?

Read the passage as many times as possible for 40 of those 60 minutes. After every time or two through the passage, jot down some notes about the overall structure and themes.

For the final 20 minutes of preparation, do some observation and interpretation work, trying to notice important features of the passage and asking why they are there. Be sure to pray and ask for God’s blessing and help.

You’ll likely have more questions than answers going into the meeting. But this exposure to the passage, along with the God-given wisdom and insight of your group members, may make this an exciting learning experience.

Some may wonder why I haven’t suggested picking up a study Bible or commentary. After all, the reasoning goes, why not spend all 60 minutes of your limited prep time learning from someone who has invested in this passage deeply?

The most fruitful Bible studies are led by those who are deeply acquainted with the text. You will have a more engaged and productive discussion by spending time in the Scriptures instead of any commentary about the Scriptures. Commentary-heavy preparation will likely result in a Bible study that sounds like an extended academic citation garnished with a few courtesy questions. And true application would be unlikely.

An Unlikely Event

It may not ever happen that you’re asked to lead a Bible study on short notice. But if you’re anything like me, there will be times when your ideal preparation time is slashed and squeezed by the circumstances of life.

If that happens, there’s no need to worry. Your Bible study may not look like it usually does, but God is not limited by your standard of normal. Studying the Scriptures alongside your friends may prove more fruitful than you imagined.

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Why You Can Trust the Bible

October 23, 2020 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard reference to a “Bible-believing” church, or perhaps you’ve been told the Bible is the “Word of God” and can be trusted. But why is it that we can trust this book? And why would churches stake their reputation on believing it?

While I could give many reasons to support the essential trustworthiness of the Bible, perhaps the most important reason is simply that Jesus trusted it.

The Bible Speaks; Jesus Speaks

Luke concludes his narrative of Jesus’ life with a brief discussion between the risen Christ and his disciples (Luke 24:44-49). And in this narrative, Jesus’ parting words are words of trust in the Bible’s reliability.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Luke 24:44

Jesus believes not only that the Bible speaks, but that it speaks about him. He refers specifically to the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible (what we call the Old Testament): the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (the Psalms were the most identifiable part of the poetic books, or “Writings”). And the things written in these three sections are about him.

In addition, those are the very words Jesus himself spoke to them while he was ministering among them. So the Hebrew Bible speaks about Jesus, and Jesus has spoken those same things about himself.

Speaks about What, Exactly?

But what exactly do the Hebrew Scriptures say about Jesus, which he underscored in his own teaching?

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:45-47

The message of the Old Testament can be summarized in four points:

The Christ should suffer.
The Christ should rise from the dead.
The Christ’s suffering and rising make forgiveness possible for those who repent.
This message should be proclaimed to all nations everywhere.

This is what the Bible says. This is what Jesus himself says.

Jesus Speaks; the Apostles Speak

But that’s not all. This message must go out, but how?

You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Luke 24:48-49

Now that Jesus has affirmed the message of the Old Testament—which lines up with his own message about himself—he calls his disciples to do something new. He wants them to bear witness of these things as well. He will send the promise and power of the Father to help with this task (Luke’s next volume, the book of Acts, will tell us that the Father’s promise and power is the indwelling Holy Spirit).

So what is Jesus (and Luke) referring to when he speaks of the apostolic witness to these things? Certainly this includes the marvelous preaching that will take place over the next generation, some of which is recorded in Acts. But it has particular reference not only to the preaching but especially to the writings of these witnesses. Matthew, John, and Peter were almost certainly present when Jesus spoke these words. Perhaps James and Jude were as well. Paul would later receive a similar commission (Acts 26:16)

So Jesus relies on the witness they will speak and write, a witness which will be empowered and directed by nothing short of the Spirit of the Father. A witness that we call the New Testament.

Conclusion

Jesus came with a message to proclaim about himself—who he was and what he came to do. This message was enshrined in the Old Testament, and it would be reinforced by the New Testament.

So why can we trust the Bible? Because Jesus did. He trusted the Old Testament, for it spoke about him. And he trusted the New Testament, because it would speak about him. “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you” (Luke 24:44).

Though Jesus has ascended to heaven and no longer walks the earth in the flesh (at least, for a time), he still speaks to us through the words of the Old and New Testaments. He trusted them, and therefore so can we.

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Psalm 121 and the Help of the Gospel

October 21, 2020 By Peter Krol

I appreciate Megan Taylor’s piece at Reformation21, where she observes the help offered in Psalm 121, considers the disconnect between such promises and real life, and finds satisfying answers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This brief devotional piece is worth your time.

How can the believer reconcile the suffering, trials, and persecution they are guaranteed with the astounding assurance in Psalm 121 that the Lord will keep them from all evil? Some might misinterpret this passage and claim a false gospel of health and wealth. Others may question God’s wisdom when they look at the tragedies befalling Christians throughout the world. Often we simply view this psalm as a platitude. We turn to it when we feel uneasy or anxious, but stop short of the solace it offers once our fears are momentarily assuaged. We are satisfied with momentary relief when we are promised comfort forevermore.

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On the Road to Emmaus

October 16, 2020 By Peter Krol

Luke ends his gospel with a masterpiece of a story that has captured our imaginations for millennia. And the story is so vivid and well-told that, if we’re not careful, its artistry can easily distract us from its chief message. I imagine you’ve heard speculation about whether the “other disciple” is Cleopas’s wife. And perhaps you’ve wished to be part of the greatest Bible study of all time on that 6-mile walk. Or maybe you’ve wondered how Jesus could simply vanish into thin air. And maybe you’ve been inspired by the eagerness of the two disciples to return to Jerusalem “that same hour,” after their long walk home on that long day.

These matters are all worth considering, and they are rightly in the corporate consciousness of those who read this story today. But allow me to model how a few key principles will help us to penetrate the outer edges of the story to better grasp its main point. (In what follows, I seek to apply the principles of narrative plot structure explained in this post.)

Plot Structure

With even an elementary grasp on how plot structure works, you know to look for the introduction of conflict. Everything before that conflict is simply setting the scene.

So we read, beginning at Luke 24:13, and we’re told of “two of them” going to Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem. They were talking about everything that had happened. While they were talking, Jesus himself draws near and goes with them. None of this is tense. There is no conflict yet, so all these details provide the setting for what is about to transpire.

Then Luke goes out of his way to tell us, “But their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). Now the story finally feels tense. Now there is a sense of uncertainty, of conflict between what is happening and what they perceive is happening.

In particular, we see a conflict between the disciples and their perceptions (your English teacher may have called this “man vs. himself”). The issue this story wants to address is: Can they recognize Jesus? And if so, how?

Now don’t get distracted. I can observe as well as you can that the passive voice is used: “their eyes were kept…” But don’t let that distract you into speculation on divine sovereignty vs. free will, nor into questions about why God would prevent them from recognizing Jesus. Much of the purpose of the passive voice is to avoid such matters entirely. Narrators typically use passive voice when they wish to direct your attention away from the person doing the action. They want you to gaze instead simply at what is happening to the object(s) of the action.

Skimming through the story for now, we should look for the climax. Where is the conflict (they can’t recognize Jesus) reversed? Luke does all the heavy lifting for us here, making it as clear as possible: “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (Luke 24:31).

So everything between verses 16 and 31 serves as “rising action.” The events recounted here are heightening the tension and magnifying the conflict. And the material in verses 32-35 provide the resolution (32-34) and new setting (35). Remember, our opening setting involved two of them walking away from Jerusalem discussing the events surrounding Jesus’ resurrection. On account of the conflict, rising action, and climax, we have reached a new state of affairs where these two folks are no longer asking and wondering, but telling of what happened. And more particularly, they can proclaim “how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35).

Approaching the Main Point

So our simple identification of conflict and climax strongly suggests that Luke’s main point in this episode has something to do with recognizing the risen Jesus. Of course, that’s not quite enough to go on just yet (it’s only a short phrase and not a truth proposition that ought to be believed or obeyed). But it sets us in the right direction.

We can look within the story’s action to discover that the testimony of the Hebrew Scripture plays a major role in such recognition. And there is something more going on than simply identifying Jesus by name in a lineup (bare “recognition” of Jesus’ name or face). Luke is communicating quite profoundly that they failed to recognize resurrection as being fundamental to the person and work of the Messiah. And this was not a problem of education but a problem of faith and of biblical interpretation (Luke 24:25-26).

That’s as far as I’ll go for now. I don’t want to simply tell you what I think the main point is. That would defeat the purpose of trying to help you figure it out for yourself.

But I trust my reflections here have done enough to show you that their eyes, while on the text, had been focused in all the wrong places. Perhaps we ought to avoid the same error when we study these Scriptures ourselves.

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Questions About the Psalms

October 14, 2020 By Peter Krol

Douglas Sean O’Donnell asks and answers some key questions to provide background to a study of the Psalms:

What is the purpose of the psalms?
When were the one hundred fifty psalms compiled, and why does it matter when this happened?
Why is poetry employed to express these themes?
What are some tips for reading biblical poetry?
How should Christian churches use the psalms in corporate worship?

Check it out!

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How Long Does it Take to Prepare a Bible Study?

October 12, 2020 By Ryan Higginbottom

On the one hand, answering the question posed in the title of this article is impossible. The amount of time required to prepare a Bible study is highly individual, depending on the passage involved along with the leader’s experience, skills, and life circumstances.

So, why attempt this at all? Some readers may be thinking about starting a Bible study group, and some may soon be asked to lead a study at their church. The time involved in such service should be part of their considerations.

My aim in what follows is to be descriptive, not prescriptive. I’ll describe roughly how long it takes me to prepare a Bible study. I am probably average when it comes to preparation time, though I have been doing this for many years.

The Stages of Preparation

The first step in preparing a Bible study is to study the passage. And the first—perhaps most important—step in studying the passage is to read it as much as possible. I try to read or listen to the passage at least 20 times before I begin any further study. (This is one of the most valuable parts of my process that I’ve changed in the last three years.) On average this takes me about two hours.

After reading and rereading the passage, I begin my OIA study. I’ve described my tools and process before, so I won’t repeat myself. My goal at this stage is to understand the author’s main point. This also takes me around two hours.

I then grab a commentary or sometimes two. My use of these tools varies depending on the complexity of the passage I’m studying. (And choosing a good commentary is important!) I’m looking for interpretive help from my commentary; I like to compare the author’s conclusions with my own. This usually takes one hour.

I next try to synthesize the commentary and my own understanding of the passage to write down a main point. I then work on personal application; after all, the best small group leader is one who has been changed by the passage. A rough time estimate: half an hour.

The final stage of my process is to turn my private study into something useful for my group. Most of this time is spent writing questions to help my friends understand the passage and discover its main point. I try to think of a good launching question, and I make sure to pray. Time: one hour.

Adding up my time estimates gives a total of about 6.5 hours.

When is Preparation Time?

For most Bible studies, I spread my preparation time out over a week. I finish the task by spending 30–60 minutes/day.

I also have friends that pack their preparation into one or two longer time blocks. Some simply prefer this; others do it out of necessity. Again, there’s no single correct approach.

Time Well Spent

As you gain experience and confidence in leading Bible studies, you will gradually need less time to prepare. That’s true with most endeavors in life.

However, I learn and grow so much during my Bible study preparation, I’m not eager to cut my time much further. For my own spiritual health, it is time well spent.

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Isaiah: Judgment and Deliverance

October 9, 2020 By Peter Krol

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the book of Isaiah on the formation of Christian doctrine. Isaiah is the book quoted second-most often by the New Testament authors (only the Psalms are quoted more often), but I wouldn’t be surprised if Isaiah surpassed the Psalms in the sheer number of off-hand allusions.

Just think: Without Isaiah, we wouldn’t have Immanuel, a voice crying in the wilderness, the sting of death, the root of Jesse, proclamation of good news to the poor, a bruised reed he will not break, light for the Gentiles, every knee shall bow, how beautiful are the feet that bring good news, go out from their midst, a house of prayer, or the earth is my footstool. Without Isaiah, we wouldn’t have a breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, new heavens and new earth, he gave himself for our sins, by his wounds you are healed, the suffering servant, a ransom for many, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, the many will be made righteous, unquenchable fire, being taught of God, blessings of David, a remnant shall be saved, found by those who didn’t seek me, a spirit of stupor, the wisdom of the wise, eye has not seen, ear has not heard, speak in strange tongues, the breath of his mouth, feeble hands and weak knees, feet swift to shed blood, clay in the hands of a potter, lest tomorrow we die, the acceptable time, the day of salvation, God supplies rain and seed, a precious cornerstone, owning a vineyard and expecting it bear fruit, you are my witnesses, I am the first and the last, the skies roll up like a scroll, robe stained in blood, no hunger or thirst, wipe away every tear, the children God has given me, or behold your God!

Isaiah is central to the Christian faith. It is worth your time to grasp its message.

Literary Markers

The clearest literary shift in this lengthy book is the switch from poetry (Isaiah 1-35) to narrative (Isaiah 36-39) and back to poetry (Isaiah 40-66). Brief narrative portions occurs elsewhere (chapters 6-7, 20, etc.), but not nearly on the same scale as the large block of chapters 36-39.

Within the first division (chapters 1-35), Isaiah marks the opening prophecies with headings (Isaiah 1:1, 2:1). But we don’t get any other headings until Isaiah 13:1, 14:28, 15:1, etc., where they are concentrated until Is 26:1. Then we don’t see such headings for the remainder of the book. This shows that chapters 13-27 are arranged together as a collection (of judgments on the nations of the world). Therefore, the opening division has three main sections: Isaiah 1-12, 13-27, and 28-35. The people are living under the kings of Judah, surrounded by enemies such as Assyria, and the narratives of Is 36-39 fit within this setting.

However, beginning at chapter 40, the audience appears to be exiles awaiting restoration (e.g. Is 40:1-3). And beginning at chapter 56, the audience appears to be back in the land with a temple (e.g. Is 56:5-7). This leads many academics to theorize three authors for the book, from three time periods (kingdom, exile, restoration), but such a conclusion is necessary only if you reject out of hand the possibility that God’s prophets are able to speak, well, prophetically. We are justified, however, in treating Is 40-55 and Is 56-66 as discrete sections of the book.

Within the first of those sections, Is 40 introduces two issues (Israel’s warfare with Babylon and her sin against God). The following chapters resolve the warfare with Babylon in Is 40-48 and the sin against God in Is 49-55.

This analysis yields the following rough outline of sections:

Isaiah 1-35
- 1-12
- 13-27
- 28-35
- 36-39
Isaiah 40-55
- 40-48
- 49-55
Isaiah 56-66

Let’s walk through the argument of each part.

Walkthrough Part 1

Chapter sets the stage for the rest of the book. Yahweh makes a case against his people (Is 1:1-15): His children have rebelled against them. Then he makes them an offer (Is 1:16-31): Trust him and be cleansed, or trust in false gods and become tinder for the fire. The rest of the book will unpack these fundamental ideas: How have God’s children turned away from him? How could he make cleansing possible for them? What happens to those who hold fast to the wrong gods?

Chapters 2-5 alternate between visions of a glorious future for the faithful and evidence of condemnation for the unfaithful. This culminates in Isaiah’s cleansing and commission (chapter 6) to preach to those who will become as senseless as their deaf and blind idols. Is 7:1-9:7 reveals that the way God will be able to be with his people is through an appointed king who will establish David’s throne in justice and righteousness. In Is 9:8-11:16, Yahweh pleads with his people to turn from their ways and set their hope in this coming king, the root of Jesse, upon whom will rest Yahweh’s own Spirit. Chapter 12 caps off this section with a celebration of God’s glorious provision of salvation.

Chapters 13-27 recount God’s attitude of judgment on the nations. Isaiah presents the oracles in three cycles of five judgments each.

Cycle 1: Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Egypt (Is 13-20)
Cycle 2: Wilderness of the sea, Dumah, Arabia, Valley of vision, Tyre (Is 21-23)
Cycle 3: The wasted city, the host of heaven, the mountain of Yahweh, the strong city, Leviathan and the fortified city (Is 24-27)

As you can see, each cycle gets increasingly abstract and apocalyptic (symbolic) in its language. But Judah herself is not exempt from judgment, even when she is the location of glorious salvation (chapters 22, 25, 27).

Chapters 28-35 highlight the failure of all earthly powers to either save or judge in truth. This section is structured by six “woes” (“ah” and “woe” in the ESV translate the same Hebrew word – Is 28:1, 29:1, 29:15, 30:1, 31:1, 33:1). The first three woes explain the principles: False gods will fail; nothing can deliver those who reject Yahweh and his word; nothing can compare in power to Yahweh. The second three woes apply those principles in Judah’s historical moment: Egypt will fail; neither Egypt nor Assyria can deliver those who reject Yahweh and his word; neither Egypt nor Assyria can compare in power to Yahweh.

Everything Isaiah has spoken to this point finds its climax in the narratives of chapters 36-39, where we see a great king of Judah (Is 36:1) being challenged by a great king of Assyria (Is 36:4), yet Judah’s king will not relinquish his hold on an even higher king to deliver him (Is 37:16-17). He recognizes that false gods will fail (Is 37:18-20). Even on his sickbed, he continues trusting Yahweh (Is 38:20). That is, until the Assyrian threat passes and Babylon comes on the scene … (Is 39:1-2, 6). This narrative thus transitions us into the new need of a new generation: Rescue from exile in Babylon.

In short, the message of Part 1 (1-39) of Isaiah is: It is Yahweh alone who judges and delivers, and he does so through his appointed King.

Walkthrough Part 2

Part 2 open with words of comfort to the exiles (Is 40:1). Yet this comfort runs far deeper than they might expect. Not only will their warfare with Babylon come to an end. Their iniquity before God also must find pardon.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from Yahweh’s hand
double for all her sins
Isaiah 40:1-2

Part 2 takes up these matters, showing in great detail just how they could come to pass.

First, Isaiah addresses the end of warfare with Babylon (the end of exile). In chapter 40, he describes Yahweh as both able and willing to make these things happen. In chapter 41, he enumerates the ramifications of this rescue on the coastlands and nations of the world. In chapter 42, he leaks God’s plan to send a servant to bring forth justice. In chapters 43-44, he ties the exile closely to the people’s rank idolatry, such that rescue from the first must simultaneously involve rescue from the latter. Chapters 45-48 then show how God will raise Cyrus as his anointed, to defeat Babylon and trample on Babylon’s impotent gods. The section culminates in demonstration of God’s loving justice (Isaiah 47) and his just love (Isaiah 48). There is no other god like this God.

Second, Isaiah must deal with the deeper, inward issue of their sin against God. Through his literary masterpiece, he weaves together a number of threads, including the coming servant, songs of deliverance, irrational hope, and the God who covenants to make it all possible. The tension builds through a crescendo of double repetition—”awake, awake” (Is 51:9), “I, I” (Is 51:12), “wake yourself, wake yourself” (Is 51:17), “awake, awake” (Is 52:1), “depart, depart” (Is 52:11)—before it explodes into the magnificent hymn of praise to the coming, tragic servant (Is 52:13-53:12). This leads the people to burst out in song and to expect the impossible from here on out (Is 54-55).

In short, we see in Part 2 that Yahweh is both willing and able to judge and deliver through his Servant.

Walkthrough Part 3

Part 3 of Isaiah presents itself as a single unit with a coherent structure:

Outcasts are gathered – Is 56:1-8
- God’s people still need a lot of work – Is 56:90-59:8
  - Prayer of repentance – Is 59:9-13
    - Yahweh himself suits up to do for them what they can’t do for themselves – Is 59:14-21
      - The vision of all that Israel and Jerusalem could become – Is 60-62
    - Yahweh himself crushes all opponents to this vision – Is 63:1-6
  - Prayer of repentance – Is 63:7-64:12
- God’s people still need a lot of work – Is 65:1-66:17
Many gathered in, and some cast out – Is 66:18-24

In short, Yahweh’s deliverance brings a new world through his Conqueror.

No Hope But Jesus

No wonder Jesus could read Isaiah 61 in the Galilean synagogue and tell them these words were fulfilled that very day (Luke 4:16-21). No wonder the Scripture of Isaiah 53 must be fulfilled in him (Luke 22:37). Jesus alone is the true King, Servant, and Conqueror Isaiah said we would need. Through him, deliverance is possible, from both sin and warfare. And judgment is certain for those who resist him (2 Thess 1:5-10).

Interpretive Outline

It is Yahweh alone who judges and delivers through his King – Is 1-39
1. Charge of rebellion, offer of cleansing – Is 1-12
2. Judgment on all nations – Is 13-27
3. Failure of earthly powers – Is 28-35
4. In whom will you trust? – Is 36-39
Yahweh is willing and able to judge and deliver through his Servant – Is 40-55
1. End of warfare with Babylon and her idols – Is 40-48
2. End of sin through the Servant’s sacrifice – Is 49-55
Yahweh’s deliverance brings a new world through his Conqueror – Is 56-66

I have benefitted much from commentaries on Isaiah by Alec Motyer and Andrew Abernethy (affiliate links). My work above is deeply influenced by their insights.

For more interpretive walkthroughs of books of the Bible, click here.

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Why Read the Bible When So Many Teachers are Available Online?

October 7, 2020 By Peter Krol

John Piper was recently asked this question, and his answer is fantastic.

1. Do you believe Psalm 119:99?
2. How will you test the reliability of your teachers by the word of God?
3. Why do you want to avoid the immediate, authentic experience of savoring your love letter by asking someone else to read it for you?

Of course, this is only the summary. His full answer is worth your consideration.

Check it out!

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Psalms: A Royal Picture Book

October 2, 2020 By Peter Krol

In 1874, Russian composer Modest Mussourgsky gifted the world with a musical masterpiece, composed in honor of his dearly and untimely departed friend, the artist Viktor Hartmann. The piece, originally written for piano but later orchestrated by Maurice Ravel, is known as Pictures at an Exhibition. Its ten movements each seek to depict one of Hartmann’s paintings, which had been gathered for public display in his memory. At the work’s beginning, and four additional times throughout, Mussourgsky inserted a “Promenade,” to represent the art-lover ambling from exhibit to exhibit.

I like big brass, so can’t bring myself to post the original piano version for you.

What Pictures at an Exhibition is to the paintings of Viktor Hartmann, the book of Psalms is to the person and work of God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. God gave us this collection of 150 poems to publicly display what he was preparing to do through his appointed, law-abiding King.

In approaching this book, let us be careful to avoid what James Hely Hutchinson calls excessive introspection. “This book is more fundamentally ‘God’s word to us’ than ‘our words to God.’ Sensitivity to the abundance of New Testament quotations of, and allusions to, the psalms should lead us to major on God’s attributes and Christology.”¹

Literary Markers

Ancient manuscripts of the Book of Psalms clearly demarcate five divisions to the book. Modern Bibles title them “Book 1,” “Book 2,” and so on. This division into five “books” is reinforced by a distinct doxology (word of blessing or praise to God) at the end of each book. These doxologies typically have little to do with the poem immediately preceding them.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen. (Ps 41:13)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. (Ps 72:8-20)

Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen. (Ps 89:52)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord! (Ps 106:48)

Praise the Lord! (Beginning and ending of Psalms 146-150)

So the book breaks into the following divisions:

Book 1: Psalms 1-41
Book 2: Psalms 42-72
Book 3: Psalms 73-89
Book 4: Psalms 90-106
Book 5: Psalms 107-150

Let’s promenade through these poems/pictures on exhibition. For a more detailed analysis of the book of Psalms than what I can offer in this post, see my spreadsheet.

Book 1: The King Rejected by Men but Accepted by God

The first two poems stand apart as some of the only poems in book 1 not written by David. They introduce the book by bracketing a double blessing around the person who delights in God’s law (Ps 1:1-2) and submits to God’s king (Ps 2:12). Law and king; king and law. The king loves God’s law. The law speaks about God’s king. These will be the twin themes of the entire collection.

Book 1 then proceeds in three parts. Part 1 (Psalms 3-14) portray the king’s rejection by men. Part 2 (Psalms 15-24) show forth his acceptance by God. Part 3 (Psalms 25-35) return to the fact of his rejection by men. A closing section (Psalms 36-41) illustrate the king’s response to this state of affairs.

The big idea in Book 1 is that we see David himself suffering as the king of Israel, but finding great courage in God’s divine assistance and declaration of support. And yet, these poems make clear that David is only the beginning. Another king must come to turn what David felt into cosmic reality.

“The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me … Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever” (Ps 18:20, 50).

“Now I know the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand … O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call” (Ps 20:6, 9).

Book 2: We Need a King Greater than David

What Book 1 hinted at, Book 2 comes out and says directly.

The Book opens with the king’s wrestling through spiritual depression (Ps 42-43). It ends with him growing old (Ps 71) and passing the baton to the next generation (Ps 72). Along the way he must deal with everything from his own sin (Ps 51), to the sins of others (Ps 52-56), to the effects of such sin all around him (Ps 60-64). This leads him to celebrate both what he does for his people (Ps 44-50) and who he is in himself (Ps 65-68).

But this means we need someone greater than David. Someone who will never buckle under the pressure of opposition but will only see God’s glory in it (Ps 57). Someone whom God will resoundingly exonerate after being baselessly prosecuted (Ps 69). Someone greater than Solomon, ruling from the River to the ends of the earth (Ps 72).

“May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! … May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” (Ps 72:8, 11).

Book 3: We are Desperate in Exile

The third movement moves to a dark place, where all the promises of God (those things we ought to delight in – Psalm 1) are brought into question.

The book begins with the appearance that only the wicked prosper (Ps 73), and it ends with a desperate cry from those whose king has been sent into exile (Ps 89). In between, the poems are structured in pairs (starting on the outside and working in) showing how a people process the experience of being cut off and forcibly removed from all God has given them. This generates deep concern for the present and uncertainty regarding the future.

Yet at the center of this collection, we find a poem (Ps 81) exposing the fact that it is the people’s persistent stubbornness, and not any alleged broken promises on God’s part, that led to this situation.

“Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!” (Ps 80:3, 7, 19).

Book 4: We Have Hope our Exile will Eventually End

In Book 4, we get a sizable dose of hope and encouragement. Though we are transient, Yahweh is eternal (Ps 90). When we dwell in his shadow, no-one can harm us (Ps 91). The Lord will not forsake his people in exile; he is present with them to hold them up amid the scorn of the nations (Ps 94).

These poems begin with reminders that God is present in exile and has not abandoned his people (Ps 90-94). It moves the people to praise God as king over all nations, because he is the king of his chosen people Israel (Ps 95-101). These truths enable them, as a community, to grieve with hope (Ps 102-106).

“He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Ps 98:3).

“Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord: that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord” (Ps 102:18-22).

Book 5: Exile Ends in Praise

The four subsections of Book 5 have a parallel structure:

Yahweh redeems king and people (Ps 107-110)
- Outburst of praise on behalf of king and people (Ps 111-119)
Yahweh raises king and people up from exile to worship (Ps 120-137)
- The king leads all people to worship Yahweh (Ps 138-150)

It should not escape our notice that the cause for praise in this Book’s opening is the people’s being “gathered in from the lands” (Ps 107:1-3). And now that they are back, their king returns to power and prominence (Ps 110, 118, 132, 144). Also, God’s word becomes the driving joy of the community (Ps 119). So the twin emphases of Psalms 1 and 2 return in force in Book 5.

The “psalms of ascent” (Ps 120-134) might seem to be their own unit. But notice how Ps 134 moves right into Ps 135 (compare Ps 134:1 with Ps 135:1-2), and how Ps 135 moves right into Ps 136 (compare Ps 135:11-12 with Ps 136:17-22). And then Psalm 137 returns to the theme of Psalm 120, bracketing the section with reflections on the trauma of exile and the hope for something better.

And consider how the book’s last section develops:

The king himself worships God for his astounding rescue (Ps 138-144: see especially Ps 144:9-10)
The king commits to leading the people in worship (Ps 145)
The people worship Yahweh for his astounding rescue (Ps 146-150)

Interpretive Outline

Time and space have failed me to comment on the many connections to the New Testament. While the Book of Psalms doesn’t tell a cohesive narrative or make a linear sustained argument, the book’s 150 poems are clearly arranged like an exhibition of paintings meant to communicate impressions and offer snapshots of how God’s ultimate king interacts with God’s word. I trust you are beginning to understand why the apostles quoted from the Psalms more than any other book when they sought to explain the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.