Page 71 - The Poetic Books - Student Text

Study Lesson 8: The Psalms - continued

8.1 Connect

Benchmark: 1. a mark on a stone post or other permanent feature, at a point whose exact
elevation and position is known: used as a reference point in surveying. 2. A criterion by
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which to measure something; standard….

Book I is written completely by King David. Book II is mostly written by David with several
psalms by Korah (42-49). We must ask why this is so. What theology can be seen in the first group to
make it different from the second? Why not construct one Book all the way through 72? Length cannot
be the only reason. Was there a method in the placement of a given Psalm in one of the five divisions?
Can we discover the methods of organizing the Psalms into books?

8.2 Objectives

1.You will begin to see how each of the subdivision “books” are different from one another.

2. You will continue to note the emphasis on God’s Messiah as the primary speaker and topic in
the Psalms.

3. You will continue to think about the application of the Psalms to modern situations.

8.3 The books sewn together

Scholars have observed the predominant use in Book I of the name Yahweh and the use
of Elohim in Book II. (Remember that “Yahweh” is printed LORD in our English Bibles.
Some have speculated about two separate collections of psalms brought together by
some editor. On a simple level we note the difference between the two words about
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God. Yahweh is God’s personal name and indicates his nature. Baal, Ashteroth, and other
names identify the gods of the nations around Israel. Certain characteristics are associated with each of
these names. “Yahweh” speaks of the God who is near and has a concern for humans. The name Elohim
is also unique to Israel but seems to refer to the sovereignty of God. Yahweh spoken of as Elohim is
creator, majestic, and savior. Is it possible that collecting two groups of psalms using two distinct names
for God indicates the theme of the two books, the first discussing Yahweh the God who is close and the
second exploring Elohim the sovereign?

116 “Benchmark,” http://www.dictionary.com/browse/benchmark.
117 C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetical Books, (Chicago: Moody, 1988), 135.
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