How often do we resort to the psalms in prayer to reflect how we feel? When we feel contrite, we invariably recite psalm 51, “Have mercy on me, for I have sinned against thee”; when we wish to praise God, the last psalm 150 readily comes to mind, “O praise God in his holiness”; when we ponder on the majesty of God our minds turn to psalms like psalm 90, “Before the mountains were created or you had formed the earth and its surface, from eternity to eternity you are God”; and when we reach our end, psalm 23 is our comfort, “Though I walk in the shadow of death I shall fear no evil, for you are with me”.
The psalms are just one aspect of the tradition that we have inherited that were embedded in Jewish religion and way of life. For example at Passover the Hallel psalms 113-118 were always sung; at a wedding it would have been psalm 45; if they wanted to recite their history of deliverance it would have been psalms 78, 105 and 106 and if they were going in pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the main feasts such as to celebrate the feast of booths it would have been those psalms of ascent, psalms 120-134 they would have recited.
Our Lord used the psalms frequently in His life as evident from the various quotations in the gospels. We can imagine Him in those times alone on mountain tops or in desert singing some of the psalms to His Father as prayer. (This is the reason that in the monastic tradition that the psalms form the backbone of the daily offices as by singing them the monks/nuns are praying with Christ.)
The psalms are arranged in five parts to imitate the five books of the Pentateuch.
Book 1. – Psalms 1-41. These reflect an early collection of David’s hymns.
Book 2 - Psalms 42-72 . These reflect the northern kingdom of hymns.
Book 3 - Pslams 73-89. These are a collection of hymns from the temple singers.
B ook 4 – Psalms 90-106. These are a collection from royalty, perhaps for the New Year.
Book 5 – Psalms 107- 150 These are a second collection of David’s hymns.
When reciting the psalms one should notice there are some parallels, especially between books 1 and 2. For example psalm 14 and psalm 53. This is because one comes from the Judah tradition (younger) and the other from the Israel tradition (older), denoted especially by the name for God. In the older tradition the name used is Elohim and in the younger Yahweh which also featured in the Pentateuch. When the Hebrew bible was finally compiled it kept both traditions, often side by side as we see in the two accounts of creation in the opening chapters of Genesis.
Whether the psalms reflect the older or younger traditions of Hebrew history, they have left us a collection that is probably the most cherished book of the bible. Christians adapted them for their own use, and down through the ages have become associated with penitence, thanksgiving, praise, lament and commendation. On the last of these as the sun gives way to the moon words of the ninety first psalm are recited as the last words of the day. “Whoso dwell under the defence of the most High: will abide under the shadow of the Almighty./ I will say unto the Lord, ‘you are my hope, and my strong hold, in him will I trust.’ /For he will deliver you from the snare of the hunter: and from the noisome pestilence.’ He shall defend you under his wings, and you shall be safe under his feather: his faithfulness and trust shall be your shield and buckler./ You will not be afraid for any terror by night: nor for the arrow that flies by day.”
And finally those words from psalm 134. “I will lay me down in peace, and take my rest: for it is you Lord, only who makes me dwell in safety.”
Marianne Dorman
