The book of Psalms is a collection of five books, and it was the prayer and hymn book which Jesus our Lord, grew up with. There is no doubt that Jesus both prayed and sung the words contained in this collection of prayers, hymns, and poems throughout his life and ministry. Even in his darkest hour upon the cross, the cry of the Psalmist was on his lips,  “My God. My God, why have you forsaken me.” ~ Psalm 22:1

That there are 5 books of the Psalms is no coincidence, for there were five books of the Torah given to Israel, and the Psalms are a collection of prayers, hymns, poems, and laments that helped the people of God in their journey as they followed God’s Torah given to them through Moses.

The Psalms begin with a reference to the Torah, which was God’s law.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. ~ Psalm 1:1-2 

As we journey through the 5 books of the Psalms we will see many references to God’s Law, the Torah. In fact, Psalm 119 is dedicated to the Torah and mentions the Torah by name 25 times. Psalm 119 begins by saying,  Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord (v1). It ends by saying, I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight. (v.174).

The 119th Psalm seems to be a microcosm of the entire Psalms in that the Psalms are designed to help us as we journey through this life while keeping our eyes fixed on God’s Word and our hearts on God who gave us his Word.

God gave us his Word to reveal himself and to help us through this journey called life, and as you may have discovered by now, life is hard. And this may very well be the reason why we have more laments recorded in the 5 books of Psalms than any other category of genre.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the term genre. It refers to the type of artistic composition. Narrative is a genre, poetry is a genre, and so on. 

Book one of the five books of the Psalms covers chapters 1-41, book two covers chapters 42-72, book three covers chapters 73-89, book four covers chapters 90-106, and book five covers chapters 107-150. Your Bible may actually have the words Book One at the beginning of the first Psalm, and Book 2 at the beginning of chapter 42, and so on. This is because the book of Psalms in our Bibles is actually five books.

Now, allow me to say that I am by no means an expert on the book of Psalm, I am on a journey as I am in a place in my life where I need renewal and encouragement from the Lord. As I began this journey I have decided to employ a study habit that I have used much in the past, and that is writing. I hope to write (copy) all the Psalms, but will not put myself in bondage if I fail to accomplish that.

I have found that writing the scriptures down has always been a great benefit in my study of God’s word. It seems that writing causes both my heart and mind to be engaged, and often I find myself speaking the text as I copy it, thus giving the word of God my undivided attention.

I have also found that writing the text often leads me into devotional thoughts that causes the Word of God to open to me in a unique way. There is a fellowship with the Lord by his Holy Spirit that I have encountered time and time again as I copy the scriptures by writing them.

With that said, I invite you to join me in this journey. I invite you to get a tablet or note pad, something that you can keep as a daily journal and if you are physically able, write the scriptures down just as they are written in your Bible. If you write slowly, then take it slow and do a half of a chapter or whatever you can write down. Don’t rush through it, enjoy the journey, and if it takes several days to get through a particular Psalm, that’s OK.

The important thing is to encounter God through this collection of prayers, hymns, and poems that will lead your eyes and heart to look upward and trust in your God. It is my prayer that both you and I will allow the prayers, songs, and hymns of praise in this book to become our very own. And that is the beauty of this magnificent collection of books, it is designed to become your very own prayers and songs of praise.

As I copied chapter one, what stood out to me was the reference of the righteous towards the end of the chapter.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. ~ v. 5 

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. ~ v. 6

After a quick check, I discovered that the word, righteous, is mentioned approximately 130 times in the Psalms. The expression, “the congregation of the righteous” caused my mind to think of a text I have quoted many times from Hebrews 2: 11-12

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

Notice the similarities in the two expressions: the congregation of the righteous, and in the midst of the church. When the writer of Hebrews quotes these words, he is citing from Psalm 22:22 which says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

A lot of translations of Hebrews 2:12 use the word congregation rather than church. The congregation (the gathering of the righteous) are the brethren of the Lord, and in our midst he sings praises to God.

This is the journey that we are about to enter, Jesus himself praising God with us as we walk daily with our God! That is the true ministry of the Spirit of God in our lives, and immediately leads my mind into the many times the New Testament speaks of God being glorified through Jesus Christ. For example, In Ephesians 3:21 we read the words, Unto him (God) be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

As we walk through the Psalms with Jesus, God will be glorified. As you read and write (if you can) the Psalms, there will be things that speak to you, that sort of jump off the page. When that happens, write it down as it comes to you, and let the words of the Psalms become your own prayers, your hymns of praise, and your personal devotions. And by all means share them to encourage one another in the Lord. I look forward to hearing from those of you who will join me on this journey.

Blessings!