Futato_Psalms_Transformed_Praise_chp

The Psalms as Praise

Outline of chap 1 “Praise the Lord: The Psalms as Praise” in

Transformed by Praise: The Purpose and Message of the Psalms by

Mark D. Futato (P&R Pub., 2002)

Praise is the Message of the Title: the Book of Praises

The Title in Hebrew:

sayfer tehilleam – book of praises

tehilleam – praises

This word for praise is unique to the title alone, not used anywhere else in the book of Psalms.

Why this Hebrew title for the book? Two kinds of psalms: happy psalms or psalms of praise and sad psalms or psalms of lament – there are more psalms of lamentation that there are of psalms of praise. Why not then call it the Book of Lamentations?

The Title in English:

Comes from the ancient Latin tradition, Liber Psalmorum, or the Book of Psalms. The Latin is based upon the ancient Greek title, Biblo Psalmon, or Book of Psalms (cf. Luke 20:42-43; Acts 1:20). The ancient Greeks also used the title Psalterium, or Psalter.

The Greek psalmos (“psalm”) is not a translation of the Hebrew word for “praise.” Greek psalmos is a translation of the Hebrew word mizmor, which is used 57 times in the Hebrew psalm titles and best translated “psalm.” Both psalmos and mizmor mean a song accompanied by stringed instruments.

So once again, why the Book of Praises?

The Way of Praise

“Praise the Lord” is an exclamation.

“Hallelujah” – transliteration from Hebrew into English. Mostly used at the beginning or end of the psalm (except 135:3) as a kind of introductory and concluding exclamation of praise.

“Praise the Lord” is a command.

Another use expects some kind of response, by acknowledging something. To praise is to acknowledge. Praising God is acknowledging who he is and what he has done. Praising is confessing what God has done in the history of salvation. We carry out the command to praise the Lord by acknowledging and confessing who God is and what he has done, and in so doing, we render honor and glory to the One who is the object of our praise.

Eg. Neh. 9:5-7 – This is praise: confessing who God is, what he has done – in this case what he has done in creating the universe and in choosing Abraham for a special purpose.

Eg. Psalm 103:1-14 – The psalmist praises the Lord by reciting the Lord’s actions: he forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies. The psalmist also recites God’s attributes: he is gracious, compassionate, slow to become angry, and abounding in love. This is praise: confessing who God is and what he has done in the lives of his people.

Again, why the title Book of Praise? Praise is the message of the title and as we will now see, the message of the Book of Psalms.

Praise is the Message of the Book

Are the individual psalms arranged in random order or is there a purposeful arrangement to the book as a whole?

The Book of Psalms Moves from Lamentation to Praise

The Book of Psalms Begins with Lamentation

Although laments are spread throughout the Book of Psalms, the laments are piled up at the beginning of the book.

[Ps. 3:1-2; 4:1; 5:1; 6:1-3; 7:1-2; 10:1; 13:1-4]

The book of Psalms starts on this dominantly negative note of lamentation – of suffering, sorrow, and grief. But this is not where the Book of Psalms ends. It may start with lamentations, but it ends on a glorious note of praise.

The Book of Psalms Ends with Praise

Just as the laments are piled up at the beginning of the Psalms, a mountain of praise brings the Psalms to a close.

[Ps. 144:1; 145:1-3, 21; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150 – the last five end and begin with “hallelujah/praise the LORD”]

The Book of Psalms comes to a climax in Ps. 150, where praise is commanded 13 times and where every colon of every line contains the verb praise, and where the last line shouts, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD” just before one final “praise the LORD.”

The Psalms are teaching us in our worship that we should have both seasons of lament and praise with the movement being from lament to end with praise.

The Psalms of Lamentation Move From Lamentation to Praise

The Lament Begins with the Negative

The lament typically begins on a negative note by rehearsing the trouble that the psalmist is experiencing and pleading with God for deliverance but then ends on a positive note of confidence or praise.

Eg. Ps. 22:1, 6-7, 11, 13-18

An Extraordinary Shift in Mood

Just as the Book as whole shifts from lament to praise, so do the laments themselves. There is a radical turn in these psalms from the deeply negative to the remarkably positive.

Ps. 22:22 makes the transition (cf. vv. 23, 25-26).

What causes this transition from lament to praise? How do we explain this shift? (the priest Eli provides words of promise between lament of 1 Sam. and praise of 2 Sam. – Hint: The book of Psalms as a whole is about Jesus, because this movement in the Book of Psalms from lamentation to praise, from suffering to glory is a portrait of the life of Christ – our High Priest).

Jesus’ Life Moved from Lamentation to Praise

Jesus’ life moved from lamentation to praise. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus explained the Old Testament – Luke 24:25-27, 44-47 including the Psalms.

If they had understood the Old Testament then they would have known that he was first to suffer and then enter his glory (Luke 24:26, 46). Without understanding that the Psalter speaks of the death and resurrection of Christ we DO NOT understand the Old Testament.

The unified theme that holds all 150 Psalms together into one book are the sufferings of Christ and then glory.

Suffering to glory, lamentation to praise is a description of Jesus’ life.

Jesus Sang the Laments

Nobody, including David or even ourselves, had known the dark night of the soul as Jesus did when he was on the cross. On the cross Jesus sang the psalms of lamentation as no one had ever sung them up to that point, and no one since that time has sung them out of the those same depths of agony.

On the cross Jesus sang the lament recorded in Ps. 22:1 – Matt. 27:46 (Ps. 31:5 – Luke 23:46; in upper room – Jn 13:18 – Ps. 41:9.

Jesus felt the agony of ultimate abandonment by God as nobody has ever known – the abandonment by his heavenly Father.

We have a High Priest who understands the darkest nights of despair – Jesus sang the songs of lamentation when he was on the cross.

Jesus Sings the Song of Praise

In Hebrews 2:12 (Ps. 22:22) Jesus sings the Psalms of Praise.

What marks the shift between lamentation to praise: the resurrection from the dead (Acts 13:33 – Ps. 16:10). What marks the shift from lament to praise in the Psalmist? Jesus enters into the suffering of the agony of hellish separation form the Father (the full weight of the suffering of Adam’s sin) and came out victorious on the other side singing the songs of praise. And he does not sing them by himself but sings them “in the presence of the congregation,” for he sings not for himself alone but for us as well.

Jesus sang the laments for us so we will never have to sing them in their ultimate depths, never as one truly abandoned by God, because Jesus was abandoned in our place. There is now no abandonment for those who trust in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1-2).

Jesus also sang the psalms of praise for us and now sings them with us.

Our Lives in Christ Move from Lamentation to Praise

The Book of Psalms is not only Jesus’ story, but because of our faith union with Jesus Christ it is also our story. The Book of Psalms is our book.

Sometimes we must sing songs of laments (Rom. 8:23). We live in a world under the common curse (Gen. 3:17-19; Rom. 8:20, 22-23) – There may be times when we must cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” or “How long, O LORD, will you forget me forever?” – The Psalms were written to express these deep laments of our hearts when we are not able to state them.

But the final song in our lives is not the song of lamentation. Why? Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – the final song is the song of praise. This is because Jesus’ life has moved from lamentation to praise for us.

Because of Jesus Christ we will be part of that final chorus that hears the call – Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

We have already been seated with Christ in heaven where he is singing the song of praise in the assembly.

2 Cor. 3:18 –

We have ever-increasing praise in our hearts and on our lips as we more and more become conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has already sung the lament for us and now sings the hymn of praise with us.

By the Holy Spirit we have all the resources we need to have praise as the dominant note of our lives – Eph. 1:3; Rom. 8:28.

Jesus has sung the lament for you and now invites you to sing the song of praise with him (Col. 3:6).