How it Works
Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms – Study Resource is a commentary written by pastors whose aim is to help Christian adults in general but also teachers and preachers in particular study the Psalms in order to see Christ in them more clearly. It will also help you do this quickly and efficiently due to its special set-up.
Educators and pastors are especially busy people and we realize most of you won’t usually have the time to read through ten pages of commentary to find the two or three things you are looking for about a particular psalm. So, to help you find that information more with ease, we’ve divided up the explanation of every psalm under the same 16 sub-headings. It puts the relevant information at your fingertips.
16 Sub-Headings
The sub-headings are arranged in a natural way to help the reader get to know first the basics about a psalm, then its meaning, how it reveals Christ, next any connections to other portions of Scripture, and finally the headings move toward application. The beauty of the layout is that in your study you can use all of it or just the parts that you need. The sub-headings are as follows:
1. Author & Purpose
2. Setting
3. Type & Structure
4. Poetic Elements
5. Placement within the Psalter
6. Key Words
7. Unusual Words or Expressions
8. Main Message
9. Christ Connection
10. Old Testament Links
11. New Testament Links
12. Confessional References
13. Scriptural Themes
14. Application
15. Occasions for Use
16. Questions for Further Study
Headings 1-4 Briefly Explained
I’ll briefly explain the first 4 headings as follows:
1. Author & Purpose
• Who wrote this psalm (if known)? Why did he write it? Here you’ll find a brief summary of the author’s intent in writing and the purpose the psalm serves, a handy snap-shot of the whole.
2. Setting
• What (if any) might be the historical context (likely possibilities are suggested if nothing definite is known). Historical notes and unique terms in a superscription (if a psalm has one) will generally be explained here.
3. Type & Structure
• What is the psalm’s genre or what genres are contained therein (as the case may be)? For example, is it a lament, or a hymn of praise or a psalm of thanksgivng? What is the basic structure of the psalm? The structure will be outlined in a point form summary allowing you take in the basic message at a glance.
4. Poetic Elements
• In a summary fashion, the nature of the psalm’s poetry will be noted along with any stand-out elements (e.g. acrostic poetry, alliteration or assonance, various types of parallelism, etc.). Is there interplay between theme and artistry? This section was designed for those with an interest in poetry, especially high school English teachers. The Psalms have specialized forms of poetry that will not only educate the students in technical matters but help show them the wonderful artistry of their God who inspired such writing.
The Commentary is slated for publication sometime in 2019, the Lord willing.
I hope to say more about the rest of the headings in future posts. May the Lord bless you this day!
Peter