Scriptural Highlights

• Prophecies of the life mission of Jesus Christ.
• "The Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee" (Psalm 116:7).
• "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalm 116:12).
• "Trust in the Lord" (Psalm 4:5).

A study of this lesson should encourage us to show gratitude for the Savior and for the many blessings that he and our Heavenly Father have given us.

The Book Of Psalms

• The book of Psalms is a unique book among the books of scriptures.
• Is is the ancient Israelite hymnal.
• Unlike other books of scripture, which are either God's words to man or the writings of inspired men to other men, the Psalms are human expressions to God and his Son.
• In the New Testament, Jesus quoted from Psalms more than any other book in the Old Testament.
• The themes and concepts found within the pages of Psalms are scattered throughout the book.
• The book is divided into five sections (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150).
• Within these sections there is no particular order by theme, topic, or date of composition.
• Each section ends with a doxology, which is a short praise hymn.
• Who wrote the Psalms?
• 73 of the Psalms are titled "A Psalm of David". Scholars question as the whether David wrote all of these 73 Psalms. Some of these may have been written to David. David was noted for his poetry and song in writing and probably wrote most of those titled as "A Psalm of David".
• The authorship of many of the Psalms is unknown.
• Others such as the sons of Korah, Asaph, and Ethan wrote some of the Psalms.
• Moses wrote one.
• Jewish talmudic tradition indicates that Adam, Melchizedek, and Abraham wrote others.
• This compilation was assembled over many centuries to as late as 200 B.C.
• To begin to understand the Psalms it is important to realized that the ancient poets and prophets were composing their works to be received and transmitted orally. Most Israelites did not have copies of the written records in their homes and so were dependent on the spoken word.
• Victor L. Ludlow: "The ancient poets, prophets, writers, and scribes would assist their followers by organizing their material into a more easily remembered form. Old Testament authors often used key phrases or words as verbal flags to alert the listener to important passages that would be coming up shortly in their presentation. They also used memory devices or patterns that made the poems easier to remember and still allowed the composer spontaneity of expression." (Unlocking The Old Testament, pp127-128)
• According to Brother Ludlow, "The most common characteristic or pattern in Hebrew poetry was the use of parallelism.... In parallelism, a thought, idea, grammar pattern, or key word of the first line is continued in the second line." (Unlocking The OT, p128)
• There are seven types of parallel patterns found in the Old Testament. Among those is introverted parallelism, also known as chiasmus, a pattern found in The Book of Mormon.
• Brother Ludlow: "Do not be concerned if you have a hard time understanding Old Testament poetry the first time you read it. Your understanding of the poetry in the Bible (especially in Isaiah) will increase as you read more of the scriptures. Most of Psalms and Proverbs, and Isaiah and other prophetic books are written in the poetic pattern of parallelism, and you will soon recognize the beauty and strength it gives to these writings and the rest of the Old Testament." (Understanding The OT, p135)

The Lord Is My Shepherd

1. Play recorded excerpt from Father Are You There, by Hugh B. Brown. A story about a reading of the 23rd Psalm.
2. The book of Psalms is a collection of poems originally sung as praises or petitions to God. I would hope that our study of a few of these Psalms would not be academic in nature, but would cause us to also rejoice in the Lord and his wonderful blessings.

Prophecies Of The Life And Mission Of Jesus Christ

The atonement of Jesus Christ was the greatest event of all time. It was only natural that the ancients would look forward to this event and write of it. Let's read a few of the prophecies of the mission of Jesus Christ found in the book of Psalms and their fulfillment as found in the New Testament.

Prophecy	Fulfillment
Psalm 107:23-30	Matthew 8:23-27 Jesus calmed the winds and the waves
Psalm 69:20	Mark 14:32-41 Jesus suffered alone in Gethsemane
Psalm 22:16	Mark 15:25 Jesus was crucified
Psalm 22:1	Matthew 27:46 Jesus asked why the Father had forsaken him
Psalm 34:20	John 19:33-36
Psalm 31:5	Luke 23:46 Jesus commeded his spirit to the Father and died
Psalm 16:10	Acts 2:31-32 The Savior's flesh did not see corruption, being raised up in the Resurrection

Conclude this section by playing No. 30 (Chorus: Lift Up Your Heads) from Handel's Messiah, based on Psalm 24:7-10.

The Lord Hath Dealt Bountifully With Thee

In addition to prophesying of the Savior's life and mission, many psalms express gratitude for blessings such as the creation of heaven and earth; the Savior's mercy, forgiveness, and love; the scriptures; and the temple. After you read each verse, consider the following:
- What feelings are expressed in this psalm?
- What are your feelings as you read this psalm?
- How would your life be different without these blessings?

1. The creation of heaven and earth.
• Psalm 19:1
• Psalm 104:24
• Psalm 136:3-9
2. The Savior's mercy, forgiveness, and love.
• Psalm 59:16
• Psalm 86:5,13
• Psalm 103:2-4,8-11,17-18
3. The scriptures.
• Psalm 19:7-11
• Psalm 119:15-16,40,72
• Psalm 119:97,104-105
4. The temple.
• Psalm 15:1-3
• Psalm 24:3-4
• Psalm 27:4
• Psalm 84:10

What Shall I Render Unto The Lord For All His Benefits Toward Me?

1. Psalm 116:12 reads, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits?"
• HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION?
• READ PSALM 116:13-19. Consider David's answer.
• "I will take the cup of salvation" (116:13).
• "I will...call upon the name of the Lord" (116:13).
• "O Lord, truly I am thy servant" (116:16).
• "I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving" (116:17).
• "I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the Lord's house" (116:18-19).
2. We are truly blessed by the Lord. We should praise him both in word and in deed.

Trust In The Lord

1. READ PSALM 4:5. Trust in the Lord.
• This is one of the most common admonitions in the book of Psalms.
• HOW DO WE PLACE OUR TRUST IN THE LORD? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN BLESSED AS YOU HAVE TRUSTED IN HIM?

Summary

As the ancients gave praise to the Lord through their Psalms, we should also praise the Lord by raising our voices in prayer, in song, and in action. Consider these words from Bruce R. McConkie: Play excerpt from Oct. 1973 General Conference address (text also found in Ensign, Jan. 1974, p48 and Old Testament Student Manual, p315).

Assignment: Consider writing your own psalm or song of praise and thanksgiving and sharing it with the class next week.

Next Week

Lesson 26: 1 Kings 3; 5-11

Additional Reading: 1 Kings 2:1-12; 4:29-34; 7:13-51; 1 Chronicles 29; Doctrine & Covenants 46.