THE FIRST PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Books of Poetry
Message Six—Psalms (5)
Scripture Reading: Psa. 119:164; 122:1-4; 125:1; 126:1-6; 133:1-3; 134:1-3; 146:10; 150:1-6
I. Psalms 120 through 134, the Songs of Ascents, reveal the preciousness of Zion and Jerusalem in the experiences and praises of the saints; these psalms are the praises of the saints in their going up to Zion and speak of their love of the house of God in Jerusalem: (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
A. Psalms 120—134 are a particular group known as the Songs of Ascents: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Psalm 120:1, footnote 1)
1. Instead of speaking concerning the law, these psalms are related to the matter of captivity; the people of Israel loved the law, but because they transgressed the law, even going as far as to turn from God and worship idols (Jer. 2:13), God sent them into captivity in a land of idols. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Psalm 120:1, footnote 1)
2. As the people were suffering in captivity, they could not forget Zion and Jerusalem, which were signs, symbols, of the very God whom they worshipped; when the people of Israel were captured, they were in a downward situation. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Psalm 120:1, footnote 1)
3. To return to Jerusalem and to Zion was to be in an upward situation, to “go up” (122:4); Jerusalem was built on Mount Zion; therefore, when the people journeyed to Jerusalem, they had to ascend, and as they were ascending, they sang a song of ascents. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Psalm 120:1, footnote 1)
B. Psalm 120 is the praise of a saint in his going up to Zion concerning Jehovah’s deliverance of him from his distress. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
C. Psalm 121 is the praise of the saint in his going up to Zion concerning Jehovah’s keeping him from evil. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
D. Psalm 122 is the praise of the saint in his going up to Zion concerning his love of the house of God in Jerusalem. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
E. Psalm 123 is the praise of the saint in his going up to Zion concerning God’s compassion on the returned captives. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
F. Psalm 124 is the praise of Israel in their going up to Zion concerning Jehovah’s help in the invasions of their enemies. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
G. Psalm 125 is the praise of the saints in their going up to Zion concerning Jehovah’s surrounding of His people. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
H. Psalm 126 is the praise of the returned captives in their going up to Zion concerning the great things which Jehovah had done for them. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
I. Psalm 127 is the praise of the saints in their going up to Zion concerning Jehovah’s care for and blessing to His people. (2002 FTTA, msg. 31)
J. Jerusalem typifies the church, and Mount Zion typifies the overcomers in the church, who are for the building up of the Body of Christ to Consummate the New Jerusalem—2:6; 125:1; Rom. 12:4-5; Eph. 4:16; Rev. 3:12. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
K. For the Lord to do good unto Zion is for Him to build up the church, fill the church with His glory, and grant the church His rich presence with Himself as joy, peace, life, light, security, and every spiritual blessing—Psa. 51:18. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
L. The blessing comes from Zion, from the highest peak of God’s mountain, from those who have attained to the position of the overcomers—134:3. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
II. Psalm 133 is the praise of the saint, in his going up to Zion, concerning Jehovah’s commanded blessing of life under the anointing oil and the watering dew on the ground o oneness: (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
A. In Psalm 132 we have the church life, and in Psalm 133 we have the church living: (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
1. Psalm 132—”A Song of Ascents”—reveals David’s desire for the temple as the resting place of the Ark, signifying the top of the church life, the temple church life, where the overcomers are resting with the dwelling in God (v. 14), enjoying Christ as their food for satisfaction (v. 15), their glorious clothing (v. 16), their horn of victory (v. 17), their enlightening lamp (v. 17), and their shining crown (v. 18). (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
2. The church living is the highest living—a living with brothers dwelling together in oneness—v. 1. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
3. This highest living causes God to come in to bless us with the fine oil (the Spirit) and the fresh dew (the grace of God)—vv. 2-3a. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
B. The brothers’ dwelling together in oneness is likened to the inestimable goodness of the precious ointment on the head of Aaron and to the incalculable pleasantness of the dew of Hermon on the mountains of Zion—vv. 1-3a: (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
1. As a person typified by Aaron, the church as the one new man includes the Head with the Body as the corporate Christ, the corporate priesthood—1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:15; 1 Pet. 2:5. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
2. As a place typified by Zion, the church is the dwelling place of God—Deut. 12:5-7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 26; Eph. 2:21-22; Rev. 21:3, 22. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
C. The genuine oneness is constituted of the spreading ointment and the descending dew for the gradual building up of Christ’s Body in the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity—Eph. 4:16; 3:16-17a; 2 Cor. 13:14. (2008 ITERO-S, msg. 3)
III. As the conclusion to Psalm 133 and as the last of the Songs of Ascents, Psalm 134 is the praise of a saint, in his going up to Zion, concerning the charge and the blessing of the children of Israel to the serving priests in the house of God: (2011 WT, msg. 22)
A. Psalm 134 indicates that the highest people, those who are in Zion, can bless everyone and teach everyone—vv. 1-2; cf. Gen. 47:10; 48:20; 49:28. (2011 WT, msg. 22)
B. The blessing comes from Zion, from the highest peak, from the one who have attained to the top, to the position of the overcomers—Psa. 134:3. (2011 WT, msg. 22)
C. In every age and century, God’s blessing has come to the church because of the overcomers—cf. Rev. 2:7; Num. 6:23-27. (2011 WT, msg. 22)
IV. The book of Psalms is a book of praise; in the Psalms we find the greatest and highest praise: (2011 WT, msg. 24)
A. The praise of Jehovah in Psalms 103—106 issues in Hallelujahs, beginning in 104:35, because the earth has been fully recovered by God and brought under the reign of Christ in His kingdom—cf. Rev. 19:1-6; 11:15. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
B. Psalms 111 through 118; this group of psalms may be called “psalms of hallelujahs”:(2011 WT, msg. 24)
1. In psalm 111, we have the praise of God’s elect for God’s great works according to His covenant which He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
2. Psalm 112 is the praise of God’s elect for God’s blessing due to their fear of Him (vv. 1-2) and their virtues thereof, mainly in giving to the poor (vv. 4-5, 9; cf. 2 Cor. 9:6-11). (2011 WT, msg. 24)
3. Psalm 113 is the praise of God’s elect for God’s exaltation and humility in taking care of the lowly and needy ones. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
4. Psalm 114 is the praise of God’s elect for God’s marvelous deeds to them in Egypt and in the wilderness and their becoming God’s sanctuary and domain. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
5. Psalm 115 is the praise of God’s elect for God’s being real, trustworthy, and full of blessing to His elect and to all those who fear Him, unlike the idols. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
6. Psalm 116 is not only the praise but also the thanksgiving of God’s elect; they praised and thanked God in the presence of all God’s people, in the courts of His house, and in the midst of Jerusalem. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
7. Psalm 117 is the exhortation of God’s elect to all the nations to praise Jehovah for His great lovingkindness and everlasting faithfulness. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
8. In Psalm 118, we have the thanksgiving of God’s elect for God’s bountiful goodness and everlasting lovingkindness leading to Christ as the cornerstone for God’s building. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
C. Psalms 146 through 150—the Hallelujah psalms—are the consummate praise: (2011 WT, msg. 24)
1. Psalm 146 concerns the praising of Jehovah for His reigning from Zion—v. 10. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
2. Psalm 147 is a praise to Jehovah for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
3. Psalm 148 is a praise to Jehovah or His exalted name and for His transcending majesty—v. 13. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
4. Psalm 149 is a praise to Jehovah for His taking pleasure in His people, Israel, and His adorning of the lowly with salvation—v. 4. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
5. Psalm 150 is on praising Jehovah God: (2011 WT, msg. 24)
a. This psalm is a concluding charge to everything that has breath to praise God—v. 6. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
b. Psalm 150 is not only the conclusion of the Psalms—it is the consummation of the entire Bible, for the Psalms are a miniature of the whole Bible. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
c. The consummate praise in Psalm 150 corresponds with the praise at the end of Revelation—Rev. 19:1-6. (2011 WT, msg. 24)
D. The Psalms reveal that the Lord has turned us from the law to Christ, that Christ has brought us to the house, that He is enlarging the house into the city, and that from the city He will gain the earth; then God’s purpose will be fulfilled, and we will declare, “O Jehovah our Lord, / How excellent is Your name / In all the earth!”—2:6-7; 27:4; 48:1-2; 72:8; 8:9(2011 WT, msg. 24)
V. At the conclusion of the Psalms, we are in the “hallelujah house” —150:1: (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
A. “Hallelujah! Praise the name of Jehovah; / Praise Him, you servants of Jehovah, / Who stand in the house of Jehovah, / In the courts of the house of our God. / Praise Jehovah, for Jehovah is good” —135:1-3a. (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
B. Praise is the highest work carried out by God’s children—119:164. (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
C. The highest expression of a saint’s spiritual life is his praise to God—Heb. 13:15; Acts 16:19-34: (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
1. The Christian life soars through praises. (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
2. To praise is to transcend everything to touch the Lord. (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
D. Spiritual victory does not depend on warfare—it depends on praise—2 Chron. 20:20-22. (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
E. We need to see that God is above everything and that He is worthy of our praise—1 Chron. 29:10-13. (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
F. “I will praise Jehovah while I live; / I will sing psalms to my God while I yet have being”—146:2. (2002 FTTA, msg. 34)
VI. In the church life and in our personal life, we need to offer consummate praise to God—22:22b; Heb. 2:12b; 13:15: (2011 WT, msg. 24)
A. In the Psalms, we have O Lord and Hallelujah; we all must exercise ourselves to say these four words: O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah! (CWWL, 1968, vol. 1, “The Practical Expression of the Church”, ch. 17)
B. We need to praise the Lord; we need to sing to the Lord—Phil. 4:4; Heb. 13:15; Psa. 119:164; Eph. 5:18b-19; 1 Kings 6:7; 1 Chron. 6:31-32; 2 Chron. 20:21-22. (2000 ST, msg. 12)
C. “Jehovah will reign forever, / Your God, O Zion, forever and ever. / Hallelujah!”—146:10. (2011 WT, msg. 24)