Psalms Book 4 (Psalms 90-106)Sample

We have seen the chiastic structure of the seventeen psalms in Book 4, Psalm 90-106.

If you have followed along so far, you will probably be expecting an exposition showing how Psalm 92 and Psalm 104 make the same point.

Well, they don’t!

They are actually quite different, and here’s why.

When we study the big picture and step back to look at the order of the 150 psalms in the Psalter, we can see a drumbeat holding the structure together.

Psalm 1 opens the psalter with a short, clear, defining statement that God will vindicate and reward those who live a righteous life, but the wicked person will be shamed and dismissed.

Psalm 37 is a quarter of the way through the psalter. It is a long description contrasting the righteous life with the life of the wicked. It reads like a chapter from the Book of Proverbs.

Psalm 55 lies halfway between Psalms 37 and 73. In a context of severe violence and trouble, it ends with the psalmist asserting that the Lord will never let the righteous be shaken, but he will bring the wicked down.

Psalm 73 opens the third collection, the ‘book’ of Psalms. It is almost at the halfway mark in the psalter (that would be Psalm 75), and yes, you’ve guessed it. It speaks movingly about how the psalmist struggled with the temptation to turn and follow the wicked, but in the temple, he came to his senses and chose to continue following the righteous life.

Psalm 112 is three-quarters of the way through the psalter. It celebrates the blessings of living a righteous life and ends by saying the wicked will come to nothing.

And Psalm 150 ends the collection with a strong call for all humanity to worship the Lord.

So we see a clear structure operating like a drumbeat through the 150 psalms. At the beginning, at the first quarter point, three-eighths point, halfway point, and three-quarter point, there is a psalm that clearly states, albeit from different perspectives, that God will vindicate the righteous life but dismiss the wicked person.

And that’s exactly where Psalm 92 fits in. Half way between Psalm 73 and 112, five-eight’s of the way through the psalter, Psalm 92 once again sounds the psalter’s leading drumbeat and asserts that ‘while the wicked spring up like grass and all evil doers flourish, they will be destroyed forever’, v7.

‘But the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green …’ v12-13.

Now watch how the images are used!

The ‘grass’ in v7 takes us straight back to humanity being swept away like grass in the horror of the opening Psalm 90:5. This simile will recur in different ways throughout this collection of psalms in book 4.

And notice how fruitfulness in old age mentioned in v12 contrasts with the trouble and hardship of the wretched life described in 90:10.

Lastly, Psalm 92’s partner-opposite in this chiastic sequence is Psalm 104, a deep and beautiful description of God as the creator and sustainer of all human, animal, and plant life. It’s as if Psalm 104 takes a step back from the chiastic sequence to provide only a background description for the whole collection (in Book 4), while the leading drumbeat of the psalms is allowed to be sounded once again in Psalm 92.

This collection of psalms slowly builds a picture of ‘The God who comes to us.’