Psalm Theme List

Psalm Theme List
- Psalm 1&2 Confidence
  - Allusions to the orientating perspective of Psalms 1&2 often using the same words
  - God is in charge and will ultimately bring justice to the universe
    - Those who follow God will be vindicated and blessed
    - Those who fight God will be thwarted and humiliated.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 26:4 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites; 5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.
    - Psalm 48:4 When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together…7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.
    - Psalm 37:13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. Psalm 47:2 How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! 3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
- Compliant- “How long?”
  - Giving expression to frustration and complaint because the present situation does not appear to match the orientating perspective promised in Psalms 1&2- “The wicked are winning! What’s up with that?!”
  - It is an expression of frustration/despair because things aren’t like they should be, but at the same time it is an expression of hope that eventually God will act, and it is an implicit prayer for God to act, and to act soon.
  - Examples:
    - Psa 6:3 My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?
    - Psa 73:5 How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
- Crying out in prayer with confidence
  - A call for God to hear and answer a prayer that is being prayed.
  - At the same time, it is an expression of confidence that God in fact is listening, and He will certainly, answer the prayer.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 86:6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
    - Psalm 102:1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.
- Trust, Faith
  - An expression of faith and trust in God- “I trust You”, “I rely on You.”
  - Often by contrast with other things people may put their trust in- my trust, confidence is in the Lord.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
    - Psalm 31:6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD...14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
- Lifting up soul, seeking the Lord, clinging to the Lord
  - An expression of ‘going to God’ in good times and bad.
  - He is the one we run to, the one we seek, the one we entrust with our situations
  - It becomes shorthand for knowing and experiencing God as we lift our soul to Him.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 143:8 Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
    - Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
- Corporate solidarity-
  - A whole group or nation spoken of as if it were one person
  - Highlights the idea that we are all in this together- If the king wins, we all win- all share in a common life, fortune and destiny
  - Highlights the group dynamic and loyalty in such realities as ‘the assembly’, ‘the people’, ‘generations’, ‘Israel, Jacob, etc.’
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
    - Psalm 53:6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
- King, Kingship
  - Language that highlights God as ruler of the universe
  - Also highlights the earthly king as God’s representative on Earth.
  - Sometimes there is a blurring of concepts between the earthly and heavenly kings.
  - Looks backward to David as the ideal king
  - Looks forward to the fulfillment of the Davidic ideal in the “Messiah”
  - Examples
    - Psalm 24:10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty-- he is the King of glory.
    - Psalm 45:1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. 2 You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever. 6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
- Zion, Temple, Holy Hill, God’s Dwelling Place, sanctuary, Utopia
  - A Multi-faceted theme that is all related
    - Refers to the literal place- Zion aka Jerusalem, which is the capital of Israel
    - Refers also to the dwelling place of God- the temple, so it is the capital of the Universe
    - Because it is a literal fortress, as well as the dwelling place of God, it is symbolic for strength and protection
    - Because it is God’s dwelling place it is symbolic for the fullness of blessing- all that is good, true, just and blessed- utopia
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 20:2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
    - Psalm 15:1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
- Refuge, Shield, Protection
  - Using various imagery- God is highlighted as the one who protects His people
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
    - Psalm 144:2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
- Mercy, Grace and Covenant Love
  - Reference is made to the gracious aspects of God’s character- His forgiveness, grace, covenant faithfulness, mercy, etc.
  - These attributes are often highlighted as the basis for prayer and expecting God to respond according to His nature
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 40:11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me.
    - Psalm 69:16 Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
- Rescue, Salvation
  - Highlights God as the one who rescues His people from various enemies and problems
  - Often the Psalms concentrate on ‘natural’ problems like enemies and illness, but salvation from ‘spiritual’ problems is mentioned as well
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 35:10 My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."
    - Psalm 106:10 He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
- Praise, Worship and Singing
  - Praise is given to God, often directly in response to His acts of salvation
  - Often the praise is mentioned in terms of music and singing
  - God’s greatness is declared to God Himself, to Israel, and before all of the nations
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 45:17 therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
    - Psalm 33:1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
- Glory
  - Reference is made to the powerful, glorious aspects of God’s nature
  - ‘Glory’ refers to the ‘weight’ and great substance and significance of God- “He is significant, important, a person of great substance”
  - It often refers to God’s fame- His glory on display before all the universe
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 63:2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
    - Psalm 108:5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.
- Way, law, God’s revealed standards
  - Reference is made to God’s law, God’s character and the fact that He has made known the standards of right and wrong according to His character
  - Most often this is reference to God’s revelation in Scripture
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 27:11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
    - Psalm 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
- Hope and Prosperity, blessing, joy, inheritance
  - Reference is made to our future inheritance and the fullness of blessing and joy that it entails
  - It refers both to the present (partial) experience of this blessing that we now enjoy and to the hope that we will eventually experience the fullness of our inheritance.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 72:16 Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field. 17 May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.
    - Psalm 16:11 You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
- Wrath, Justice, God’s poetic repayment according to kind
  - Highlights the fact that God does exercise justice in repaying the wicked. Evil is met with wrath, unrighteousness with punishment.
  - Sometimes the Psalmist speaks of this repayment as a fact, sometimes the Psalmist prays for this repayment to be a reality in specific situations
  - The punishment is usually perfectly ‘fitting’ for the crime, God repays the wicked in the same way they treated others- poetic justice.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 28:4 Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back upon them what they deserve.
    - Psalm 7:15 He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. 16 The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.
    - Psalm 64:3 They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. 4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly, without fear. 7 But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down. 8 He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
    - Psalm 76:10 10 Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.
- Righteousness and the Righteous
  - Referring to a life that in accord with God’s ways and character
  - Does not refer to sinless perfection, but a life oriented toward God and lived according to His ways
  - Upholding the standards of right behavior, especially responsibility toward others
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
    - Psalm 143:1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
- Enemies, Wicked people
  - Referring to a life that in oppositions to God’s ways and character
  - A life oriented toward self at the expense of God’s standards and hurting others for selfish gain
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 17:9 from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
    - Psalm 14:4 Will evildoers never learn-- those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD?
- Guilt, Sin, Unrighteousness
  - Referring to the acts that are not according to God’s standards and character
  - Refer to the deeds of the wicked, which are according to their character.
  - Also refers to the deeds of the righteous which are abnormal. They are repentant and seek forgiveness for these acts.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
    - Psalm 83:3 With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. 4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." 5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you--
- Idolatry
  - Refers to loyalty and worship given to other gods instead of to the true God
  - The focus is usually on the inevitable fruit of idolatry- shame, punishment, and taking on the characteristics of the idol that is worshipped.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 97:7 All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols-- worship him, all you gods!
    - Psalm 115:8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
- The NAME
  - Shorthand for God- all of His character and attributes
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 20:1 May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. 5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
    - Psalm 74:7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
- Fear of the Lord
  - Refers to the proper attitude of respect and reverence that is due to God
  - This attitude bears fruit in various rewards from God
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
    - Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
- Creation
  - The whole of the created universe, especially the natural world
  - All of creation is the result of God’s creative work and is therefore completely under His control
  - All of creation somehow displays God’s glory
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 104:6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; 8 they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. 9 You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. 10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. 11 They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.
    - Psalm 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
    - Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
- Missionary motif
  - Referring to God’s fame and character being displayed before the nations so that they would worship and submit to Him
  - God is the King of all the Earth and all nations should acknowledge Him
  - God’s people are the means by which His fame is spread to the whole world.
  - Examples:
    - Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah 2 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah 5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
    - Psalm 96:3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.