The Psalms are a collection of worship songs, poems, and prayers inspired by God. God used multiple authors such as David, Solomon, Asaph, Moses, and the sons to Korah, whose writings give us an example of how to worship and pray. Given that the Psalms are poetic, they communicate truth through emotional, figurative, and hyperbolic language. For example, David conveys his depression by saying "every night I flood my bed with tears". Obviously there wasn't a literal flood of tears in his bed. This type of hyperbole is common in all songs and poetry, not just in the Psalms. When reading the psalms we must be careful not to take the words in a wooden literal sense. To do so would distort what the author intended to communicate through the genre of poetry.
Psalm 1
1-2: The person who avoids the council of sinful people experiences fellowship and blessing from God. This type of person is immersed in scripture so he can understand God's commands and obey them.
3: Our fellowship with God is like a tree planted by a stream of water. God sustains us so we don't "wither". Jesus made us positionally righteous in God's sight and sustains us so we don't experience spiritual death. He causes us to yield "fruit in season" (the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians). And He causes us to "prosper" (Our lives are used for God's kingdom and glory rather than being wasted on meaningless pursuits.)
4-6: In contrast, the unforgiven sinner's life is meaningless. Like chaff, his existence fades without eternal significance. On judgement day he will have no defense for his wicked actions because God's judgment is thorough and perfect.
Psalm 2
1-3: Secular governments and kings are virtually unanimous in opposing The Lord and His followers. Even in countries with religious freedom Christians are pressured to abandoned certain biblical teachings such as the exclusivity Christ and sinfulness of homosexuality. It's their attempt to "burst our bonds apart" from God.
4-9: The thought of man opposing God is laughable so The Lord "holds them in derision". God's wrath is coming. The king he set in Zion (another name for Jerusalem) is Jesus, who will Judge the nations.
10-12: God graciously warns these rebellious rulers through scripture to to take refuge in his Son Jesus. The phrase "Kiss the Son" invokes the idea of submission and worship, the way a servant might bow before and kiss a king's hand. All who takes refuge in Jesus are blessed because they are shielded from the wrath of God.
Psalm 3
1-2: Absalom (David's son) and his men searched for David to kill him. They didn't think God would protect David because of his past sins: adultery with Bathsheba and the murder Uriah.
3-4: Yet by God's grace He answered David's prayer by protecting him.
5-6: David's confidence in God's protection was so great he was able to sleep while being hunted down by his enemies.
7-8: David cried out to God for salvation from his enemies and for blessing on God's people.
Psalm 8
1-4: We can see God's glory and majesty through creation. The overwhelming thought of a creator who made the stars caused David to ask why this powerful creator even cares about man.
5-8: Despite our insignificance compared to God he made us in his image, crowning mankind with glory and honor. We are lower than angels but above all other earthly creatures.
9: Praise is the appropriate response to God for giving us a place of glory.
Psalm 14
1: Psalm 14 is nearly identical to psalm 53. It is foolish to assume the natural universe emerged into existence out of nothing. As Romans 1 elaborates, natural order and design are evidence of a designer.
2-3: Every person is a corrupt sinner who rejects God. Only through his grace and divine intervention does he save some through Jesus' blood sacrifice. We have no room for pride because our righteousness comes completely from God. The correct response is obedience out of thankfulness.
4-5: God is with those who he made righteous.
6-7: Salvation came out of Zion (another name for Jerusalem) in the form of Jesus dying for the sins of His people. He commands God's people to rejoice as if it had already happened.
Psalm 15
1: The question of who should sojourn in God's tent or dwell on the Holy Hill is a question of wether or not someone is righteous enough to fellowship with God. The tabernacle (tent) and holy hill (mount Zion) were holy places God dwelled where no one could enter but a mediator.
2-5: David answers the question in these verses with a list of works. Yet who can say that they fulfill even the first requirements of "walking blamelessly and doing what is right"? We all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. That's why we cannot "sojourn in God's tent or dwell on the holy hill". We need a mediator. Jesus, being fully God and fully man lived a perfect life and became a sacrifice for us. Our sin was placed on him and we received his righteousness, fulfilling the requirements of this psalm. Jesus died on the cross to pay our penalty so we could dwell "in God's tent and on his holy hill".
Psalm 19
Plasm 19 is divided into three sections: Creation, God's law/instruction, and the psalmist's response. It progressively narrows the focus from creation to the psalmist.
1-6: The physical world God created declares his glory so we might know His wisdom and power. David uses the analogy of the sun to demonstrate how universal the knowledge of God is.
7-10: God's word is perfect and provides instruction so we might experience the transformation that he brings. The law points us to Christ, who died and rose to redeem us. The revelation of God's word is superior to the natural revelation because it does more than just declare his glory. God's word has the additional benefit of transforming us.
11-14: Through God's law David realizes that he has "hidden faults" and asks God to "Declare him innocent" and asks to be "acceptable in God's sight". He then calls God his "rock and redeemer". David came to God in repentance and faith and God retroactively redeemed him through the blood of Christ.
Psalm 23
1: We stray like sheep, yet God protects and guides us like a shepherd. When we find fulfillment in God, we lack nothing we need.
2: As a shepherd knows what's best for his sheep, God knows what's best for us. "Green pastures" and "quiet waters" are a metaphor for things that are good for us. Yet this doesn't mean we won't suffer or have had things happen. Sometimes suffering is required for sanctification.
3: God restores our souls through the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus paid for our sins and gave us his righteousness, bringing restoration to our fallen souls. After saving us, God begins sanctifying us through "paths of righteousness" for His glory.
4: Christians should not fear the valley death because we won't walk through it alone: Jesus will be with us.
5: Though David was surrounded by enemies, he was blessed by God. The same can be said of the Christian facing persecution today. Even if our life is taken from us, we continue to receive blessing through Jesus after death. The anointing with oil and cup overflowing are probably a reference to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and working through us.
6: All things work out for the good of those who love God and are called according to His promise. We receive mercy in this life and will spend eternity with God.
Psalm 32
1-2: If God forgives us we are blessed because we no longer face His wrath on judgment day.
3-4: God convicted David of his sin. David tried ignoring the problem in silence but felt as if he were wasting away. Despite David's resistance God graciously continued this painful process of convicting him.
5: David no longer tried to hide his sin but confessed it to God, admitting what they both already knew. When David humbled himself in repentance, God forgave him.
6: "The time when God may be found" is probably referring to when God convicts us of sin as in verses 3-4. This is the time to offer a prayer of repentance to God. Those who ignore guilt are eventually hardened and never reach a point of repentance. They continue in the path of sin which is like a "rush of great waters" because we are powerless to resist it.
8-10: David switches from reflective prayer to teaching the unrepentant. His analogy of a horse or mule is meant to be a picture of an unrepentant person resisting God. While the person who trusts in the Lord is surrounded by God's unwavering love, the unrepentant person experiences many sorrows. He experiences the vanity of life without God and after death he will face judgement.
11: David closed the psalm by praising God.
Psalm 51
1-2: David wrote this psalm of repentance after Nathan the prophet confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. David's plea is that God would mercifully blot out the record of his sin.
3-6: These verses are David's confession that he's a wicked sinner who deserves God's judgement.
7-11: David realizes there's nothing he can do to appease God's wrath so he reaches out to God and asks that his sins he blotted out. Only God can make us righteous through Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus' atonement was retroactively applied to David for trusting in God's righteousness rather than his own. We too must humble ourselves in repentance and faith, trusting in Jesus to be forgiven.
12: David realized that his will to obey could only be sustained by God. It's only through the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit that we are sanctified.
13-15: His response to God's forgiveness is to share the great news with his fellow transgressors who aren't aware of God's grace.
16-17: God takes pleasure in seeing a broken spirit because it allows the sinner to see his need for the Gospel, so he can be purified and spend eternity with God.
18-19: The reason God wouldn't have delighted in David's sacrifice in verse 16 is that David was not a priest. God only delighted in 'right' sacrifices that adhered to the temple system, which pointed to Jesus. The sacrifices offered in the old covenant were validated when Jesus died on the cross.
Psalm 53
1: It is foolish to assume the natural universe emerged into existence out of nothing. As Romans 1 elaborates, natural order and design are evidence of a designer.
2-3: Every person is a corrupt sinner who rejects God. Only through his grace and divine intervention does he save some through Jesus' blood sacrifice. We have no room for pride because our righteousness comes completely from God. The correct response is obedience out of thankfulness.
4-5: God is with those who he made righteous.
6-7: Salvation came out of Zion (another name for Jerusalem) in the form of Jesus dying for the sins of His people. He commands God's people to rejoice as if it had already happened.
Psalm 90
1-2: God existed before the material world. He is from "everlasting to everlasting", meaning he has no beginning or end.
3-6: Man's short, fragile life is contrasted by God's eternal power. The temporary nature of human life is compared to dew on the grass, while a thousand years is such a small portion of God's existence it's like a mere "watch in the night" to him.
7: Part of God's judgment on sinners is that we will experience physical death.
8:God has perfect knowledge of all our sins.
9: Life ends anticlimactically with a "sigh" as our bodies fade.
10-12: Life is very short and full of toil and trouble so we should consider the brevity of life to live wisely.
13-15: We can get true satisfaction in the midst of life's affliction through God.
16-17: Moses closes the prayer by asking that God reveal and establish the work he wants us to do during our short lives.
Psalm 117
1-2: This brief, simple psalm points out that God deserves our praise because of His unconditional love and enduring faithfulness. Even though we rebel against God he loved us enough to die on the cross and pay our sin debt. God's grace is eternal.