Chapters 1 – 41
This first book (section) of Psalms focuses on the Enduring Kingdom of YHWH. Let’s look at the outline:
CH 1 – 15 Calling Out and Waiting on the King
CH 15 – 24 Deliverance
CH 24 – 41 Calling Out and Waiting on YHWH
In chapters 1-15, the concerns and topics are mostly physical. Israel is being harassed by the surrounding nations. They want a king to come lead and protect them.
In chapters 24-41, the concerns and topics take on spiritual tone. Although Israel is still being harassed, the ideas of “righteous” and “wicked” run strong. Furthermore, the center of the chiastic of Chapters 24-41 is “Forgive me!” That is indeed spiritual.
In the center (chapters 15-24), we find a collection of writings whose theme is deliverance. At the heart of this deliverance, is the Torah – The Torah is perfect (CH 19). This chiastic structure is like a big red arrow pointing at Torah. Since the ends of the chiastic deal with physical and spiritual concerns, we can infer that all deliverance, spiritual and physical, comes through the Torah.
Throughout the next several chapters, language and themes concerning deliverance and the kingdom (physical and spiritual) will be found. Some of these references will be obvious, some will have to be sought out. Either way, there is treasure to be found!
Mat 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.