Book 2 and 3 ended very differently to eachother. Book 2 ended with an idylic future. Book 3 ended with a present crisis. The key changes and discord continues in book 4.

1. Key changes in the Psalms
Book 4 of Psalms
An idyllic future mountaintop ending of book 2
in dissonance with a dark present crisis ending of book 3
Now we step back back back to make sense of this
discord, starting with a prayer of Moses the man of God
The myriad uses of musical dissonance: above, a
caricature of Arnold SchoenbergCredit...Ralph Steadman
See Musical Dissonance, From Schumann to Sondheim -
The New York Times (nytimes.com)

2. Book 2 ended with
an idyllic fruitful
world
Ruled by a
“Solomon”
(perhaps meant to be
like the tabernacle
shining in the dessert
ending Exodus, only
fruitful not a dessert
and filling the world
not confined)
Book 3 ended with Psalms
speaking of gentiles born
in Zion as part of the
glorious things of thee are
spoken
Followed by the darkest
lament in Psalms and
another mostly lamenting
Psalm
Psalms Book 2
Psalms Book 3

3. Before resolving this ,
Psalms book 4 will step
back to Moses, to before
there were mountains
and in fact To eternity
Psalms Book 4
Opens with :
The prayer of Moses the
man of God

4. Psalms book 4 will step
back to Moses , before
there were mountains
and in fact To eternity
Psalms Book 4
Opens with :
The prayer of Moses the
man of God
Poetically like Numbers and will “teach us to number our days”
It will also point us to a need for a greater deliverance than the Exodus
generation had

5. Book 4 will be poetically like Numbers and wanderings led by the Shepherd King
God as a Shepherd Kind will punch beginning and end of the center flow of the
book and will be like Psalms 23 (God as shepherd) and Psalms 24 (God as King)
Coming back expansively.

6. Psalm 90
GOD has been our dwelling in all
generations
The sanctuary and temple may
have been ‘the house of God; and
a dwelling of God in a sense” but
God is and has always been our
dwelling

7. “Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” Psalm
90:2
Moses includes imagery of mountain images,
understandable as Moses was familiar with
mountains (and climbing mountains) at highlights of
his life.

8. God is from eternity
1000 years, a day, a
watch in the night all
same to Him
7 times (or more)
We are reminded we are
transient
Our sins are before God
And there are
consequences
7 times (or more)
We are reminded we are
under Gods opposition to
sin . So teach us to
number our transient days
God is faithful Satisfy us with your love
Make known God’s work
to us
Establish the work of our
hands, our transient
hands
Tensions
In Ps 90

9. Psalms 91
The benefits of dwelling with God
He who dwells with you,
in your shadow, is secure
The individual dwelling in the shadow of the almighty
can be seen several ways:
If this is read as the Son in a more literal way
It is like the seed of the woman crushing the head of
the serpent.
He will tread upon the lion and the cobra
And trample upon the serpent’s head

10. Psalms 90
You have been
our dwelling
place in all
generations
Psalms 91
Because you
made the Lord
your dwelling
place
blessings and
safety follow

11. Many problems
At least 7
Because you made the
Lord your dwelling place,
He will deliver you
God will protect your foot
That foot will tread on the
lion and the cobra,
trample upon the
serpent’s head
Fulfilled in Christ crushing
the head of the serpent.
Also, with the church in
Christ crushing the
serpent under foot
God will show him his
salvation and bless with
a long life
For Christ fulfilled in the
resurrection
Tensions
In Ps 91

12. Psalm 92
A psalm for the Sabbath
We may rest from work on the sabbath but
This Psalm thinks on God’s works

13. This is a psalm for the
Sabbath when man
should not work
Man should meditate on
God’s works
Tensions
In Ps 92

14. Psalm 93
The LORD reigns
Holiness befits his
house
A short Psalm, often
a transition or
punctuation in a flow

15. Psalm 94
An imprecatory Psalm calling on
“the God of vengeance” ,
calling down judgment for
People engaged in injustices like
Killing the widow and orphan.
Those who God disciplines are
blessed (said once). God will wipe
out the wicked (said twice)

16. Tensions
In Ps 94
God will wipe out the
wicked
Blessed are those who
God disciplines
There is a difference
between God’s judgement
and discipline
Psalm 94:19
When the cares of my heart are
many, your consolations cheer my
soul.
Many cares of my heart
God’s consolation cheers
my heart.

17. Psalm 95
An assurance that the LORD, the
shepherd king,
will protect his people
But comes with a warning

18. God was will protect his
people
But comes with a warning
Tensions
In Ps 95
(and with other
Psalms)
God is our dwelling in all
generations on Ps 90 and
91
We should enter his rest
and consider his ways and
works in Ps 92
But he loathed the
generation that came out
of Egypt in the Exodus
They didn’t know His ways
They won’t enter His rest
God is a shepherd God is a King

19. Psalm 95
Will be like a(n) inclusio shepherd king
(bookend) with psalm 100. like Psalms
23 and 24 coming back expansively.
The Mountains in His hands, we are in
His hands
The
Enthronement
Psalms

20. Psalm 95
God is a King and a Shepherd (like Psalms 23 and 24)
The LORD has mountains in his hands
The LORD has us in His hands
Psalm 90 said the LORD has been our dwelling place
in all generations
but now….
Psalm 95 says
The generation saved in the exodus He loathed for 40
years

21. Psalms 96 to Psalm 99
Will involve preaching to the
world
Two will be called ‘new
songs’
God's salvation seen by all
nations

22. Psalms 96
through 99
Will sing together
of the gospel
reaching beyond
Zion and
including all the
ends of the earth,
the coastlands,
the people
groups.

23. Two of these will be ‘new songs’ and
telling of salvation – Psalms 66 and 98
Psalm 98 will particularly highlight the
right hand of God
Three Psalms start with precisely these
words — Psalms 96, 98, and 149 — “sing
to the Lord a new song.” As does Isaiah
42:10 (“sing to the Lord a new song”) and
Psalm 33:3 (“sing to him a new song”). And
Psalm 144:9 adds its voice to the chorus, “I
will sing a new song to you, O God.”

24. Psalm 96
Declare His glory among the
nations!
A new song of salvation

25. Psalm 97
Let the coastlands rejoice!

26. Psalm 98
Sing a new song!
His right hand and holy arm have
brought righteousness!
A song of salvation
A new song of salvation

27. Psalm 99
The LORD is enthroned in Zion
All the peoples should tremble,
and he is exalted over all the
peoples.

28. Psalms 96 through 99
Are not without warnings
Psalm 99:8 O LORD our God, you
answered them; you were a forgiving
God to them, but an avenger of their
wrongdoings.

29. Psalm 100
We are His people and the
sheep of His pastures
(Like a bookend pair with
Psalm 95)
The
Enthronement
Psalms

30. Psalm 101
A commitment to paise in the first
person
At least 7 commitments made
(like the resolutions of Jonathan
Edward,
The Psalms resolves to follow God)

31. Psalm 102
A prayer of an afflicted person who
has grown weak and pours out a
lament before the LORD.
But sometimes you weep before
you praise
And out of place sounding lament
in the midst of many praise songs
calling for joy

32. Psalm 102
A prayer of an afflicted person
who has grown weak and
pours out a lament before
the LORD.
Psalms book 4 has many calls to rejoice. Even the hills sing, the river’s clap and the sea
roars! But before the individual praises they sometimes weep first.
There are about 30 references to singing, joy, cheer and rejoicing in Psalm book 4
Hills sing , rivers clap their hands and the sea roars!!! But not here. A lament starts.
Psalm 102
A prayer of an afflicted person
who has grown weak and pours
out a lament before the LORD.

33. Psalm 102
A prayer of an afflicted person
who has grown weak and
pours out a lament before
the LORD.
The lament upturns and looks to a time the Lord will have pity on Zion in Ps 102:16-22
Psalm 102
A prayer of an afflicted person
who has grown weak and pours
out a lament before the LORD.
The upturn looks forward to a people not yet created who will be set free and praise the Lord
And the Psalm part of an argument in Hebrews that Jesus is greater than the angels in Ps 102:26

34. Psalm 102
A prayer of an afflicted person
who has grown weak and
pours out a lament before
the LORD.
Psalm 102
A prayer of an afflicted person
who has grown weak and pours
out a lament before the LORD.
Psalm 101 is
‘of David’
Psalm 103 is
‘of David’
Only a few Psalms in book 4 have an indication in title who might
be the author: Psalm 90 is Moses, and the Psalms before and
after Psalm 102 ae ‘of David’
Other people mentioned? Psalm 90 a prayer of Moses, Moses also
mentions in Psalms 99, 103, 105. Some believe many Psalms in book 4
are by Hezekiah, Abraham mentioned 3 times in Psalm 105

35. Psalm 103 and 104
Will be preaching
truth to self
Oh, Bless the Lord
Oh my soul!!
One approach to a heart weighed down is to preach truth to self.

36. Psalms 103 and 104 sing together
“Bless the Lord, Oh my soul!”
Psalm 103
Bless God for what
He has done for me
Directly mostly
related to myself
but also persons in
general, even
angelic persons
Forget none of His
benefits!
Psalm 104
Bless God for what
He has done for me
Indirectly through
His creation and
praises will follow
the creation week
order

37. Psalm 103
Preaching to self
Oh Bless the LORD, Oh my soul
Oh has a sense of awe and said
twice
For is personal benefits

38. Psalm 104
Preaching to self
Oh, Bless the LORD, Oh, my soul!
“Oh” has a sense of awe and said twice!
This time about creation
Ps 104:2-4 part of an argument in
Hebrews about why Jesus is better than
the angels

39. Psalms 105
The
faithfulness of
God
Psalms 106
The
unfaithfulness
of his people
Abraham
mentioned 3 times
in Psalm 105
God’s faithfulness and God’s faithfulness
to keeping His promised to Abraham are
in contrast with the unfaithfulness at large
The book closes on
a bleak note with
The world in sin

40. Psalm 105
A historical Psalm
A history of the faithfulness of
God

41. Psalm 106
Another historical Psalm
An uncomplimentary history of Israel
The generation that left Egypt was not faithful
And when Israel went to the promised land,
, following the gods of the Canaanites as well
The land is left under sin needing redemption.

42. Book 4 ended with
an uncomplimentary
history of the
unfaithfulness of
Israel before and
after going to the
promised land
Even a call for God to
save them.
Book 1 promised the
Son with get the
nations as his
inheritance and even
the meek shall
inherit the earth in
the Son
Psalms Book 4
Psalms Book 1

43. Psalm 105
A historical Psalm
On the faithfulness
of God
Psalm 106
A historical Psalm
On the unfaithfulness
of Israel

44. Book 4 ended with
an uncomplimentary
history of the
unfaithfulness of
Israel before and
after going to the
promised land
Even a call for God to
save them.
Book 1 promised the
Son with get the
nations as his
inheritance and even
the meek shall
inherit the earth in
the Son
Psalms Book 4
Psalms Book 1

45. Spoiler alert! A resolution is coming
Psalms book 5 will be poetically
Deuteronomy, entering the greater
promised land and coming home
Psalms Book 5
Coming Home
Book 4 closes with a history of unfaithfulness

46. Spoiler alert! A resolution to
the discord is coming
Psalms book 5 will be poetically
Deuteronomy, entering the greater
promised land and coming home
Psalms Book 5
Coming Home
Book 4 closes with a
history of unfaithfulness
Psalms book 4
closes
The land in sin

47. Key changes in the Psalms
Book 4 of Psalms
An idyllic future mountaintop ending of book 2
in dissonance with a dark present crisis ending of book 3
Now we step back back back to make sense of this discord, starting
with a prayer of Moses the man of God
fin’
Suffering and glory
The myriad uses of musical dissonance: above, a
caricature of Arnold SchoenbergCredit...Ralph Steadman
See Musical Dissonance, From Schumann to Sondheim -
The New York Times (nytimes.com)