Lecture notes from the 2015 FBC Keller Engage Conference

1. WORSHIP AND THE PSALMS
DR. DAVID TOLEDO

2. WHY ARE THE PSALMS IMPORTANT?
THEOLOGY DOXOLOGY AFFECTIONS

3. CRITICAL CONCEPTS
COVENANT RELATIONSHIPS
HESED
PRIVATE AND CORPORATE EXPRESSIONS OF WORSHIP
LAMENT AND PRAISE
POETIC DEVICES
EDITORIAL PROCESS

4. THE PSALMS ARE POETRY FIRST AND FOREMOST

5. PARALLELISM - JUXTAPOSITION OF TWO OR MORE
BALANCED ELEMENTS
SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG;
SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH.
PSALM 96:1
“WHAT”
“WHO”
SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG;
SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH.

6. CHIASM - CHANGES THE ORDER OF MEMBERS OF A LINE
1-4 A PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE
5-7 B “FROM MY YOUTH YOU ARE MY GOD”
8 C “MY MOUTH SHALL BE FILLED”
9-11 D PRAYER AGAINST ENEMIES OF “MY SOUL”
12A E “O GOD, BE NEAR”
12B E “O GOD, HELP”
13-14 D PRAYER AGAINST ADVERSARIES OF “MY SOUL”
15-16 C “MY MOUTH SHALL TELL”
17-18 B “FROM MY YOUTH I AM YOURS”
19-24 A PRAISE FOR DELIVERANCE
PSALM 71

7. MUSICAL INFORMATION IN THE PSALMS
CONTENTS OF SACRED VOCAL MUSIC
SPIRITUAL FUNCTIONS IN WORSHIP
HISTORICAL CONTEXTS
MUSIC MINISTRY ORGANIZATION
AUTHORSHIP AND COMPOSITION
LITURGICAL USAGE
PERFORMANCE PRACTICE
SPECIFIC OCCASIONS FOR SONG

8. WHO WROTE THE PSALMS?
DAVID (76)
ASAPH (12)
SONS OF KORAH (9 OR 10)
SOLOMON (PSALMS 72 & 127)
MOSES (PSALM 90)
ETHAN (PSALM 89)
HEMAN (PSALM 88)

9. THE PSALMS AND KING DAVID
•ANOINTED KING AS A YOUNG BOY
•“A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART” (1 SAMUEL 13:14)
•DAVID PLAYS TO SOOTHE SAUL’S SPIRIT (1 SAMUEL
16:14-23)
•INSTITUTED NEW WORSHIP PRACTICES (1 CHRONICLES 16)
•ORGANIZES MUSIC FOR CORPORATE WORSHIP
(1 CHRONICLES 15)
•DIFFERENCES IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LLFE

10. HISTORICAL REFERENCES TO DAVID’S LIFE
PSALM 3 - WHEN HE FLED FROM ABSALOM
PSALM 18 - WHEN THE LORD RESCUED HIM FROM SAUL
PSALM 34 - WHEN HE CHANGED HIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE ABIMELECH
PSALM 51 - CONFESSION AFTER BATHSHEBA AND NATHAN
PSALM 57 - WHEN HE FLED FROM SAUL IN THE CAVE
PSALM 63 - IN THE WILDERNESS

11. GENRES OF THE PSALMS
WISDOM &TORAH PSALMS
PSALMS OF PRAISE AND
THANKSGIVING
PENITENTIAL PSALMS
HYMNS & LITURGICAL PSALMS
PSALMS OF LAMENT
ROYAL PSALMS
ENTRANCE PSALMS
SONGS OF ASCENTS
IMPRECATORY PSALMS
MESSIANIC PSALMS

12. SHAPE OF THE PSALMS
BOOKS ONE AND TWO - REIGNS OF KINGS DAVID AND SOLOMON
BOOK THREE - DIVIDED KINGDOMS AND DESTRUCTION
BOOK FOUR - BABYLONIAN EXILE; NEW IDENTITY AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD
BOOK FIVE - RESTORATION TO THE LAND AND GOD AS KING
FIVE BOOKS WITH DIVISIONS MARKED BY CLOSING DOXOLOGIES

13. PSALM 118
FINDING CHRIST IN THE PSALMS
CALL AND RESPONSE BETWEEN WORSHIP LEADERS AND
WORSHIPERS
THE STEADFAST COVENANT LOVE OF YAHWEH IS THE THEME
THE “STONE” THE BUILDERS REJECTED - DAVID AND CHRIST (V.
22)
THE “MARVELOUS WORK OF THE LORD” (V. 23)
THIS IS THE DAY OF REJOICING (V. 24)

14. PSALM 19
THREE THEMES:
CREATION (1-6)
TORAH (7-10)
PRAYER (11-14)

15. PSALM 19 AS A WORSHIP PATTERN
(1-6) PRAISE OF GOD; EMPHASIS ON ACTS OF CREATION
AND ATTRIBUTES
(7-10) EMPHASIS ON THE WORD OF GOD
(11-14) PRAYER, CONFESSION, AND RESPONSE

16. READING THE PSALMS DEVOTIONALLY
THE PSALMS ARE POETRY NOT PROSE
MEANING IS COMMUNICATED THROUGH FORM
QUESTIONS TO ASK:
WHAT METAPHORS ARE BEING USED?
HOW IS GOD/HUMANITY/CHARACTER LIKE THIS METAPHOR?
REHEARSING GOD’S DEEDS IN HISTORY
COVENANT LOVE
EBB AND FLOW OF PRAISE AND PETITION/GRATITUDE AND LAMENT

17. ATLANTA FIRE CHIEF
KELVIN COCHRAN
PSALM 27