Songs for wandering (even at times through the valley of the shadow of death) led by the good shepherd, the King, having a table prepared in the presence of my enemies. Book 4 of the psalms begins with a voice from the deep past and a prayer of Moses. Moses prays "Teach us to number our days" and this book many consider poetically to match the themes of Numbers which recounted the wanderings in the dessert for forty years. The Center of book 4 are the enthronement Psalms, by tradition one or more have been written by Hezekiah Adjacent images of Psalms 23 (the good shepherd leading believers through the valley of the shadow of death, spreading a table in the presence of their enemies) and Psalm 24 (the king of glory) come back expansively in book 4 with shepherd images bracketing calls to worship the king who reigns. Psalms 93 though 100 The ending include a series of Psalms quoted in the book of Hebrews as part of an argument that Jesus is better than the angels: Psalm 102, 103 and 104. The final two Psalms are historical Psalms 105 and 106 ( the only other Psalm ususally classified as a history recounting (historical) Psalm is 78 from book 3. We are concerned here with the flow of thought and the outline

2. A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our dwelling
place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever you had formed the earth
and the world, from everlasting to
everlasting you are God.

3. Psalm 91 – Dwelling in the shadow of
the almighty
91 He who dwells in the shelter of the
Most High will abide in the shadow of
the Almighty.
2 I will say[a] to the Lord, “My refuge
and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

4. Psalm 92 - A Psalm for the
Sabbath
92 It is good to give thanks to
the Lord, to sing praises to your
name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love
in the morning, and your
faithfulness by night,

5. Psalm 93 - a ‘stacato’ Psalm
as prelude to ‘the enthronement
Psalms’
93 The Lord reigns; he is robed in
majesty; the Lord is robed; he has
put on strength as his belt. Yes, the
world is established; it shall never
be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of
old; you are from everlasting.

6. Psalm 94 – Blessed is the man who
is disciplined by the Lord
12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O
Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he
will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

8. Psalm 95
A short staccato note for emphasis
6. Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
But
….Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

9. Psalm 95

10. Psalms 95
Come for worship today
Come – a call to all
For – the purpose is worship; For – because God
cares for you and made you; Four - four
reasons given
Worship - value God, find satisfaction in Him
and enjoy HIm
Today - today is the day of salvation; do not be
like the people in the dessert who didn’t believe
although they had every reason to

11. The enthronement Psalms:
93 and 94 as prelude
and 95 to 100 as body
• Themes
– Come to worship
– God is King
– God reigns now
• Enthronement Psalms can include
– 24 from book 1
– 47 from book 2
• Psalms 23/Psalm 24 come back
expansively in book 4

12. The enthronement Psalms:
93 and 94 as prelude
and 95 to 100 as body
• The enthronement Psalms
– 93 and 94 as prelude and 95 to 100 as body in
book 4
– 93 God is King
– 94 How the King deals with his enemies
– 95 We are his sheep. Come and worship
• 96 He is the King. Declare the glory of the
King
• 97 The benefits of the reigning king to his
people
• 98 Joy to the world for the Lord reigns
• 99 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
Holy is He
– 100 we are his sheep

13. Psalm 98: Joy to the world the Lord is
come
8 Let the rivers clap their
hands; let the hills sing for joy
together
9 before the Lord, for he comes to
judge the earth.

14. Psalm 100 – another staccato note for
emphasis and follows ‘the enthronement
Psalms’
A Psalm for giving thanks.
100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all
the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his
presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who
made us, and we are his; we are his people, and
the sheep of his pasture.

15. Psalm 100

16. 22 The cross
23 the crook
25 My response – I lift
up my soul
24 The crown
Similar to book 1, there is an application Psalm
Psalm 25 was the application, in that case

17. Similar to book 1, there is an application Psalm
Psalm 101 is the application, in this case

18. Similar to book 1, there is an application Psalm
Psalm 101 is the application, in this case

19. Similar to book 1, there is an application Psalm
Psalm 101 is the application, in this case
In the light of the good
shepherd who laid down
his life and walks through
the valley of the shadow
of death with me I will
walk in integrity

20. Living before the face of God

21. A response: a prayer about mercy and
judgment:
I will walk in integrity
Psalm 101
1. I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O
Lord, I will make music.
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will
you come to me? I will walk with integrity of
heart within my house;

22. Psalm 102
A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his
complaint before the Lord.
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has
shortened my days.
24 “O my God,” I say, “take me not away in the midst of my
days— you whose years endure throughout all
generations!”
And a reason Jesus is better than the angels, so claims Hebrews 1

23. Jesus is better than the angels:
so claims Hebrews Psalm 102
25 “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.”

24. Jesus is better than the angels:
so claims Hebrews from Psalm 103
Out of the brokenness of the Psalmist in 102
and his vision of God ( explained as Jesus in
Hebrews, he calls on everyone and everything
including himself to bless the Lord)
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his
ministers, who do his will!

25. He makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire.

26. All elements of the creation account
are touched on glorifying God, in
addition to the admonition ‘Bless the
Lord Oh my soul’ to myself.

28. 105 Oh give thanks to the Lord;
call upon his name; make known
his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to
him; tell of all his wondrous
works!

29. 6a Both we and our fathers have
sinned; we have committed
iniquity;
8 Yet he saved them for his name's
sake,

30. The five books of Psalms
• Book 1 - The song of the blessed man
• Book 2 - Songs for the outcast
• Book 3 - The dark book of the Psalms
• Book 4 - Songs for the wanderer
• Book 5 - Songs for coming home