Patterns in the Book of Psalms (Part 2 of 0)

Book IV (Psalms 90 – 106) and the Feast of Tabernacles – Part Two

We begin our studies of psalm collections with Book IV, Psalms 90-106. I suggest that these 17 psalms were arranged to be sung in sequence during the eight-day Feast of Tabernacles. Psalm 90 would have been sung on the eve of Tabernacles, in the evening of Tishri 14. Psalm 91 would have been sung the next day, in the morning of Tishri 15, the first day of the feast. Psalm 92 was for that evening. Psalm 93 would be for the morning of Tishri 16, and so on, till we get to Psalm 105 for the morning and Psalm 106 for the evening of Tishri 22, the last day of Tabernacles. We submit that the even-numbered psalms are for evenings and the odd-numbered psalms are for mornings.

This pattern is suggested in the very words of the psalms: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night” (Psa. 92:1-2). “Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day” (Psa. 96:2). So there is singing every morning and every evening, day by day, throughout the eight days of the feast. And, of course, there would have been a psalm for the eve of the feast, which actually lasted from sundown of the 14th to sundown of the 22nd.

Psalms 93, 97, and 99 (odds) are morning psalms beginning “The Lord reigneth” and ending with holiness. Psalm 93 also declares, “For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” In contrast, Psalms 96 and 98 (evens) are evening psalms beginning “O sing unto the Lord a new song” and ending “Before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world and the people with equity.” Similarly, Psalms 92 and 94 (evens) refer to the punishment of the brutish, the wicked, the workers of iniquity, the evil-doers.

Psalms 105 and 106 alternate in another way: the faithfulness of God in contrast with the unfaithfulness of His people. If we are correct, the psalms form an alternating pattern because they were designed for a sequence of evenings and mornings, which also form an alternating pattern.

The Feast of Tabernacles

You say, “OK, but what makes you think they’re for the Feast of Tabernacles?” I respond, “Because these psalms are absolutely stocked-full with the themes of Tabernacles.”

Eaton1 and Goulder2 are excellent sources for these ideas, which originate in large part in the works of Mowinckel3. The current series of articles owes a great deal to the influence of these and other authors. The following is a brief summary of some of these themes and the allusions to them in Book IV.

  1. Allusions to the exodus – Every seven years, in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles all Israel — men, women, children, and strangers — were to gather themselves at Jerusalem to hear the word of the law read and expounded to them (Dt. 31:9-13; cp. Neh. 8-9). In particular, the children of Israel were to dwell in booths during the week of Tabernacles to remind them that God made their ancestors to dwell in booths when He brought them out of Egypt (Lev. 23:39-43). Recalling the exodus, the prototype of God’s past deliverances of His people, would encourage Israel to look to God for victory over their current enemies.

Psalms 90-106 are full of allusions to the law, especially to Exodus. These psalms mention Moses seven times (90 title; 99:6; 103:7; 105:26; 106:16,23,32). These psalms refer to the plagues, which affected thousands around them, but did not come upon the children of Israel (Psa. 91; Exo. 6-12). They also mention Meribah and Massah (Psa. 95; Exo. 17), the theophany at Mt. Sinai, the command to have no graven images (Psa. 97; Exo. 19-20) and the Lord dwelling between the cherubim (Psa. 99; Exo. 25). Further, Psalm 103 has a nearly direct citation of Exodus 34.

Note that the allusions occur in sequence, suggesting that these psalms were being sung alongside a serial reading of Exodus!

  1. Allusions to Solomon and the temple – King Solomon dedicated the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles (I Kgs. 8:1-2). As a result, Solomon and the temple became major themes of the Feast of Tabernacles. As we shall see, Psalms 90-106 have many references back to the events recorded in II Samuel 23 through I Kings 10. Here are three quick examples to illustrate.

First, Psalm 92 refers to the anointing of the king as Solomon was anointed in I Kings 1.

Second, Psalm 93 mentions the establishment of God’s throne as Solomon’s kingdom was established in I Kings 2; in fact, “strength” and “establish” in Psalm 93:1-2 may be allusions to the two pillars in the temple, Jachin (“He shall establish”) and Boaz (“In it is strength”).

Third, “He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer… for he looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth” (Psa. 102:17,19) has the same idea and phrasing that is repeated so many times in Solomon’s prayer (I Kgs. 8).

Again, these allusions are in sequence, suggesting that the Solomon and temple story was being read along with the Exodus readings, and that the psalms in Book IV were hymns celebrating both sets of events, and the principles they demonstrated.

  1. Allusions to the Lord reigning on earth – Zechariah 14 refers to the kingdom age when all nations, those that remain of the former enemies of Israel, will be required to go up to Jerusalem every year to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. They will “worship the King, the Lord of hosts” and the bells of the horses and the pots will declare “Holiness unto the Lord.” The kingship of God, His sovereignty over all things, and His holiness, kingdom themes as confirmed by their use in Zechariah, are major themes of Tabernacles. These themes are among the most important throughout Psalms 90-106.
  1. Allusions to the subjugation of the Gentiles — Zechariah 14 also emphasizes the role of the Gentile nations. They must worship the Lord or they will be punished, either with no rain, or with plagues. The subjugation of the Gentile nations is an important topic in many of the psalms in Book IV. In particular, Psalm 96 emphasizes the call to the Gentiles, “Sing unto the Lord, all the earth… Declare his glory among the nations, His wonders among the .. For all the gods of the nations are idols.. .Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the peoples.. .Tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, The Lord reigneth…He shall judge the peoples.. .He cometh to judge the earth.. .the world.. .the peoples.”
  2. Allusions to creation — The prayer in Nehemiah 9, held immediately following tabernacles, begins, “Blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made the heaven, the heaven of heavens, with their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee” (Neh. 9:5-6).

Tabernacles was a harvest festival (Exo. 23:16; Lev. 23:39; Dt. 16:13), with an emphasis on God’s bountiful hand. Psalm 104 is a magnificent hymn praising the God of creation and His wonderful provision for all creatures, and there are many other references in Book IV to God as the creator (cp. 90:2; 95:4-5; 96:5,11-13; 98:7-9; 102:25; 103:14).

  1. Allusions to the history from Abraham to the exile — The prayer in Nehemiah 9 continues with a review of history from Abraham to the exile. Psalms 105 and 106 review the same material; marginal references highlight the similarities.
  2. Allusions to the joy of worshipping God — One of the key features of Tabernacles is the joy and gladness that is displayed in the worship services. “Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles.. .thou shalt rejoice in thy feast.. .the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice” (Dt. 16:13-15). This theme is found throughout Psalms 90-106. Here is one example out of many, “0 come, let us sing unto the Lord: Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving: let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.. .0 come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (95:1-2,6).

Multiple backgrounds

God willing, in the next article we will go through the psalms in Book IV, only in slightly more detail. Among other things, we will suggest a possible reading schedule for the lessons in Exodus, Kings and Psalms 90-106.

It is useful to observe that these psalms contain allusions to at least five time periods as well as general themes of the Feast of Tabernacles:

  1. Past: Creation God is the ruler of the universe; His wonderful works; God conquered the waters/leviathan; He provides the harvest; the turning of the year;
  2. Past: The Exodus God’s people delivered; enemies conquered; creation of Israel; God has been active in the past – review of history;
  3. Past: King Solomon God’s kingdom established; enemies destroyed; temple built and dedicated, ark brought to Jerusalem, sacrifices accepted, God’s glory filled the temple; prayer and forgiveness; initial fulfillment of God’s covenant with David with Solomon the prototypical seed of David;
  4. Present, short-term past and future: the current situation, that is, the local events at the time the psalms were being used as part of the Tabernacles service the king of David’s line is God’s appointed representative; the people are being punished for their sins; the king is being protected; the king’s enemies are God’s enemies, the enemies have temporary victory, but will be destroyed; everyone should be celebrating God’s reign; God’s chosen king will be helped after humbling himself; the king prays for forgiveness and the renewal of the covenant; and
  5. Long-term future: the Messiah the coming king and judge; the kingdom of God; looking forward to THE seed of David.
  1. J.H. Eaton, “The Psalms and Israelite Worship,” Tradition and Interpretation, Edited by G.W. Anderson, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1979, 238-273.
  2. M.D. Goulder, “The Fourth Book of the Psalter,” Journal of Theological Studies, N.S., Vol. XXVI, Pt. 2, October, 1975,269-289.
  3. S. Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship, Translated by D.R. Ap-Thomas, Abingdon Press, New York, 1962