God’s word is full and deep with His treasures. Perhaps no other portion of His word speaks to the entire gamut of man’s needs and emotions as do the Psalms. The joy, the sorrow, the humility, the reverence for God, the thankfulness of man—there are Psalms that show these all and more. Man’s sin, his need for forgiveness, redemption, guidance—there are Psalms to address all of this.

Since the Psalms are so filled with God’s treasures, we need to be able to “mine” them in a well equipped fashion. To be able to get the most out of each Psalm, we need to understand what the Psalms are—poetry—poetry with God’s message. It is a tremendous help to have a basic understanding of the context of Hebrew poetry.

The Book of Psalms stands distinct from all other Biblical writing in that it is not written in standard sentences in paragraph form (with chapter markers and verse numbers added later). The Book of Psalms is just that: PSALMS. There are no chapters per se, but each Psalm stands alone, although sometimes accompanying a partner Psalm. The Book of Psalms is also distinct in that it is actually five books within the collection, each gathered at different points in history.

When the structure and context of the Psalms are examined, the treasures of God’s word become much more intense to the reader. This study will guide us through some basic elements of Hebrew poetry and Psalm structure. Use this knowledge to gain a deeper reverence for God’s word. Let us put God’s treasure in our heart: “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).

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