Psalms Outline

McGee’s Outline of Psalms

I. Genesis section, Psalms 1—41

Man in a state of blessedness, fall, and recovery (Man in View)

Psalm 1: Perfect Man (last Adam)

Psalm 2: Rebellious man

Psalm 3: Perfect Man rejected

Psalm 4: Conflict between Seed of woman and serpent

Psalm 5: Perfect Man in midst of enemies

Psalm 6: Perfect Man in midst of chastisement (bruising heel)

Psalm 7: Perfect Man in midst of false witnesses

Psalm 8: Repair of man comes through Man (bruising head)

Psalms 9—15: Enemy and Antichrist conflict; final deliverance

Psalms 16 — 41: Christ in midst of His people, sanctifying

them to God

II. Exodus section, Psalms 42 — 72

Ruin and Redemption (Israel in View)

Psalms 42 — 49: Israel’s ruin

Psalms 50 — 60: Israel’s Redeemer

Psalms 61 — 72: Israel’s redemption

III. Leviticus section, Psalms 73 — 89

Darkness and Dawn (Sanctuary in View)

IV. Numbers section, Psalms 90 — 106

Peril and Protection of Pilgrims (Earth in View)

V. Deuteronomy section, Psalms 107 — 150

Perfection and Praise of the Word of God

Psalm 119, an acrostic in the heart of this section, refers to the

Word of God in almost every verse. It is the longest chapter in

the Bible.

FEATURES:

The Psalms record deep devotion, intense feeling, exalted emotion, and dark dejection. The Psalms play with all the stops pulled out upon the keyboard of the human soul.

They run the psychological gamut. This book has been called the epitome and anatomy of the soul and designated as the garden of the Scriptures. The place Psalms have held in the lives of God’s people testifies to their universality, although they have a peculiar Jewish application. They express the deep feelings of all believing hearts in all generations.

The Psalms are full of Christ. There is a more complete picture of Him in Psalms than in the Gospels. The Gospels tell us that He went to the mountain to pray, but the Psalms give us His prayer. The Gospels tell us that He was crucified, but the Psalms tell us what went on in His own heart during the crucifixion The Gospels tell us He went back to heaven, but the Psalms begin where the Gospels leave off and show us Christ seated in heaven.

                                                    *       *       *

All of the above was copied and pasted from J.Vernon McGee's Notes and Outlines on the book of Psalms. I recommend you print and keep it in your Bible for handy reference. It is important information for any Bible student who undertakes a study of Psalms. They are beautiful poetry, but their purpose is to teach us the plan and provision of God in the angelic conflict. The Psalms are clearly dispensational in their arrangement, depicting human history from beginning to end. We can feel their emotion in our souls as we read them, but there are technical details of doctrine to be learned and stored, categorically, along the way. It will be quite an experience.