J. Vernon McGee's Outline of The Psalms

After having mentioned McGee's intro and outline in an earlier post, I think it good to share that with you as well as the Scofield. There are many very good scholars who study and teach the Psalms, but those two are my favorites.

From McGee:

The theme of the book of Psalms is Psalm 150.

The book corresponds to the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) and covers all *dispensations.

There are five distinct sections.

1. Genesis Section: Psalms 1-41
    Man is seen in a state of blessedness, then fall and recovery. (Man in view)

    This section covers the entire book of Psalms and gives the history of all dispensations, as is true
     of Genesis.

    Psalm 1 - Perfect Man (Last Adam)
               2 - Rebellious Man
               3 - Perfect Man Rejected
               4 - Conflict between Seed of Woman/Serpent
               5 - Perfect Man amidst Enemies
               6 - Perfect Man amidst Chastisement (Bruising Heel)
               7 - Perfect Man amidst False Witnesses
               8 - Repair of Man comes through Man (Bruising Head)
               9-15 - Enemy and Antichrist Conflict, Final Deliverance
               16-41 - Christ amidst His people, sanctifying them to God

2. Exodus Section: Psalms 42-72
    Ruin and Redemption (Israel in view)

    Psalms 43-49 - Israel's Ruin
                 50-60 - Israel's Redeemer
                 61-72 - Israel's Redemption

3. Leviticus Section: Psalms 73-89
    Darkness and Dawn (Sanctuary in view)

    Tabernacle, Temple, House, Assembly, Congregation in every Psalm

4. Numbers Section: Psalms 90-106
    Peril and Protection (Earth in view)

5. Deuteronomy Section: Psalms 107-150
    Perfection and Praise of Word of God

    Psalm 119 - Word of God in every verse. Longest chapter in the Bible.


*A dispensation is defined traditionally as a period of time during which a particular revelation of God’s mind and God’s will is operative, and during which man is tested as to his obedience to that specific manifestation of God’s will, purpose, and plan.  The believer’s orientation to both time and to human history is vitally necessary for understanding God’s plan and God’s purpose.
   Dispensations constitute the divine administration of history.  In fact, the Greek word translated “dispensations” also means administration of some organization.  Dr. H.A. Ironside defined dispensations in his book, In the Heavenlies, as follows, “It is an economy or a particular order or a condition of things prevailing in a special age which does not necessarily prevail in another age.”
   In every dispensation, God has a plan for believers, and in grace He provides the means for executing that plan.  We must understand the other dispensations and then learn why only one dispensation is called the “dispensation of grace” (Eph 3:2).
   While there is a different plan for believers in each dispensation, there is only one way of salvation throughout human history: personal faith in Jesus Christ.  In all of human history, there is only one Savior, Jesus Christ, and He is revealed in different ways in different dispensations.

(Excerpt from Doctrine of Dispensations, http://gracebiblechurchwichita.org/?page_id=58)

Knowledge of Dispensational Truth gives the believer an understanding of where we are in human history and what to expect regarding the plan and purpose of God. Without it, the Bible remains a confusing series of stories and poems the believer does not know how to apply. Those who insist there are contradictions in scripture simply do not comprehend dispensations. -LD