The one-hundred and fifty Psalms were written at various times, and by a number of men; like all of the Bible, they were given by the inspiration of God, the Holy Spirit moving the persons who wrote them to write what, in general, expressed their own feelings at the time, feelings made theirs by the same Divine Person.
Some of the Psalms, in their expressions, go quite beyond the experience of the writers; Psalm 22 is an example of this—it tells of the sufferings of Christ on the cross.
The Psalms have been exactly arranged according to an order clearly seen, so that they foretell the position and the feelings of the Jews in that fast approaching time when they will turn to God in their own land of Palestine.
The Psalms are really five sections or books, and in the Hebrew they are shown that way.
Book 1 includes Psalms 1 to 41
Occupied with the state of the God-fearing Jews, among the ungodly ones in Judea.
Book 2 includes Psalms 42 to 72.
Tells that they have left Jerusalem, which is given over to wickedness.
Book 3 includes Psalms 73 to 89.
Shows Israel (the nation) restored to their land, but not yet fully blessed.
Book 4 includes Psalms 90 to 106.
The Lord appears as their Messiah
Book 5 includes Psalms 107 to 150.
Is more general; it is a sort of summing up, ending with the fullest praise to God for His goodness and mercy.
Psalms 1 and 2 are an introduction to all the Psalms.
Psalms 3 to 8 are also introductory.
The first Psalm speaks of the godly Jew, but it is certain that the only person of whom it gives a true description, the only one of whom it ever was really true, is He upon whom the heavens were opened, (Mark 1:9, 119And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. (Mark 1:9)
11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mark 1:11)); as man the Son of God took His, place among the godly few of Israel (Matthew 3:1515And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3:15)); He was the truly separate one, apart from all the "counsel" of the wicked, and the "way" of sinners, and the company of scorners.
The Word of God was His delight, and He, as a tree planted by brooks of water, gave His fruit in its season, whether it was to meet Satan in the wilderness (Luke 4:1,131And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (Luke 4:1)
13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. (Luke 4:13)); or Nicodemus the Jewish ruler with uneasy heart seeking Him by night ( John 3); or the lawyer of Luke 10:2525And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25); or the chief priests, scribes and elders in Mark 11:2727And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, (Mark 11:27). In Him all was perfection.
The last two verses speak of judgment sure to come, when the wicked shall not "stand," and their "way" shall perish.
Is there anything the world thinks less of than the judgment of God? Ample warning of it is given in the Bible; it is certain (Hebrews 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)); the time is fixed (Acts 17:30, 3130And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30‑31)), and its fearful, unsparing character is told (1 Peter 4:17, 1817For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1 Peter 4:17‑18); Revelation 20: 11, 15).