Psalms 106:47-48

3. Concluding prayer for deliverance 106:47-48

This petition suggests that the psalmist lived and wrote during Israel’s Babylonian Captivity. It is a simple request for deliverance, claiming no merit to obtain this favor. The writer relied exclusively on the Lord’s covenant faithfulness and His loyal love for His people (Psalms 106:45).

The last verse blesses Yahweh and calls on God’s people to praise Him. It is a fitting conclusion to Book 4 of the Psalter, as well as to Psalms 106.

Prayers of confession, such as this one, help us to maintain a realistic dependence on God’s grace. They remind us that God is faithful-even though His people have not been-and thus they encourage faithfulness in us. Hopefully, we who are New Testament believers will learn from the mistakes of the Israelites and not repeat the same errors (1 Corinthians 10:11).

V. BOOK 5: CHS. 107-150

There are 44 psalms in this section of the Psalter. David composed 15 of these (108-110; 122; 124; 131; 133; 138-145), Solomon wrote one (127), and the remaining 28 are anonymous. Psalms 113-118 compose the so-called Egyptian Hallel, which the Jews used in their Passover (cf. Mark 14:26). Fifteen are Songs of Ascent (120-134), and five are hallel or Hallelujah psalms (146-150). The time of compilation for Book 5 of the Psalter may have been the exilic or postexilic period, perhaps as late as the time of Nehemiah (ca. 444-432 B.C.). [Note: Bullock, p. 68.] There is much emphasis on praise in this section of the Psalter, and one might think if it as "the book of praise."