The Flow of the Psalms

I have been slowly making my way through O. Palmer Robertson's book The Flow of the Psalms: Discovering Their Structure and Theology (Phillipsburg, PA: P&R, 2015). I created the following table to illustrate Robertson's argument regarding the structure and content of the Psalms.

 

Book	Theme	Explanation
Book I (Pss 1–41)	Confrontation	The confrontation between David, Israel’s messianic king and his enemies as he attempts to establish his kingdom.
Book II (Pss 42–72)	Communication	David’s continues to struggle to establish his kingship but also seeks to communicate a message of hope to his enemies.
Book III (Pss 73–89)	Devastation	Shifts from David’s struggle to establish his kingship to a corporate concern related  to the devastation of God’s people by international forces
Book IV (Pss 90–106)	Maturation	The maturation of perspective on the “permanent dwelling place” and “perpetual dynasty” promised by the Davidic Covenant.
Book V (Pss 107–150)	Consummation	The consummation of the kingdom of God