The Sleeping Giant of Evangelicalism

Sing! 2018 - Ligon Duncan

Ligon Duncan, co-founder of Together 4 the Gospel and Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary was the first plenary speaker at Sing! 2018. Referring to the book of Psalms as the "sleeping giant of evangelicalism," He laid the foundation for the conference. In good Pastor/Professor form, he provided some simple, yet profoundly helpful bullet points.

Basic Structure of the Book of Psalms

BOOK ONE: Psalms 1-41
BOOK TWO:  Psalms 42-72
BOOK THREE: Psalms 73-89
BOOK FOUR: Psalms 90-106
BOOK FIVE: Psalms 107-150

Psalm Types

Lyric Poems - feature one main theme in three parts:
1. Announcement  2. Development  3. Recap
Psalms of Lament (e.g. Psalm 130)
Psalms of Praise (e.g. Psalm 8)
Worship Psalms - Psalms which specifically address the context of corporate worship
Nature Poems (e.g. Psalm 42, 19)

Recommended Resources

1. Ryken's Bible Handbook (section on Psalms)
2. Two Volume Commentary by Derek Kidner
3. Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship
Chapter 11: Restoring Psalm Singing to Worship - Terry Johnson

Five Core Doctrines in the Psalms

1. GOD - who He is, what He is like, what He has done
2. MAN - our nature and need
3. CREATION - testimony to God's glory
4. SIN - nature and reality
5. WORSHIP 

Six Great Themes in the Psalms

1. There is hope
2. The Lord's goodness
3. Our God hears us
4. Our God is amazing
5. We can/should call on God from any situation
6. It is always time to worship

Three Applications

1. God is the center of everything.
2. Everything in life is meant to serve God's praise.
3. Our feelings/emotions must be reckoned with in light of God.