Those who arranged the Psalms arranged them according to their contents. In this arrangement we have Psalms 1 through 119, which speak about the law; Psalms 120 through 134, which are psalms about the going up, the ascending, to Zion; and the last sixteen psalms, Psalms 135 through 150. Psalm 135, a hallelujah psalm, stands alone, whereas Psalms 146 through 150, five other hallelujah psalms, are grouped together.

In Psalms 136 through 145 there is nothing crucial, nothing of particular importance. When some hear this, they may wonder about Psalm 137 and ask, "Are not the remembrance of Zion and the non-forgetting of Zion crucial?" Concerning the captivity these may be crucial. However, concerning God's economy these things are not crucial. Matters such as weeping and hanging harps on the willows have nothing to do with God's economy. Thus, our saying that there is nothing crucial in these psalms is based on the principle of God's economy.

The title of this message on Psalms 135 through 139 is "The Expressions of the Saints before Jehovah in Different Directions." What is particular about these psalms is actually not the saints' expressions but the fact that the writers were people who were very close to God. Thus, these psalms are the expressions of the sentiments of writers who were very close to God. These sentiments are expressed from different directions. For example, Psalm 137 was written from the direction of one sitting by the rivers of Babylon, whereas Psalm 139 was written from the direction of God's searching and trying. In 139:23-24 David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; / Try me, and know my anxious thoughts; /And see if there is some harmful way in me, /And lead me on the eternal way." Such a prayer can be uttered only by a person who is very close to God, even face to face with Him.

Psalms 135 through 139 were written from different directions to express before God the sentiments of the psalmists. In these psalms there is nothing crucial related to God's economy. Nevertheless, these psalms reveal that the writers were very close to God. We need to keep this point in mind as we consider each of these five psalms.