Introducing the Psalms

“The Book of Psalms was set forth unto us by the Holy Ghost, to be esteemed as a most precious treasure, wherein all things are contained that appertain to true felicity, as well in this life as in the life to come…If we would know the great and high majesty of God, here we may see the brightness thereof shine most clearly.”

Preface to the Psalms, the Geneva Bible

We’ve just finished the book of Mark! I have immensely enjoyed zeroing in on the life and works of Jesus the Messiah the Son of God (Mark 1:1). However, having just finished it, you may be wondering – where are we going next? The answer is: The Psalms.

For the next year to year and a half, Lord willing, we will be studying this wonderful book in the middle of our Bibles. I hope this short intro will help you get the most out of this series!

The Psalms

Few, if any, biblical books have had a greater impact on God’s people than the book of Psalms. It is the longest book in the Bible (by chapter count) and the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament. Jesus uses the Psalms more than any other Old Testament book.

But, despite its outstanding influence it is difficult to say just what the Psalms are “about.” Luther called the Psalms a “Bible in miniature”[1] and just as it is difficult to summarize the message of the entire Bible so too with the Psalms! Yet Luther also offers some help. Elsewhere he says, “The works of God and the attributes of God are the constant agenda of the Psalms.”[2] First and foremost, Psalms is about God.

We can be more specific when we also remember the close connection of the book of Psalms with king David. David appears in the superscription to nearly half of the psalms (73 of 150) and very clearly is a central human character – both as author and as object. Indeed, given the structure of Psalms (see below), some scholars see the Psalms almost as a Davidic torah.[3]

The Psalms, then, are about God and His chosen Davidic king. They are a sort of poetic commentary on the history of Israel with a special focus on the promises God made to David and his offspring (2 Samuel 7). As such, the ultimate vision of Psalms is the kingdom of God – God’s holy people (saints) in His holy place (Zion) under His holy rule (Scripture) administered by His holy Davidic king.

The Psalms realize that this vision was not in their day fully realized and so they often speak to this theme by lamenting its absence! It may surprise you but nearly half of the psalms are psalms of lament (roughly 64 of 150). The psalms, then, are songs written for God’s people living during the “enmity” promised in Genesis 3:15 and longing for its ultimate fulfillment.

My best attempt at summarizing the message of the book of Psalms is this:

God’s people will live and praise Him in a renewed creation under the promised Davidic king who has defeated His enemies.

Genres

There are two key things one needs to know in order to understand the Psalms. First, there are different types of psalms. Scholars differ over exactly what terms to use but very clearly there are various genres of psalms. One scholar has labeled each psalms using eight main genres and the resulting chart shows their frequency:[4]

Let me say a brief word about these genres.

Lament is the most frequent genre and expresses the psalmists grief and anger over some situation. Frequently the laments will include an address to God and an initial cry, the lament proper, a confession of trust, and a petition. There are individual laments, corporate laments, and imprecatory laments. Examples include Psalm 3-7, 22, 44, 56, 88, 109.

Hymns of praise are the next largest category. They usually begin with a call to praise followed by reasons (often indicated by the word “for”). Sometimes this pattern is repeated in multiple times in one psalm. Examples include Psalm 8, 47, 95, 103.

Thanksgiving psalms are similar to hymns of praise but focus mostly on God’s past acts, often as an answer to prayer. Examples include Psalm 18, 30, 107, 118.

Songs of trust are also very similar to thanksgivings and hymns of praise but differ in that they are primarily declarations of the psalmist’s trust in God. Examples include Psalm 11, 23, 46, 121.

Wisdom psalms tend to focus on the themes of living rightly before God, the value of God’s word, the contrast between the righteous and the wicked, and the final destiny of those groups. Examples include Psalm 1, 19, 73, 119.

Royal psalms have the Davidic king as their focus – either David himself of his promised offspring – praising his reign as God’s representative. Examples include Psalm 2, 45, 72, 110.

Liturgy psalms are those which were written for a specific use in the temple liturgy. Their focus is on God’s dwelling place (temple/Zion). Examples include Psalm 15, 24, 115.

Finally, salvation historical psalms recount and interpret God’s acts of redemption throughout history so that His people can remember them and praise Him. Examples include Psalm 78, 105, 106, 136.

Now, these genres are not airtight, impermeable barriers, but helpful characterizations which will help us understand the individual psalms.

Organization

But it is not only individual psalms that must be understood, but the book as a whole. The second key interpretive factor is realizing that the psalms were not thrown together willy-nilly. It’s not as if the editor (maybe Ezra?) just decided the order by drawing psalm titles out of a hat.

The book of Psalms is organized into five books and the size of each book is visually represented by this graph:

Jim Hamilton has convincingly argued that these books are structured around that central theme of God’s reign through His appointed Davidic king. He presents them as a chiasm:

A: Book 1: The Suffering of the Historical David

B: Book 2: The Reign of the Historical David

C: Book 3: The End of the Historical Davidic House

B: Book 4: Moses Intercedes for the Davidic Covenant

A: Book 5: The Conquest of the Future Davidic King

Moreover, within each book the order of the psalms is carefully chosen and Hamilton points out that the chiastic structure is used throughout the psalter. One such example is Psalms 15-24:

A: Psalm 15 – Who Shall Ascend?

B: Psalm 16 – Comfort

C: Psalm 17 – Resurrection

D: Psalm 18 – Deliverance for David and His Seed

E: Psalm 19 – The Glory of God

D: Psalms 20-21 – The King

C: Psalm 22 – Death and Resurrection

B: Psalm 23 – Comfort

A: Psalm 24 – Who Shall Ascend?

Thought the Psalms were composed independently they were ordered intentionally and we should read them in the context of their surrounding psalms and in the context of the book in which they appear.

Reading the Psalms

As we begin our study of the Psalms, let me suggest that you begin reading them in addition to your regular Bible reading. And as you do so, I suggest you read each one at least four times in four different ways.

First, read the psalm as the original author (if one is mentioned), trying to understand how he would have understood it.

Second, read the psalm as the average Old Testament Israelite would have encountered it. Pay particular attention to how they would have read the songs in light of the promised Davidic king.

Third, read the psalms as songs sung by Christ Himself. Christ is the promised greater son of David and frequently quoted the psalms, applying them to Himself. Remember as you do this that Christ is the King and representative of sinners.

Fourth, read these as a Christian, a New Covenant believer united to David’s greater Son and living on this side of the resurrection.

Resources

Finally, let me suggest some resources that will help you mine the psalms for all their worth.

First, Psalms by the Day by Alec Motyer is an invaluable resource. In it, the worldclass Old Testament scholar produces a fresh translation of the Psalms accompanied by his explanatory notes and devotional thoughts. You will not regret reading this book.

Second, if you want to dive into interpreting the Psalms, a good place to start would be How to Read the Psalms by Tremper Longman.

Third, because the psalms are songs it is helpful to hear them sung and to sing them oneself! Thankfully, the Psalms have already been arranged into metrical, rhyming English. Pick up a Psalms of David in Metre (free online here) or Isaac Watts’ psalm paraphrases (free online here). If you want to hear beautiful four part renditions of the Psalms, allow me to suggest the YouTube channel Anatomy of the Soul. For more folksie renditions listen to Brian Suave’s albums “Even Dragons Shall Him Praise” and “Sing Psalms, Let Joy Resound.”

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[1] Quoted in Allen Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms, vol. 1, p. 27.

[2] Quoted in Jim Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgement, p. 277.

[3] Stephen Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty, p. 194.

[4] Taken from T. David Gordon’s handout in his class on Psalms at Grove City College.