Psalms
Undertaking a study of the Psalms can seem overwhelming. The Psalms were used as prayer guides in Jewish worship, yet they have application for the Christian today. Not only are they important for understanding the life of Jesus and the early church as one of the most cited books from the Old Testament, they contain a context of expression suitable for prayer and reflection today. This series of articles will help make the Psalms more practical for the Christian.

Categories of Psalms
The Psalms may be classified into various groups. Originally, they were published in five books (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150). Three ways to group the Psalms are by author and context , theme and usage.

The best way to get a handle on most Biblical texts is to consider questions of authorship and historical context. However, these questions are difficult to answer for all but a few of the Psalms. Because of the difficulties of author/context information and the fact that the Psalms were used for particular situations in Israel, perhaps the best way to classify and study the Psalms is by considering them according to theme.

Seeking God
One of the most common themes in the Psalms is that of seeking God in the worshipper's present circumstance. While Christians rightly use the phrase "seeking God" to refer to those beginning a life of faith, seeking God is something that characterizes the life of the godly person. It is something we should always do, not just at times of conversion or when things are going poorly for us:

"Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. (Psalm 104:5)."
Accordingly, the Psalms provide a means of seeking God during all sorts of times of life: during times of rejoicing and sorrow, victory and defeat. Thus, a thematic index of the Psalms can help us seek God and pray to Him whatever our situation.

The Psalms and the New Testament
Jesus once said:

All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44).
Quotes and references from the Psalms appear often in the New Testament. Jesus and the early church were familiar with the Psalms and often used the language and/or context of the Psalms to express themselves and/or provide direction. Here are listings of references from the Psalms in the New Testament:
  • By Psalms order
  • By NT order
  • By Topic
    • The Psalms in the Church Today
    Christians today ought to be far more familiar with the Psalms than they typically are. Jesus and the early Christians used the language of the Psalms to capture their expressions of prayer to God and to provide spiritual guidance. Indeed, the apostle Paul urged that Christians use the Psalms to praise God and teach each other, that we might be filled with God's Spirit and the word might dwell within us (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16).

    While David was the "sweet psalmist of Israel (2 Samuel 23:1, NASB),"  he was not the only Psalmist in Israel. Neither are all the Psalms recorded in the book of Psalms. For example, consider the psalms of Miriam (Exodus 15:1-18), Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-43), Deborah (Judges 5:1-31), to name a few.

    The practice of psalm-writing continues in the early church. In the Corinthian church, it was common practice for Christians to compose Psalms for the encouragement of the rest of the church (1 Corinthians 14:26). Indeed, portions of the epistles appear to be psalm-like in their structure and presentation (e.g. Philippians 2:5-11, 1 Timothy 3:16).

    Not only have God's people in Israel and the church used the Psalms for prayer and meditation, they have used the psalm as a literary genre to express their own worship to God. This spirit needs to be rekindled in the church today. We should be familiar enough with the Psalms to identify with their language and meaning. And we should be inspired by the biblical Psalms to write new psalms of praise to God in our day.

    Copyright © 2001 John Engler. All rights reserved.


    Additional Resources for Further Study

    Alden, Robert- Everyman's Bible Commentary, Psalms, Moody Press, Chicago. Vol 1, Songs of Devotion 1974; Vol. 2, Songs of Dedication 1975; Vol. 3, Songs of Discipleship 1976.
    Anderson, Bernhard- Out of the Depths, The Westminster Press Philadelphia 1970, 1974.
    LaSor, William Sanford et. al.- Old Testament Survey, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, MI 1982, 1996.