The story of the Psalms

Welcome to Psalms. This is an amazing book that feels so relevant. When you’re joyful, sing Hallelujah psalms. When life is terrible, use a lament Psalm to express your anguish to God. The Psalms shine God’s light into every facet of our existence.

Do you have some favourite Psalms? Which ones do you turn to most often?

In the coming weeks, we’ll take you through 12 of 150 psalms, sampling different kinds. Some taste like bitter tears; others like joyful praise. Psalms of trust taste like soft-centred chocolate, while wisdom psalms are more like a nougat that takes time to chew.

We’ve selected Psalms from different genres, and from different eras. For each one, we’ll ask what it meant for Israel, as well it what it means for us. Do we find Christ in the Psalms? Only in the ones quoted in the New Testament, or everywhere?

Are the Psalms a random selection of songs? Or have they been arranged in a meaningful way to tell a story?

Overview

Open the Psalms. Do you see a heading before Psalm 1? Did you know there were “books” within the Psalms? Turn to Psalm 42. Is this a new “book”? What are these books?

• Book 1: Psalms 1–41
• Book 2: Psalms 42–72
• Book 3: Psalms 72–89
• Book 4: Psalms 90–106
• Book 5: Psalms 107–150

The drama of God and his people in five acts

David’s is the key voice we hear in the Psalms. David was God’s anointed. David represented on earth the eternal sovereign who reigns in the heavens:

Psalm 132:11-12 (NIV)
¹¹ The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne. ¹² If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”

God’s reign over Israel began with the Sinai covenant, but they couldn’t cope without a human king. God anointed David as the earthly king to represent the Lord’s reign.

That’s why David’s voice is so prominent. Almost half the Psalms (74 out of 150) are titled, “Of David.” The Lord’s anointed leads his people to their heavenly king.

When David says, “The Lord is my shepherd,” he’s saying that he is not top dog, that he also is part of YHWH’s flock, under the Lord’s leading (Psalm 23).

The trouble with a human king is that he’s mortal. Enemies attack him, or he dies of old age. David’s reign continues through his sons. Well, it does until Babylon invades.

That’s the story of the “books” within Psalms. It’s the story of God and his people, at each stage of their existence:

• Book 1 has mostly Davidic psalms. The king leads God’s people under the Lord’s sovereign authority.
• Book 2 continues the Davidic reign. Heaven’s reign continues through David’s son (Psalm 72).
• Book 3 sees the kingdom fall. The northern tribes fall to Assyria (Psalm 80). Then Babylon ends David’s reign. We hear the lament: Lord, where is your former great love which in your faithfulness you swore to David? (Psalm 89:49)
• Book 4 barely mentions David. The Lord’s anointed no longer reigns, but they keep affirming their heavenly king: The Lord reigns! (93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1).
• Book 5 anticipates the restoration of God’s reign in his anointed. Where Book 4 had just two Davidic Psalms, Book 5 has sixteen! Again, God’s anointed leads his people to recognize their true sovereign: I exalt you, my God the King (145:1).

Those who collated the Psalms after the exile arranged them to tell the story of God’s people, their relationship with the heavenly sovereign throughout the centuries.

Source: Karen Dabaghian. A Travelogue of the Interior: Finding Your Voice and God’s Heart in the Psalms (David C Cook, 2015).

Do we find Christ in the Psalms?

Some Christians find Jesus in almost every verse of the Old Testament. Others treat the Jewish Scriptures as their ancient beliefs that have little reference to Jesus. Is there are balanced position between these two extremes?

The main word for Jesus in the New Testament is the Christ. He is God’s anointed, the leader appointed by heaven for the earth. The Greek word christos translates the Hebrew word Messiah, meaning anointed. From the start, the New Testament introduces Jesus as the Messiah, the son of David (Matthew 1:1).

At the close of the Old Testament, God’s people were still waiting for a son of David (God’s anointed) to rule over them. The story was incomplete until the Messianic hope was fulfilled.

Then came a prophet announcing that the restoration of heaven’s reign was close (Matthew 3:2). John’s message was confirmed as Jesus proclaimed God’s good news. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Turn and trust the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15).

In time, Jesus’ disciples realized who he was: “You are the Anointed One” (Mark 8:28). The Christ is the son of David promised in the Psalms, the anointed king, restoring heaven’s reign to the earth.

So, will we find the Christ in the Psalms? He’s everywhere. He was “the David to come.” The promises God gave David all come back to life as God raises his anointed to reign.

That’s how the New Testament understands the Psalms. It quotes Psalms more than any other book.

So, what is the message in the Psalms?

A growing number of scholars recognize the theme of the Psalms as: the Lord reigns! Examples: Mark D. Futato, The Book of Psalms, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2009), 22.  James L. Mays, “The Centre of the Psalms” in Language, Theology, and the Bible (Oxford: Clarendon. 1994), 232-233.  J. Clinton McCaan, A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. (Nashville: Abingdon, 1993), 41-43.

That’s what we’re doing when we sing the Psalms: we’re “singing in the reign.” (Michael Barber Singing in the Reign: The Psalms and the Liturgy of God’s Kingdom. Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road Publishing, 2001).

Two introductory Psalms

Psalms 1 and 2 serve as an introduction to the whole Psalter. They reflect the relationship between the Lord and his people:

• Psalm 1: The Law of the Lord establishes the relationship between the Lord and his nation. That’s what the Sinai covenant did.
• Psalm 2: The reign of the Lord and his anointed identifies God’s nation among the nations of the earth. Heaven’s reign is present on earth in the Davidic king.

Psalm 1 is a “wisdom” Psalm. It calls God’s people to live as their heavenly sovereign has decreed for his nation.

Psalm 2 is a “royal” Psalm. It affirms the Lord’s anointed, calling the nations to recognize his authority.

The rest of the Psalms all flow out of this relationship between God has his people. Are you ready to dive into these two introductory Psalms?

We’ll explore these introductory psalms in our next two posts.

Related posts

• Formed in God’s Story: Psalms: the Psalms we’ll cover in this series.
• The Psalms in 5 minutes: Bible Project video
• Are the Psalms messianic?