Personal Reading & Reflection on Psalms

The book of Psalms is comprised of songs sung with musical accompaniment. The

Hebrew title (tehillim) mean “songs of praise”. Its 150 psalms contain not only

theological reflections but also the people of Israel’s response to God. They invite us to

express a broad range of human emotions in relation to God as Creator, Redeemer, King

and Warrior. As such, the Psalms have historically been valuable liturgical resources for

corporate prayers and worship. They have been gathered in separate collections attributed

to different authors. Some headings contain association to certain events and identified

with an author such as David, Asaph or the sons of Korah.

There are different types of psalms intended for different seasons in the life of Israel.

Some of them are laments which express individual or corporate grief and sorrow to the

Lord in the face of suffering, repentance or struggles (i.e. Psalm 3, 12, 22, 31, 44, 80 and

137). The honest laments and complaints took place in the context of trust in God. Such

examples encourage people who struggle with sorrow, doubt and suffering to press on in

faith and remind us that spiritual journey is not happy and clappy all the time.

There are thanksgiving psalms which express joy to the Lord in the face of good

circumstances or when God showed his protection, providence and faithfulness (18, 30,

32, 65, 67, 75 etc). Psalms of praise are focused on how great and gracious God is

towards his creation (Psalm 8, 19, 104) and his covenant people (Psalm 66, 100, 111).

The Hallelujah psalms such as the “Egyptian Hallel” (113 – 118) and the “Great Hallel”

(120 – 136) were probably used as pilgrimage songs while the concluding Hallel psalms

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(146 – 150) were part of daily prayers in synagogues after the destruction of the temple in

70 A.D.

Wisdom psalms (36, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, 128 and 133) extol the virtues of wisdom and

wise living along the lines of Proverbs. As a theocratic nation, royal psalms were used to

affirm God’s calling for the Davidic kingship (Psalm 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72 and 101). Some

may have been used as enthronement psalm that recognize the Lord’s reign over the

nation. There are also imprecatory psalms (i.e. 69, 88, 137) which express anger at the

wicked and call down divine judgment on them. In the face of evil, we are to channel our

anger to God as the judge and avenger who will bring about justice and retribution rather

than taking justice in our own hands.

The book of Psalms also played a significant role for the New Testament writers who

often quoted from it. For example, Psalm 2 is a royal psalm about the anointing and

enthronement of a Davidic king. The NT writers saw scriptural confirmation of Jesus as

the Messianic king and his reign. The conspiracy of Jews and Gentiles in the crucifixion

of Jesus is explained with it (Acts 4:25 – 28). Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the psalm.

For Christians, the book of Psalms functions as a precious liturgical resource for personal

devotion and corporate worship. They help us to honestly express a broad range of

human emotions in response to God in various seasons of life. Spiritual life encompasses

the whole of our being, the cognitive as well as the emotive. Modern church worship is

increasingly focused on the more celebrative expression of praise. We can be more

enriched if we draw on the full range of expressions found in the book of Psalms.