Introduction to Book One of the Psalms

The Psalter (book of the Psalms) is a collection of Hebrew prayers, songs, and poems written over several centuries by various authors. Some of these psalms can be dated as early as the 10th century BC and some as late as the 5th century BC. The collection of psalms that we have in our Bibles today was probably compiled by Jewish scribes and religious leaders during the period after the rebuilding of the second Jewish temple.

Psalms have been used by God’s people throughout history for both public and private worship. Psalms would have been used for communal singing at the Jewish temple. When the temple was destroyed and the Jewish people were exiled to Babylon, they continued to be used as a resource to maintain worship practices in a foreign land. As the Jews spread throughout the Roman Empire, psalms were recited and particular psalms assigned each day in local synagogues.

The New Testament writers quote the Psalter more than any other Old Testament book and see many of psalms as prefiguring Jesus. In the early church psalms were used in worship liturgies and commentaries on the Psalter were written by Christian teachers. Even the Reformers stressed the importance of the use of psalms in corporate worship, and daily prayer books were developed that led individuals and families to pray through the Psalter on a regular basis (e.g. the Book of Common Prayer).

As poetry, psalms make heavy use of various literary techniques. You will find repetition, parallel ideas, symbolism, and metaphorical imagery. The imagery of psalms is an especially powerful technique used to conjure up certain thoughts and feelings amongst the ancient Israelites who would have been familiar with the ideas associated with the imagery. Most of this imagery comes from the stories in the Torah (hence the importance of meditating on the Torah to better understand the Psalter!). Many good study Bibles and resources like the Bible Project can familiarize you with this ancient imagery.

Using literary techniques and figurative language, psalms are able paint a picture of theological truths and lead readers into an imaginative seeing and feeling of transcendent realities. This is similar to the ways that our own modern songs and poems use imagery and metaphors to describe certain feelings and evoke ideas that may be difficult to express literally. Consider the powerful imagery of something like Psalm 40:2:

He brought me up from a desolate pit,
out of the muddy clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.

Imagery like this helps those who read and pray the Psalter to see beyond their circumstances to the greater reality of what God is up to in the world. It is good to sit with this imagery and to consider the variety of emotions it conjures up and the theological truths to which it points.

​As you read and pray through each psalm you will discover a variety of styles that express a variety of emotions. There are hymn-like psalms used to lead people into the praise of God (e.g. Pss 30 and 33). There are laments that express frustration with the brokenness in the world (e.g. Pss 6 and 12). There are psalms that focus on a particular subject matter: wisdom (Ps 1), creation (Ps 8), the royalty of God and his king (Ps 21), trust in God (Ps 23), penitence (Ps 51), the enthronement of God (Ps 99), judgment on enemies (Ps 109), and celebrations of God’s instruction in the Torah (Ps 119).

Ancient editors of Psalter have arranged it into five books. Each book emphasizes certain themes. These five books seem to be intentionally bookended by Psalms 1-2 and Psalms 146-150. Psalms 1-2 are like the gateway to the Psalter, inviting readers to meditate on two major themes found throughout: the wisdom of God and the kingship of God. Psalms 146-150 lead readers into an appropriate response to the theology of the Psalter, a life of total praise to God.

Books 1 and 2 of the Psalter are mostly Davidic psalms, some probably written by David himself and some by worship leaders who were inspired by him or channeling his voice in their writing. These first two collections of psalms end by reminding readers of the emphasis on King David: “…the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” (Ps 72:20)

With this theme of royalty, the theological emphasis in Book 1 of the Psalter is on God’s faithfulness to his king (e.g. Ps 3), the king’s faithfulness to the Torah (e.g. Ps 19), and the kingship of God over the nations (e.g. Ps 22:27-28).

As you meditate on the first book of the Psalter, consider how God has tasked humanity with being his royal representatives on earth, a responsibility that requires us to abide by God’s wisdom for living. Consider how the kings of Israel point forward to the greater King of Kings, Jesus, who perfectly embodies God’s expectations and who leads us into victory over humanity’s greatest enemy, sin and death. Finally, consider how these psalms lead us to trust in God’s ultimate authority over the all the affairs of history and the blessedness that comes through experiencing life in his kingdom.

​These daily meditations on God’s absolute kingship and humanity’s representative kingship should also shape our daily lifestyle and motivate us to reflect God’s calling on our lives in our circles of influence: to be people who put their hope in the King of Kings above all, people of graciousness and generosity who reflect God’s character, and people of integrity and truth who walk in God’s wisdom.

 - Pastor Brandon