Psalms Introduction
These series of “Psalm” posts are presented to encourage us to meditate on the Psalm during the week.
Meditation means reading the Psalm each day, studying the words that God the Holy Spirit inspired, directing our thoughts to apply the words to Christ Jesus and His salvation, and considering how the words apply to our faith and Christian life.
The Book of Psalms is the hymn-book of the Old Testament believers. They were spoken or sung in the worship services at the Temple and sung by pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Atonement.
They are Hebrew poetry, where the words do not have meter or rhyme, but they hold a “rhyme” of thought, either a restatement, or a building on a thought, or introducing a contrary thought.
Many of the Psalms are songs of praise to God for His blessings. For believers are to trust that God will help them in every need.
The Psalms also express the heart-felt sorrows and concerns of believers who live in a wicked world. At times, the Psalms deal with the anguish that believers have when it seems as if God is not hearing their prayers. However, the Psalms almost always have a section in which believers are urged to trust in God who delivers them from all evil. Other psalms are “Penitential Psalms” expressing heart-felt sorrow over one’s sins and the joy of God’s forgiveness. The psalms also give us an answer to our thoughts as they direct our hearts to God and His mercy and salvation.
Martin Luther understood that all the Psalms preach about Christ, either implicitly or directly. There are many Christological psalms that apply to Jesus Christ alone, such as Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 23, and 118.
Next week: Psalm 8