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 article will help make the Psalms more practical for the Christian.
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, context, usage and theme.
Note: The person referenced at the beginning of these Psalms may or may not be the author. It could also be for or regarding the person stated at the beginning.
| Person | Book 1 (1-41) |
Book 2 (42-72) |
Book 3 (73-89) |
Book 4 (90-106) |
Book5 (107-150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David (75) | 1-41 (all except 1, 2, 10, 33) | 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 70, 72 | 86, 89 | 101, 103 | 108, 109, 110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145 |
| Asaph (12) | 50 | 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83 | |||
| The Sons of Korah (11) | 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 | 84, 85, 87, 88 | |||
| Anonymous (49) | 1, 2, 10, 33 | 43, 66, 67, 71 | 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 104, 105, 106 | 107, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 123, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150 | |
| Miscellaneous (6) | 39- Jeduthun | 62- Jeduthun | 77- Jeduthun 89- Ethan |
90- Moses | 127- Solomon |
| Psalm | Context of Psalm | Other OT Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | When David fled Absalom | (2 Samuel 15:14) |
| 7 | Concerning Cush the Benajamite | (no other reference to Cush the Benjamite in the OT) |
| 18 | When David was delivered from Saul | several instances in 1 Samuel |
| 34 | When David feigned madness before Abimelech | 1 Samuel 21:13 |
| 51 | When David was rebuked by Nathan for the Bathsheba incident | 2 Samuel 12:1 |
| 52 | When Doeg the Edomite betrayed David to Saul | 1 Samuel 22:9 |
| 54 | When the Ziphites betrayed David to Saul | 1 Samuel 23:19 |
| 56 | When the Philistines seized David at Gath | 1 Samuel 21:12 |
| 57 | When David fled from Saul in a cave | two possibilities: 1 Samuel 22:1, 24:3 |
| 59 | When Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him | 1 Samuel 19:11 |
| 60 | When David killed Edomites in the Valley of Salt | 2 Samuel 8:13, cf. 1 Chronicles 18:12 |
| 63 | When David was in the wilderness of Judah | perhaps 1 Samuel 23:14 |
| 142 | When David was in a cave | 1 Samuel 24:3 |
| 74, 79, 106, 126, 137 | Post-exilic |
The introductions to the Psalms (as well as some of the internal evidence) sometimes indicate what that Psalm might have been intended for. For example, the following uses are identified:
Per the research of Gunkel (discussed by LaSor et. al), some particular Psalms were intended for particular uses:
The following chart references the major themes of the psalms and which specific psalms address those themes. All psalms appear at least once below, but some may appear more than once. This table is not intended to be restrictive or exclusive, but simply a reference to help one read or pray through Psalms that fit the whatever situation one finds himself in.
| Person | Book 1 (1-41) |
Book 2 (42-72) |
Book 3 (73-89) |
Book 4 (90-106) |
Book5 (107-150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Blessed Man, The Righteous Man | 1, 4, 5,11, 15, 17, 23, 24, 26, 32, 34, 37, 40, 41 | 50, 52, 65 | 84 | 91, 92, 94, 97, 101 | 112, 119, 127, 128, 133, 145, 146 |
| The Wicked Man, The Nations | 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 36, 37 | 49, 50 52, 53, 55, 58, 64 | 73, 75, 82 | 94 | 107, 109, 112, 119, 129, 146, 147 |
| Meditation | 1, 4, 19, 23, 25, 27, 37, 38, 39 | 42, 43, 49, 51, 55, 57, 61, 62, 63, 66, 69 | 73, 74, 77, 81, 84, 86, 88 | 90, 91, 95, 101, 103, 104, 105 | 116, 118, 119, 121, 123, 130, 131, 137, 138, 139, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146 |
| The Law, The Word of the Lord | 1, 12, 19 | 81 | 105 | 119, 147 | |
| The Son, The Anointed One, The King, David | 2, 16, 18, 21 | 45, 61, 72 | 78, 89 | 110, 122, 132, 144 | |
| Deliverance From Adversaries, Intercession for the Righteous | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 31, 35, 38, 40 | 42, 43, 44, 48, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 64, 67, 69, 70, 71 | 74, 79, 80, 82, 83, 85, 86, 89 | 90, 94, 102, 106 | 108, 109, 119, 120, 122, 125, 128, 134, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144 |
| Chronicle of God's Acts, Thanks for Deliverance, Praise of God, God's Glory | 8, 19, 24, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 40 | 44, 46, 47, 57, 65, 66, 67, 68 | 75, 76, 78, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89 | 90, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102, 104, 105, 106 | 107, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 124, 126, 129, 134, 135, 136, 138, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150 |
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, the above subject index of the Psalms can help us seek God and pray to Him whatever our situation.
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
The Psalms in the New Testament, (Taken from The Greek New Testament, Aland et. al., Third Edition, United Bible Societies, 1983):
| Psalm | NT Reference |
|---|---|
| 2:1-2 | Acts 4:25-26 |
| 2:7 | Acts 13:33 |
| 2:7 | Hebrews 1:5 Hebrews 5:5 |
| 4:4 | Ephesians 4:26 |
| 5:9 | Romans 3:13 |
| 8:3 | Matthew 21:16 |
| 8:4-6 | Hebrews 2:6-8 |
| 8:6 | 1 Corinthians 15:27 |
| 10:7 | Romans 3:14 |
| 14:1-3 | Romans 3:10-12 |
| 16:8-11 | Acts 2:25-28 |
| 16:10 | Acts 2:31 Acts 13:35 |
| 18:49 | Romans 15:9 |
| 19:4 | Romans 10:18 |
| 22:1 | Matthew 27:46 Mark 15:34 |
| 22:18 | John 19:24 |
| 22:22 | Hebrews 2:12 |
| 24:1 | 1 Corinthians 10:26 |
| 31:5 | Luke 23:46 |
| 32:1-2 | Romans 4:7-8 |
| 34:12-16 | 1 Peter 3:10-12 |
| 35:19 | John 15:25 |
| 36:1 | Romans 3:18 |
| 40:6-8 | Hebrews 10:5-7 |
| 41:9 | John 13:18 |
| 44:22 | Romans 8:36 |
| 45:6-7 | Hebrews 1:8-9 |
| 51:4 | Romans 3:4 |
| 53:1-3 | Romans 3:10-12 |
| 68:18 | Ephesians 4:8 |
| 69:4 | John 15:25 |
| 69:9 | John 2:17 Romans 15:3 |
| 69:22-23 | Romans 11:9-10 |
| 69:25 | Acts 1:20 |
| 78:2 | Matthew 13:35 |
| 78:24 | John 6:31 |
| 82:6 | John 10:34 |
| 89:20 | Acts 13:22 |
| 91:11-12 | Matthew 4:6 Luke 4:10-11 |
| 94:11 | 1 Corinthians 3:20 |
| 95:7-8 | Hebrews 3:15 Hebrews 4:7 |
| 95:7-11 | Hebrews 3:7-11 |
| 95:11 | Hebrews 4:3,5 |
| 102:25-27 | Hebrews 1:10-12 |
| 104:4 | Hebrews 1:7 |
| 109:8 | Acts 1:20 |
| 110:1 | Matthew 22:44 Matthew 26:64 Mark 12:36 Mark 14:62 Luke 20:42-43 Luke 22:69 Acts 2:34-35 Hebrews 1:13 |
| 110:4 | Hebrews 5:6 Hebrews 7:17,21 |
| 112:9 | 2 Corinthians 9:9 |
| 116:10 | 2 Corinthians 4:13 |
| 117:1 | Romans 15:11 |
| 118:6 | Hebrews 13:6 |
| 118:22 | Luke 20:17 Acts 4:11 1 Peter 2:7 |
| 118:22-23 | Matthew 21:42 Mark 12:10-11 |
| 118:25-26 | Matthew 21:9 Mark 11:9-10 John 12:13 |
| 118:26 | Matthew 23:39 Luke 13:35 Luke 19:38 |
| 132:11 | Acts 2:30 |
| 140:3 | Romans 3:13 |
Concerning God
Concerning Godliness
Concerning Sin
Concerning Jewish History
Concerning The Messiah
Christians today ought to be far more familiar with the Psalms than they typically are. To start with, Jesus and the early Christians were fluent in the Psalms, and that familiarity allowed them ready understanding how of Jesus and the early church fulfilled things spoken of in the Psalms. They had no "New Testament" yet; the Psalms were a key part of their framework of understanding Jesus and the Christian age.
Jesus and the early Christians also 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 they 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). We can be inspired by the biblical Psalms to write new psalms of praise to God in our day.
The Psalms hold a treasure-trove of blessings for Christians today-- whether to guide their understanding of Jesus and the church age or to provide a means of relating to God through the various seasons and challenges of life.
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalms 106:1)