Hey Church!
The book of Psalms is, for many, a favorite book of the Bible. It is an anthology of prayers and songs written over the span of 1,000 years of Israel’s history, so it grants us access to the thoughts and spiritual lives of King David, Moses, the sons of Korah, and other poets of the time. Thus, reading and re-reading the Psalms over a lifetime trains us to give God our thanksgiving, petitions, confessions, fears, and laments in a God-honoring way.
Watch this short video for an overview of the book’s structure and purpose:
Of the 283 direct quotes from the Old Testament in the New Testament, 116 (41%) are from the Psalter. Jesus alluded to the Psalms over fifty times. They were the mainstay of new-testament-era church worship for eighteen centuries until they were eventually replaced by what we know today as “traditional hymns.” Throughout the majority of the Church’s history, the prevailing conviction in the ministry of church music was faithfulness to the text of Scripture. No other writing besides that which was inspired by God Himself was deemed worthy.
To further elevate the importance of the scriptural text (and later, other sacred texts associated with the mass), the songs were sung to a unison melody (no harmony) with no instrumental accompaniment. This was the standard until the secular influence of polyphony (harmony) began to infiltrate the church, beginning with 9th-century organum and eventually becoming commonplace with the 14th-century motet. Up until that time, certain intervals, such as the major 3rd, were deemed “sinful” because they made the musical setting of the text excessively ornate. To put that in perspective, today the 3rd is one of the most fundamental intervals in virtually every song we use in worship.
The point I hope to make here is simply this: the Psalms are a priceless treasure that I hope a new generation of believers will recover as a central piece of corporate worship. I believe that we are an ever-changing people (generation to generation) serving a never-changing God and, therefore, it is perfectly appropriate and even encouraged to incorporate new expressions of praise and worship in our own native tongue and style. But I believe we have lost something valuable in our neglect of the Psalms in worship. For now, the best we can do is to read the Psalms devotionally and constantly. Make them a key part of your daily routine and let them shape a heart of David in you–one that is broken but genuine and devoted to God.
Your brother,
Ryan