The Psalms: Essential to the Church

Like many, my personal experience with the Book of Psalms has been limited in appreciation and understanding; I have historically sought out the Psalms only when I wanted to feel better about something.  But each psalm and the collective are so much more.  At the fundamental levels, the Psalms are precious to the Church, and Christ is at the center of them.  In this blog, I will attempt to articulate the essential nature of the Psalms to the Church.  In a subsequent blog, I will examine the Christ-centered nature of the Psalms.

Clearly, the Apostle Paul understood the importance of the Psalms. As he penned God’s word, he assumed that all churches would engage them.  Writing to the church in Ephesus, he stated, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and being subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (Eph. 5:18-21).”

Additionally, in Colossians, Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God (Colossians 3:16)."

When Paul spoke of “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,” what would the Church in his day be thinking of?  The most significant background for many words in the New Testament is how they were used in the Greek Septuagint.  The Greek word for "psalms," ψαλμός (psalmos), meaning the plucking of a string, most often refers to the Book of Psalms in the Septuagint's text.  Apart from Paul’s use of the word in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16, psalmos occurs four times in the New Testament.  In Luke 20:42, Jesus speaks of the “Book of Psalms”, and in Luke 24:44, he speaks of “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms,” which means the Psalms. The Book of Psalms is also mentioned in Acts 1:20 and Acts 13:33. 

Interestingly, the word hymns (hymnos) has a dominant association with the Old Testament book of Psalms.  Likewise, the word translated song (from which we get the English word ode) is overwhelmingly linked with the Book of Psalms in the Septuagint. Finally, the adjective spiritual, taken in its complete sense, means “from the Spirit.”  Paul wants to ensure that his readers understand the songs are inspired by the Holy Spirit. 

So, weighing this evidence, the natural conclusion is to understand Paul is referring to the Book of Psalms in his phrase, “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” This is awesome to digest and think about!

Blessings for the Church

Furthermore, upon closer examination of Ephesians 5:18-20, Paul states, “Do not get drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit.”  The Psalms are linked to the filling of the Holy Spirit. As such, the Psalms do several things for us--they promote a godly life, and they instruct us to pray and praise.  But most importantly, the Psalms are an aggregate of the entire message of Scripture.

One aspect of the Psalms that I surely appreciate is how they promote our devotion to God. This was articulated well by John Calvin.  He stated, “It is a thing most expedient for the edification of the church to sing some psalms in the form of public prayers by which one prays to God or sings His praises so that the hearts of all may be aroused and stimulated to make similar prayers and to render similar praises and thanks to God with a common love…The Psalms stimulate us to raise our hearts to God and around us to an ardor in invoking as well as exalting with praises the glory of His name.”

The Psalms, by God's intention, should be a part of our reading and worship within the Church. Undoubtedly, God gives us an abundance of blessings in His word. May we praise Yahweh through the Psalms!

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Psalm 150 (Legacy Standard Bible)

Praise Him, Praise Yah!

Praise Yah! Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet blast;

Praise Him with harp and lyre.

Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

Praise Him with resounding cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise Yah.

Praise Yah!