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All things work together….
Count it all joy……
For I know the plans…
The Lord is my shepherd…
Do not be conformed…
I can do all things…
Do not be anxious…
Seek first…
Cast all your anxiety…
Fear not, for I am with you…
Be strong and courageous…
Whoever dwells in the shelter…
Read this 4-minute introduction to help you find your bearings in the Bible story, and be inspired to read Psalms!
This overview video illustrates for us the literary design of the book of Psalms using creative animations.
Book of Psalms Summary: A Complete Animated Overview is copyright 2015 by BibleProject and is available for viewing at www.bibleproject.com.
This compelling dramatization of the book of Psalms introduces us to the main theme of the book and how it points to Jesus through spoken word poetry.
This video was originally published by Spoken Gospel on their YouTube Channel.
This video is part of the series, The Gospel One Chapter at a Time, where Paul David Tripp summarizes each book of the Bible and shows how it points us to Jesus.
This video was originally published by Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc. on their YouTube Channel.
Ligon Duncan, speaking at the “Sing” Conference will inspire you to pick up the book of Psalms and read. He will ignite your heart’s desire to get to know the God who speaks through this book!
This video was originally published by Getty Music on their YouTube Channel.
Dane Ortlund helps us consider what a treasure God gave us in the book of Psalms out of his kind heart.
This video was originally published by Crossway on their Vimeo Channel.
In this short video, John Piper encourages us that the book of Psalms is a book of the Bible that is always relevant to our lives, no matter what we are experiencing.
By John Piper. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org
In this video, John Piper passionately shows us why the Psalms are such a precious gift and what they reveal to us about our emotional lives as Christians.
By John Piper. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org
One hundred and sixteen of the psalms have titles. According to those titles, David is the most common author: he appears in 73 titles, and the New Testament adds two more (Acts 4:25 for Psalm 2; and Hebrews 4:7 for Psalm 95). Other authors include the Sons of Korah (11 psalms), Asaph (12 psalms), Solomon (possibly two psalms), and Moses (one). Other psalms do not identify the author at all.
—Douglas Sean O’Donnell
Source: Content taken from Psalms: A 12-Week Study © 2015 by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
From Bibles.net: Remember that the ultimate author of every book of the Bible is the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). He has written this book to equip you for life, to help you know the true God, and to give you hope (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). The Holy Spirit wrote Psalms for your good and to lead you into joy.
The individual psalms come from diverse periods of Israel’s history: from the time of Moses (15th or 13th century BC), to that of David and Solomon (10th century), down to exilic and postexilic times (e.g., Psalm 137).
—Douglas Sean O’Donnell
Source: Content taken from Psalms: A 12-Week Study © 2015 by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
For a number of David’s psalms we are given the context for the penning of a particular psalm (e.g., Psalm 3 was written after David fled from and then battled Absalom, see 2 Samuel 15–17). However, the historical context of most of the psalms is unknown or vague, which allows for an elastic application for every reader at all times everywhere.
—Douglas Sean O’Donnell
Source: Content taken from Psalms: A 12-Week Study © 2015 by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Unless otherwise indicated, this content is adapted from the ESV Global Study Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2012 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Psalms by Various Pastors
This phenomenal 8-part message series by pastors Chris Colquitt, Philip Ryken, Donald Limmer, and Dane Ortlund will introduce you to each type of psalm we find in the book of Psalms. Listening to this message series will nourish your soul and bolster your confidence in the good character of God.
Dwell is the best Bible listening app around. Use the link below to get 50% off their subscription price.
As you read through Psalms, you might come across words and ideas that are foreign to you. Here are a few definitions you will want to know! Note that this dictionary was created for the New International Version (NIV) Bible.
A place where sacrifices were made to worship God. An altar could be a pile of dirt or stones, or a raised platform of wood, marble, metal, or other materials. The bronze or brazen altar was used for burnt offerings in the tabernacle’s courtyard. It was a large box, eight feet square and four-and-a-half feet high, made of wood covered with bronze. A much larger altar replaced it when Solomon built the temple. The altar of incense (also called the golden altar) was smaller, covered with gold, and placed just in front of the veil to the Holy of Holies. Every day, both morning and evening, incense was burned here, symbolizing the prayers of the people.
Heavenly beings created by God before he created Adam and Eve. Angels act as God’s messengers to men and women. They also worship God.
To pour oil on a person or thing. A person was anointed to show that God had chosen him or her to do a special job. Samuel anointed David to show that God had chosen him to be king.
To praise or make holy. The word bless is used in different ways in the Bible: (1) When God blesses, he brings salvation and prosperity and shows mercy and kindness to people. (2) When people bless, they (a) bring salvation and prosperity to other persons or groups; (b) they praise and worship and thank God; (c) they give good things or show kindness to others.
A sacrifice, or gift, to God that was burned on an altar. The offering was a perfect animal, such as a goat, sheep, lamb, or ram. Burnt offerings were always given for cleansing, or atonement, for sins.
An agreement. In the ancient Near East, sometimes covenants were made between two people or groups of people. Both sides decided what the agreement would be. However, in the Bible, the word usually refers to agreements between God and people, when God decides what will be done and the people agree to live by the covenant. The old covenant of law set standards of behavior in order to please God. The new covenant of grace presents God’s forgiveness based on faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Always loyal and trustworthy. God is faithful. We can always trust him to do whatever he has promised. We are also to be faithful in doing what is right.
To be afraid of something or someone. The Bible often uses the word fear to describe the sense of respect or awe that sinful people (and we are all sinful, according to Romans 3:23) should have for God because of his perfection, sovereignty, and holiness.
A decision of the will to stop feeling angry and to stop blaming a person for something wrong he or she has done; to be friends again. God forgives everyone who repents of his or her sins and believes that Jesus died to take the punishment for his or her sins. When God forgives a person, God forgets the person’s sins forever. God instructs Christians to forgive each other in the same way he has forgiven them.
To leave, to go away from; to leave completely alone.
(1) Great beauty, splendor, honor, or magnificence that can be seen or sensed. The Israelites saw the glory of the Lord in the cloud that filled the tabernacle. The shepherds saw the glory of the Lord when the angels told them Jesus had been born. (2) To praise; to be proud or happy; to boast.
Pure; set apart; belonging to God. God is holy. He is perfect and without sin. Jesus is holy too. He is without sin and dedicated to doing what God wants. Because Jesus died to take the punishment for sin and then rose again, people who believe in him have the power to be holy too. God helps them to become more and more pure and loving, like Jesus.
Money, property, or traditions received from another person. Often a person receives an inheritance after another person’s death. The Bible tells us that everything that is God’s belongs to Jesus Christ. By his death on the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to share his inheritance with him.
(1) All the rules God gave to help people to know and love him and to live happily with each other. The Ten Commandments are part of God’s law. (2) The first five books of the Bible. These five books are often called the Law. (3) The entire Old Testament. Sometimes the Old Testament is referred to as the Law. (4) Any rule that must be obeyed, whether it was decided by God or by people. (5) God’s rules in the Old Testament plus other rules added by Jewish religious leaders. (6) The conscience of an unbeliever who knows he or she has not followed his or her own moral code (see Romans 2:14-16).
Showing more love or kindness to people than they expect or deserve.
A Hebrew song or poem. A psalm usually praises God or tells the deep feelings of God’s people. The Bible book of Psalms is made up of many Hebrew songs and poems.
To correct someone sternly; to scold someone.
A place of safety, away from danger; a shelter.
Thinking and doing what is correct (or right) and holy. God is righteous because he does only what is perfect and holy. A person who has accepted Jesus as Savior is looked at by God as being free from the guilt of sin, so God sees that person as being righteous. People who are members of God’s family show their love for him by doing what is correct and holy, living in righteous ways.
A gift or offering given to God. A sacrifice usually involved killing an animal to pay for sin. The New Testament tells us that Jesus died as the once-for-all sacrifice for sinners and that no further sacrifices for sin are necessary.
(1) To be rescued (or delivered) from evil. (2) To be kept from danger or death. In the New Testament, salvation usually means to be rescued from the guilt and power of sin. By his death and resurrection, Jesus brings salvation to people who believe in him.
Having authority and power over everything. God is sovereign.
The permanent place in Jerusalem where the Jews worshiped God. The first temple was built by King Solomon and the people by following the instructions God had given Solomon’s father, King David. The temple was a very beautiful place. It was destroyed and rebuilt twice. In AD 64, the temple was destroyed again but was not rebuilt.
A promise, usually made to God.
Very great anger.
(1) One of the hills on which the city of Jerusalem was built (Mount Zion). (2) The entire city of Jerusalem. (3) Another name for the nation of Israel. (4) Another name for heaven.
Dictionary Source
This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
We have found answers to some tough questions that we anticipate may arise as you read Psalms. We know we can’t answer every question you will have; therefore, we have written this article, so you know how to find answers for your kids: How Do I Answer Tough Questions About the Bible?
The following insights are from pastors and scholars who have spent significant time studying the book of Psalms.
The Psalms are often called “the heart of the Old Testament.” This is not only because if you open your Bible to the middle (the “heart” of it), you will likely open to a psalm, but also because it works on our hearts. John Calvin said of the Psalms, “I have been wont to call this book not inappropriately, an anatomy of all parts of the soul; for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror.” The Psalms is a collection of 150 poems that express a wide variety of emotions, including: love and adoration toward God, sorrow over sin, dependence on God in desperate circumstances, the battle of fear and trust, walking with God even when the way seems dark, thankfulness for God’s care, devotion to the word of God, and confidence in the eventual triumph of God’s purposes in the world. From tearful laments to triumphant thanksgivings, these expressions of emotion serve as patterns to shape the emotions and actions of the godly of every age.
—Douglas Sean O’Donnell
Source: Content taken from Psalms: A 12-Week Study © 2015 by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Jesus taught us to read our Bibles with him in mind—“everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44 ESV). “The Psalms” or “the Writings,” which includes the book of Psalms and other books, bear witness to Jesus (John 5:39) and can “make [us] wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15 ESV). The Psalms are quoted by the New Testament authors more than any other Old Testament book. When Paul quotes from the Old Testament, one-fifth of his citations are from the Psalms. And in Paul’s sermons in Acts, he often quotes from the Psalms.
—Douglas Sean O’Donnell
Source: Content taken from Psalms: A 12-Week Study © 2015 by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
In Hebrew poetry the most distinctive and pervasive organizing form of poetic art is parallelism. The three principal kinds are synonymous, antithetic, and synthetic. In a synonymous parallel the second half-line is identical or similar to the first. In an antithetic parallel the second half-line is opposite the first. In a synthetic parallel the second half-line imitates but also adds to the first. All three forms carry forth the thought of the first. Look at Psalms 3:1; 7:10; and 18:27. These are three examples of the three types of parallelisms—synonymous (echoes), antithetic (contrasts), and synthetic (completes).
—Douglas Sean O’Donnell
Source: Content taken from Psalms: A 12-Week Study © 2015 by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Psalms show us how to express our varied feelings; but, more than that, they reorder our disordered affections so that we feel deeper desires for what we ought to desire, more urgent aversion to that from which we need to flee, and a greater longing for the honor of God in the health of Christ’s church. The Psalms form within us a richer palette of rightly directed emotions. It is not so much that the Psalms resonate with us as they shape us so that we most deeply resonate with the God-given yearnings they so movingly express.
—Christopher Ash
Source: Psalms for You in the God’s Word for You Series by Christopher Ash, copyright 2020 by The Good Book Company, used by kind permission.
There are different voices in the Psalms. Sometimes we hear a voice of authority speaking “down” to us from God on high. At other times we hear a human being speaking “upwards” to God on high, speaking by the Spirit of God who is the Spirit of Christ. And then again we sometimes hear the people of God speaking together, in prayer or praise, or to one another.
—Christopher Ash
Source: Psalms for You in the God’s Word for You Series by Christopher Ash, copyright 2020 by The Good Book Company, used by kind permission.
The Psalms are unlike any other portion of Scripture. This is the one book of the Bible written to God. We are taught in many other places in Scripture how to pray. Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15). Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV). But the Psalms are themselves prayers. In this way the Psalms are uniquely suited to foster communion with God. The Psalms give voice to our hearts.
—Dane Ortlund
Source: Content taken from In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions Through the Psalms © 2021 by Dane Ortlund. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
God is behind everything. This is the great difference between the Psalms of Scripture and the laments, complaints, and sorrows of the world. For the psalmists, God is a rock-solid, unshakeable, undeniable, omnipotent Reality. Their emotional experiences get their meaning not by denying him or his power or his wisdom, but by dealing with him as he is: absolutely sovereign. “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” (Psalm 135:6 ESV). This was the psalmists’ unshakeable conviction—all of them: “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3 ESV). … If God is God, then all emotional life is lived in his presence. He makes sense of it. Or there is no sense.
This is an invitation. God wants our hearts. He will take them as he finds them. And then, with the healing balm of the Psalms, he will shape them. Accept his invitation to come. On the front door, he has promised, Enter here. Find your delight in lingering here in meditation.
—John Piper
Source: By John Piper. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org. Quoted from his article “God Wants to Shape Your Wants.”
The book of Psalms begins with the word “blessed.” This word is multiplied many times over in this book. The book seems to be built around this first word. Probably no other book has so largely influenced turning points in people’s lives, given expression to their deepest experiences and woven itself into every fiber of their characters.
Hold your Bible in your hand and turn to the middle of the book. Most often you will open to the book of Psalms. Not merely is this true physically, but it also signifies a deeper truth: The psalms are central in human experience.
This book has been and still is used by Hebrews and Christians alike. Many of the psalms were, in fact, specifically meant to be used in the temple. They were all written to reflect the heart of the worshiper of God; and they are for all who are in need: the sick and suffering, the poor and needy, the prisoner and exile, the person in danger, the persecuted. Or, if you have an abounding joy, the words are there for you, too. When you find yourself in deep need, you can always find a psalm that expresses your inner-most feeling.
The book of Psalms is for the sinner, telling him or her of God’s great mercy and forgiveness. It is a book for the child of God, leading him or her into new experiences with the Lord. It is a book that tells of God’s perfect law and pronounces blessings upon the one who will keep it.
—Henrietta Mears
This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Psalms teach us why singing is important, showing us what to sing about, each song like a diamond revealing the many facets of God’s character. Worship comes as a response to the revelation of God, and he has revealed himself to us in different ways.
—Kristyn Getty
Source: Content adapted from the ESV Women’s Study Bible. This article first appeared on Crossway.org; used with permission.
The Psalms are much more than poetry. Many of them bear the title, Maskil, or teaching psalm. They are thus intended to instruct the mind as well as to encourage the heart. They are designed not only to reflect a mood, but to show us also how to handle that mood; how to escape from depression or how to balance exaltation with wisdom.
—Ray Stedman
Source: Stedman, Ray C. Folk Psalms of the Faith. Regal Books, 1973. Quote retrieved from AZ Quotes at azquotes.com.
An imprecation is a curse that invokes misfortune upon someone. Imprecatory psalms are those in which the author imprecates; that is, he calls down calamity, destruction, and God’s anger and judgment on his enemies. This type of psalm is found throughout the book. The major imprecatory psalms are Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, and 140.
—Got Questions
Source: “What Are the Imprecatory Psalms?,” Got Questions Ministries, accessed May 25, 2023, [https://www.gotquestions.org/imprecatory-psalms.html]
These prayers are emotional. The psalmists didn’t just say they were suffering; they sought words describing their distress. Their words help us feel their anguish, countering our tendency to think our suffering is unique. Even if we don’t find our exact griefs in the psalms, we find anguish at least as deep…these petitioners risked theological incorrectness in order to give breath to their true feelings: “Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever” (Psalm 44:23 NLT; cf. 35:22–23).
They dared such transparency because they knew that God knew what was festering in their hearts (see Psalm 44:21; 139:1–4; cf. Hebrews 4:13). They knew they would damage their relationships with him by trying to hide the truth (see Psalm 32:1–6), so they spoke what they felt—and thus they coach us to keep calling on God, to keep addressing him, even if that means complaining or protesting. In short, we must keep breathing.
This shows that biblical faith is not mere mindless acquiescence. Read Psalms 44, 88, and 89, noting how bleakly each ends. These psalmists expressed their sorrows, perplexities, and complaints to God as honestly as they could. Their faith inspired them to be remarkably free in baring their hearts to him. These laments—along with others scattered throughout the Old Testament—should encourage us to do the same.
Yet we are not only free to bare our hearts to God when we are suffering; we need to cry out to him. God promises to answer when we call (see Psalm 50:15; 91:15). As David learned, even well-intended silence can make things worse (see Psalm 39, especially vv. 1–3, 9–13). We need to be thorough and tell God all our troubles (see Psalm 142:1–2, 5–7 NLT).
—Mark Talbot
Source: Content adapted from When the Stars Disappear © 2020 by Mark Talbot. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
I want to persuade you that Jesus Christ is the sum and substance of the Psalms, that Jesus Christ is the subject and singer of the Psalms, that the true meaning of the Psalms is found in him and that only those in Christ can sing, speak, pray the Psalms in a way that respect their true and original meaning.
—Christopher Ash
Source: Christopher Ash, quoted from his video “Christopher Ash – How Can Christians Sing the Psalms? | Gheens Lecture 1.” YouTube video. Posted by “Southern Seminary,” September 18, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWbX20ePo1U.
Discover music inspired by the message and content of the book of Psalms.
Normally, we give you a playlist of several songs inspired by each book of the Bible. But Psalms is called the “songbook of the Bible,” and there are so many more songs inspired by the Psalms than maybe any other book of the Bible. So, we put together a playlist that includes a song for every Psalm! We thought it deserved it’s own page, so check it out through the link below.