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June 16, 2025

Bible Survey: Psalms

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Psalm 1 & 119

Psalms: Israel’s Hymnal & Prayer Book

Growing up, I remember listening to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 on the radio. This was obviously before the days of internet radio and music on demand. He would run down the top 40 songs on American radio, usually providing a story about each songwriter and song. As a kid, it gave me a greater appreciation for music. Thinking creatively, I wonder what a radio show like his might have sounded like if such a thing had existed in the days of King David, who was a prolific songwriter. I imagine Psalm 23 might have been a hit that stayed at the top of the charts for weeks. It’s no surprise, then, that the book of Psalms has remained a favorite for generations.

Like a timeless collection of greatest hits, the book of Psalms has been cherished by both Israel and the church throughout history. The range of emotions expressed in these psalms goes from joy to despair, and everything in between. They are also favored because the psalms demonstrate to the reader that, just like the writers, we can be honest with God in our prayers.

To read the psalms with greater insight, it may be helpful to know the different types or categories of psalms. Psalms of praise is the first category. Praise means to “be boastful.” One scholar said, “To praise God is to talk excitedly about Him to others.” A significant distinction might be helpful to address here: there is a difference between praise and thanksgiving. Praise is thought to worship, or ascribe worth to, God because of who He is, while thanksgiving is expressing gratitude for what God has done. To give you a flavor for these songs of praise, you may want to read Psalms 8, 19, 29, 30, 33, and 36–51.

Psalms of lament is the next category. These psalms implore God to intervene during a crisis. Psalms 3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 90, 123, and 137 are songs of lament.

The third category of psalms is called Messianic psalms. These psalms express hope in the anticipated coming of Messiah. Psalms 2, 18, 22, 36, 45, 68, 69, 86, 97, 102, and 110 all refer to Messiah.

The fourth category of psalms is called wisdom psalms. These are meant to provide instructions to the reader. Psalms 1, 10, 12, 15, 19, 32, 34, 36, 37, 49, 50, 52, 53, 73, 78, 82, 91, 94, 111,112, 119, 127, 128, and 139 all provide understanding to the reader.

The last category of psalms is called imprecatory prayers. These are prayers of the authors asking for God’s justice to prevail on earth (see Psalms 7, 35, 52, 58, 59, 69, 83, and 109).

Authorship and Date: The Psalms were written by several authors, including King David (who wrote 73 psalms), Asaph (12 psalms), the sons of Korah (10 psalms), Solomon (2 psalms), Heman (1 psalm), Ethan (1 psalm), and Moses (1 psalm). These songs were composed over a span of time ranging from the days of Moses (around 1440 B.C.) to the return from exile (around 430 B.C.).

Jesus in Psalms: There are several Messianic psalms that the New Testament authors quote and tie directly to Jesus of Nazareth. Take time this week to compare these psalms with passages in the New Testament: Psalm 16:10 – Mark 16:6–7; Psalm 22:1 – Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:7–8 – Luke 23:35; Psalm 22:16 – John 20:25, 27; Psalm 22:18 – Matthew 27:35–36; Psalm 34:20 – John 19:32–36; Psalm 35:19 – John 15:25; Psalm 69:9 – John 2:17; Psalm 69:21 – Matthew 27:34.

Application: Set aside 5–10 minutes of your day and praise God for who He is. If we aren’t careful, our prayer life can become a grocery list of things we ask God for. Don’t get me wrong, asking for things is part of prayer, but it’s also essential to consider how great our God is. To get you started, use Psalm 19 as a springboard to praise God.