The Use of Psalms by God's People

The Book of Praises

History and Canon of the Psalms

This book is a collection of 150 songs and prayers. 116 of these have titles. The titles range in description - such as that of Psalm 15 “A Psalm of David” and Psalm 60 “For the choir director: A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aramnaharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune ‘Lily of the Testimony”.

As a matter of canon, the titles assigned have been long considered to be authoritative as scripture and to be included in the actual text. Some scholars disagree but considering that the text of De 34:5-8

Deuteronomy 34:5–8 (KJV 1900)

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

are also included - and that Deuteronomy (along with the other 4 books of the Torah) are considered to be scriptural as well as from the very hand of Moses, delivered by The Most High God although he text itself describes his final demise.

As for dating the Psalms, the various works were composed over a very long period of time, spanning that of preexile, exile, and postexile. About a thousand years separate Ps 90 and Ps 137. When we read

Psalm 137 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps Upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; And they that wasted us required of us mirth, Saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; Who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee As thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh And dasheth thy little ones against the stones.”

we can’t help but to draw the conclusion that this was written with first-hand knowledge. The general thought is that Psalms was concluded sometime leading up to the 400 year period of silence or more commonly known as the “Inter-Testament Period”.

Audience and Use

In most instances, the audience tends to be Israel and the recipients of them were to be the singers and musicians of the Tabernacle at Shiloh and later, the Temple at Jerusalem. Their use would also be employed throughout Hebrew gatherings where the Psalter (typically a Levite) would sing or chant them.

The common thread throughout all of them seems to be that of praise - even when the dominant mood is that of sorrow, disillusion, and gloom. (Ps 10:1, Ps 13:1-3, Ps 22:1)

As for their use within the period of the New Testament...

Jesus spoke of them as prophecy in

Luke 20:42 “And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,”

lk 24:44 “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”

Additionally, the Psalms contained aspects of the Christian Dispensation through predictive prophecy...

Acts 1:20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.”

also in

Acts 13:33 “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”

Acts 13:35 “Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

We also see the use of the word Psalm as it relates to being used in corporate worship as worshippers are to sing songs of praise.

Ep 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”

Col 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Songs of praise are also to be used by Christians in the same manner that the Hebrews of old were to use them...

1 Cor 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”

James 5:13 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”