Psalms: God's Songbook

The book of Psalms is God's songbook, called Sefer Tehillim --Book of Praises-- in the Hebrew Bible. Psalms is a collection of 150 psalms, hymns and odes -often collectively called -psalms-- divided into five books comprising the -praise of Yahweh- -e.g., Hallelujah-. Many authors contribute to the Book of Psalms, but the principal writer is David. As God's anointed king, David was the model worship leader of God's people. But he is also the type and foreshadow of Jesus Christ. The New Testament writers argue that Jesus is the ultimate worship leader and the focal point and climax of the Psalms. For example, the writer of Hebrews shows that psalms addressed to the LORD --Yahweh-- or God's Anointed --the Messiah-- are speaking to Jesus -e.g., Heb. 1-5, 8-9, 10-12, 13 in reference to Ps. 2-7- 45-6-7- 102-25-27- 110-1-. Likewise, the writer shows that Jesus speaks to us through the voice of the psalmist -cf. Heb. 2-12- with ref. to Ps. 22-22-. While the Book of Psalms is a collection of God's ordained songwriters, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate author, and the Holy Spirit spoke through the psalmists to declare the glories of Christ -e.g., Acts 1-16- 4-25-. Though often neglected and sidelined in churches today, the people of God in all ages have sung the psalms as the words of Christ. Paul himself, pointing to the three principal types of Psalms in the Greek OT -psalms, hymns, and odes-, urges the church to -let the word of Christ dwell in you richly- by singing them -Col. 3-16- cf. Eph 5-19-. When we sing the Psalms, we sing the gospel-