The Psalms are holy war songs. The Psalter is one big War Song with lots and lots of stanzas and verses, but they are divided into different situations and contexts so we can sing them accordingly. The Psalms are meant for times of distress, persecution, joy, and feast. But ultimately, they are what you sing before you go into battle. In God’s army everyone is a singer. Whether you sing high or low, the army of God is a singing army. In other words, you have no choice as a Christian but to sing God’s words to Him and to the world.- The Psalms are Imprecatory. The word “imprecatory” means in biblical language, to call upon God to bring judgment upon the wicked. For instance, Psalm 94 is an imprecatory Psalm. When you sing Psalm 94 you are saying either two things: a) that the wicked will perish and their plans/schemes are destroyed or b) that they will turn to Yahweh as their true King. The imprecatory psalms are offensive to the unbeliever. They want us to sing of the love of God, but they do not want judgment. But God reveals His love, but He most certainly also reveals His judgment.
- The Psalms are Corporate. You can sing them individually, but they were written to be sung corporately. For instance, the Israelites would go to Jerusalem for the feasts and as they ascended to Jerusalem they sang these psalms. The Psalms were sung as they went to worship and they were sung in worship.
- The Psalms are redemptive. The Psalms tell the story of the world. They tell the story of God’s world. The Psalms tell the story of our suffering and our victory.
- The Psalms are Christo-centric. All 150 psalms speak of Jesus Christ. The Psalmist, whether David or any other composer had the Messiah in mind. The Psalms speak of Christ and are fulfilled in Christ. When you sing the psalms you are singing of Christ.
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