The Book of Psalms
What Is The Book Of Psalms About?
The Psalms are the inspired songbook and prayer book of God's covenant people — 150 Spirit-breathed poems in which God teaches His church how to praise, lament, repent, trust, and hope in Him. Spanning roughly a thousand years and many authors, they give voice to the whole life of faith and point, again and again, to the coming Christ — King, Priest, Shepherd, and suffering Savior.
Last updated: June 2026
The Book of Psalms serves as the inspired hymnbook of Israel and the enduring prayer book of the church. John Calvin aptly described it as "an anatomy of all the parts of the soul," because there is no human emotion—from the highest peaks of adoring praise to the deepest valleys of agonizing lament—that is not represented in its pages. These sermons explore how to worship God honestly in the midst of suffering, how to delight in His majestic law, and ultimately, how every song points to the true and greater Singer of the Psalms, Jesus Christ.
Who Wrote The Psalms?
While King David is the most prolific contributor, penning at least 73 of the 150 psalms, the collection is actually a compilation spanning nearly a thousand years of redemptive history—from Moses in the wilderness to the exiles returning from Babylon. Other inspired authors include Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Heman, and Ethan, alongside numerous anonymous contributors. The book was meticulously organized into five distinct "books" (likely mirroring the five books of the Pentateuch) to guide the corporate worship of the second temple period.
What Are The Primary Themes?
The Messianic King: The Psalms repeatedly prophesy the coming of Christ, His suffering, His resurrection, and His ultimate, sovereign rule over the nations:
"Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him." (Psalm 2:11-12, NKJV)The Sufficiency of Scripture: A profound delight in the law (Torah) of God, which revives the soul, makes wise the simple, and serves as a lamp to the believer's feet (prominently featured in Psalms 1, 19, and 119).
Lament and Divine Sovereignty: The psalms give believers a vocabulary for sorrow. They teach that true faith does not ignore pain, but brings it directly to a sovereign God, consistently turning the worshiper from despair back to a declaration of trust in God's steadfast love and absolute authority.
No book of Scripture has shaped Reformed worship and piety more deeply than the Psalms, and the Westminster Standards reflect this at many points. The messianic psalms stand behind WCF Chapter 8 (Of Christ the Mediator), which confesses the Son as the eternal King and Priest that Psalms 2 and 110 foretell. The Psalter's constant witness to God's rule — "Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases" (Psalm 115:3) — undergirds WCF Chapters 3 and 5 on God's eternal decree and providence, while Psalm 139 informs the same chapters' teaching on His omniscience and our creation. David's confession in Psalm 51 is a model of the repentance unto life confessed in WCF Chapter 15. Above all, the Psalms shape WCF Chapter 21 (Of Religious Worship), which names "the singing of psalms with grace in the heart" as an ordinary part of worship governed by the regulative principle — that God is to be worshiped only in the way He has appointed in His Word. To pray the Psalms with the Standards is to learn worship from God Himself.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Book Of Psalms
What is the book of Psalms about?
The Psalms are a collection of 150 inspired songs and prayers that express the full range of the life of faith — praise, lament, thanksgiving, repentance, trust, and hope in God. They teach God's people how to worship and pray, reveal His character and covenant faithfulness, and point forward to the Messiah. Reformed Christians have long treasured the Psalter as both a hymnbook and a school of prayer.
Who wrote the book of Psalms?
The Psalms had many authors writing over roughly a thousand years. David wrote about half (73 are attributed to him); other named authors include Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon, Moses (Psalm 90), Heman, and Ethan, with a number of psalms left anonymous. The collection was gathered into its final form of five books under the Spirit's inspiration.
What is a psalm, and what are the main types?
A psalm is a sacred poem meant to be sung or prayed in worship. Scholars group the psalms into several genres: laments (cries for help), psalms of thanksgiving and praise, royal psalms (about the king), wisdom psalms, imprecatory psalms (calling for God's justice), and messianic psalms that point to Christ. Many psalms blend more than one type.
What are the messianic psalms?
Messianic psalms are those that prophesy or foreshadow the coming Christ. The clearest include Psalm 2 (the anointed King), Psalm 16 (His resurrection), Psalm 22 (His crucifixion), Psalm 45 (the royal Bridegroom), and Psalm 110 (His eternal King-Priesthood). Jesus Himself said the Psalms testify of Him (Luke 24:44), and the New Testament quotes them more than any other Old Testament book.
What does Psalm 23 mean?
Psalm 23 confesses the believer's trust in God's covenant care, picturing the LORD as a shepherd who provides for, guides, and protects His sheep — even through "the valley of the shadow of death." It is not a sentimental poem but a declaration of confidence in God's presence in life and death. Jesus fulfills it as "the good shepherd" who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
What are the imprecatory psalms, and how should Christians read them?
Imprecatory psalms (such as 69, 109, and 137) call on God to judge the wicked. They are not personal vengeance but inspired prayers that hand justice over to God and long for evil to be overthrown. Christians read them in light of Christ — who bore God's judgment for sinners — praying for the triumph of God's righteousness while loving their enemies and leaving vengeance to the Lord (Romans 12:19).
What does Psalm 22 prophesy about the cross?
Psalm 22 describes the Messiah's suffering centuries before crucifixion existed: the cry "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (spoken by Jesus, Matthew 27:46), pierced hands and feet (v. 16), and enemies dividing His garments and casting lots (v. 18; fulfilled in John 19:24). Reformed theology sees it as a Spirit-given prophecy of Christ's substitutionary death.
How do the Psalms point to Jesus Christ?
The Psalms reveal Christ as the anointed King (Psalm 2; 110), the suffering and forsaken Savior (Psalm 22), the risen Lord whose body saw no decay (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:31), the eternal Priest after Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), and the Good Shepherd (Psalm 23). On the road to Emmaus, Jesus taught that the Psalms must be fulfilled in Him (Luke 24:44).
What does it mean to "create in me a clean heart" (Psalm 51)?
In Psalm 51 David repents after grievous sin, asking God to "create" a clean heart — using the same word for God's creation out of nothing. He confesses that he cannot reform himself; only God can renew him. The verse teaches that repentance and a new heart are God's sovereign gift of grace, a truth the Westminster Confession affirms as "repentance unto life" (WCF 15).
Should the church sing the Psalms, and how does New Geneva view them?
Yes. The New Testament commands "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Colossians 3:16), and the Westminster Confession names "the singing of psalms" as an ordinary part of worship (WCF 21.5), governed by the regulative principle — that we worship God as He directs in His Word. New Geneva Theological Seminary teaches the Psalms within this Westminster-confessional framework as Scripture's own God-given worship.
Psalms Explained — Sermon Series
Expository sermons on the Psalms by Dr. Toby Holt, President of New Geneva Theological Seminary. Reformed, Westminster-confessional, and free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Hope In A Dark Valley — Psalm 23 — The Shepherd does not lead us around the valley of shadow, but through it — and never alone.
Why Did God Make Me This Way — Psalm 139 — You are not an accident. You were knit together on purpose by a God who knew you first.
Hope (Your Story Ends Well) — Psalm 113 — The God enthroned on high stoops to lift the needy from the ash heap. Your story ends well.
Make A Joyful Noise (Even When Life Is Hard) — Psalm 100 — Praise is not the denial of hard things; it is defiance of despair before a faithful God.
Finding Forgiveness (Let Go Of Guilt) — Psalm 32 — The man who covers his sin stays sick. The man who confesses it is called blessed.
Depression (Words Of Hope) — Psalm 139 — There is no pit so deep that God is not already there, holding you fast.
Remember Your History — Psalm 78 — A people who forget what God has done will not trust Him for what He has promised.
How Majestic Is Your Name — Psalm 8 — The God who flung the stars into place still crowns frail man with glory and honor.
A New Start And An Old Promise — Psalm 103 — He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west — and remembers them no more.
Growing Up (Take Your Faith Seriously) — Psalm 119 — A maturing faith is measured not by feeling but by a deepening love for the Word of God.
The Omnipotence (Power) Of God — Psalm 2 — No throne, no army, no scheme of man can overrule the God who reigns over all.
The Omniscience (Knowledge) Of God — Psalm 139 — Before a word is on your tongue, He knows it completely. You are fully known — and still kept.
Why Do The Nations Rage — Psalm 2 — Earth's rulers conspire against the Lord and His Anointed; the One enthroned in heaven only laughs.
How Long O Lord (The Cry Of God's People) — Psalm 13 — Faith is honest enough to ask 'how long?' — and still ends in songs of trust.
The Lord Is My Shepherd — Psalm 23 — Goodness and mercy do not merely meet us; they pursue us all the days of our lives.
Towering Yet Tender God — Psalm 8 — The same hands that set the moon and stars in place are mindful of you.
Key Verses In The Book Of Psalms
These are the passages that anchor the theology of the Psalms — the texts Reformed theologians, from Calvin (who called the Psalter "An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul") to R.C. Sproul, have returned to as a school of prayer, praise, and the knowledge of Christ.
Psalm 1:1–2 — "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night." (NKJV)
Psalm 1 is the gateway to the whole Psalter, setting before us the two ways: the blessed man and the ungodly. True blessedness is not earned by self-righteousness but marked by delight in God's Word. The Reformed tradition reads this man supremely as Christ, the only one who perfectly delighted in the law — and, in Him, all who are united to Him by faith.
Psalm 2:7–8, 12 — "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance…' … Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way… Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him." (NKJV)
The great royal psalm proclaims the LORD's enthroned King — His Son — whom the nations are commanded to serve and trust. The New Testament applies it directly to the risen Christ (Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5). Here is God's sovereign decree to set His Anointed on Zion and to subdue all rebellion under His reign.
Psalm 22:1, 16–18 — "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?… They pierced My hands and My feet… They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." (NKJV)
Written a thousand years before the cross, Psalm 22 describes the Messiah's suffering in startling detail — the cry of dereliction Jesus Himself spoke (Matthew 27:46), the piercing of hands and feet, and soldiers gambling for His clothing (John 19:24). The Reformed church reads this as Spirit-inspired prophecy of penal substitution: the righteous Sufferer forsaken so His people never would be.
Psalm 23:1–4 — "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want… Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (NKJV)
The best-loved of all psalms confesses the believer's confidence in God's covenant care. The LORD Himself shepherds His people — providing, guiding, and accompanying them even through death. Jesus claims this very role as "the good shepherd" who "gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11), so that the comfort of Psalm 23 rests on the cross.
Psalm 51:1–4, 10 — "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness… Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (NKJV)
David's psalm of repentance after his sin is the church's great model of confession. Sin is first and foremost against God; cleansing is His free gift, not human merit. The plea to "create" a clean heart confesses that regeneration is a sovereign work of grace — the heart of the Reformed doctrine of repentance unto life (WCF 15).
Psalm 110:1, 4 — "The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'… The LORD has sworn and will not relent, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.'" (NKJV)
The most-quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament. David calls his own descendant "my Lord," revealing the Messiah's deity (Matthew 22:44), His session at God's right hand, and His unique office as eternal King-Priest. Hebrews builds its entire doctrine of Christ's priesthood on verse 4 — a Savior who both reigns and intercedes forever.
Christ In The Psalms — The King, Priest, And Shepherd Foretold
The Psalms are filled with Christ. On the road to Emmaus the risen Jesus taught that "all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me" (Luke 24:44). The Psalter is not merely David's hymnbook; it is the Spirit's portrait of the coming Messiah — His reign, His suffering, His resurrection, and His eternal priesthood. The Reformed tradition has always read the Psalms as both the prayers of God's people and the voice of Christ Himself.
Christ The Anointed King (Psalms 2 and 110): The royal psalms announce a King whom God sets on His holy hill and seats at His right hand. "You are My Son" (Psalm 2:7) and "Sit at My right hand" (Psalm 110:1) are applied throughout the New Testament to the risen and ascended Christ (Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5, 13). He is the Son to whom the nations are given and before whom every knee must bow.
Christ The Suffering Savior (Psalm 22): A thousand years before Calvary, Psalm 22 records the Messiah's cry of dereliction, the piercing of His hands and feet, and the casting of lots for His garments — each fulfilled at the cross (Matthew 27:46; John 19:24). Here the Psalter preaches penal substitution: the righteous One forsaken in the place of sinners, bearing the wrath His people deserved.
Christ The Risen Lord (Psalm 16): "You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 16:10). Both Peter at Pentecost and Paul at Antioch quote this psalm as a direct prophecy of the resurrection — David died and was buried, but his greater Son was raised, never to see decay (Acts 2:25–31; 13:35–37).
Christ The Eternal Priest (Psalm 110:4): "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." The book of Hebrews builds its whole doctrine of Christ's priesthood on this single oath: a Priest who does not die, who needs no successor, and who "always lives to make intercession" for His people (Hebrews 7:17–25). King and Priest are joined in one Mediator.
Christ The Good Shepherd (Psalm 23): The LORD who shepherds His people in Psalm 23 takes flesh in the One who says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). The comfort of the valley of the shadow of death is secured by the Shepherd who walked through death and rose again.
This is the Christ New Geneva Theological Seminary exists to proclaim. Dr. Toby Holt's expository series through the Psalms preaches Christ from the Psalter verse by verse — teaching the church to pray, lament, and praise with the full weight of Westminster-confessional theology, and to find in every psalm the King, Priest, and Shepherd who is Jesus Christ.
The Messianic Psalms find their fulfillment in the Gospel of Matthew, which shows Jesus again and again as the anointed King the Psalter foretold.
Study The Psalms At New Geneva Theological Seminary
New Geneva Theological Seminary has equipped ministers and lay leaders in Westminster-confessional theology since 1993. Our expository preaching series through the Bible — including this study of the Psalms — reflects the same commitments that shape our degree programs: Scripture is the Word of God, the Westminster Standards faithfully summarize its teaching, and sound doctrine must produce pastoral practice.
Whether you are pursuing ordination in the PCA, OPC, RCUS, or other denominations — or simply want to go deeper in God's Word — New Geneva offers fully online, affordable, Reformed theological education that works around your life and calling. Degrees include the M.Div., Th.M., MACM, and D.Min., all at $300 per credit hour.
Apply Now → | Explore Degree Programs → | Support New Geneva →