This resource is based off of the work of Bruce Waltke and Fred Zaspel. You can find a much deeper treatment of the material in their book How to Read and Understand the Psalms. As they discuss the various forms of the Psalms, they note that it “has long been a recognition that various psalms were given to meet God’s people in every situation of their walk with God - there are psalms reflecting anguish, protest, praise, repentance, and so on” (p. 167). In other words, the very form of the passage we examine can inform us of how we are to interpret the Psalm and apply it in our lives through prayer and action.
I hope you will see that these Psalms are meant to give us the vocabulary to live out our faith in Christ. He is the true singer of these songs and they allow us to really look into our union with Christ and to draw upon Christ’s grace, wisdom, strength, and love. The Word becomes real and practical in our lives as we pray everything we understand of God. And that is why understanding God is so important in our lives. We must have true knowledge of him so we can claim the promises he has given to us in Christ.
Key Insight: These are often favorites of God’s people because they express praise for God’s greatness, his great works in creation and redemptive history, and especially his “steadfast love.” In these psalms God ignites the psalmist’s heart to rejoice in him as Creator and Redeemer. As such, these psalms offer both theology and reasons for praise; in so doing, their words of praise become God’s word to us and, in turn, our songs of praise to him as well.
Waltke, B. K., & Zaspel, F. G. (2023). How to Read and Understand the Psalms (p. 173). Crossway.
Examples: Ps. 33, 100, 8, 81, 95
Summary: