Christ Lutheran Church

What are the psalms?

We get our English word psalm from the ancient Greek word psalmos which means “to pluck or play the harp.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for a psalm, mizmor, means “a poem set to music.” A psalm, then, is a poem which is set to music. They were historically played on a harp, the instrument of choice for one of the main composers of the psalter, King David.

This is exactly what a hymn is as well. You’ll notice that all the hymns in our hymnal are written in poetic meter. The particular meter is listed at the bottom of each hymn. These hymns can then be set to any music which matches the meter of the hymn.

Since the time they were written, the psalms have served as the inspired hymnal of the Christian Church. They were a staple, especially of the monastic life. One of the earliest monastic manuals, the Rule of St. Benedict, required the monks to pray through the entire psalter in one week. Benedict mentions that there were many Christians before his time who would pray through the psalter every single day. St. Augustine, whose rule of monastic life Luther once followed, spent 26 years of his life writing a commentary on the psalms. He preaches and taught on them often. Our forefathers in the faith certainly understood the value of the psalms.

Even in our modern world, it is valuable and necessary for us to plant the holy songs of the psalter into our hearts. Committing psalms to memory is beneficial in every way to us Christians. For one, we can carry the Word of God in hearts, wherever we go, regardless of whether we have access to a Bible or not. Another great benefit is that these words of the psalms begin to set deeply in our hearts and minds. The Words of the Lord soon become our words, and our thoughts are very soon held captive to the Word that dwells in our hearts (Colossians 3:16).

In order to help us as a congregation better accomplish this, and to help us all develop an ardent love and desire for the psalter, I will be starting what I am calling the Psalm Project, in which I will be walking through a psalm a week. Each week on Monday, there will be two resources available to you. One is an audio recording of the psalm for that week, which will be posted to the church’s YouTube channel and also on the church’s Facebook page. The second resource is a short devotional based upon the psalm in both a video and written format.

You are encouraged to use these resources to help you commit as many psalms to memory as you may desire. I will be making an effort to memorize them along with you! Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come easy. Even placing a verse or two into your hearts to always carry with you is a wonderful thing. As we walk through each psalm, you are also encouraged to incorporate the psalm into your weekly prayer life. Read or listen to each verse in the psalm, and take a moment to pray about whatever that particular part of the psalm brings to your mind.

May the Lord Jesus bless us and carry us along in our endeavors, for without his help and guiding, our efforts are always in vain! God’s peace be with you all.

Pastor Campbell

Psalter Resources:

https://www.cph.org/concordia-psalter

https://www.crossway.org/bibles/the-psalms-esv-tru/

YouTube Channel link

https://www.youtube.com/@ChristLutheranJacob