The Symphony Of The Psalms

Feature 3 – October 2009 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Symphony Of The Psalms

The Book of Psalms could be likened to a grand and glorious symphony. The themes are introduced at the very start of the book. There are five movements throughout. The chapters go together often in sets of three or seven, and build to a climax, while throughout each section the themes appear in various ways.

It has been said that Genesis gives us the foundations of Christ; the Prophets give us the foretellings of Christ; the Gospels give us the facts of Christ; the Epistles give us the fundamentals of Christ; but the Psalms give us the heart and feelings of Christ. Nowhere in the whole canon of Scripture do we get the inner feelings of our blessed Lord and His words as we do in the Psalms.

In the Old Testament certain characters and events are typical of Christ and foreshadow future happenings. But in the Psalms, Christ is seen as the One who has gone before, who suffered from His own people and the Gentiles, who was despised and rejected, scorned and disowned, and having tasted all is typical of the Jewish remnant to follow. There is much of the remnant in the Psalms, but we always see the spirit of Christ in them.

The Psalms have been called the “Pentateuch of David.” Psalms 1-41 correspond to Genesis and lay the foundation, the beginning of things. Psalms 42-72 correspond to Exodus, the departure of God’s people from their beloved city and sanctuary. Psalms 73-89 correspond to Leviticus, a return to the sanctuary and learning of the holiness of God. Psalms 90-106 correspond to Numbers, the recounting of the wanderings of the children of Israel. And Psalms 107-150 correspond to Deuteronomy, the Law and the place set forth.

The Psalms are true music to redeemed ears because they give us many of the heart-feelings of God, of Christ, of the remnant in the last days and of individual believers down through every age and dispensation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bible teacher John Maxted is a professional artist in Ottawa, Canada. He has five sons, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His wife of 60 years went to be with Christ in 2008. This edited excerpt is from his book, Psalms And The Godly Remnant.