Speaking the Psalms

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart…--Eph. 5:18, 19

What do you talk about when you are with your friends?

Do you indulge in the latest gossip? Do you compare schedules to see who is busier? Do you complain about that boss or that kid or that roommate?

Ephesians 5 gives us another vision of how we are to use our words. While words can betray our idols, they can also be a powerful gift.

Because we as believers are walking through enemy territory, we need to use our words to remind one another of who we are and who we serve. This is one way we walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1).  

I have often been curious about what Paul meant by “addressing one another in psalms.” Since poetry is not easy for me, I made a commitment a few years ago to learn how to read this book because I did not know about it.

Over the next few posts, I’d like to share a little of what I learned in the process. In this post, I’ll lay out some general principles first, and in subsequent posts, I’ll dive into some details. I hope it will also help you to understand it more accurately, pray it more fully, and speak it more faithfully.

The Psalms are Poetry

One of the reasons I struggle with poetry in general, Hebrew and otherwise, is with the use of imagery.

This is the same reason why others enjoy this book. Using imagery brings the unknown down to earth. We understand deeper truths because we connect with the image.

A green tree (Ps. 1). A good shepherd (Ps. 23). A panting deer (Ps. 42). A loving mother (Ps. 131). God kindly uses what we know to get through to us.

At the same time, we need to learn how to read psalms carefully, so that we handle these images with care, considering the context.

Praying and speaking the psalms requires understanding imagery.

The Psalms are Thoughtfully Arranged

If you have read through the psalms before, you’ll notice that the entire book is divided into five books, and not chronologically. The Psalm of Moses (Ps. 90) is in Book 4. David’s psalms are mostly found in Books 1 and 2, as well as scattered throughout the other books.

Commentators believe that the curating of the psalms took place over centuries of Jewish history. The tone of the psalms also changes if we read the book straight through. The first three books are full of lament, with the latter two slowly turning into joy, and finally, exuberant praise. This overall pattern is seen within individual psalms as well: lament giving way to joy as the psalmist remembers truth about their covenant God.

Of course, there are, sprinkled within the collection, an odd psalm here and there that doesn’t seem to “fit.” But on the whole, the psalms gives us a picture of the spiritual life, doesn’t it: a series of highs and lows, with joy and sorrow intermingling with each other. But ultimately, it will end in joy.

Though each psalm can be treated as its own unit, remembering which book it is in and sometimes even looking at the psalms before and after it will keep us from taking it out of context.

Praying and speaking the psalms requires understanding its arrangement.

The Psalms Are Written for Corporate Worship

Though the singular personal pronouns are used (I/me/my/mine) suggest that these are personal and individual psalms, this book was actually intended for public worship. They are meant to be sung together.

A psalmist often shares a personal experience and then share that with the congregation: what he learned, how he handled things, or what happened when God intervened.

In tandem with the position of the psalm in the psalter, this helps us to better understand the message in light of the community and how we might pray it for ourselves and the larger body, and then ultimately, speak it to each other.

We learn the psalms so we can speak the psalms.

Over the next few posts, we will take a closer look at how we are to study the psalms accurately so that we can encourage one another meaningfully. I hope they will help you connect the dots from this command into your conversations.

As we do so, we help one another live faithfully as we make our way through enemy territory. These are the words that will spur us on to love and good deeds even as we look forward to the day when our faith will become sight.

Will you join me in learning how to speak the psalms?

Posts in this series:

Part 1: Speaking the Psalms [you are here]

Part 2: Reading the Psalms

Part 3: Studying the Psalms

Part 4: Praying the Psalms