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Saturday Psalm Series

For the entire history of the church until, quite recently, the Psalter was the songbook of the Christian church. It was something shared across denominational boundaries. The Apostolic church sang the psalms and the post-apostolic church continued, in different ways, in the following centuries. Sometimes it was monastic choirs singing the Psalms but they were sung in worship. In the Reformation, the Reformed churches in particular were known for their Psalm singing. When the French authorities went looking for Reformed folk to arrest and kill, they could find them by listening for the sound of Psalm singing. The Huguenot martyrs obliged by singing the Psalms on the way to their deaths, until the authorities cut out their tongues to stop them. The Reformed translated the Psalms into the language of the people, set them to meter, and made songbooks out of them for use in public worship by the church. Where the medieval church saw monks chanting the Psalms, the Reformation saw whole congregations singing the Psalms. In the Modern period, through the 18th and 19th centuries the place of the Psalms in worship was gradually lost to non-canonical hymns so that, in our day, there are not a few younger Christians who have never once sung a Psalm in public worship, not even Psalm 23 or Psalm 100. We live now in the most psalm-less age in the history of the Christian church. Now we do not even have monastic choirs to chant the Psalms for us but instead we praise bands and worship leaders (the new monastic choirs) to sing non-canonical songs in place of the people.

The goal of this series is to help re-acquaint the late-modern church with the only song book inspired by the Holy Spirit in the hope that God might use it to help restore his Word to the place it once had in public worship in the Presbyterian and Reformed world and beyond.

Psalm 67: Isn’t It Aaronic? (Part 2)

by
  • Stephen Spinnenweber
on May 24, 2025 | Comment

In Part 1 of our study of Psalm 67, we played the part of a biblical cartographer, mapping and tracing the blessings of God to his people. Channeling the language of the Aaronic benediction, the psalmist asks for God’s grace and blessing . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 67 | Comment

A Summons to Sing: Psalm 47 (Part Two)

by
  • Luke Gossett
on May 17, 2025 | Comment

Ascension Thursday is fast approaching. This day is forty days after the resurrection, marking when Christ ascended into heaven. And, as one of my favorite puns has it, many of us today suffer from ascension deficit disorder. Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 47 | Comment

A Summons to Sing: Psalm 47 (Part One)

by
  • Luke Gossett
on May 10, 2025 | Comment

If you have nieces and nephews, children or grandchildren, or otherwise have children in your life, you have almost certainly heard a story about a child who was a climber. I was one, and now I have one in my home. My . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 47 | Comment

Psalm 67: Isn’t It Aaronic? (Part 1)

by
  • Stephen Spinnenweber
on April 26, 2025 | 1 Comment

Have you ever had a déjà vu moment—one of those “I swear I’ve been here before” experiences? If you read the opening verse of Psalm 67 carefully, you ought to have such a déjà vu moment: “May God be gracious to us . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 67 | 1 Comment

Remember Not My Sin, But Remember Me: Psalm 25 (Part 2)

by
  • Zach Keele
on April 12, 2025 | Comment

In the first installment on Psalm 25, we identified the agony for which the psalmist was praying for relief. The community around him shamed and ridiculed him as beyond the reach of forgiveness. Even his own memory tormented him that the sins . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 25 | Comment

Remember Not My Sin, But Remember Me: Psalm 25 (Part 1)

by
  • Zach Keele
on April 5, 2025 | Comment

Oh, to be a kid again! It is pretty safe to say that nearly everyone makes this wish at least once. You are full of adulting; the bills keep coming in, the diapers do not end; your body hurts for no discernible . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 25 | Comment

Lift Up Your Heads: Ascending Liturgy—Psalm 24 (Part 2)

by
  • Zach Keele
on March 29, 2025 | Comment

In our first piece on Psalm 24, we heard the acclamation of the Lord, creator of all, to whom everything belongs, and to whom all owe reverence and obedience. Then, by the righteous inquiries of the priest, the people swore their oath . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 24 | Comment

Lift Up Your Heads: Ascending Liturgy—Psalm 24 (Part 1)

by
  • Zach Keele
on March 22, 2025 | Comment

How do you greet a champion? What is a fitting celebration for the hero returning home? In the present season, we have seen several such festivities. DC adorned itself with pomp and galas for the inauguration. Columbus spilled into the streets for . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 23 | Comment

Psalm 92: A Psalm For The Sabbath (Part 4)

by
  • Sean Morris
on March 15, 2025 | Comment

This fourth part concludes our study on Psalm 92, which has considered how the Lord’s Day is an often neglected, yet crucial, component in the Christian’s arsenal. The superscription of Psalm 92, “for the Sabbath,” indicates that this psalm, broadly speaking, is . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 92 | Comment

Psalm 92: A Psalm For The Sabbath (Part 3)

by
  • Sean Morris
on March 8, 2025 | Comment

Over the past few weeks in our study on Psalm 92, we have been considering how the Lord’s Day is an often neglected yet crucial component in the Christian’s arsenal. It is an essential ingredient and marvelous gift of God meant for . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 92 | Comment

Psalm 92: A Psalm For The Sabbath (Part 2)

by
  • Sean Morris
on March 1, 2025 | Comment

Last time, in part 1 of our study on Psalm 92, we began to consider how the Lord’s Day is an often neglected, yet crucial, component in the Christian’s arsenal. It is an essential ingredient and marvelous gift of God meant for . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 92 | Comment

Psalm 92: A Psalm For The Sabbath (Part 1)

by
  • Sean Morris
on February 22, 2025 | Comment

Many of us (ministers, elders, and church members alike) regularly give thought to how we can, by God’s grace, cultivate healthy churches. In that vein, I daresay one of the most underappreciated and underutilized tools we have at our disposal is the . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 92 | Comment

The Queen Poem Of All Scripture: Psalm 23

by
  • Zach Keele
on February 15, 2025 | Comment

Life is littered with passages. These are the milestones and the ordeals that transition us from one stage to another. Waiting at the DMV for your driver’s test, sitting for the Bar, getting married, becoming a parent, retirement—these are just a few . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 23 | Comment

Rejoicing In The Divine Warrior: Psalm 21

by
  • Zach Keele
on February 8, 2025 | Comment

There come those times in life when you want to express your sincere thoughts and deep emotions to someone special: a birthday, a love letter, a major milestone. The words have to be just right, so what do you do? You can . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 21 | Comment

Psalm 20: Thy Kingdom Come, Not God Save The King

by
  • Zach Keele
on February 1, 2025 | 1 Comment

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, God save the King? Many of us think of some BBC show or a period piece on the British monarchy, as we know this cry entirely from history, literature, or entertainment. Indeed, it . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 20 | 1 Comment

Psalm 14: The Heart Talk Of Fools (Part 2)—The Foolishness Of Fallenness

by
  • Harrison Perkins
on January 25, 2025 | Comment

Why does Psalm 14 focus on the foolishness of sinners? It does so to highlight God’s sovereignty despite the wrongs that are out of place in the world. Sin and its fallout are not what ought to be. These shortcomings about the . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Harrison Perkins, Psalm 14 | Comment

Psalm 14: The Heart Talk Of Fools (Part 1)—Prayer’s Call For Reflection

by
  • Harrison Perkins
on January 18, 2025 | Comment

I have never been confident enough in my evangelistic approaches to recommend them to others, but they sometimes do make for good stories. In a previous job at a coffee shop, I remember a conversation with a co-worker who expressed being bent . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Harrison Perkins, Psalm 14 | Comment

Psalm 13: How Long? (Part 2)—Our Deep Need For God’s Rescue

by
  • Harrison Perkins
on January 11, 2025 | 2 Comments

Psalm 13 is about how to navigate waiting before God. The Psalter functions at least in part to instruct us about the godly response to the full spectrum of experience and emotion that we encounter in the Christian life. Psalm 13 considers . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Harrison Perkins, Psalm 13 | 2 Comments

Psalm 13: How Long? (Part 1)—Canonical Contribution

by
  • Harrison Perkins
on January 4, 2025 | 2 Comments

If you are anything like me, waiting in line is really hard for you. Some of my more frustrating experiences are when I see no forward motion in the line I am waiting in. As you are waiting for your turn to . . . Continue reading →

Categorized Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Harrison Perkins, Psalm 13 | 2 Comments

The God Worthy Of Psalming And Hymning: Psalm 113 (Part 3)

by
  • Luke Gossett
on December 28, 2024 | Comment

Recently, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, met his subjects in the streets. Floods have lately ravaged Spain, and the monarch came to meet his people. Continue reading →

Categorized Biblical Exposition, Biblical theology, Psalms, Saturday Psalm Series | Tagged Psalm 113 | Comment

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