A prism of song
Photograph by Dobromir Hristov via Pexels
Rev. Dr. Robert Wallace
Each of these books, you see, is like a garden which grows one special kind of fruit; by contrast, the Psalter is a garden which, besides its special fruit, grows also some of those of all the rest.
—Athanasius’s letter to Marcellinus
In 1704, Isaac Newton published “Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours.” The work is one of the most significant in the history of science. Among other discoveries, Newton’s experiments revealed that what human beings see as a single beam of light is something far more complex. When passed through a prism, white light reveals its building blocks, and the individual colors of the rainbow, from red to violet, are visible. Something that looked simple was actually far more complex. His experiments provided the starting point for understanding the wondrous complexities of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Newton’s experiments also can serve as a helpful parable when examining the biblical text. While it is easy to think of the Bible as a single book, the Bible is a library containing books that were composed by numerous authors over hundreds of years. Much like light, the Bible can have an appearance of unity obscuring remarkable complexities beneath the surface. Psalms can serve as a helpful literary (and musical) “prism” that can reveal the building blocks of the text. The psalms can be a starting point for understanding the wondrous complexities of the diverse library of the Old Testament.
Why the Book of Psalms? The early church recognized the Psalms contributed something distinct to the biblical story. The book has its own material, but it also contains a sample of the themes found in the rest of the Hebrew Bible. Creation, covenant, patriarchs, exodus, prophetic correction, monarchy, exile — the reader can find all of these topics represented in the 150-piece liturgical snapshot called the “Psalms.” When a new Bible translation is released, Bible publishers often, whether consciously or unconsciously, reinforce this point. Bibles are first published as a “New Testament & Psalms,” as though if readers have the Psalms, they have a pretty good representation of the Old Testament.
It is a comprehensive place. As the early church father Athanasius noted, the book of Psalms (or “Psalter”) houses “some of the fruit of each tree in the rest of the garden.”[i] One can discuss every significant issue in the Hebrew Bible through the lens of Psalms. Even its shape and shaping provide an opportunity to discuss canon and canonization.
Where Psalms does not explicitly include material from the rest of the Old Testament, it still has a sampling of the themes discussed. For example, while Job’s name does not occur explicitly within the psalms, the suffering of the righteous is a common theme throughout the text. Occasionally, the psalms may be songs that represent an understanding and appropriation of stories they do not specifically reference. Psalm 29 says God sits “enthroned above the floods” (v. 10), using the same word for “flood” that occurs in Genesis 9. Even the silence of the psalms on issues provides interesting opportunities for discussion.
It is a familiar place. The psalms are part of the language of the church. Selections from Psalms find their way into worship music, sermons, prayers, and blessings as well as onto church walls, pens, keychains, inspirational pictures, paperweights, plates, checkbook covers, etc. Beyond the church, the psalms have found their way into popular culture. Psalm 23 has been recited in movies like “Titanic” and “Saving Private Ryan” and television shows like “The Twilight Zone.” It has even been referenced by hip-hop artists like Coolio, Jay-Z, and Tupac. Woe unto the pastor who fails to read Psalm 23 by the graveside of the recently deceased. The grieving family will never forgive that egregious sin, even if their loved one was not particularly religious. If one needs to contextualize the Old Testament with a familiar entry point, the ubiquitous book of Psalms is a natural fit.
The Psalms are an important theological encounter with Israel’s traditions, but they also represent an intentional artistic encounter with those traditions. They have grandeur, and it is good for the human spirit to explore beautiful texts.
It is an early place. Scholars do not have precise dates for the final composition of the texts of the Old Testament. Like most of the Old Testament, the collection of Psalms likely came together over an extended period. The psalms, however, represent Israel’s earliest encounter with its traditions that contemporary scholars possess. The singers in the psalms were aware of their stories. The way they sang about them provides a glimpse into how they understood them. Since these songs were originally used in worship, the psalms represent an early and intentionally theological encounter with the texts. It is difficult to know how widespread access to these biblical texts would have been. If the literacy levels in ancient Israel were relatively low and public worship was the primary means by which common people encountered theology, then the psalms’ “reading” of Israel’s traditions would represent the theological beliefs of many, if not most, worshipers in ancient Israel. When they thought about the themes of creation, kingship, and Torah, they were shaped by this early musical encounter with the tradition.
It is a liturgical place. Biblical scholar G. W. Anderson wrote an article in 1963 titled “Israel’s Creed: Sung, Not Signed.” In this text, Anderson states that the Old Testament is a “confessional document.”[ii] In composing the Old Testament, Israel was not attempting to write a systematic theology. These texts came from a community’s shaping of their theological ideas and practices in worship. The psalms are not simply what Israel believed about creation or the exodus but how Israel believed those themes should be sung in worship. While not knowing much about the daily life of the common people of ancient Israel, it is not unreasonable to believe that the worship experience was the primary way in which the common person experienced the traditions of the larger biblical text. Anderson noted that Israel was always better at glorifying God than at theological reflection. Perhaps this can in part be attributed to the power of music. It is rare to meet someone who has not been inspired by music. Music invokes passion. Music has the power to aid memory — children begin learning to read by singing the ABCs. Music provides communal connection and, at the same time, is intensely personal. All texts have agendas and occasions. When part of that agenda is music and worship, the stories are deepened and given color they might otherwise lack.
It is a canonical place. Contemporary readers of the Old Testament have a rich, two-millennium history that could provide fascinating entry points to contextualize the Old Testament. Church reformer Martin Luther’s use of the law could provide an interesting gateway into a discussion of the Torah. The use of Psalms in the monastic Rule of St. Benedict could be equally compelling. One could use the artistic depictions of biblical stories of the Italian Renaissance (or any other country or period) to provide an entry point to discussing the individual texts. A “canon” is simply a list of books that a community has established as useful for faith and practice. The community affirms that something different is at work within certain texts — God’s voice can be heard. In the case of the Christian canon, the community of faith recognized and affirmed Genesis to Revelation as authoritative for the Christian community. Using Psalms as a canonical starting point — a gateway — into the rest of the Old Testament provides a special, and perhaps even sacred, place to begin.
It is a beautiful place. When NASA was trying to determine the landing site for Apollo 15, mission commander Dave Scott was given the final choice of two sites. One site was safer, but with less scientific interest. The other site was a mountainous and rocky area. It would be a more dangerous landing site, but the area provided more scientific promise. Scott opted for the dangerous site hoping to confirm some of the lunar origin theories, but Scott added that the mountainous site offered an additional benefit. It had “grandeur,” and he believed it was good for the human spirit to explore beautiful places. The Psalms are an important theological encounter with Israel’s traditions, but they also represent an intentional artistic encounter with those traditions. They have grandeur, and it is good for the human spirit to explore beautiful texts.
Rev. Dr. Robert Wallace is senior pastor, McLean Baptist Church, McLean, Virginia. Excerpted and adapted from “A Prism of Song: Seeing the Old Testament through the Psalms” by Robert Wallace. Copyright © 2025 by Smyth & Helwys Books. Used by permission of Smyth & Helwys Books.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
[i] Athanasius, The Life of Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus, trans. Robert C. Gregg. New York: Paulist Press, 1980, p. 102.
[ii] G. W. Anderson, “Israel’s Creed: Sung, Not Signed,” Scottish Journal of Theology 16/3 (1963): 277–85.
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