FEATURE

Dietrich Bonhoeffer believed that neglecting the Psalms had cost the church an “incomparable treasure,” and that recovering them would bring “unsuspected power.” This may sound compelling. But can Old Testament Psalms—rooted in old covenant realities—really voice New Testament realities?

When we consider that the Psalms are God‑breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), designed for God’s new covenant people as well as his old (Rom. 15:3–4; 1 Cor. 10:11), and shaped to reveal Christ and life in union with him (Lk. 24:25–27, 44; Jn. 5:39–40), we can see the answer is: Yes, they can. That’s why Jesus expected those who knew God and his Word (including the Psalms) to recognize him as God incarnate (Jn. 8:12–59). It’s also why the church has historically sung and prayed the Psalms “in a new covenant key” (i.e., as fulfilled in Christ).

We need to learn to refract the Psalms through the prism of Jesus

But to sing and pray the Psalms in a new covenant key, we need to “refract” them through the “prism” of Jesus. Just as passing white light through a prism breaks it into its full spectrum, so also passing the Law, Prophets, and Psalms through the prism of Jesus breaks them into their “fulfillment spectrum.” Under the old covenant, the Law was an indivisible whole. But now that Christ has fulfilled the Law (Rom. 10:4), when we pass it through the prism of Christ, we can see it refract into moral, ceremonial, and civil aspects. This helps us discern how to apply it in our new covenant setting. In the same way, we need to read the Prophets and Psalms in the light of Christ’s person and work to understand how they apply to us.

The New Testament shows us how to refract the Psalms through the prism of Jesus

The New Testament models this refraction. The inspired apostles regularly applied Old Testament language and imagery to New Testament realities. For example:

• Hebrews 10:19–22 uses tabernacle/temple language to describe new covenant access to God through Christ.
• Romans 15:15–16 uses priestly/sacrificial terms to describe Paul’s gospel ministry.Ephesians 5:2 uses sacrificial language to describe Christ’s death; Philippians 4:18 uses it to describe Christian offerings; and Hebrews 13:15–16 uses it to describe Christian worship, witness, and loving service to neighbors.
• 1 Peter 2:9–10 applies various Old Testament terms and titles for Israel to the church.James 2:2–4 even calls a church meeting (or assembly) a “synagogue.”
• Colossians 2:11–12 applies circumcision language to union with Christ and baptism.
• 1 Corinthians 5:6–8 applies Passover imagery to church discipline.

So, the Holy Spirit’s own exegesis shows it’s not only possible but also appropriate to voice new covenant realities using old covenant words—so long as we understand them in light of Christ’s fulfillment. The better we know the Old Testament, the better we can do this.

Apart from the prism of Jesus, Old Testament words—by themselves—are not adequate to fully voice New Testament realities

Augustine famously said: “The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.” The Old Testament reaches its full meaning only in the New Testament. That’s why—by themselves—the Psalms cannot explicitly express new covenant realities. For that, we need what the Old Testament does not give—the New Testament’s full revelation of the mystery of Christ (see Eph. 3:3–5). Still, because the New Testament really is implicit in the Old, we can sing and pray Psalms in a new covenant key without distorting their meaning—and we should! Refracting them through the prism of Jesus deepens our understanding of their true meaning.

It’s no wonder that many classic Christian hymns grew out of refracting Psalms through the prism of Jesus—“A Mighty Fortress” from Psalm 46; “Joy to the World” from Psalm 98; “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” from Psalm 90; “Oh, Worship the King” from Psalm 104; “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord” from Psalm 137; and many more. This illustrates that, ideally, there’s a dynamic relationship between Psalms and hymns. Psalms ground us in genuine piety in view of God’s truths, values, and priorities. Hymns spell out the redemptive fulfillment in Christ and its resulting greater fullness, clarity, and spiritual efficacy to all nations in the new covenant. Neither neglecting the Psalter nor singing only Psalms is ideal. A wise, biblical approach recognizes that congregations should regularly sing Psalms while also singing hymns that reflect the full scope of God’s revelation in Christ.

Twenty-first century believers would greatly benefit from recovering the Psalms as the backbone of our piety and worship, learning to refract them through the prism of Jesus. It could boost both the depth and breadth of our prayers and new songs. It could deepen our communion with the Triune God of grace, bringing him glory and heightening our edification and joy in worship. It could help make Christ’s followers brighter light and saltier salt in the midst of a dark and decaying world.

Larry E. Wilson is a retired minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Mr. Wilson recently published a pamphlet entitled “How Can Old Covenant Psalms Voice New Covenant Realities?” which is available as a free PDF download.