As we read through the Psalter, we recognize that not all psalms praise God. Listed below are some of the more common categories of psalms. Sometimes a psalm can be two kinds at the same time or contain elements of several types of psalms. Knowing what kind of psalm we are reading can help us understand it better.
1. Praise—We can usually pick out a praise psalm by its structure:
a. An exhortation to praise
b. The body of the psalm includes reasons to give praise
c. A repetition of the exhortation to praise
2. Lament—Mainly direct appeals to God, they seek deliverance from trouble and distress. They can be individual or communal and usually, but not always, contain the following:
a. An opening address such as “O Lord”
b. A description of the trouble or distress
c. A plea or petition for God’s response (the prayer for help)
d. Sometimes reasons for God to hear and act
e. A profession of trust or confidence in God
f. A promise or vow to praise God or offer a sacrifice
3. Thanksgiving—A cross between hymn and supplication, the thanksgiving psalms are the least numerous. While they are aware of sin and pain, the suffering seems to be in the past, and the psalmist gives thanks for salvation from it. Such psalms may contain praise and gratitude to God, a description of the trouble from which He has delivered the psalmist, a testimony to others concerning God’s salvation, and exhortation to others to join in praising Him. Sometimes these are associated with vows made during a time of misfortune. Examples are Psalms 18, 65, 66, 100.
4. Confidence/Trust—Such psalms express faith and trust in God’s protective presence and power even though outward circumstances are still threatening. Some examples are Psalms 23, 91, 62.
5. Torah—With their accent on the torah, or law, these psalms present the correct way to live. Psalms 1, 19, 119 are Torah psalms.
6. Wisdom—They offer a philosophy or way of looking at life. Such wisdom psalms intend to teach by using admonitions and exhortations that encourage people to conform to the way of wisdom and righteousness. Often they contrast the right and wrong way. Some of them are acrostics. Psalms 34, 37, and the Torah psalms are examples.
7. Liturgical—Some psalms have clearly been written for temple use. Psalms 15 and 24 are called “Entrance Psalms,” as they seem to be the liturgy for entering the temple. Others may include mention of a sacrifice, instruction from the priests, antiphonal singing, or physical movements of the worshippers (prostration, bowing, movement of hands, etc.).
8. Royal—The focus in this type of psalm centers on matters relating to the monarchy or the king and his political, social, and religious duties. Some of these psalms may have been used in ceremonies involving the king as the central figure. Examples include Psalm 2, 45, 72, 132.
9. Imprecatory—The hardest for the modern mind to understand, they seem to be spoken in a spirit of revenge, and we often consider them uncivilized and barbaric. Here are some thoughts to consider in understanding such psalms.
a. They ask God to take action against someone. The psalmist does not attempt to do it himself. Throughout Scripture, God avenges His people by becoming their champion against the common enemy (Psalms 94). He also punishes those who break covenant with Him (Lev. 26:24, 25).
b. In the Davidic psalms, David, as king and representative of God, fights the battles of the Lord. His enemies are not only his enemies but God’s enemies (Psalms 139:21). He does not take vengeance into his own hands but relies on God (see Psalms 94:1). When David wanted to seek revenge against Nabal, Abigail brought him up short by reminding him he was to be fighting the Lord’s battles, not his personal ones (1 Sam. 25:25-31). David was wrong in trying to avenge himself. His prayer is for God to search him to see if there are impure motives in him (Psalms 139:23, 24).
c. The flip side of prayer for victory is defeat to the enemies. As God’s covenant people, Israel (and individuals) often cried out for deliverance. But that could only mean defeat and even suffering, to the enemies.
d. God’s justice was seen as requiring punishment proportionate to the seriousness of the crime committed. The curses called down would be an appropriate punishment if justice were to be maintained. The psalmists are not employing magical incantations, but are calling out to God to perform justice.
e. God’s own honor and reputation are at stake in the deliverance of His people (Psalms 79:9-10). God cannot be true to His character of holiness and justice if He allows sin and rebellion to go unpunished. He will make things right for the righteous.
f. The language of the imprecatory curses stems from the covenant curses in Deuteronomy 27, 28, and Leviticus 26. In them, God tells what would happen if Israel does not follow Him. The psalmist employs the same language for enemies of God.
g. As for the case of Psalms 137, the issue is about justice being meted out. During ancient times it was nothing for a nation to tear down the temple of another nation, cut babies out of pregnant women, and bash them against stones. Nevertheless, because we do not believe in verbal inspiration, the thought of vengeance may be divine, but the language may be human. In Isaiah 13, God predicts that He would do to Babylon as they have done to others. Psalms 137:7 asks God to “remember” what Edom did to Israel. This is a legal term reminding God that He promised to do justice. This principle of justice is not just an Old Testament concept but also appears in the New Testament. God brings Babylon to justice (Rev. 18:4, 5).
h. The rule of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Lev. 24:19, 20, Deut. 19:21) was given not for individual vengeance (the usage Jesus opposed in Matt. 5:38). Instead, it was a judicial process for the community to follow so that society would have law and order. It was strictly a legal matter to meet the need for justice. The ancient world did not consider punishing someone in the same way as the crime they had committed as revenge. Instead, it was how they knew to serve justice.