For much of the history of the church, from the reign of King David (1000 BC) until about 150 years ago, the Psalms were the songbook of the church. Under the old covenant God’s people sang Psalms in anticipation of the coming Messiah. Our Lord Jesus sang Psalms. The New Testament the church sang Psalms. The early Christian church sang Psalms. It was only under and after Gregory I (AD c. 1540–604) that the Psalms faced any great challenge but even then, for the next millennium, the Psalter was the most basic songbook of the church. During the middle ages monks memorized the Psalms and sang through the entire Psalter (150 Psalms) regularly. The Reformed churches recovered the singing of the Psalms by translating the them into the language of the people. The psalter again became the songbook of the churches through the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century non-canonical hymns began to challenge the place of the Psalms and finally, by the late 20th century the Psalms were almost entirely replaced by non-canonical songs and hymns. The early 21st century is almost certainly the most psalm-less age in the history of the church in more than 3000 years. The Reformed conviction (even if our practice has not always matched our conviction) is that God’s Word is sufficient for public worship. This was an application of the formal principle of the Reformation: sola Scriptura, i.e., our conviction of the sufficiency of Scripture. According to sola Scriptura, Scripture alone is the final authority for the Christian faith and the Christian life. Worship is at the center of the Christian life and a principal expression of the Christian faith. Thus, when we respond to the reading, preaching, and confession of God’s Word and to the gospel made visible in the sacraments, it is fitting that we should respond with God’s Word.

The value, use, and art of the singing of God’s Word and especially the psalter has long been a matter of interest at the Heidelblog. Here are some resources toward advancing the recovery of psalmody in the church.

Exegetical and Theological

Historical

Practica

Related: Resources on the Rule of Worship