Singing the Songs of Jesus: Revisiting the Psalms

by Michael Lefebvre

The Psalms were composed for singing. In Old and New Testament times, and throughout Church history, congregations sang Psalms. Despite renewed interest in Psalmody, few books explain how the Psalms function as hymns for Christ-centred worship. Singing the Songs of Jesus fills that gap without shying away from difficulties, like the doubts and curses of the Psalms. This study shows why the Psalms are suited for Christian praise and how to use them for powerful and relevant worship.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Biblical Studies

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2010

About the author

Michael LeFebvre is pastor of Christ Church Reformed Presbyterian Church in the western suburbs of Indianapolis. He previously studied Old Testament Law at PhD Level at Aberdeen University. He is married to Heather and they have four children.

Reviews

[Eduardo Pacheco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed so much reading this book. I grew up in a charismatic church so when I joined an EP denomination, many things were kind of shocking to me. Singing exclusively Psalms (a cappella) during worship was one of them. It did not take long for me to get used to it though. I quickly got convinced of the great benefits and advantages of singing inspired hymns. This book is not an up-front defense of EP. It describes, however, with great clarity some of its strongest arguments.

In the first chapters, the author says: "..the church rightly cherishes the hymns given to us in the Psalm book, not because they are easy or even the most eloquent of songs, but because they were carefully produced under divine inspiration. They are innerrant...". This is one of the main arguments that convinced me about EP (together with the RPW).

The author beautifully explains how singing the Psalms in worship is not mainly singing about Jesus: "In biblical worship, it is the king who leads the congregation into worship, and it is the king's own songs that the congregation sings with him". King Jesus is the ultimate song Leader. When we are singing Psalms, we are not just singing about our King we are also singing with him. Led by him in worship. This is a feature that the Psalms provide unlike modern hymns.

In the final chapters the author describes other unique features of the psalms: they are praising conversations and they are meditational.

I think the book is easy to read and that the author makes a good job in explaining the great benefits of singing the Psalms in worship. It might be that after reading this book you will not be convinced of EP but I am sure that it will change the way that you read the Psalms.

[Harm-Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Even within a denomination that sings the Psalms exclusively in worship, moreover, I find that there is need to relearn what it is that we are doing as we sing these curious specimens of ancient hymnody.

It is a rediscovery that I believe is necessary, and in which I hope others will take part for the strengthing of our own relationships with God in Christ, for the reformation of the church, and ultimately for the glory of God as mediated through the Person and prayers of Christ our Mediatorial King and Psalm singer." (151)

Recommended!

[Eric Chappell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book on the Psalter and their modern relevance. This book deserves a re-read. It was short, concise, and extremely helpful in understanding the structure and NT importance of the Psalms.

[Emilie Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is NOT a defence / argument for Exclusive Psalmody. Don’t worry (I haven’t quite been converted yet!) 😀😀😀😀

HOWEVERR it was actually great. Very concise, very helpful - whilst despite the aforementioned conciseness, I still feel a good amount of detail was included. I especially liked the chapter on imprecatory psalms- very helpful. Also how they unite God’s people from Moses’ day until the 21st century - some lovely lovely points to consider throughout (this just being one of many!).

Makes you think slightly differently about the Psalms. Made me want to sing a few of them! 🤭

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! Rather than setting out to be an argument for exclusive psalmody, this book is about what the purpose and proper use and function of the psalms actually is in the church and it's worship. Shows how the psalms are far more relevant for a Christian's worship than you might have imagined! Shows how the psalms are Christ's psalms, and he sings them with us (if we sing them...). Far from being 'no longer relevant for the NT age' they deal with the deep issues of a Christians life in a way that only they can due to their unique character as Jesus' songs.
Scholarly yet easy to read and very far from dry or 'doctrinal,' this is a Must Read!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about the history of the Psalms in this book that would have never even crossed my mind! I gave it 4 stars because the writing style of Lefebvre was a little hard for me. Maybe I'm just a lazy reader, but when I read a book I like the author to tell me how he got to the conclusion he came to and not to just tell me the conclusion. Some of the scripture proof texts he used I had to stop and read 5 times to make work the way he was using them when he was passing them off as obvious.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not particularly convinced of the thesis of this book the first time that I read it, but after hearing a sermon on a similar theme I was inspired to re-read it. One of the strongest points the author makes concerns the typological significance of the Davidic kings as Israel's worship-leaders. It is not really a polemic book, and so, unlike some other RPW/EP advocates, the author does not come across as a nut-job.

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read in 2018. So useful, so unique, so well thought and researched, so clearly delivered.

Quotes from the book:

[In the psalms] "Jesus sings his own songs in his own words (composed prophetically for him). They are his praises of the Father which he calls us, as his subjects, to join him in singing. "

"The 18th century hymnwriting movement failed to see Christ in the Psalms, because they overlooked the church's historical realization that we need much more than praises about Jesus. Christians lost the importance of singing Jesus' songs with him in worship. We need praises led by Jesus, which is what the songs provide."

"God's purposes for David's throne were far bigger than David himself could fulfill, and David understood this...the psalms of King David were prepared with the grandness larger than the commissioning king could fill. But in David's case, a promise from God ensured that an heir would do so, one day."

"All throughout his ministry, Jesus showed himself to be the king described in the Psalms - a king even greater than David. It is Jesus who fulfills every dimension of the Psalms and their covenanted roles far beyond what any of the preceding kings of the Davidic dynasty could have achieved."

"When a congregation sings words like these, we ought to listen to them as we sing them. They are words of comfort addressed to us. And it is not simply our fellow believers (whose literal voices we hear) exhorting us. Nor is it just King David (who penned Psalm 37). Christ himself experiences the supreme faithfulness of the Father, and personally testifies to us in these lines."

"...in the Psalms, praise is the expected outcome, but meditation is the underlying activity which we undertake in Psalm singing. Unlike modern church songs which are primarily about 'getting right to the point' and declaring praise, the Psalms are designed to help people who don't always feel like praising begin by meditating on the mess the world is in, and only through a full and robust process of meditation, to come out with praise."

"...the book of Psalms is so named because these are sung meditations, which meet us in the 'city of confusion and trouble' where we live and, if we follow them where they take us, they carry us ultimately to the 'city of praise and rejoicing.'"

"For as long as we traverse the dangers of this present world, these Psalms give us a lifeline, whereby Christ holds us tightly to heaven's joy."

[Adam Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Psalms supremely fulfill a need in the church which is going unmet when we fail to sing them" (28). That's the view of Michael Lefebvre, which he defends persuasively in this book. Lefebvre is part of a denomination that only sings psalms, but he does not attempt to promote that position specifically - instead, he focusses on showing the uniqueness of the psalms in the context of worship, the value of singing them, and how to understand some of the more challenging parts of them, such as the imprecations.

As the title suggests, one of the key unique features of the psalms is that these are the "songs of Jesus" - these are not just songs we sing to Jesus, or about Jesus, but with Jesus. "When you sing the Psalms, you are actually singing the songs of Jesus, with Jesus as your songleader" (50). The biblical psalms also contrast with most contemporary hymn-writing, in that they make space for honest meditation on the complexities of life. "The beauty of the Psalms is that they give to us, in an integrated collection of interwoven praises and struggles, hymns that are robust enough to provide everything our souls need to praise God in the real world, and to prepare for the eternal praise of the next world" (144).

Not all of Lefebvre's book is equally persuasive, and there are points where he assumes his conclusions rather than demonstrating them from the Scriptures. But as a pastor with a growing conviction that we should sing more psalms, I found this a helpful, encouraging and practical read.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introductory resource to give to others who may be unfamiliar with the need and benefits of singing The Pslams, especially when the church gathers for worship.

This book is not meant to destroy your favorite hymns or contemporary praise songs but to help you taste and see the goodness of God as you practice singing His divinely inspired "hymnal" with understanding---perfectly suited to be sung in every Christian church, home, and heart:

¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:14-17).

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if one does not believe with the author that Psalms are the only content to be sung in public worship this book does a fine job of showing why it is important, even vital that we corporately sing the Psalter.

Lefebvre keeps his arguments for exclusive psalmody largely hidden as he develops his arguments for the superiority of the psalms and the huge benefit there is in the very characteristics which put modern Christians off singing them.

Really liked it.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! Some solid arguments for inclusive psalmody and some interesting history. I definitely enjoyed the read and made me think about how the contemporary music we sing often doesn't convey the range of expression that God wants us to have during worship. The chapter on imprecatory psalms was handled really really well, I appreciated how many warnings he gave about the necessity to be in the right frame of mind when singing them.

[Joseph Rizzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book on psalmody. It really makes you consider more the appropriateness of singing the Psalms rather than just reading them as you would the rest of scripture. They are more than just God's words to us to be read, they are also our words back to God, the kings words to the people, and the collective praise of God's people back to Him. One of the things I will remember most from the book is the attention put to recognizing the conversational nature of the Psalms and how to recognize the conversations taking place in each of them.

We are shown how there are not just a few messianic psalms, but that all of the Psalms are the words of Christ, suitable even now for use in the christian church of our day.

[Brandon Current · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-Read. Thought-provoking fast-read that will deepen your appreciation and use of the Psalms. Michael LeFebvre is well studied, yet concise - a rare match.

The Psalms have long been confusing for me, but I have a much better picture of the role they play in the believers life. LeFebvre shows how the voice of Christ leads the congregation in worship through the psalms as our King-Head. He makes a convincing argument for the reintroduction of the psalms into corporate worship.

He also helpfully introduces the psalms as praise conversations. At various times different voices lead; King to God, King to us, us to God, us to King, us to one another (about God or the King), God to us, God to King, and God/King/us to world

[Argin Gerigorian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to psalmody.

I say psalmody and not exclusive psalmody (even though Dr. Lefebvre is) is because that is what he is arguing for. He is pleading to the church universal to "try the psalms" because they are meant to be sung. They are Jesus' own songs, ones that He Himself sung, and ones that He directs us to sing.

Lefebvre shows us that Jesus is clearly portrayed in the psalms and that they are primarily about him, so dispensational arguments such as "psalms of the OT are not meant for us because they don't have Christ in them" is nonsensical.

Pick this short book up, you can finish in a day or two. Pretty helpful

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the psalms. Even if you don't agree with psalm only singing, very good for increasing the use of psalms in our public gatherings. The psalms are under utilitised in our churches.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was even better the second reading.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and an easy read on understanding the psalms for the purpose of singing them.