The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary, Introduction: Christ and the Psalms

The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary #1

by Christopher Ash

Commentary from Christopher Ash Sets Out a Deeply Christian Study of Psalms 1–50

While reading Psalms, it is common for commentaries to focus on Old Testament meaning, without connecting it deeply to Christ’s fulfillment in the New Testament. By studying Scripture this way, believers miss out on the fullness of God’s word. The key to experiencing authentically Christian worship is learning a Christ-focused approach to praying and singing the Psalms.

In this thorough commentary, Christopher Ash provides a careful treatment of Psalms 1–50, examining each psalm’s significance to David and the other psalmists, to Jesus during his earthly ministry, and to the church of Christ in every age. Ash includes introductory quotations, a deep analysis of the text’s structure and vocabulary, and a closing reflection and response, along with selected quotations from older readings of the Psalms. Perfect for pastors, Bible teachers, and students, this commentary helps readers sing and pray the Psalms with Christ in view.

 Christopher Ash’s exegesis explores how the Psalms are quoted and echoed throughout the New Testament Applicable and  Explains how a Christ-centered approach to reading the Psalms influences doctrines of prayer, prophecy, the Trinity, ecclesiology, and more Ideal for Pastors and Serious Students of  Written for Bible teachers, Sunday school and youth leaders, and small-group leaders

Genres: Theology, Christian

464 pages, Hardcover

Published July 9, 2024

About the author

Christopher Ash works for the Proclamation Trust in London as director of the Cornhill Training Course. He is also writer in residence at Tyndale House in Cambridge, and is the author of several books, including Out of the Storm: Grappling with God in the Book of Job and Teaching Romans. He is married to Carolyn and they have three sons and one daughter.

Reviews

[Jonathan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolute gold.

Every preacher and thinking Christian should read this book. Volume one is a theological and historical introduction to a Christocentric and canonical reading of the Psalms.

The Chrisocentric aspect is the historic position of the church for over 1500 years. Unfortunately, in the last 150 years that Church has been more influenced by liberal readings of the Bible. Beautifully, Ash makes a compelling, concise, and convincing argument to go back to the historic and biblical position. Showing how Christ is in every Psalm.

He also encourages a canonical reading ofthe psalms.

[Joshua Schwisow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This serves as an excellent introduction to reading the Psalms. It is the introductory volume to Ash’s massive commentary on the Psalms. Worth reading through in its entire before diving into the commentary sections. There is much solid guidance here on interpreting and applying the Psalms.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully refreshing introduction to the Psalter. It is refreshing both because it is truly conservative and skeptical of post-"Enlightenment" ways of thinking (though not completely biased against it), and because it is enthusiastic in its recovery and appropriation of the Tradition. If I were to summarize Ash's hermeneutic for the Psalter, it would be that the Psalm should be read with the (1) humanity of the Son of God, the (2) divinity of the Son of God, and the (3) Body (Church) of the Son in mind. This is certainly not mutually exclusive, either, with the Quadriga, which Ash seems to affirm.

Ash's introduction is largely directed to those who are coming out of the liberal haze of modern exegesis. For this reason, there are lengthy sections of proofs for what should be obvious biblical hermeneutics (seeing Christ as the fulfillment of the Psalter, appropriating the words of Christ as the Body of Christ, etc). This is not a criticism, and I do not doubt the positive impact this will make on the church today. Ash is understandably laying a lot of groundwork in this volume for the commentary to come. Even still, I found these parts less enjoyable personally.

Chapters 4 and 6 were my favorite, and ones that I will likely reread in the future. In addition to these, I learned a lot from reading Appendix 1 on the superscriptions of the Psalms. Here is a good example where Ash is comfortable pushing against even the mainstream of scholarship today.

The one small quibble I have with Ash is his insistence that there are no imprecatory, or, cursing, psalms, but that these are really just prayers to God that call on Him to act according to covenant. Ash wants to avoid the word "curse," but I think it is precisely due to the covenantal character of God's justice that we should rightly understand these as curses. "I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse." (Gen. 12:3) I think the issue is a semantic one, and would simply say that what Ash is advocating for in his chapter on "imprecatory" prayers is precisely what the Bible calls cursing, in a righteous way.

[Danny Daugherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. A really helpful introduction to reading, exegeting, praying, and seeing Christ in the Psalms.

“As a final blessing I want to focus on a major reason for the enduring popularity of the Psalms in Christian devotion. This reason is the astonishing way that the Psalms both express and also reshape the feelings, affections, and desires of all human life… Only God can change the human heart. He does it by the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the word of God in prayer. The Psalms play a significant part in this renewal, for they gradually reshape our affections and our aversions so that we love what we ought to love and hate what we ought to hate.”

As I dive more deeply into the Psalms over the rest of this year, I can’t wait to have my affections reshaped by God’s Spirit and Word.

[Jake Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly one of the best introductions to the Psalms I have ever read. It is both thoroughly academic and immensely devotional. It’s pretty much reshaped how I see and read the Psalms.

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very helpful look at hermeneutics generally and the history of Psalms interpretation. Wish there were more on the fivefold structure and meaning of the Psalter’s arrangement.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did Jesus read the Psalms? In The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary (Volume 1, Introduction: Christ and the Psalms), Christopher Ash provides a compelling and insightful framework for interpreting the Psalms through a Christ-centered lens. This first volume serves as a detailed introduction to Ash’s methodology, setting the stage for a deep dive into all 150 Psalms in the subsequent volumes. His approach helps readers understand how the Psalms speak both to the psalmists in their own context and, more profoundly, to the life and mission of Jesus Christ.

This volume is the first in a four-volume series. While Volumes 2-4 will provide comprehensive treatments of each Psalm, Volume 1 focuses on the foundational principles of interpreting the Psalms as Christian Scripture. Ash explains the rationale behind his Christ-centered approach, guiding readers to see Jesus at the heart of every Psalm. For Ash, the Psalms are not merely ancient songs or prayers but living, breathing expressions that speak to the heart of Christ’s work and to the life of the Church across all ages.

Ash argues that the Psalms are integral to the corporate life of the Church. They teach us how to pray, praise, and live in a way that is shaped by the Holy Spirit. By speaking and singing the Psalms, the Church is formed and nurtured in its life together, promoting a godly life and protecting against individualistic or self-centered piety. The Psalms, in Ash’s view, are not just individual expressions of faith but corporate prayers that shape all of human life and align it with God’s will.


A Life of Faith

What I found particularly enlightening in this volume is Ash’s exploration of the Psalms’ portrayal of the emotions of Jesus in his human nature. The Psalms give us a window into the full range of human experience—joy, sorrow, distress, desire, faith in God, longing, waiting, consolation, indignation, perplexity, loneliness—and Ash shows how these emotions are not only reflective of the psalmists’ experiences but also deeply connected to Jesus’ own earthly life. This has deepened my understanding of Christ’s humanity and made me more confident that Jesus truly understands the breadth of human experience. He is able to empathize with our struggles and offer real help in our need. After reading this book, I am in awe of what it must have been like for Jesus to live a life of faith on earth, fully experiencing what it means to be human.

One of the key issues Ash addresses is whether Jesus, as the sinless Son of God, could pray penitential prayers or imprecatory prayers, as found in the Psalms. Ash offers a thoughtful and biblically grounded response. He argues that Jesus, while without sin, is so deeply identified with his people that he can authentically pray these prayers on their behalf as our covenant head. As for the imprecatory psalms, Ash explains that Christ prays these prayers not in judgment, but as part of his prayer for the coming of God’s kingdom: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This perspective is both faithful to the person of Jesus and honors the continued significance of the Psalms for the Church today.

After reading this volume, I am motivated to incorporate the Psalms more intentionally into my own devotional life and in the life of the Church. The Psalms are not only essential to the Christian faith, but they are also Christ-centered in a way that deepens our understanding of his work and strengthens our spiritual life. This book has inspired me to see the Psalms not just as ancient texts but as living prayers that speak to us today, pointing us to Christ and shaping our worship and walk with God.


I received a media copy of The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary (Volume 1, Introduction: Christ and the Psalms) and this is my honest review.

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's very difficult to do justice to this book in a review. I'm indebted to Christopher Ash and his work in this volume (and the 3 volumes of commentary that follow).

The Psalms have been an area of interest for me over the past couple of years. As I've read, I've been disinterested in modern interpretation which view individual Psalms as disjointed from the others, "imprecatory" Psalms as a no-no for Christians, and connecting Christ with every breath of the Psalter as just pre-academic wishful allegory.

This volume stands as a rejection of post enlightenment, hyper-historical, interpretation. Ash builds a strong case for Christ centered Psalms from the New Testament itself. Relying on direct quotations and "echoes" of the Psalms that are found within our New Testaments.

Not only that, but he then moves on to showing how specific theological topics presented in the Psalms are rightly refracted through Christ. Themes of prayer, repentance, "imprecations", etc. This section was extremely helpful, particularly in making a case for a Christian appropriation of "imprecatory" Psalms that isn't just turning the enemy prayed against into spiritual enemies. These harder areas still require some wrestling with, so I'll probably reread them and also view particular verses in his commentary to truly see his understanding layed out.

The last part of the book shows the history of interpretation with the Psalter, demonstrating that a Christ centered reading was the accepted, and utilized, hermeneutic for the first 1800 (or so) years of the Church. The historical case strengthens the validity of Ash's approach as he lists heavy hitters such as Origen, Augustine, Cassiodorus, Aquinas, Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, Jonathan Edwards and many more through the ages. I thoroughly enjoyed his brief section talking about the Alexandrian and Antiochian schools of interpretation from the early patristic period.

He ends with a concluding chapter on singing the Psalms as Christians. This small chapter is packed with many practical tools to help us appropriate the Psalms in our worship (corporately and individually), through Christ.

This book will probably be my go to recommendation for people wanting to dive deeper into the Psalms.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this introductory volume, which sets up his subsequent three volume commentary on the Psalter, Ash argues for a Christ-centered approach to the Psalms. After making this case, he provides some highlights of readings of the Psalms throughout church history, with, at least prior to "skeptical" interpreters, most interpreters seeing Christ as central to understanding and rightly interpreting the Psalms. He also provides a helpful appendix defending the historical accuracy and thus exegetical relevance of the superscriptions and another appendix offering a detailed outline of the NT use of the Psalms. Very well done and certainly wet's this reader's appetite for diving into the commentary proper.

[Zachary Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal introductory volume to understand the book of Psalms better. Even if you do not intend to read through the commentaries right now or fully, I highly recommend reading the introductory volume from cover to cover. Ash touches on everything from how to approach the text at an exegetical level, canonical level, and theological level, to how to apply the Psalms as Christians through Christ. My favorite portion of the book was his chapters on how the Christian and the Church is to read the Psalms only through Christ. There were some challenging part of this book that pushed on my assumptions and presuppositions that I know are shared among many Christians who read the psalms. Definitely worth the read!

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to express just how much I enjoyed this commentary. I read the entire first volume and have read his commentary on a few of the individual psalms in the other three volumes. Ash's core hermeneutic—really his thesis—is that we should interpret the Psalter in the way that the inspired apostolic authors of the NT interpreted it and that means that we should be reading every Psalm Christocentrically. Not exactly a groundbreaking or original idea but certainly an unpopular view in post-enlightenment academic treatments of the Psalms.

However, the way that Ash builds his argument and the essays he gives on theological topics in the Psalms are convincing and clearly preserve the original meaning of the text while arguing for a robust fulfillment in Christ. Moreover, he shows that this has been the orthodox Christian consensus on interpreting the Psalms for 2000 years. All that said, what impressed me most was how devotionally rich his work was. Ash writes not like an academic observing his text at arm's length but rather a pastor and Christian who has been ministered to and moved by the words he writes about.

[Mitchell Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the most helpful resource on the Psalms I have ever read. Ash persuasively argues that we should read the Psalms as Christ's prayers (and as our prayers only in our unity with Christ) by appealing to scripture itself and by showing that it was the way the church read the Psalms until the eighteenth century. He answers the questions that are raised by such a reading such as, "How can Jesus pray for forgiveness?" and, "What about the imprecatory Psalms?" I would strongly recommend reading it before using the rest of the commentary set as a resource.

[Kevin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An expanded version of Teaching Psalms Vol. 1: From Text to Message with more emphasis on how his approach to reading the Psalms is connected to historical teachers. A little less accessible than the earlier volume, but very thorough and dense with references to other writers on the Psalms.

[Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An admirable defense of a historic approach to the Psalter. Ash rubbed me the wrong way in different manners at different times. My main problem (and I expect to see it crop up in the commentary) is his tendency to flatten his readings into Christology. I did really appreciate that he shares my lack of patience for form scholarship in Psalm studies. I don't think this is the final word on the subject, but there's plenty help to be found here.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Ash gives a really clear argument for why the Psalms should be read in a Christ-centered way. I'm also reading through volume 2, where he looks at Psalms 1–50, right now. If this introduction gives rise to the kinds of readings and applications that he does in the commentary proper, then this is well worth having and reading.

[Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash’s first volume in his commentary on the Psalms is a warm, readable, forceful argument for a Christocentric, pre-modern hermeneutic. What is new is not true and what is true is not new in theology.

[Taylor Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. This is the way.

[Stephen Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a helpful resource on reading the Psalms Christologically. My favorite theological book in the past several years.

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on how to best understand and interpret the psalms. Between this and the actual commentaries that follows, it's done a lot to help me see Christ throughout each of the psalms.