No other book of the Bible compares with the wonder of the sacred collection of inspired worship songs known as the Psalms. Considered by many to be the most loved portion of Scripture, the Psalms have been a bedrock of comfort and a tower of strength for believers in every experience of life. From the soul-stirring heights of praise to the heart-rending depths of despair, the full range of human emotion is captured in these magnificent anthems. Written some three thousand years ago in the days of ancient Israel, the Psalms remain just as vibrant and fresh today as when they were first written. They are able to lead the hearts of all believers to praise God. Because it directs its readers to this highest, God-assigned end, the collection of psalms occupies a unique place in the canon of Scripture.

Contained in this inspired hymnbook is the psalmists' passionate devotion to God as these wise men and worship leaders led God's people in exalting the name of him who alone is worthy to be praised. More than any other portion of Scripture, the Book of Psalms has influenced the public worship and private devotions of God's people through the centuries, leading them to seek him more diligently, to love him more deeply, and to trust him more fully. But in order for the Psalms to be rightly understood, a basic orientation to each psalm's historical background, literary style, and figures of speech is necessary. This brief introduction serves as an important prelude to the study of the Psalms. 

The Psalms, it can be argued, is the most unusual book in the Bible. Many interesting features cause it to stand out as a truly one-of-a-kind book. Consider some of the following special aspects:

The word psalms comes from a Greek word which means "the plucking of strings." It means a song to be sung to the accompaniment of a plucked or stringed instrument such as a harp or lyre. Thus, the Psalms is a collection of worship songs sung to God by the people of Israel with musical accompaniment. The collection of these 150 psalms into one book served as the first hymnbook for God's people, written and compiled to assist them in their worship of God. At first, because of the wide variety of these songs, this praise book was unnamed, but eventually the ancient Hebrews called it "The Book of Praises," or simply "Praises." This title reflects its main purpose-to assist believers in the proper worship of God.

Because many different authors wrote the Psalms, the writing of these sacred songs occurred at different times, spanning a period of about nine hundred to one thousand years. The time of their writing reaches from approximately 1410 B.C., when the first psalm was written, to around 500 B.C. to 430 B.C., when the last psalm was written, depending upon the identity of the author of Psalm 126.

No matter where a person is in the Christian life, whether up or down, soaring or struggling, there is a psalm that speaks directly to the spiritual state of his heart. The psalms were written to guide believers in the proper worship of God and used rightly, are to be sung devotionally (Eph. 5.19; Col. 3:16), prayed fervently (Acts a.25-26), preached evangelistically (Acts 2:25-28,31,34-35; 13:33,35), and taught expositionally (Luke 24:44; Rom. 3:10-14,18; 1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 4:8; Heb. 1:5). The primary purpose of the Book of Psalms is found in its intensely God-centered focus to direct our hearts toward him in every experience of life.