I don’t know about you, but I grew up reading the Biblical book of Psalms as individual songs—laments for times of suffering and praises to God for times of rejoicing. I had never read or thought about them with the Gospel of Christ in mind. Even though this beautiful book was written about one thousand years before His birth, the Psalter clearly lays out the entire Gospel message, including the birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of the Savior. Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 prophecies through His life and death, and we believers often take for granted the significance of such miraculous truth.

Especially at Christmastime, we hear of the Old Testament prophecies written about the promised Messiah who would save Israel. Psalm chapter 40 announces the coming of the long-anticipated King: “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me…” (English Standard Version, Ps. 40:7). Even the adoration of the magi is prophesied in chapter 72 with the words, “desert tribes bow down before him… present him gifts… May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him” (Ps. 72:9-11). God’s declaration of, “You are my Son,” heard about 30 years later at the Savior’s baptism, is documented in chapter two (Ps. 2:7). Jesus’ victory over temptation in the desert (Ps. 91) and obedience to God (Ps. 40) are foretold. Chapter 146 of the Psalter describes the ministry of Jesus, who, it was promised, would execute justice for the oppressed, feed the hungry, set the prisoners free, open the eyes of the blind, and uphold the vulnerable (Ps. 146:7-9).  

The Psalter does not end by telling us that Jesus would come and that He would be merely a “good man” with a successful ministry; rather, it continues to tell us what he would accomplish during His time on earth—that He would save us from our own sins. Psalm chapter 22 describes the unimaginable suffering of the promised Messiah. It prophesies some of Christ’s final words, spoken from the cross, and with them, the depth of loneliness apart from our Father. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22 describes the mistreatment of our Savior—how he was mocked and rejected by His own (Ps. 22:6-7). We are told that Jesus would be observed by both Jews and Gentiles during His crucifixion (Ps. 22:16) and that His clothes would be divided among the soldiers who cast lots for them (Ps. 22:18). The chapter documents Jesus’ physical suffering, including His bleeding (Ps. 22:14), His thirst (Ps. 22:15), and the piercing of His hands and feet (Ps. 22:16).

Miraculous enough are the prophecies describing Jesus’ earthly ministry and the specificity in the documentation of the Savior’s suffering one thousand years before it began. But the book of Psalms does not end with Christ’s suffering and death. Rather, it continues to tell the end of the story—the most beautiful part of the Gospel message: the resurrection (Ps. 16) and the ascension (Ps. 110) of Jesus Christ. We are told that Jesus would one day sit again at the right hand of God, His Father (Ps. 16:8), that believers, made holy through the righteousness of Christ, would dwell in security and joy with Him forever (Ps. 16:8-11), and that He would return to judge and rescue (Ps. 110).

Before beginning a careful study of this book, I viewed the Psalter as a collection of poetry—songs of lament and worship to help believers comprehend how to be in communion with the God of the Universe. And it is that. But the most beautiful treasure, to me, is not the beauty of the poetry or the eloquence of the prayers. It’s not the expressiveness of the laments or even the adoration of the songs, rich in theology and worship. The true treasure of the Psalter is God’s evident faithfulness, which we can see through over 300 prophecies, fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.