In almost every verse of the Psalms, the Church finds a reflection of the New Testament, of this or that event or thought.

King David is the main author of the Psalter

The content of the Psalms is closely related to the life of the righteous King David. David, born a thousand years before the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, was the youngest son of a poor shepherd named Jesse, who had many children. Even in his early youth, being a shepherd, David began to compose inspired prayers to the Creator. When the prophet Samuel, sent by God, entered the house of Jesse to anoint the king for Israel, the prophet thought to anoint one of his eldest sons. But the Lord revealed to the prophet that the youngest son, still a very young David, had been chosen by Him for this lofty service. Then, in obedience to God, Samuel pours holy oil on the head of his younger son, thus performing the anointing of the king. From that time on, David became the anointed of God – the messiah (the Hebrew word "messiah," in Greek "Christ," means anointed). But David did not immediately begin his actual reign. He still has a long way to go through trials and unjust persecution on the part of the then ruling king Saul, who hated David. The reason for this hatred was envy, since the lad David slew the hitherto invincible Philistine giant Goliath with a small stone and thereby gave victory to the Jewish army. After this incident the people said, "Saul has conquered thousands, and David has overcome tens of thousands." Only a strong faith in an intercessor God enabled David to endure all the many persecutions and dangers to which he had been exposed at the hands of Saul and his servants for almost fifteen years. Wandering for months in the wild and impenetrable wilderness, King David poured out his sorrow to God in inspired psalms (see Psalms 7, 12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 39, 51, 53, 56, 58). The victory over Goliath is depicted by David in Psalm 43.

When King David became king in Jerusalem after Saul's death, he became the most prominent king who had ever ruled Israel. He combined many valuable qualities of a good tsar: love for the people, justice, wisdom, courage and, most importantly, a strong faith in God. Before deciding any state issue, King David called out to God with all his heart, asking for wisdom. The Lord helped David in everything and blessed his 40-year reign with many successes. In governing the kingdom, David saw to it that the divine services in the tabernacle were conducted magnificently, and for him he composed psalms, which were often sung by choir accompanied by musical instruments. Often David himself presided over religious festivals, offering sacrifices to God for the Jewish people and singing psalms (See his Psalms on the Transfer of the Ark: 14 and 23).

But David did not escape severe trials. One day he was seduced by the beauty of a married woman, Bathsheba. King David wept over his sin in the well-known 50th Psalm of Penance. David's greatest sorrow was the military revolt led against him by his own son Absalom, who dreamed of becoming king prematurely. On this occasion David experienced all the bitterness of the black ingratitude and treachery of many of his subjects. But, as before under Saul, faith and hope in God helped David. Absalom died ingloriously, although David tried in every way to save him. He pardoned the other rebels. David recorded his emotional experiences in connection with the rebellion of Absalom in Psalms: Psalms 4, 5, 6, 10, 24, 40-42, 54, 57, 60-63, 83, 140, 142.

With their poetic beauty and depth of religious feeling, David's psalms inspired imitation by many subsequent psalm compilers. Therefore, although not all the Psalms were written by David, the name that is often given to the book of Psalms is still true: "The Psalter of King David."

The Prophetic Side of the Psalms

Being a king and a prophet, as well as to a certain extent a priest, King David prefigured the greatest King, Prophet and High Priest – Christ the Savior, a descendant of David in the flesh. King David's personal experience, as well as the poetic gift he possessed, gave him the opportunity to prophetically inscribe the personality and podvig of the coming Messiah in a number of psalms with unprecedented vividness and vividness.

Here is a list of the most important prophetic psalms: about the coming of the Messiah: 17, 49, 67, 95-97. On the Kingdom of the Messiah: 2, 17, 19, 20, 44, 65, 71, 109, 131. On the Priesthood of the Messiah: 109. On the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of the Messiah: 15, 21, 30, 39, 40, 65, 68, 98:5 (40, 54 and 108 on Judas the Traitor). On the Ascension of Christ into Heaven: 23, 67. Christ is the foundation of the Church: 117. On the Glory of the Messiah: 8. On the Last Judgment: 96. On the inheritance of eternal rest by the righteous: 94.

In order to understand the prophetic psalms, it must be remembered that David, like the other great righteous men of the Old Testament, prefigured Christ. Therefore, what he says, for example, about his sufferings or about glory, is not an exaggeration, but refers to him only partially. It fully applies to Christ. We see such an understanding of the Psalms in the Apostles of Christ and in the Holy Fathers.

The Significance of the Psalter for Divine Services