redeemer

The Songs of

JESUS

A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms

Today’s Reading

TIMOTHY KELLER

with KATHY KELLER

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Copyright © 2015 by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller

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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Keller, Timothy J., 1950–

Title: The songs of Jesus : a year of daily devotions in the Psalms / Timothy Keller, with Kathy Keller.

Description: New York : Viking, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015040320 | ISBN 9780525955146 (hardcover : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Psalms—Devotional use. | Devotional calendars.

Classification: LCC BS1430.54 .K45 2016 | DDC 242/.2—dc23 LC record available at https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/vlRDB3c3lDw9IZ

To the Midwood family

Louise

Jesse, Meg, and Abby

And in honor of our dear friend David (1949–2014),

Husband, father, grandfather, friend, mentor,

and minister of the Gospel

Who is singing songs with Jesus with all his might

INTRODUCTION

The Psalms were the divinely inspired hymnbook for the public worship of God in ancient Israel (1 Chronicles 16:8–36). Because psalms were not simply read, but sung, they penetrated the minds and imaginations of the people as only music can do. They so saturated the heart and imagination of the average person that when Jesus entered Jerusalem it was only natural that the crowd would spontaneously greet him by reciting a line from a psalm (Mark 11:9; Psalm 118:26).

The early Christians sang and prayed the psalms as well (Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 14:26). When Benedict formed his monasteries he directed that the psalms all be sung, read, and prayed at least once a week. Throughout medieval times the psalms served as the most familiar part of the Bible for most Christians. The Psalter was the only part of the Bible a lay Christian was likely to own. At the time of the Reformation, the psalms played a major role in the reform of the church. Martin Luther directed that “the whole Psalter, psalm by psalm, should remain in use.” John Calvin prescribed metrical psalms as the main diet of song in worshipping congregations.1 Calvin wrote: “The design of the Holy ...