3 Powerful Ways That Psalms Point to Jesus
The New Testament’s claims that some psalms point to Jesus can seem confusing. After all, how could a psalm written by David about something in his life possibly also refer to Jesus?
Let’s first clarify some terms and then look at the three ways the New Testament claims psalms point to Jesus.
Terms Related to Psalms That Point to Jesus
Messiah and Christ
The English word messiah comes from the Hebrew for “anointed one”. David and all the kings descended from him were anointed king with oil. Thus, they were all called messiahs.
The English word christ comes from the Greek for “anointed one”. Most translations capitalize messiah and christ when referring to Jesus but not when referring to others.
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Matthew 24:24
In Old Testament times, some priests and prophets were also anointed for service and thus were anointed ones. But by Jesus’s day, when people talked about the promised Messiah, they meant the king the prophets promised.
Messianic Psalms
A messianic psalm is a psalm that points to Jesus in its entirety, such as Psalm 2.
Some psalms have messianic elements but are not messianic psalms because other portions clearly do not apply to Jesus. For example, the New Testament applies Psalm 69:9 to Jesus:
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
John 2:17
But other parts clearly do not apply to him:
O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
Psalm 69:5
So Psalm 69 has messianic elements but is not a messianic psalm.
Now let’s look at the three ways that psalms point to Jesus.
Three Ways Psalms Point to Jesus
Old Testament scholar Allen P. Ross in A Commentary on The Psalms: Volume 1 writes that the New Testament shows psalms pointing to Jesus in three ways.
Direct Prophecy
A psalm is direct prophecy if it applies to only a future event.
Psalm 110
Psalm 110 is direct prophecy. It never applied to any person other than Jesus. Peter quotes Psalm 110:1 and applies it to Jesus:
For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 2:34–36
Hebrews 7:15-21 quotes Psalm 110:4 and applies it to Jesus:
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Psalm 110:4
End Times Proclamations
The enthronement psalms (Psalms 96-99) celebrate the Lord’s reign. They are direct prophecy if they’re interpreted to apply to future events alone.
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98:8–9
Note that some scholars separate end times proclamations into a separate category than direct prophecy since they don’t actually mention the Messiah.
Typology
Typology is indirect prophecy. In typology, something that happened in history foreshadows (or portends) something greater that later happened to Jesus. This is the most common way that psalms point to Jesus.
The New Testament reveals that both King David and Israel were types of Jesus. Therefore, some psalms about David and Israel foreshadow Jesus.
Psalm 22
The most astonishing example of typology in Psalms is found in Psalm 22. There, David describes enemies attacking him, likely with swords that wounded his hands and feet.
For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
Psalm 22:16–18
Later, the crucified Jesus quotes the first line (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Psalm 22:1]), calling bystanders’ attention to the psalm so they would see the similarities and realize the crucifixion was part of God’s plan. Jesus’s hands and feet were pierced too, but by nails.
John quotes Psalm 22:18, saying it was fulfilled in what soldiers did to Jesus:
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things.
John 19:23–24
Psalm 118
Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22 here:
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
Matthew 21:42
In the psalm, the stone is a symbol of Israel who was rejected by greater nations as insignificant. In Matthew, Israel is a type of Jesus and Israel’s rejection was a type of Jesus’s rejection.
Royal Psalms
The royal psalms are 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, and 144. They are about the kings (messiahs) descended from David. Therefore, they apply typologically to King Jesus.
The most striking of these is Psalm 2. It was sung at coronations. In verses 7-9, the newly crowned king tells of the decree by which he rules: the covenant God made with David in 2 Samuel 7:8-16. In it, God declares that a son of David’s would be king after him. He describes the relationship he’ll have with David’s son in this way:
I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.
2 Samuel 7:14
In other words, the kings descended from David would carry the title, “son of God.” Psalm 2 reflects this by having the newly crowned king say this:
I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.”
Psalm 2:7
But Jesus didn’t just have a title; he was literally the Son of God. The former kings’ relationship with God foreshadowed Jesus’s greater relationship as Son. The New Testament applies verse 7 to Jesus three times: Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; and Hebrews 5:5.
Analogy
The New Testament uses some psalms more as an analogy or pattern than a type. For example, Peter quoted Psalms 69:25 and 109:8 when speaking of choosing someone to replace Judas:
“For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and ‘Let another take his office.’”
Acts 1:20
This is also the case when Jesus quoted Psalm 41:9 regarding Judas:
“But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’”
John 13:18
Sharing a meal with a friend who later turns against one is a nearly universal experience, so this fits better under analogy than typology.
Conclusion
Understanding the three ways that psalms point to Jesus helps us appreciate the rich ways that God unfolded his message of salvation.
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