What Are the Royal Psalms? – Pointing to Jesus as King

May his name endure forever; may his name increase as long as the sun shines…
Psalm 72:17a

The Psalms can be divided into various categories: creation, the Exodus, wisdom, penitential, lament, praise, and royal, to name a few.

The category we’re going to talk about today is the royal psalms.

What are they, and why are they significant in history and today?

Let’s get started.

What Are the Royal Psalms?

The royal psalms are about the king’s rule and relationship with God. They include royal coronations, weddings, anniversaries, and celebrations honoring the king. Royal psalms all have a historical meaning about a real king. However, they also have an Old Testament interpretation concerning the future Messiah and a Messianic reinterpretation in the New Testament regarding Jesus Christ. 

1. Historical Davidic Context

Royal psalms are about real Davidic kings in history. For example, Psalm 2 was probably written by David for his son Solomon’s coronation. Likely, this coronation was used for all future kings in David’s dynasty.

Similarly, Psalm 45 is a royal wedding song and was possibly used for all of the kings’ marriages.

Many royal psalms are about the people or the king praising or asking God for victory and success in battle. That’s because battles were a normal part of life for Israel and its kings. 

All the Davidic kings were anointed or chosen by God. Even after David’s dynasty seemingly ended, there was hope for a future ideal king who would fulfill the Davidic covenant.

RELATED > > > > > How is Psalm 2 About Jesus? -The Ideal King

2. Messianic Old Testament Interpretation

The Psalmists understood the things they wrote could not be fulfilled by the Davidic kings of the time because they were imperfect and the requirements were beyond their capabilities (see Psalm 72).

And when the northern kingdom was exiled, the people could have easily lost hope. 

Yet they were convinced that an ideal king would still come through David’s line and establish God’s kingdom on earth.

Why did they continue to have this hope? Let’s look at two possible reasons.

First, the prophets during and after the exile declared an ideal king was still coming. 

Two of the three prophets during the exile prophesied a king was still coming to rule in righteousness. 

Jeremiah 23:5-6 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness’ “

Ezekiel 37:24 “And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd, and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes, and observe them.”

After the exile, the prophet Zechariah spoke of it several times (Zechariah 6:9-15; 9:9-17; 11:1-17; 14:1-8). In one passage, he prophesies both comings.

Zechariah 9:9-10 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; and His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

Second, because of the royal psalms themselves.

The Psalter’s present form dates back to the late sixth century B.C.

According to Delmar L. Jacobson, the royal psalms were added to the Psalter because they are Messianic. He quotes Bernard W. Anderson as support for this idea:

It’s not accidental that the Psalter in its present form opens with two key psalms: Psalm 1, which extols the virtue of meditating on the Law (Torah); and Psalm 2, which was regarded in the late Old Testament period as referring to the Messiah (literally, “the Anointed One”). These two themes–the revelation of God’s will in the Torah and the hope for the coming of the Messiah to inaugurate God’s kingdom–constituted the two cardinal beliefs of the Jewish people at the time the Psalter was given its final form.

So, it makes sense that the Jewish people would want the royal psalms as a part of the Psalter. It would remind them that hope was not lost and that God would still raise up an ideal king from David’s line.

RELATED > > > > > What Are the Two Paths People Take? – Psalm 1  

Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion!

3. Messianic New Testament Reinterpretation 

A final way to read the royal psalms is by looking for the Messianic language:

Psalm 2:7b Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee… – The New Testament relates this to Christ’s resurrection.

Psalm 45:6a Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever… – These words are likely hyperbole of the king (perhaps Solomon) and ultimately apply to Jesus, who will reign forever.

Psalm 72:8 May he also rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. – No historical king ruled to the ends of the earth, but Jesus will in His Millenial reign.

Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet. – This verse is quoted in many New Testament verses and refers to Jesus:

• The Lord says to my Lord – Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13
• Sit at My right hand – Matthew 26:64; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2
• Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet – 1 Corinthians 15:25; Ephesians 1:22 

RELATED > > > > > How Long is Eternity?

11 Royal Psalms

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the royal psalms are significant for three reasons.

First, they have a historical context about the kings, especially David and Solomon.

Secondly, they point to a future ideal king. When it seemed as if no perfect king could come from David’s line, the royal psalms said otherwise. And the people hung onto hope.

And then, in the New Testament, its fulfillment came with Jesus’ first coming. But it was disappointing to many because Jesus didn’t overthrow the Roman government and set up His rule. The Jewish people missed that Scripture prophesied He would come first as a suffering servant and then return to reign as king.

We now live in the in-between time. Believers look back on His first coming when He died for our sins and wait expectantly for His return when He will rule in justice and righteousness. And Israel will finally get their ideal King.

What do you like most about the royal psalms?