James M. Hamilton Jr. and Matthew Damico, Reading the Psalms as Scripture

Hamilton Jr., James M., and Matthew Damico. Reading the Psalms as Scripture. Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2024. 142 pp.; Hb.; $19.99. Link to Lexham Press

James M. Hamilton, Jr. serves as Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and as preaching pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church. He contributed a volume to the NSBT series, With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology (IVP Academic 2014; see my review here). Hamilton has written extensively on biblical theology and typology, including What Is Biblical Theology? (Crossway, 2014). Matthew Damico is pastor of worship and operations at Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, where Hamilton is the senior pastor.

This new book is a short introduction to Hamilton’s method for reading the Psalms. This method is detailed in his recent monograph, Typology—Understanding the Bible’s Promise-Shaped Patterns: How Old Testament Expectations are Fulfilled in Christ (Zondervan Academic, 2022) and further demonstrated in his Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary on the Psalms commentary (Lexham Press, 2022, reviewed here).

Chapters 1-4 describe and support Hamilton’s first three theses. First, the Salter was intended to be read in sequence like any book. The psalms are strategically arranged, and the final form of the Salter has cohesive features that unify its message. Second, doxologies, changes and authorship, super prescriptions, and common vocabulary create cohesion and a “set of characters whose actions unfold a discernible plot.” Third, earlier scripture is the most significant backdrop that the Psalter must be read. The authors learned from Moses, and they believed in the promises made to David. In short, the Psalter reflects an “Old Testament worldview.” For the most part, scholarship now recognizes the hand of editors in the arrangement and final form of Psalms. For example, it is almost axiomatic to describe Psalms 1-2 as an introduction to the entire collection, highlighting eschatology and wisdom as key themes found throughout the Psalter.

Hamilton’s fourth thesis is perhaps more controversial. He believes David deserves much more credit for being well-versed in scripture as a brilliant theologian than he is typically given. Chapter 5 offers examples of this by examining Psalms 18, 72, and 78. Not every psalm draws on earlier scripture as much as these, but Hamilton uses them to sketch out allusions to earlier scripture, primarily Samuel. This kind of inner-canonical exes is always tricky because it is difficult (or impossible) to know precisely when Samuel or the Psalter were finally edited. Hamilton’s inner-canonical method works because he assumes traditional dates and authorship for the Psalms.

He goes further than this in his fifth thesis. Hamilton argues. David understood the patterns and promises of early Scripture, discerned how his own experiences fit into them, and prophetically presented himself as a type of the one to come. Hamilton traces key parallels between Moses, Joseph, and the next step in this pattern of events, king David. This raises several thoughts in my mind. What if Joseph is not a “type of Christ”? This classic view was recently argued by Samuel Emadi (From Prisoner to Prince: The Joseph Story in Biblical Theology. NSBT 59; Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2022, see my review here). However, Jeffrey Pulse recently called this into question (Figuring Resurrection: Joseph as a Death and Resurrection Figure in the Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism. Studies in Scripture and Biblical Theology; Lexham Academic, 2021; read my review here). A second concern: What if David did not write all of the “to David” Psalms? Many psalms are called a “Psalm of David,” or even more simply “of David” (לְדָ֫וִ֥ד). Most major commentaries on Psalms discuss what the preposition l^e means in a Psalm header.  Although authorship is an option, it is not the only way to understand the word. Therefore, messianic typology may have happened at the editorial level when the Salter was arranged in its final form. Does it necessarily have to go back to David?

Hamilton’s sixth thesis concerns reading the Psalms with a messianic typology. “Typology is a God-ordained, author-intended historical correspondence and escalation in significance between people, events, and institutions across the biblical storyline” (80, his monograph, Typology). The Kiefer Hamilton is the phrase “author intended.” He argues that Moses intentionally forged connections between himself and Joseph, and these connections and these connections look forward to David as a messianic type. Hamilton uses Psalms 2, 16, and 22 as examples. Psalm 16 is a miktam of David and the details drawn from 1 Samuel fit well into the life of David. Peter quotes this Psalm as the authentic voice of David in Acts 2:25-28 and applies the words to the resurrection of Christ.

It is undoubtedly true that scripture often reuses themes and motifs (the Exodus is a clear example). However, it is quite another thing to argue that David wrote Psalm 2 to connect himself intentionally to earlier messianic texts. It is difficult to say that David wrote Psalm 1 or Psalm 2. There is no header, so it is possible, but if the first two psalms are a “gateway” to the Psalter (as they are often described), then the two psalms may have been joined at the editorial level when the book of Psalms reached its final form.

Hamilton’s final thesis is that the maximum spiritual benefit for believers today comes from rightly understanding what the psalmists meant to communicate. This is true, but for Hamilton, their message is (only) fulfilled in Christ. While this may be true for Psalms 22 and 23. However, it is difficult to say this for every Psalm. In fact, it only works if the New Testament use of the Psalm is imported back into the Psalms or New Testament Theology is allowed to dictate the meaning of a Psalm. What was the point of Psalm 22 in its original context? To do so is to ignore the original setting of the psalm and the original author’s intention.

Conclusion. This guide to reading the Psalms is aimed at a popular audience. If anyone wants Hamilton’s detailed argument for this typological method, they will need to read his other work. If you like typology, then this book is a good introduction to reading the Psalms. Physically, this is a lovely small (5×8 inches) book.

NB: Thanks to Lexham Press for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.