Ascending the Hill to Praise: The Function of the Psalter’s Structure and Poetry in Forming Hearts of Praise

Abstract The Psalms constitute more than a randomized collection of discrete songs. God has given the psalms to form believers through regular performance. The Psalms are not merely an anatomy of the soul: the Psalms are medicine for the soul. A proper understanding of the dominant metaphors within the psalms, through their use and practice, renders the Book of Psalms a pathway toward refuge and the refuge itself. The worshipper must sing his or her way through the Psalms from songs of lament and repentance, through songs of thanksgiving and trust, eventually ascending the hill to praise.