IMPROVING PRAYER LIFE THROUGH STUDY OF THE PSALTER LECTURE NOTES RANDALL C. BAILEY, PH.D. FAULKNER UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY ALABAMA REVISED 2007

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1 IMPROVING PRAYER LIFE THROUGH STUDY OF THE PSALTER LECTURE NOTES RANDALL C. BAILEY, PH.D. FAULKNER UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY ALABAMA REVISED Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.

2 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 I. THE NAMES. A. The words psalms and "psalter" are anglicized forms of Latin psalmi and psalterium, which themselves are derived from the Greek psalmoi and psalterion. 1. psalterion originally referred to a stringed instrument, but later came to mean a "collection of songs." 2. These terms apparently were meant to translate Heb term mizmor, which is taken to mean a religious song accompanied by stringed instrument(s). 1 B. In the Hebrew Bible the title is seper tellum (book of praises). C. The Psalter was by no means unique in the ANE or in the religious realm today. 1. ANE had a body of similar literature among its various cultures. 2. Christendom in general, as well as the Lord's church, has similar material which is usually expressed in their song books. D. The Psalter was Israel's "songbook." II. PLACE OF PSS IN OT CANON. A. Heb Bib divided into 3 parts: Law; Prophets; Writings NRS B. Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." C. "Psalms" is first in the "Writings." D. This arrangement not followed in English Bibles. III. COMPILATION AND FORMATION. A. Not written by one single author. 1 Mowinckel, Sigmund. The Psalms in Israel's Worship, 2 vols. in 1. Translated by D. R. Ap- Thomas, revised from a 1951 work published in Norwegian (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962), 2:208. 2

3 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 B. Appears to be several that are near identical: 1. Ps 14 = 53; 40:13-17 = 70:1-5 (MT, 40:14 = 70:2-6); 108 = 57:7-11 (MT, :5-12 [MT 7-14]) :20 states: "The prayers of David are ended"; yet there are other psalms with "of David" in the title, cf , e.g. 3. Some parts favor the name "Yhwh," while other parts favor the term "God." a. Book I uses Yhwh (Yahweh, Jehovah) over Elohim (God) in a ratio of 272 to 15. b. Book II uses Elohim over Yhwh in a ratio of 162 to 30. c. "the use of the divine names as well as other factors indicate that at the time... [the subscription of 72:20] was made two distinct books were already in existence, and presumably of the same scope and compass that they now have." 2 4. Presence or absence of psalm titles (1-89, majority "David"; , majority "Sons of Korah"). C. Date and history of collection. 1. Date probably 3 different periods. 3 2 H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms, Rep. ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1969), 3. 3 R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969),

4 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 a. Those in pre-exilic times which have affinities with the Ugaritic 4 material, as well as the "royal" psalms and those which mention the Northern Kingdom. b. Those whose contents reveal a time in the exile. c. Those whose contents reveal a post-exilic period. 2. History of collection. a. Earlier smaller collections (Davidic, 3-41; Korahaite, 42-49; Asaphite, 78-83, 50; 2d Davidic, 51-71; Solomonic, 72). b. Putting together of these smaller units. c. Continual enlargement until the "5 books" were put together. Book I 1-41 Book II Book III Book IV Book V (1) "Each of these books closed with a doxology (praise), while Psalm 150 constituted in itself an appropriate doxology to the Psalter as a whole." 5 (2) If Psalm 1 is regarded as the introduction to the Psalter as a whole, then the entire book is "neatly wrapped." (3) The reason for the five-fold division is not known; "ancient tradition may be right in suggesting that the fivefold 4 Ras Shamra, Ugarit, is an archaeological site in modern day Syria. In the 20s a new language was discovered there, now called "Ugaritic." This language is as close to biblical Hebrew as modern French and Spanish are to Latin. Further the language gives us great insight into the worship of "Baal," the god of the Sidonians, which Jezebel imported into Israel during the prophet of Elijah's days, cf. 1 Kings 16:31. 5 Harrison, Introduction,

5 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 division is an imitation of the Pentateuch," i.e., the Law of Moses. 6 rd 3. Final compilation was probably completed ca. 3 century BC. 4. An interesting side note is that the LXX and the Hebrew text both have 150 psalms, but in a different manner: a. Hebrew LXX : : : : (151) b. Note the LXX has also a psalm numbered "151," which must have been its "728b," since a note follows the psalm that says, "outside the number." IV. HEBREW POETRY. A. Hebrew poetry is characterized by so-called parallelism in which the second line repeats or refers to the first in some way. B. The relationship between the lines serves to provide insight into the meaning of the text. 1. This is the Hebrew way of thinking and it also occurs in Hebrew Narrative; cf. Gen 1:27: 6 A. A. Anderson, The Book of Psalms, 2 vols. The New Century Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), 1:27). 5

6 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 V. PSALM TITLES. a. Line 1: "So God created man in his image, Line 2: in the image of God he created him; Line 3: male and female he created them." b. The various parallel lines serve as commentary on the other. c. This is not just a restatement of the facts, but a further defining of the lines: (1) Line 2 reenforces that man was created "in the image of God"; the "in his image" of line 1 (2) Line 2 further explains that when "God created man," "he created him," indicating the creation of the male. (3) Line 3 further explains that "him" that God create consisted of "male and female." 2. This understanding gives further insight into the power of Jesus' parables. a. In the parables of Jesus, he give line 1 b. The audience was to supply line 2 as their conclusion. NRS (1) Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (2) We are to supply the parallelism. What is it? A. Many accept the titles as part of the text, while others do not. 1. We do not know when they were added. 2. They represent the first verse in the Hebrew Bible. B. This problem is more complicated than many people suppose. C. Phrases indicating collections, compilers, or authors. 6

7 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer of David: occurs 72 times, but omitted from heading of 133. a. Part of the problem is the Hebrew phrase. b. 3 possible interpretations. (1) Authorship: without doubt David composed certain pss. But to say that the phrase always implies authorship raises several problems: (a) (b) In Psalm 34, the king before whom David simulated madness was named Abimlech, whereas in 1 Samuel 21:10ff. he was named Achish. Again, the title of Psalm 56 seems to imply that David was captured by the Philistines and brought to Gath, whereas in 1 Samuel 21:10 David is indicated to have fled there on his own initiative. (2) In behalf of: the Davidic Psalms may have been composed for the use of the Davidic King. (3) Belonging to David: that is the Davidic Collection, meaning pss written by David as well as others written for the use of the Davidic king. 2. The same application can be made to other individuals listed in the headings: a. of the Sons of Korah: probably indicates the Korahite Psalms 42-3; 44-9; 84-5; 87-8). b. of Asaph: ancestor of temple-singers (1 Chr 6:39; 15:17; 16:5; 2 Chr 5:12. May be abbreviation for "sons of Asaph." c. of Solomon: Ps 72; similar problems as with David. d. Herman the Ezrahite: Ps 88; One of the famous sages of Solomon's time (1 Kgs 4:31), a temple singer of David's time (1 Chr 15:17, 19. Same person? 7

8 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 e. Ethan the Ezrahite: Ps 89; mentioned with Herman. f. Of Moses: Ps 90. g. Of Jeduthun: Ps 39; 62; 77; one of David's chief musicians (1 Chr 16:41. D. Some psalm titles have descriptions which attempt to classify them in a manner similar to what occurs in the back of our songbooks. 1. Psalm (mizmor): 57 occurrences; technical term; perhaps a song sung to the accompaniment of instruments. 2. Shiggaion: only Ps 7; may be a lamentation. 3. Miktam: Pss 16, 56-60; perhaps a ps of atonement (cf. Akk. katamu, to cover [atone]"). 4. Prayer (tepillah): perhaps a ps of lamentation. 5. Song (Shir): cf. 69:30; common term for both cultic and secular songs. 6. Maskil: cf. Ps 42; a special type of Ps, but no agreement as to what kind. 7. Song of praise (shir mizmor): occurs only in title of Ps 145, but cf. Ps 65:1; 119: A love song (shir yedidot): Ps 45; lit. "a song of loves". 9. A Song of Ascents (shir hamma'alot): Ps 120; perhaps signifying the processional to worship. NRS 10. Ephesians 5:19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts a. We often focus so much on this passage in terms defending acapella in worship we fail to note the kinds of songs we are to sing 8

9 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 b. "Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" are a general classification that encompasses the smaller breakdown of 1-9 above. 11. Selah: we need to say a special word about this term. a. This is a musical term of some kind that still puzzles scholars b. We should not read it when we read the psalms publicly c. Not only are we reading something we do not understand, but we are doing something equivalent to singing, "sharp and or flat!" when we sing the words. VI. THE USE OF THE PSALMS IN THE NT. 7 A. The Psalter is one of the OT books most often quoted by the NT. 1. The quotations usually come from the LXX (Greek translation of the Hebrew) rather than the Massoretic Text (Traditional Hebrew Scriptures). 2. This results in different thought and wording. a. Often quoted in reference to Christ based on a key word (2:7, son; 8:4, son of man; 34:9, Lord). b. "... the OT passages are often lifted from their original settings and 'reinterpreted' in an entirely different sense in the NT. This means passages were understood in the early church in completely new ways." B. Should not follow the prevalent method of taking the NT perspective and reading this meaning back into the psalms. Such a method overlooks the premise that we should first ask what the passage meant to the people of its own day. C. Must understand the OT on two levels. 1. What it meant to the Israelite of the day. 7 Cf. Tony L. Ash and Clyde M. Miller, Psalms (Austin: Sweet, 1980), 28ff. 9

10 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer What it means in the Christian age. VII. PSALM TYPES. A. Traditionally, the psalms have been grouped into types or topics for their study. 1. Communal Laments: some calamity has occurred which threatens the well-being of the community. 2. Individual Lament: these are "the backbone of the Psalter"; the individual is in great distress, often ill, and surrounded by enemies; a situation very much like that found in Job, or that of Hannah in 1 Sam 1. a. There are several features of this class. (1) The certainty of hearing: which was not always present. (2) Illness: which was always described in such figurative language "that when one seeks to analyze the situation it is usually difficult to determine just what the immediate cause of the psalmist's trouble may be," but the fear of death is of utmost concern. 8 (3) The commonly expressed thought "that, if Yahweh Himself is not directly responsible, He has at least permitted it; and as a result the sufferer may be found either confessing his sin or affirming his innocence, and... pleading with Yahweh in the language of the law-court to manifest the divine justice by delivering the suppliant from his straits or freeing him, as it were, from prison." 9 3. Communal Psalms of Praise: the community, either due to a specific event, or in their general worship offers praise and thanksgiving to God. 8 A. R. Johnson, "The Psalms," in The Old Testament and Modern Study: A Generation of Discovery and Research, H. H. Rowley, ed. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1951), Johnson,

11 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer Excursus: "Individual" and "communal" are used here for classification purposes only. a. Some songs are written by individuals and later come to be used publically ("Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me" just does not work as "Amazing grace that saved wretches like us." b. John Newton wrote it to explain how God could save him, a former slave trader now turned preacher. c. On the other hand, we do sing "When we all get to heaven," not "When I get to heaven." d. So while "we" and "I" may be used only for classification purposes, we should also stop sometimes and ask, "To whom does the I or we refer when we sing such songs?" 5. Individual psalms of praise: due to some good fortune the individual worshiper offers praise and thanksgiving to God for granting past requests and blessing him; much as is found in 1 Sam 2 with Hannah. 6. Hymns--used in the worship in a way similar to that found in our worship 7. Royal Psalms--psalms which mention the king in some fashion; these are usually "messianic psalms" also. B. We will be using the praise and lament psalms in our study. VIII. USES OF THE PRAISE AND LAMENT PSALMS A. Praise and lament are expressions of two extremes of the human/divine relationship; they are the dominant categories of the psalms. 1. Some of the laments (3:1-2, 5; 4; 5; 7; 17; 26; 27; 54; 55; 69) may have involved accused individuals who prayed to God against his enemies (accusers) and received from the priests the verdict of God. "Can you find the correct verses in the above psalms?" 2. Some of the laments (4:1-3, 6; 5, 7, 11, 17, 23, 26, 27, 57, and 63) seem to be pleas for divine judgment which ask for protection. "Can you find the correct verses in the above psalms?" 11

12 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer Some may be the prayers of those seeking asylum in the sanctuary, who wrote these prayers on the wall of the sanctuary and added a short note after the certainty of hearing. B. Sick people: 1. Many of the psalms do deal with people who are sick (e.g., 6, 13, 22, 28, and 102:3-7): a. These psalms represent prayers for preservation and healing. b. The authors of these types of psalms (lament) very seldom confess guilt. c. The authors of these types (praise) praise God for answering their prayer and restoring their health. d. "Can you find the correct verses in the above psalms?" C. Many of the psalms have characteristics which make them useful in "group therapy." Two factors come into play: a. The relationship of the individual to the group. b. The relationship between word and act in religious matters comes into play. 2. This view sees the value in trained professionals whose goal was the rehabilitation of the individual as a member of his/her primary social sphere (clan or family). 3. This approach, compares the rehabilitation of the sufferer in the Old Testament to contemporary group-therapy movements. 10 Erhard Gerstenberger, Der bittende Mensch (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1980). 12

13 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 a. It seeks to reintegrate a distressed person into the primary group through a process of words and actions under a group leaders. b. This view opens new avenues of investigation and application in today's world of the church. D. The lament psalms have been compared to the death-grief process observed in terminally patients; they are thus very useful for persons handling loss, grief, and death. E. Identification problems: "Should the psalms be called laments-complaints, or petitions-supplications?" 1. They are thought of as laments-complaints if the Bible student regards these as functioning primarily to lay out complaint against God and others, articulating the human need, and giving form to the anguish and despair of one in trouble. 2. They are thought of as petitions-supplications if the Bible student sees these prayers as serving to place before God specific petitions for help in the hope and expectation that God will intervene in the situation to deliver one from trouble. 3. The emphasis given to one over the other may tend to affect one's theology of prayer in one of two ways. a. It "may tend to create an understanding of prayer as an expression of human distress and a struggle with God that is in itself healing and restorative, and a notion of God as present and involved in suffering more than delivering persons out of it." 11 b. "Or one's sense of these prayers as petitions for help may focus one's theology on prayer as effective in bringing about the power of god, who is able to deliver and does so." Miller, Interpreting the Psalms, Miller, Interpreting the Psalms, 9. 13

14 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 c. Thus one's theology of prayer may influence how the genres are understood. 4. "How do the psalms identify the fundamental human needs?" a. Only a few of the psalms identify the condition of the lamenter with sin, and many are either ambiguous or list other factors. b. The issue has been complicated due to the influence of NT theology and its understanding of the person and work of Christ. (1) The focus of NT theologians has been on Jesus's work of salvation, not the ending of human suffering, in spite of the fact that the NT uses Psalm 22 to understand the suffering of Christ. (2) Further, expressions such as the hiding face of God, God's forgetting, being silent, etc., have been understood in terms of divine judgment of sin (as in the prophetic texts), though this is not the case in the psalms. (3) Because Christians emphasize Romans 3:23 "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" most have about as much trouble with the claims of innocence as they do with imprecations against enemies, cf. ps 137. c. Such issues may subordinate the issue of sin to claims of covenantal relationship to God. F. The Psalter's contents should not be made to fit within any limited definition. 1. The Psalter's literature, by its very nature (words spoken to God, or about him), means that greater liberty is allowed in their interpretation. 2. They can be reinterpreted in a new time, often very differently from the original form and function. a. Expressions such as "fearing God, "God as refuge," "the poor," "the afflicted," etc., may have originally described persons the oppressed and afflicted, in a later stage came to mean the pious 14

15 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 st nation, and finally, today can be adapted by the 21 century pious individual who identifies with these concepts and feelings. b. Such stereotypical language as the various psalms exemplify may open the door for an ongoing process of interpretation! c. Examples of such reinterpretation may be found in the various psalm titles as well as the Christian community's identification with certain feelings and emotions as represented by the "I" psalms. d. The book has great variety: (1) Prayers and petitions addressed to God. (2) Praise of God which usually addresses him in the 3d person. (3) Thanksgiving addressed to Yhwh. (4) Divine speech addressed to the worshipers(s). (5) Proclamations to the audience. e. Descriptions of cultic activity. G. More attention needs to be given to the universality of the Psalms. 1. The Psalter is a literary piece which strikes at the basic human emotions so that it exudes such a general familiarity, that people feel more comfortable with various psalms than they do with other parts of the Old Testament. 2. Similarly, the fact that the Psalter is filled with words to, about, or in response to God mean "that the psalms range through the gamut of experiences (disaster, war, sickness, exile, celebration, marriage, birth, death) and emotions (joy, terror, reflections, gratitude, hate, contentment, depression)." a. Such crisis moments and feelings occur not in the regular transitional moments of the life cycle (birth, death, circumcision, wedding, etc.). 15

16 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 b. They occur in the irregular moments (the unknown, the unexpected). H. The psalms have influenced contemporary faith "liturgically," "devotionally," "pastorally," and "theologically-homiletically." 1. Liturgically, the psalms have functioned in differing ways in the worship of both church and synagogue. 2. Devotionally, the psalms have been helpful to individuals in varying personal experiences. 3. "Pastorally, religious leaders have offered the psalms as prayers in situations involving death, grief, sickness, etc. 4. Theological-homiletically, the psalms inform the faith and life of the congregation through teaching and preaching. I. Timelessness of the Psalms. 1. The process of canonization allowed the pss to be loosened from a given cultic context and the words assigned a significance in themselves as sacred scripture. 2. They could be reworked and rearranged in a different situation without losing their meaning. 3. The Psalms, therefore, bridge that gap between then and now, the ancient world and the present world, probably better than any other book of the Bible. There are several reasons for this: a. Their history is not time-bound--the song book of both Jews and Christians throughout the ages. b. Their content is not time-bound--the majority of the literature is not related to any particular period of Israel's history, and thus can be placed in any period, then and now. c. Contrastingly, the psalms do seem time-bound in their superscriptions--these were attempts to make connections with other Old Testament material; such connections should be taken 16

17 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 1 Introduction to the Psalter; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 seriously, and, at the very least, offer illustrations of the content of the particular psalms. J. All of this attempts to get at more specific issues that need to be addressed. 1. For the most part the psalms have been used selectively. a. How shall Christians understand and use imprecatory psalms (cursing psalms), other than just ignoring or omitting them? Cf. Ps 137 b. What shall be the stance of Christians toward enemies? 2. The major question (with all of its sub-questions) of how the psalms function for the Christian, needs to be addressed. a. How do the Psalms function for Christians? b. Christian forgiveness and the Psalter? c. Christian prayer and the Psalter? d. Christian enemies and the Psalter? 17

18 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 IX. INTRODUCTION. A. What is prayer? 1. Is it communication? "Two-way communication?" 2. Is it a "conversation" between individual(s) and God? 3. Is it something we "do" as part of our worship. B. When we pray: 1. Does God really listen? 2. How do we "see" ourselves and God? 3. Should we really state our true feelings to God, even when those feelings are feelings which question our faith? E.g., "Why God did you let this happen!?" 4. Should we "bargain" with God, i.e., try to influence God to do what we think is best? 5. Under what circumstances is it acceptable to "complain" to, or "praise" God? C. What part does God play in our prayers? 1. Does he answer our prayers? When, Where, and How? 2. How do we expect him to respond to our prayers? D. In order to answer properly these and similar questions we need: 1. Define precisely certain terms. 2. Delineate the socio-political-religious motifs found in the psalms as compared to similar dynamics in our contemporary society. X. SOCIAL REALITY, PIETY--THE "I/THOU" RELATIONSHIP. 18

19 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 A. The two most significant terms to be defined are social reality and piety. 1. Social Reality: the basic dynamics of prayer, i.e., what happens to us (spiritually and physically) when we are "in the act" of praying/worshiping. 2. Piety: all that pertains to the shared perceptions of, attitudes toward, and responses to the divine i.e., how we perceive, think, or imagine God. When I say, "God," what images come to mind? 3. I/thou: how we "see" ourselves and our relationship to God. B. Numbers "1" and "2" make up what Martin Buber called "I and Thou" ("3) 1. This I/Thou relationship must be imagined together. 2. This I/Thou relationship focuses awareness on who we really are, i.e., without any facades, and shapes the sense of what is self-evidently true. 3. When the I/thou relationship is disturbed the pious person attempts to bring it back into alignment, cf. Isa 6: We come to see ourselves as God sees us, and attempt to strengthen our relationship to Him by doing whatever is necessary to ensure a continued mutual relationship with Him. XI. THE "I/THOU" RELATIONSHIP (SOCIAL REALITY AND PIETY) COMPARED TO PSALM MOTIFS. A. "Metaphorically" speaking, what goes on in the Ps is what goes on in the church. 1. We live in a different world than the people of the Psalter 2. Yet when we pray to God we have the same feelings, attitudes, doubts, strengths, etc., as the psalmists did. B. This means that a better understanding of the "I/thou" in psalms can help us understand our "I/thou." 19

20 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 XII. SOCIAL REALITY AND PIETY (THE "I/THOU RELATIONSHIP) FOUND IN THE PSALTER RAISES TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR US: A. "What are the central areas of religious concern in the Psalter?" 1. The Psalms do not focus explicitly on transitional moments in the life cycle, e.g., birth, circumcision, transition from adolescence to adulthood, marriage, or death. The only example of a wedding is one about a king (Ps 45). 2. Instead, Psalms seem to focus on irregular crisis moments, as the other biblical literature seems to do. a. The Psalms are dealing with the religious needs of groups/individuals at those points where they are most analogous to us, while at the same time they are least distinguished in regard to identifying the specific crisis or crises they faced. b. These prayers were written in such general language because they were meant to make vivid the situation as it was. c. Like our songs in our song books they were meant to be adaptable to each person's specific needs for edification, encouragement, etc. B. "How would one characterize the fundamental religious attitudes in the Psalter?" 1. This question begins to get at the heart of the matter of the "I/Thou" relationship. 2. It reaches the deepest human needs and most profound fears, many of which are expressed today as they were in the ANE. XIII. SOCIAL REALITY AND PIETY OF THE PSALTER. A. In the Psalter we have material which reveals a feeling of self-importance that makes us feel uncomfortable. 1. God is sometime pictured as a parent, but not often. 20

21 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 a. This is especially true of the royal pss, where the author is never called god's son. b. In Ps 2 it is not the author who is called God's son, but the Lord's anointed, v. 2. c. Thus while we call God "Father," to the psalmists He is God--no such intimacy is so metaphorically conceived. 2. Rather than the understanding of God as provider, there is a sense of give and take between claimant and God (cf. Ps 80:17-18). 3. God is not approached humbly and contritely. a. There is not the same willingness to confess wrongs as in Mesopotamia, e.g., NRS Psalm 88: 12-18: Are your wonders known in the darkness, or 13 your saving help in the land of forgetfulness? But I, O LORD, 14 cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O LORD, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from 15 me? Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your 16 terrors; I am desperate. Your wrath has swept over me; your 17 dread assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day 18 long; from all sides they close in on me. You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness. b. There are few complaint psalms which acknowledge sin and ask forgiveness, e.g., NRS Psalm 79:8-9: Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we 9 are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake. c. More often the petitioner points out that the obligation really falls with God, e.g., 21

22 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 NRS Psalm 74:1 <A Maskil of Asaph.> O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? d. The petitioner really says that God has neglected him, e.g., NRS Psalm 22:1 <To the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.> My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? e. Quite striking is the degree that the authors of the complaint pss feel that they are living in a hostile environment, surrounded by enemies, e.g., Psalm 22. f. Finally there is the problem of the lamenter's sense of vulnerability and anxiety. How is this understood in relationship to those statements of self assurance, e.g., Psalm The "certainty of hearing" occurs at the end of some pss, suggesting perhaps that the prayer has been heard (1 Sam 1). B. Thus by way of summary, the people praying in the Psalter were "real people, i.e., they had the same problems you and I have, and they furnish examples for us in our prayer life (cf. 1 Cor 10:1-14). 1. They realized and acknowledged adversity and misfortune in the universe. 2. To these people there was often a sense of resignation (ps 131). 3. There is a sense of acceptance vs. rejection in their personal life (I/Thou). 4. Ideals such as loyalty and trustworthiness were paramount. 5. They believed that if such personal concepts could be imposed on the individual, the reverse was also true--counter pressures could also be made on God. XIV. JOHN CALVIN'S SOCIAL REALITY AND PIETY AS REFLECTED IN PRAYER--A MARKED CONTRAST 22

23 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 A. Calvin's emphasis of the sovereignty of God caused him to anticipate the question, "Does he [i.e., God] not, without information, know both our troubles and our necessities; so that it may appear unnecessary to solicit him with our prayers it is not so much for his own sake as for ours" (3:20:3) that we are commanded to pray. 1. Since prayer is not for God's needs but ours, Calvin's answer contained six reasons for us to pray: a. Prayer creates zeal in us: we pray "that our heart may be always inflamed with a serious and ardent desire of seeking, loving, and worshiping him" (3:20:3): b. Prayer awakens honorable desires and kills dishonorable desires: "that no desire or wish, which we should be ashamed for him to know, may enter our minds; when we learn to present our wishes and so to pour out our whole heart in his presence." (3:20:3) c. Prayer makes us grateful: "that we may be prepared to receive his blessing with true gratitude of soul, and even with grateful acknowledgments; being reminded by our praying that they come from his hand" (3:20:3) d. Prayer causes us to meditate on God's kindness: "when we have obtained what we sought, the persuasion that he has answered our requests may excite us to more ardent meditations on his goodness" (3:20:4) e. Prayer makes us thankful for answered prayers: such meditations "produce a more joyful welcome of those things which we acknowledge to be the fruits of those prayers" (3:20:3).. f. Prayer establishes our faith in God's providence: "a confirmation that he not only promises never to forsake us..., but that his hand is always extended to assist his people" (3:20:4). 2. He also stated that there are four rules for acceptable prayer (3:20:4-11). 23

24 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 a. Reverence: "first, that whoever engages in prayer, should apply all his faculties and attention to it, and not be distracted... with wandering thoughts; nothing being more contrary to a reverence for God than such levity, which indicates a licentious spirit, wholly unrestrained by fear" (3:20:5) (1) Prayer is described as a conversation with God: "our heart and mind be composed to a suitable frame, becoming those who enter into conversation with God" (3:20:4) (2) Prayers rise to God and are answered only as far as God permits: "we must pray for no more than God permits" (3:20:5). b. We should desire ardently what we ask for: "[W]e should have a real and permanent sense of our indigence, and seriously considering our necessity of all that we ask, should join with the petitions themselves a serious and ardent desire of obtaining them" (3:20:6). c. Sense of want and penitence, yielding all confidence in ourselves: "[W]hoever presents himself before God for the purpose of praying to him must renounce every idea of his own glory, reject all opinion of his own merit, and, in a word, relinquish all confidence in himself, giving, by this humiliation of himself, all glory to God" (3:20:8) d. Confident Hope in succeeding: "[P]rostrate with true humility, we should nevertheless be animated to pray by the certain hope of obtaining our requests" (3:20:11). 3. Taken together, prayer for Calvin means the pray-er is attempting to bring his/her feelings in line with God's predestination/foreknowledge B. Psalm 30 illustrates how the Psalmists' social reality and piety in prayer were quite different. 1. This Ps gives an idea of how the Psalter views prayer. a. Does not consider penitence. 24

25 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 C. Some observations. b. The petition is phrased unconditionally. c. Does not moralize about why God changed his mind. d. Verse 9 [H 10], self-importantly, states that if he died God would not be praised. The implication is that God needed him. e. Thus there is quite a difference in views between Calvin and those expressed in Ps The Pss do not take it for granted that human interests and divine interests agree. 2. There is a keen sense of conflicting interests. 3. These can only be resolved through negotiation. 4. The gulf between the human and the divine is real. 5. The petitioners pray for a change in their welfare. 6. The petitioners realize that they often approach a line of rebelliousness. 7. The psalmist would probably be amazed that Calvin knew so much about God's will. D. Not only are these views in marked contrast to those of Calvin, but they are significantly different from many Christians in the church today. XV. MANY CHRISTIANS TODAY EXHIBIT A SOCIAL REALITY AND PIETY MORE IN AGREEMENT WITH CALVIN THAN THE PSALMS. A. Questions and statements of Christians reflecting Calvin's views more than the Psalter's. 1. "Why pray at all if God knows everything?" 25

26 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer "God's will must be done!" a. This and similar statements often come after quoting the "b" part of Jesus' petition, "not my will but your will be done," Lk 22:42b b. Forgotten is the "a" part of the statement, where Jesus is attempting to change God's mind! "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me," Lk 22:42a 3. Question: "Is prayer just an exercise for us to get our feelings and thoughts in line with God's will (Calvin), or do we really believe that our prayers matter, that we can change God's mind (the psalmists)?" 4. There are several reasons for this "Calvinistic" approach to prayer. B. The church's social reality and piety relative to prayer and worship have given credence to this "Calvinistic" approach. 1. Public prayer, though offered reflectively, piously, and spontaneously, are offered with a "certain sameness": "From pastor to participants, stereotypical invocations and conclusions embraced prayers that God would bless, heal, forgive, direct, in accordance with the divine will. These were [are] primarily prayers of submission, acknowledging clearly the sovereignty of God and human 13 dependence," as per Calvin. 2. Such prayers can be "woefully irrelevant." The church has taught people both "how to pray" as well as "how not to pray." One was [is] to praise God, but not protest; to petition God, but not interrogate; and in all things to accept and submit to the sometimes 13 Samuel Balentine, Prayer in the Hebrew Bible: The Drama of Divine-Human Dialogue, Overtures to Biblical Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993), 3. Much of the following discussion comes from Balentine's significant articulation of this problem. 14 Balentine, Prayer, 3. 26

27 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 incomprehensible will of God, never challenge or rebel. Yet when life's circumstance would not permit either such passivity or such piety, this advocacy of a rather monotonic relation to God seemed destined to silence if not exclude... struggling questioners from the ranks of the truly committed, the genuinely faithful. "You must not question God." If one cannot question God, then to whom does one direct the questions? If God is a God whom we cannot question, then what kind of God is this to whom we are committing ourselves? In short the church has failed in two ways: a. It "... has engaged in a conspiracy of silence--a tacit agreement among those responsible for steering the worship and educational emphases of the church to be optimistic in their outlook of the world, sometimes to the extent of denying radical evil; to be hopeful in expectation of redemption and deliverance, often to the point of denying the possibility of the tragic; and to embrace and encourage probes, wonderments, and questions about life's purpose, and about God, only within contexts carefully calculated not to leave the answer in doubt." 16 b. "... somehow the church has managed at great cost to maintain a level of non-engagement with hurt and doubt that threatens to rob life in relation to God of its vitality and honesty." 17 C. The academy has been more interested in the form critical theories to the neglect of the more practical issues. 1. The result is that preachers, etc., who have been trained in the academic appreciation of the biblical material (HCM) are woefully unqualified in those areas most needed by the church. 2. There needs to be some way to bridge this gap and use scholarship to probe the more practical concerns. 15 Balentine, Prayer, Balentine, Prayer, Balentine, Prayer,

28 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 XVI. THE CHURCH NEEDS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF "GOD." A. What kind of God is it "that both summons forth and enables the response of prayer?" A God who relates to humanity. 19 a. The Hebrew Bible uses metaphor (anthropomorphisms?) to describe God which promotes the divine-human relationship. b. This relationship is perceived in concrete form in terms of divine human dialogue, or prayer. 2. A God who relates to the world. 20 a. Though God resides in heaven he is not separated from the abode of men (earth). b. Within the created order God either relates to time or does not relate to time as past, present, and future. c. If the latter, (God does not relate to time as past, present, and future) there is no place for "contingencies" in which, through divine-human communication (prayer); God may not be persuaded to take an appropriate course of action. d. If the former, (God relates to time as past, present, and future) there is a place for "contingencies," in which, through divine-human communication (prayer); God may be persuaded to take an appropriate course of action. e. Example: "Do you want a Snickers or a Three Musketeers?" 18 Balentine, Prayer, Balentine, Prayer, Balentine, Prayer,

29 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 B. With these concerns so evident, the church must change its "theology" thereby opening up greater possibilities for the divine-human dialogue, both publicly and privately. XVII. CHURCH'S IMPROVED SOCIAL REALITY, PIETY, AND PRAYER 21 A. The church must come to perceive itself as a house of prayer in which 1. "... prayer is not a secondary but a primary means of addressing God. Indeed it is [perceived as] the principal act of faith that ties together God and community." As such it becomes a "principal means of keeping the community bound to God in an ongoing dialogue of faith." 23 B. The church must affirm both praise and lament. 1. It must practice Lament by: a. Recognizing God for what he is while being free to question God's actions b. Being at ease with radical dialogue, which itself exhibits a close relationship c. Recognizing the open-endedness of life questioning through the dialogue of prayer d. Being willing to take up the cause of the victim, affirming that God is on the side of the victim. e. Recognizing the risks of lament. 21 Balentine, Prayer, Balentine, Prayer, Balentine, Prayer,

30 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 (1) Lament is unmanageable not popular to the masses who will possibly seek answers elsewhere. (2) Lament is dangerous for it involves questioning which may alter faith. f. Laments affirm that we are not truly cut off from God; "Where Could I Go but to the Lord." 2. Praise affirms that we are truly in need of God. a. If we do not praise we will relapse into narcissism (conceit). b. "... if the church does not practice the ministry of praise, it will forfeit its role in celebrating, hence promoting, the freedom and power of God to overturn the status quo." 24 C. The church must practice obedience in a life of prayer. 1. Staying in God in prayer does not give the church to the right to stay out of God in practice. 2. Ancient Israel forgot this as is illustrated by Jeremiah's temple sermon, cf. Jer 7:1-15; 26:1-4 a. Judah became over confident as God's people b. God had spared the people and the temple in the days of Hezekiah c. In Jeremiah's day they reflected this by saying "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD," (Jer 7:4) d. They lived wickedly, but practiced religion e. Today we can do the same thing; practice Christianity, but live wickedly. 24 Balentine, Prayer,

31 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 2 Dynamics of Prayer Life: What Happens When We Pray? ; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 f. If Jeremiah were to preach to such people today he would probably say, do not say, "The Church of Christ, the Church of Christ, the Church of Christ" D. The church must engage in prayer that keeps God in the community E. The church must pray and be at work in the world F. Such needs as these are why we begin with the Psalter 1. Perhaps we may learn how to improve the social reality and piety of our prayer life through a study of the piety of the psalmists. 2. This dichotomy may open new areas of application, even beyond those listed above by Balentine 3. If we can truly come to a better understanding of the piety of the Psalter and the prayers of the Old Testament, we will improve the social reality and piety in our prayer life, thereby practicing better Philippians 4:8-9, which will result in our finally reaching the "peace of God." XVIII. TO RETURN TO THE QUESTIONS IN THE INTRODUCTION--WHEN WE PRAY (SEE WORKSHEET): 31

32 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 3 "When the Individual Hurts: 'Why Did This Happen to Me!' Individual Complaint Psalms and Our Prayer life"; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 Scriptures: Phil 4:6-7; Heb 4:16 Psalms: 4-7, 10-14, 16-17, 22-23, 25-28, 35-36, 38-39, 41-43, 51-59, 61-64, 69, 71, 73, 86, 88, 102, 109, 130. XIX. THE PERSONAL PRAYER. A. We observed in a previous lesson that prayer is a conversation with God. B. We have also been impressed with the fact that Israel approached God very boldly expressing its desires and needs. C. We shall find out with the individual "complaint" psalms (IC) that all of this is especially intensified. D. This should not be surprising: 1. The I/Thou relationship is at its strongest. 2. It is the individual and God. 3. There is no audience. 4. It is a private conversation. E. We want to focus on these individual prayers and attempt to observe their major characteristics (cf. handout). XX. AN EXAMPLE: PS 13. A. Opening & complaint (vs. 1-2). 1. The opening, "How long?" implies an interruption in the status quo, a dissatisfaction, and impatience, moves into the complaint proper. 2. The complaint is a fourfold question: "How long?" a. "Will you forget me forever?" 32

33 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 3 "When the Individual Hurts: 'Why Did This Happen to Me!' Individual Complaint Psalms and Our Prayer life"; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer 2007 b. "Will you hide your face from me?" c. "Must I wrestle with my thoughts?" d. "Will my enemy triumph over me?" 3. The opening and complaint involve accusations toward God. B. The Petition (vs. 3-4). a. Very human and natural questions for a sufferer to ask. b. They are clearly divided into questions about God, self, and the enemy. c. They indicate genuineness about the relationship with God. 1. Is very specific, due to its connection with the complaint. 2. The petition asks explicitly that God "fix" the complaint: a. "Will you forget me forever" and "will you hide your face from me" vs. "look on and answer me." b. "Must I wrestle with my thoughts" vs. "give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death." c. "Will my enemy triumph over me" vs. the challenge "my enemy will say, `I have overcome him,' and my foes will rejoice when I fall." 3. The psalmist is quite bold in his petition to God to fix the situation or he will die (threat?). 4. The petition shows that human beings cannot always stand uniformly near to God. They experience that God is remote, and their calls to God mean that they want to come near to God again." C. Motivational clauses or certainty of hearing (vs. 5-6). 33

34 Improving Prayer Life Through Study of the Psalter: Session 3 "When the Individual Hurts: 'Why Did This Happen to Me!' Individual Complaint Psalms and Our Prayer life"; University Church of Christ; Randall C. Bailey, Ph.D.; Summer The person may be bargaining with God, saying, "Regardless of what happens, I will praise you!" a. Such would "obligate" God to answer the request. b. The background assumption for this is: "I will tell God that I will praise him and therefore he will want to answer my prayer." c. Such is the nature of the motivational clause. 2. The person, like Hannah, may have heard a response in the middle of her prayer. a. The result is that the person is obligated to praise God. b. God has answered the prayer, he must be praised. c. Such is the nature of the certainty of hearing. XXI. PRACTICE IMPROVING YOUR PRAYER LIFE: DISCUSS ONE OR ANY OF PSALMS 3-7, 10-14, 16-17, 22-23, 25-28, 35-36, 38-39, 41-43, 51-59, 61-64, 69, 71, 73, 86, 88, 102, 109, 130 IN REGARD TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: A. Opening: 1. Can you think of an occasion when you asked the above, or a similar question? 2. How would you describe it? What were your inmost thoughts? B. Reflection: 1. What was the major threat to the individual in this particular psalm? 2. What did the individual particularly ask for in this psalm? 3. Did the individual accuse God, or hold him responsible in any way? 34