make your journey worthy of your destination The Psalms a study by Stacy Tyson

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1 make your journey worthy of your destination The Psalms a study by Stacy Tyson

2 make your journey worthy of your destination What? Why? How? Vision: Connect: We Proclaim Christ by warning all people and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ. Toward this goal we labor, struggling according to His power that powerfully works in us. [Colossians 1:28-29] We believe that men and women are eternally transformed as they cultivate a deep personal relationship with Jesus The Messiah (The Living Word) by means of learning the Written Word (The Bible) in the context of our relationships within the Body of Christ. Truth Seekers Fellowship exists to: 1. CREATE Christ-focused, Bible Based curriculum that promotes Life Transformation, not merely information transfer. 2. DEVELOP classes, resources and tools around our Milk to Meat strategy of teaching the core elements of the faith with a view to cultivating mature disciples of Christ. 3. INVEST in the lives of willing and hungry students in both the classroom setting, but even more importantly in smaller life on life contexts. It is the responsibility of the Body of Christ (The Church) as a whole to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18) and grow them to spiritual maturity in Christ. Truth Seekers Fellowship assists the Body of Christ in the primary ministry sphere of Teaching 1) by offering Christ focused, Biblical instruction and 2) by training and equipping others in the teaching ministry. All of this is done with a view to promoting Oneness in the Body of Christ ( John 17:20-21, Ephesians 4:1-6) connnect@tsfmemphis.org (901)

3 The Psalms Setting the Psalms in Historical Context 3 Session 1 Introduction: An Overview of the Psalms And the Psalter is properly a garden of nuts, outwardly somewhat hard at first glance, but having a sweet kernel within it. Martin Luther, First Lectures on the Psalms, Setting the Psalms in Historical Context Chart 01 Key Historical Events For Understanding the Psalms The Giving of the Torah (c BC) The Davidic Promises (c BC) The Exile of Israel ( BC) Psalms Compiled Jesus The Messiah (AD 30) Foundation The Promise Despair > Hope Fulfillment The Giving of the Torah Deuteronomy 30:9 10* The LORD Yahweh your God will make you abundantly prosperous For the LORD Yahweh will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of the LORD Yahweh your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Torah, when you turn to the LORD Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul The Davidic Promises 2 Samuel 7:17 19 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 7:19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction (torah) for mankind, O Lord GOD!

4 4 Psalms 1 & 2: Introduction Truth Seekers Fellowship The Exile of Israel Amos 2:4 This is what the LORD says: Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions make that four! I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They rejected the LORD s law (Torah); they did not obey his commands. Their false gods, to which their fathers were loyal, led them astray Jesus The Messiah Luke 24:43 45 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 and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. 24:45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures 1.2 Psalms 1 & 2: Introduction Psalm 1 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 1:2 But his delight is in the law (Torah) of the LORD, and on his law (Torah) he meditates day and night. 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 1:4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 1:6 For the LORD Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

5 The Psalms Psalms 1 & 2: Introduction 5 Key Definition: Torah Psalms. These are Psalms which focus on The Torah (The Books of Moses) as the foundation of wisdom. Although many Psalms reference Torah The LORD s wise instruction there are only three Psalms which focus exclusively on this key topic: 1, 19, 119. Psalm 2 2:1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 2:3 Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 2:5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 2:6 As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. 2:7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 2:9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter s vessel. 2:10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

6 6 The Psalms and the Pattern of Life Truth Seekers Fellowship Key Definition: Royal Psalms. These are Psalms which focus on kingship, particularly the Davidic Kingship and Dynasty. These Psalms reference the king, the anointed one (Messiah), or David by name. They meditate on the Davidic Covenant that David s sons would rule over the nations within the reality of the rebellion of the nations. They also wrestle with the seeming failure of the Davidic Kings in light of the Lord s Promises. 1.3 The Psalms and the Pattern of Life It is my view that in the words of this book the whole human life, its basic spiritual conduct and as well its occasional movements and thoughts, is comprehended and contained. Nothing to be found in human life is Anthanasius, Ad Marcellinum In I Chronicles 16:4 David omitted. gives an invitation for worship of God in the Tabernacle in Jerusalem. Here we read, He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to make petition (prayers), to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. This verse gives us some insight into the three fold way the Levites were to speak before God 1) petition, 2) give thanks, and 3) praise His name. As we read the Psalms, we must always remember that they were produced by a people who individually and corporately lived in close communion with God. These same people were also inhabitants of the Fallen World just as we are. In this unique place where the glory of God meets the corruption of the present creation the Psalmist presents life in it s full spectrum from the heights of true worship to the depths of despair. Thus we may think about the Psalms in terms of the way they sincerely and truthfully reflect life as it is lived before God in an unredeemed World. The following chart represents a simple way to understand the cycle of life that is presented in the Psalms:

7 The Psalms Types of Biblical Psalms (Part 1) 7 Chart 02 The Psalms in the Pattern of Life Wisdom (Torah) Psalms & Royal Psalms Guide us to Wisdom Orientation Disorientation Reorientation Life as it should be Life in Chaos in the pits Life Back in Order Hymns Lamentations Thanksgivings Hymns 1.4 Types of Biblical Psalms (Part 1) All the Psalms can be divided into two large categories: 1) those delivered by an individual, and 2) those delivered by the faithful community (corporate.) Thus, the two contexts of worship are set forth in the form of the Psalms themselves. As God acts in the life of the individual, this gives opportunity for the People of God to hear and respond in praise and worship. Likewise, the community calls the individual up and into the larger reality of life lived before the One True God. Psalms Principle 01 Read the Psalm slowly and carefully, observing its form and content, taking note of the emotional quality of the Psalm. Also, take note of whether the Psalm is 1) from an individual or 2) from the community. Psalms Principle 02 If possible, try to determine the historical background of the Psalm who is speaking and what circumstances have generated the Psalm.

8 8 Types of Biblical Psalms (Part 1) Truth Seekers Fellowship

9 The Psalms Two Types of Wisdom Literature in the Bible: 9 Session 2 The Wisdom Psalms Key Definition: Wisdom Psalm. The Wisdom Psalms contemplate the Two Ways of life: The Wise vs. The Foolish The Righteous vs. The Wicked Life vs. Death Wisdom vs. Folly 2.1 Categories of Wisdom Psalms Wisdom - 32, 34, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, 128, Torah - 1, 19, Historical - 78, 105, Two Types of Wisdom Literature in the Bible: The Psalms contain Proverbial Wisdom and Pondering Wisdom Proverbial Wisdom This type of wisdom literature presents short, concentrated statements of truth. Both the truth and the application of that truth to life should be immediately obvious to the hearer. This type of wisdom sees things in binary, black and white terms: There is life and death; you are wise or foolish. There is no third way. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of this type of wisdom Pondering Wisdom This type of wisdom literature wrestles with the problems and complexities of life and does not necessarily give easy or quick answers. Some refer to this as reflective wisdom or higher wisdom. This type of wisdom wrestles with the greyness of life: sometimes things don t work as they should. The books of Job and Ecclesiastes are examples of this type. As regards higher wisdom, the two ways were not as distinctly marked. Although there was a consciousness of them, human

10 10 Psalm 19 (A Torah Psalm) Truth Seekers Fellowship experience had taught the patrons of higher wisdom that the case of life and death, or the wise and the fool, was not black and white, but gray. The righteous sometimes suffer and the wicked sometimes prosper. In light of that dilemma, figuring God out was the task of wisdom reflection. Or to put it another way, figuring out what difference a right belief in God and right behavior toward one s neighbor really made was the task of wisdom reflection. C. Hassell Bullock, Encountering the Book of Psalms, Psalm 19 (A Torah Psalm) TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

11 The Psalms Psalms 34 Of David Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms Principle 03 Read the Psalm looking for its overall structure and thematic development. Psalms Principle 04 Read the Psalm and divide it into its major sections, or chunks. In both these steps we are thinking about the question, Why is this Psalm put together this way? 2.4 Psalms 34 Of David When he changed his behavior before abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 34:2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. 34:3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 34:5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

12 12 Psalm 73 A PSALM OF ASAPH. Truth Seekers Fellowship 34:9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 34:11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 34:12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 34:16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 34:20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 34:21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 34:22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. 2.5 Psalm 73 A PSALM OF ASAPH. 73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 73:2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 73:3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 73:4 For they have no pangs until death;

13 The Psalms Psalm 73 A PSALM OF ASAPH. 13 their bodies are fat and sleek. 73:5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 73:6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 73:7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 73:8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 73:9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. 73:10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 73:11 And they say, How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High? 73:12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. 73:13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 73:14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. 73:15 If I had said, I will speak thus, I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 73:16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 73:17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 73:18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 73:19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! 73:20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 73:21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 73:22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.

14 14 Psalm 112 Truth Seekers Fellowship 73:23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 73:24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 73:27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 73:28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. 2.6 Psalm :1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 112:2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 112:3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 112:4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. 112:5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. 112:6 For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. 112:7 He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. 112:8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. 112:9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.

15 The Psalms Psalms 106 (An historical wisdom Psalm) :10 The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish! 2.7 Psalms 106 (An historical wisdom Psalm) 106:1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 106:2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD, or declare all his praise? 106:3 Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! 106:4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them, 106:5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance. 106:6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 106:7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 106:8 Yet he saved them for his name s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. 106:9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. 106:10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. 106:11 And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. 106:13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. 106:14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;

16 16 Psalms 106 (An historical wisdom Psalm) Truth Seekers Fellowship 106:15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them. 106:16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD, 106:17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 106:18 Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. 106:19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. 106:20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. 106:21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, 106:22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 106:23 Therefore he said he would destroy them had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. 106:25 They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD. 106:26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness, 106:27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations, scattering them among the lands. 106:28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; 106:29 they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. 106:30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. 106:31 And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever. 106:32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account,

17 The Psalms Psalms 106 (An historical wisdom Psalm) :33 for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips. 106:34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, 106:35 but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. 106:36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 106:37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 106:38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 106:39 Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds. 106:40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; 106:41 he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. 106:42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power. 106:43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. 106:44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. 106:45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 106:46 He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive. 106:47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 106:48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

18 18 Psalms 106 (An historical wisdom Psalm) Truth Seekers Fellowship from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, Amen! Praise the LORD!

19 The Psalms The Nature of Hebrew Poetry 19 Session 3 Basic Tools for Interacting with the Psalms 3.1 The Nature of Hebrew Poetry Psalms are poetry. Poetry is the language of emotion and imagination which, in the context of worship, will seek to explore the mystery of human life as it is touched by God. Robert Davidson, The Vitality of Worship, 5 As we think about the poetry of the Bible, especially the Psalms, we need to reorient our thinking a little. For the most part, in modern times poetry has taken a back seat to more practical forms like exposition. Many view poetry as a merely recreational form of language and therefore not to be taken as seriously as more pragmatic forms of discourse. This was not the case at all in the Ancient World in which the poetry of the Bible was produced. Especially for the authors of the Psalms, communicating their experience of the Living God and the deep yearnings of the heart transcended the ability of prose or exposition to express adequately. Thus, poetry served an important function in the life of God s people: the poetry of the Bible expresses both the reality of God s dealing with His people and the responsibility of God s people to respond appropriately to Him. The poetry of the Bible is not recreational it is more functional. In the era of the New Testament the central truths of Christian faith were first compiled in songs, hymns and spiritual songs, poetic forms, and thus these played an important and instructive role in the life of the early church (see Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 where Paul admonishes the churches to practice such things as part of their addressing one another). The Psalms are powerful expressions (prayers, hymns, praises) based on the reality of life as it is lived in the presence of the Living God. Osborne s comments are helpful at this point: Hebrew poetry was not recreational but was functional in the life of the nation and its relationship with YHWH. Poetry had a worship function in mediating between the people and God and

20 20 Parallelism in Biblical Poetry Truth Seekers Fellowship a sermonic function in reminding the people of their responsibilities before God. The Psalms, for instance, were not peripheral as hymns are today but were the focal point of the service both in temple and in synagogue. It is not without reason that prophetic utterances from God were so frequently given in poetic form. Not only were they more easily remembered, but they were also more emotive and powerful in their message. Grant Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral 3.2 Parallelism in Biblical Poetry Someone has described Hebrew poetry as the rhyming of ideas. That is a pretty good basic definition. Whereas in English, we associate poetry with the rhyming of sound, the Hebrews composed poetry in terms of associating ideas and concepts. Hebrew poetry places independent units of thought together in a line, melding the two (or more) ideas into a unity. The association of ideas is referred to as parallelism. Parallelism consists of two or more lines of thought that use different words to express the same idea in a similar grammatical form. This idea of parallelism was first developed by Bishop Robert Lowth in In observing the structure of the Psalms, Lowth discerned three basic types of parallelism. Over the years, his basic approach has been amplified and contracted and reworked time and again. For our purposes, we will consider three basic types of parallelism: 1. Synonymous/Synthetic(Step) Parallelism Saying essentially the same thing in more that one line of consecutive lines. The second line may repeat the basic ideas of the first line, or expand them, or complete them. Example: The wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. Ps 1:5 You have set the Earth on its foundations, so that it will never be shaken. Ps 104:5 2. Antithetic Parallelism The second line of the verse states the truth of the first line in a negative way or introduces some contrast. Example: For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

21 The Psalms Parallelism in Biblical Poetry 21 but the way of the wicked will perish. Ps 1:6 3. Climatic Parallelism The second line completes the first line by repeating part of the first, then adding to it. Example: Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ps 29:1 Hebrew Poetry is, like all poetry, an art form; it cannot be reduced to carefully analyzed language. So, we must remember in considering the parallel statements in the lines that there three basic categories are merely guides and not a set of stringent rules that clouds us from seeing that there is really a lot of variation and expansion of these basic forms. One of the great results of poetic language, is that it aids in the memorization of truth. Someone might say, A beautiful woman who lacks good judgment is a real waste. But consider the way the Proverbs state this: Like a gold ring in a pig s snout, so is a beautiful woman without discretion. Which is more concrete and vivid? Which is more memorable? The first rule for reading biblical poetry, then, can be stated thus: poetry is the language of images that the reader must experience as a series of imagined sensory situations. The more visual we can become, the better we will function as readers of biblical poetry. In fact, our experience of biblical poetry would be revolutionized if commentaries made extensive use of pictures such as photographs and Leland Ryken, The Bible As Literature drawings. Psalms Principle 05 Read the Psalm more carefully, analyzing the parallel lines and the meaning that is being conveyed. Psalms Principle 06 Make sure you understand any figurative language that is present. Commentaries and Study Bibles can be helpful here.

22 22 Parallelism in Biblical Poetry Truth Seekers Fellowship Chart 03 The Psalms Suggested Types Psalm Common Types Bruggeman s Type Book Torah Orientation 002 Royal Orientation 003 Lament Confidence Disorientation 004 Lament Confidence Disorientation 005 Lament Individual Disorientation 006 Lament Penitential Disorientation 007 Lament Individual Disorientation 008 Hymn Reorientation 009 Lament Individual Disorientation 010 Lament Individual Disorientation 011 Song of Trust Reorientation 012 Lament Individual Disorientation 013 Lament Individual Disorientation 014 Prophetic Exhortation Disorientation 015 Liturgy (Wisdom) Orientation 016 Psalm of Trust Reorientation 017 Lament Individual Disorientation 018 Royal Reorientation 019 Hymn Wisdom (Torah) Orientation 020 Royal Orientation 021 Royal Orientation 022 Lament Individual Disorientation 023 Psalm of Trust Reorientation 024 Hymn (Kingship) Liturgy Orientation 025 Lament Individual Disorientation 026 Lament Individual Disorientation 027 Psalm of Trust Reorientation 028 Lament Individual Disorientation 029 Hymn Orientation 030 Thanksgiving Individual Reorientation 031 Lament Individual Disorientation 032 Wisdom (Lament) Reorientation 033 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 034 Wisdom Reorientation 035 Lament Individual Disorientation 036 Lament (Wisdom)! Orientation 037 Wisdom Orientation 038 Lament Penitential Disorientation

23 The Psalms Parallelism in Biblical Poetry Lament Individual Disorientation 040 Lament Individual Disorientation 041 Thanksgiving Individual Reorientation Book Lament Individual Disorientation 043 Lament Individual Disorientation 044 Lament Communal! Disorientation 045 Royal Orientation 046 Hymn Zion Orientation 047 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 048 Hymn Zion Orientation 049 Wisdom Orientation 050 Prophetic Exhortation Orientation 051 Lament Penitential Disorientation 052 Lament Individual Disorientation 053 Lament Individual Disorientation 054 Lament Individual Disorientation 055 Lament Individual Disorientation 056 Lament Individual Disorientation 057 Lament Individual Disorientation 058 Lament Communal Disorientation 059 Lament Individual Disorientation 060 Lament Communal Disorientation 061 Lament Individual Disorientation 062 Psalm of Trust Orientation 063 Psalm of Trust Orientation 064 Lament Individual Disorientation 065 Thanksgiving Communal Reorientation 066 Thanksgiving Communal Reorientation 067 Thanksgiving Communal Reorientation 068 Thanksgiving Communal Disorientation 069 Lament Individual Disorientation 070 Lament Individual Disorientation 071 Lament Individual Disorientation 072 Royal Orientation Book Wisdom (Psalm of Trust) Orientation 074 Lament Communal Disorientation 075 Thanksgiving Reorientation 076 Hymn Zion Orientation 077 Lament Individual Disorientation

24 24 Parallelism in Biblical Poetry Truth Seekers Fellowship 078 Royal (Historical) Orientation 079 Lament Communal Disorientation 080 Lament Communal Disorientation 081 Hymn (Historical) Orientation 082 Lament Communal Disorientation 083 Lament Communal Disorientation 084 Hymn Zion Orientation 085 Lament Communal Disorientation 086 Lament Individual Disorientation 087 Hymn Zion Orientation 088 Lament Individual! Disorientation 089 Royal (Historical) Orientation Book Lament Confidence Communal Disorientation 091 Song of Trust Orientation 092 Thanksgiving Individual Reorientation 093 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 094 Lament Communal Disorientation 095 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 096 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 097 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 098 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 099 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 100 Hymn Orientation 101 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 102 Lament Penitential Disorientation 103 Hymn Orientation 104 Hymn Orientation 105 Wisdom Historical (Hymn) Orientation 106 Thanksgiving (Wisdom) Orientation Book Thanksgiving Individual Reorientation 108 Lament Communal Disorientation 109 Lament Individual Disorientation 110 Hymn (Kingship) Orientation 111 Hymn Orientation 112 Wisdom Orientation 113 Hymn Orientation 114 Hymn Orientation 115 Psalm of Trust Communal Disorientation 116 Thanksgiving Individual Reorientation

25 The Psalms Parallelism in Biblical Poetry Hymn Orientation 118 Confidence Communal Reorientation 119 Torah Reorientation 120 Lament Individual Disorientation 121 Song of Trust Orientation 122 Hymn Zion Orientation 123 Lament Confidence Communal Disorientation 124 Thanksgiving Communal Reorientation 125 Psalm of Trust Communal Orientation 126 Lament Confidence Communal Disorientation 127 Wisdom Orientation 128 Wisdom Orientation 129 Lament Communal Disorientation 130 Lament Penitential Disorientation 131 Song of Trust Orientation 132 Royal (Historical) Orientation 133 Wisdom Orientation 134 Liturgy Disorientation 135 Hymn (Historical) Orientation 136 Hymn Reorientation 137 Lament Communal Disorientation 138 Thanksgiving Individual Reorientation 139 Lament Individual Disorientation 140 Lament Individual Disorientation 141 Lament Individual Disorientation 142 Lament Individual Disorientation 143 Lament Penitential Disorientation 144 Royal Orientation 145 Hymn Orientation 146 Hymn Orientation 147 Hymn Orientation 148 Hymn Orientation 149 Hymn Orientation 150 Hymn Orientation

26 26 Parallelism in Biblical Poetry Truth Seekers Fellowship

27 The Psalms The Hymns or Praise SongsPsalms of Descriptive Praise 27 Session 4 The Hymns Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. (Psalms 22:3) A case can be made on the basis of the Psalms that the purpose of human existence is to praise God. (Bullock, Encountering the Book of Psalms) 4.1 The Hymns or Praise Songs Psalms of Descriptive Praise The Hymns are simply pure expressions of joy and celebration as God is worshiped in praise. In these types of Psalms, God is praised for His wisdom and virtue; these psalms rave about God as the Creator and Savior, the Sustainer of the Creation, and as the Sovereign King. Associated with these themes is the Song of Zion (46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122) in which the psalmist eulogizes Zion as the city of the Great King. The Hebrew title for the Book of Psalms is Tehillim - praises. Although the Psalms have many lamentations, the goal of the collection as a whole is to move toward ultimate and final praise. The doxologies at the end of each Book along with the collection of concluding hymns at the end of Book 5 reinforces this observation. Chart 04 Distribution of Praises, Hymns in Psalms (Bullock) Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book The elements of praise are what give these poems their distinctive traits. One of these elements is the elevation and exaltation of the person being praised. A second one is the directing of the speaker s whole being away from himself or herself toward the object of praise. Psalms of praise are filled with the speaker s feelings,

28 28 Psalm 8 Truth Seekers Fellowship but we do not look at the speaker. Instead, we share his feelings as a way of experiencing the worthiness of God. In the words of C. S. Lewis, The poet is not a man who asks me to look at him; he is a man who says look at this and points. (Leland Ryken, The Bible as Literature) 4.2 The Hymns basic elements: 1. The introduction or call to praise, 2. The development of praise in which the motivation and reason for praise is explained God s wisdom and virtues are extolled, 3. The conclusion or resolution often gives a brief prayer or desire. just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: Isn t she lovely? Wasn t it glorious? Don t you think that magnificient? The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. (C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms) 4.3 Psalm 8 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. 1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

29 The Psalms Psalm 24 (The King of Glory) 29 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 4.4 Psalm 24 (The King of Glory) A PSALM OF DAVID. 24:1 The earth is the LORD s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 24:2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 24:3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 24:5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 24:6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! 24:9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah

30 30 Psalm 33 Truth Seekers Fellowship 4.5 Psalm 29 A PSALM OF DAVID. 29:1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters. 29:4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. 29:5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 29:6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 29:7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. 29:8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 29:9 The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, Glory! 29:10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. 29:11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! 4.6 Psalm 33 33:1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 33:2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 33:4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice;

31 The Psalms Psalm the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 33:7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 33:9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 33:10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 33:13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 33:14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 33:15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 33:16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 33:17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 33:19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 33:21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 33:22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

32 32 Psalm 47 Truth Seekers Fellowship 4.7 Psalm 46 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. ACCORDING TO ALAMOTH. A SONG. 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 46:2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 46:3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 46:4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 46:6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 46:9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 4.8 Psalm 47 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH 47:1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 47:2 For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 47:3 He subdued peoples under us,

33 The Psalms Psalm and nations under our feet. 47:4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 47:5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 47:8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 47:9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! 4.9 Psalm 48 A SONG. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. 48:1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 48:2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 48:3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. 48:4 For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. 48:5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight. 48:6 Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor. 48:7 By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. 48:8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God,

34 34 Psalm 150 Truth Seekers Fellowship which God will establish forever. Selah 48:9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. 48:10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 48:11 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! 48:12 Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, 48:13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation 48:14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever Psalm 150 Psalms 150: :1 Praise the LORD! (Hallelujah!) Praise God in his sanctuary; Praise him in his mighty heavens! 150:2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; Praise him according to his excellent greatness! 150:3 Praise him with trumpet sound; Praise him with lute and harp! 150:4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; Praise him with strings and pipe! 150:5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; Praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! (Hallelujah)

35 The Psalms Yahweh is the Sweetest Name I Know Yahweh is the Sweetest Name I Know by John Piper blog post from July 23, You are not wrong to sing, Jesus is the sweetest name I know, even though Yahweh is. Here s why. God gave himself the name Yahweh. No man gave him this name. It is God s chosen personal name. He loves to be known by this name. It is used over 5,000 times in the Old Testament. It is almost always translated by Lord(small caps). But it is not a title. It is a personal name, like James or Elizabeth. You know the name Yahweh best from its shortened form Yah at the end of Hallelujah, which means praise Yahweh. I love to think about this when I sing. When I sing, Hallelujah, I love to really mean, No! I don t praise you Bel, or Nebo, or Molech, or Rimmon, or Dagon, or Chemosh. I turn from you with disdain to Yah! I praise Yah. Hallelu Yah! God announced his name to Moses in Exodus 3:15. God said to Moses, Say this to the people of Israel, Yahweh, the God of your fathers.... This is my name forever. He preceded this announcement with two other statements so the meaning would be clear. He said, I am who I am (verse 14a). And he said, Say to the people of Israel, I am has sent me to you (verse 14b). The Hebrew name Yahweh is connected to the Hebrew verb I am. So Yahweh is most fundamentally the One-Who-Is. I am who I am is the most foundational meaning of Yahweh. It means: My am-ness comes from my am-ness. My being from my being. My existence from my existence. There are vast personal and covenantal implications of this. But this is foundational. No beginning. No ending. No dependence. He simply is, always was, and always will be. He communicates all of this with a personal name. To be sure, he has titles, and he has attributes. But this is a personal name. He packs the weightiest truth about himself into a personal name. Infinite greatness and personal knowability are in the name Yahweh. Then in the fullness of time, Yahweh came into the world to seek and save the lost. The angel said to Joseph, You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

36 36 Yahweh is the Sweetest Name I Know Truth Seekers Fellowship Jesus is an English transliteration of the Greek Iesoun. And this in turn is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Joshua. And Joshua is a combination of Yah and salvation or save. It means Yahweh saves. So Jesus means Yahweh saves. Jesus is Yahweh with a human nature coming to save his people from sin. Paul confirms this in Philippians 2:11. He says of the risen Jesus, Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That is a quote from Isaiah 45:23 where Yahweh is the one to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. Paul is saying that, in the end, the whole world will acknowledge that Jesus is in fact Yahweh incarnate. So you don t have to choose between singing, Jesus is the sweetest name I know, and, Yahweh is the sweetest name I know. Indeed you dare not choose.

37 The Psalms The Individual Lament Psalm 37 Session 5 The Lament Psalms 5.1 The Individual Lament Psalm [the Psalms provide] an anatomy for all parts of the soul, for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. ( John Calvin, A Commentary on the Psalms) The Psalms, more intentionally than any other book of the Bible, is designed to carry, express, and shape our emotions, to give vent to them all of them, and shape them, to reign them in, and to free them up, to explode them, and to kill them when they should be John Piper The most killed. common form, or genre, of psalm in the Bible is the individual lament. These Psalms present a problem in the psalmist s life personal sin, or sickness, or the opposition of enemies something which causes pain, and something which only God can redeem. The individual lament typically contains the following elements: 1. Address to God with a cry for help and/or of turning to God. Often there is an introductory lament. 2. Lament This frequently involves such statements as, Thou, O God, I, My foes. 3. Confession of Trust This is often contrasted with the lament by the word but. 4. Petition A. for God to be favorable hear. B. for God to intervene deliver. 5. Praise (or Vow of Praise) This consists of either a vow of praise or of declarative praise. Finally there may be a statement of assurance that the prayer has been heard.

38 38 Psalm 3 Truth Seekers Fellowship These elements may appear in any order, and from time to time may disappear altogether, as for instance, in Psalm 88 in which there is no praise at all (one of only two psalms without praise). Sometimes one or another element will so predominate that the whole psalm is characterized by the element, as in Psalm 139, which, though a lament, is primarily characterized by confidence in God. Klaus Westermann has also suggested that the laments often have three dimensions of complaint : 1. A Complaint against God (God is silent or distant) 2. A Complaint against and enemy (external problem) 3. A Complaint against the psalmist himself (internal problem) *You can see each of these in Psalm 22! The psalms which make up this group (Laments) are 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 10, 13, 14 (53), 17, 22, 25, 26, 27:7 14, 28, 31, 35, 39, 40:12 17, 41, 42 43, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 64, 69, 70, 71, 77, 86, 88, 89, 109, 120, 139, 140, 141, 142. * A special group included here separately are the Penitential Psalms in which the psalmist laments (confesses) his sins: 6, (32), 38, 51, 102, 130, 143. Chart 05 Distribution of Laments in the Psalms Bk 1 (1-41) Bk 2 (42-72) Bk 3 (73-89) Bk 4 (90-106) Bk 5 ( ) Individual Lament Communal Lament Psalm 3 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. 1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah. 3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4 I cried aloud to the LORD,