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Hebrew Poetry

“The greatest calling of the church and of individual Christians is not to be evangelists or teachers or exhorters or comforters, but worshippers. The central focus of our lives should not be ourselves, or even others, but God (cf. John 4:20-24; Eph. 1:6, 12, 14; 3:21). The glory of heaven is not that it will be a happy place, but that we will see God in His fullness and we will fall before Him in worship and adoration.” (Anonymous, First Presbyterian Church, New York City)

Dependence upon the Holy Spirit: We are to rely on the Holy Spirit's illumination to gain insights into the meaning and application of Scripture (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11).

John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

Genres in Biblical Literature

Literary Genre & Interpretation: How does genre influence our interpretation of literature?

What kinds of literary genres do you find in the newspaper?
How does the literary genre affect interpretation?
What are the literary genres found in the Bible?

A. Prose genres

1. narrative. History with a theological purpose. Below are a few of the types:

heroic narrative [David, in Chronicles]
epic narrative [Exodus]
tragic narrative [David, Samson & Saul, in Samuel]

2. law :

apodictic law: absolute, general commands [Ex. 20]
case law: application of apodictic law to specific cases [Ex 21-23]

theological subtypes:

moral law: applies directly to all generations
civil and ceremonial law (See WCF Chapter 19)

3. gospel :Literary, theological, heroic, biographical narrative. Focuses on the life of Jesus with a particular theological purpose in mind.

4. epistle: written by church authorities and contain theological exposition.

general epistles, because they are written to general groups (e.g., to the Romans)
pastoral epistles, which were written to particular people (e.g., 1 Timothy).
less formal letters, e.g. 3 John and Philemon.

5. genealogy

Genealogies often have a theological purpose (e.g. Matthew 1 establishes Jesus' royal and messianic line through Joseph; e.g. Luke 3 establishes Jesus tribal line through Mary.)

B. Poetry and mixed non-prosaic

1. wisdom

Didactic and moral; issues of life and morality; godly advice; often in poetic form
Job discusses the problem of suffering
Ecclesiastes discusses the meaning of life
Songs addresses wisdom about love and marital relationships
Proverbs provides general advice about all aspects of life.

2. proverb

General moral truth, given for the purpose of godly wisdom.
General moral principle still holds despite exceptions

3. prophecy

Speaking forth; declaring God's word; (Isaiah, Daniel, Micah, Ezekiel...).
Predicting the future constitutes only a small part of what they preached and wrote.
Proclaim God's judgment, encouragement, love, call to repentance, etc.
When prophets foretold the future it was to call for repentance or give encouragement.

4. apocalypse

Special type of prophecy in semi-prose form
Full of symbolism and figurative language.
Describes the struggle between God and evil, spiritual warfare
Gives long-ranging future predictions.
Revelation and parts of Daniel contain apocalyptic passages.

5. poetry

Western poetry is often based on rhyme, meter, or alliteration.
Old Testament Hebrew poetry was often based on parallelism for emphasis & contrast.

(i) repetition (e.g., Ps. 13:1)

(ii) opposition (e.g., Ps. 1;6)

(iii) completion (e.g., Ps 19:7)

Acrostics: Pss. 9-10, 25, 37, 112, 119, 145; abecedarians ("alphabetical")
Style: imagery and emotive force
Rhyme and sound devices were used in Hebrew poetry, but are lost in translation
In English translations, poetry indicated by indented text in English Bibles
Many prophetic writings and wisdom literature were written in poetic style.
Poetry and song is found in many books of the Bible:

Exodus 15:1-18 Israelites sang a psalm of praise to God after passing through the Red Sea

Deuteronomy 32 Moses' psalm contrasts God's faithfulness with Israel's unfaithfulness.

Jud. 5:1-31 Deborah composed a song of praise after God rescued His people

1 Sam. 2:1-10 .Hannah sang a psalm of praise to God for the gift of her son, Samuel

Job ( 3:3-12, 13-19, 20-26; 7:1-10; 10:1-22), Jeremiah (15:15-18; 17:14-18) and Lamentations (3; 5) contain numerous laments.

6. psalms

Written as worship songs for temple worship services.
The Psalms were written over a period of hundreds of years by various people
David, Solomon (Ps. 72), Asaph (Ps. 50, 73-83), the sons of Korah (Ps. 42, 44-49, 84, 85, 87...) Moses (Ps. 90), Heman the Ezrahite (Ps. 88), Ethan the Ezrahite (Ps. 89), and many anonymous writers.
Other Biblical characters such as Moses, Habakkuk, Mary, and Zechariah (father of John the Baptist) also sang songs).

Eph 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

The Psalms

We study proverbs to gain wisdom; We study Psalms to learn how to worship

The Psalms

In the original Hebrew text the book as a whole was not named

The titles of many individual psalms contained the word mizmor, meaning a poem sung to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument.

The Greek translation of this term, psalms (Psalms, Psalter)

Authorship: David: 73; Asaph: 12; Korah and descendants: 12; Solomon: 2; Ethan: 1; Heman: 1; Moses: 1; Unknown: 48

Interesting Facts

Most quoted in the New Testament.

Longest book in the Bible.

Has material from more authors than any other Bible book.

Has the longest chapter of any book in the Bible (Psalm 119).

The church has sung the Psalms throughout the ages

From 1 Corinthians 14:26, Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 we can infer that the singing of the Psalms was part of the corporate worship in the early church..

The Psalms were song responsively by Jews and the early church Most frequently the congregation sang a short refrain, such as Amen or Alleluia, between verses sung by a cantor.

Chrysostom and Augustine wrote commentaries on the Psalms

The church of the Reformation made much use of the Psalms.

After the Reformation, psalms were set to traditional melodies for congregational singing.

The Psalms Are Prominent in the New Testament

Our Lord saw Himself as the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies and types of the Psalms.

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." (Luke 24:44).

In his debate with the Pharisees Jesus cited Psalm 110 to show that David spoke of Him in the Psalms. "`The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."' If then David calls him `Lord', how can he be his son?" (Matt. 22:43-44)

Our Savior also uttered the words of Psalm 22 from the cross (Matt. 27:46).

Peter quoted Psalm 16:8-11 as proof that Jesus must be raised from the dead (Acts 2:24-36)

Paul quoted Psalm 2: "We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "`You are my Son; today I have become your Father.' (Acts 13:23-33).

Acts 16:5 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

The Psalms are For Us Today

(1) The Psalms speak to us. (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16,17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21) Luther spoke of the Psalter “Each person, whatever his circumstances may be, finds in [the book] psalms and words which are appropriate to the circumstances in which he finds himself and meet his needs as adequately as if they were composed exclusively for his sake, and in such a way that he himself could not improve on them nor find or desire any better psalms or words.^”

The Psalter has been called “a microcosm of the whole Old Testament, ... the epitome of Israel's spiritual experience.”

The Psalms were written when Israel was between the initiation of Israel and its culmination. As Christians, we too are living in the interim, awaiting the culmination of God's Kingdom, much like Israel of old. “It is this anticipation and at the same time a sense of God's absence (at times) which enables the saint of today to identify with the struggles of the saint of old and to find the Psalms striking a familiar chord in our own hearts and lives.” Bernhard Anderson.

(2) The Psalms speak for us.

Athanasius, a church leader in the fourth century declared “that the Psalms have a unique place in the Bible because most of the Scripture speaks to us, while the Psalms speak for us.”

Our Lord expressed His grief at being separated from His Father on the cross by repeating the words of Psalm 22:1. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

(3) The Psalms speak for us “out of the depths.”

Psalm 130:1 “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;”. Most, if not all, of the Psalms of David were written in the days when he was fleeing from Saul, not when he was sitting on the throne of the nation.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:26-27).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer last publication before his execution by the Nazis was The Prayer Book of the Bible: An Introduction to the Psalms (1940). On May 15th, 1943, he wrote these words: “I am reading the Psalms daily, as I have done for years. I know them and love them more than any other book in the Bible.”“A friend who was with him in his last days said: “[Bonhoeffer] always seemed to me to diffuse an atmosphere of happiness, of joy in every smallest event in life, and of deep gratitude for the mere fact that he was alive.... He was one of the very few men that I have ever met to whom his God was real and close to him.” Bernhard Anderson.

The Psalms have been neglected in preaching and worship in most American congregations. Perhaps we have had it too easy and like the Laodicean church become complacent.

(4) The Psalms are a “Prayer Book” and provide a pattern for worship.

(1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

“The Christian can learn to pray in the Psalter, for here he can hear how the saints talk with God. The number of moods which are expressed here, joy and suffering, hope and care, make it possible for every Christian to find himself in it, and to pray with the psalms.” Martin Luther

The Psalms provide us not only with a passage to ponder and to pray, but also with a pattern for our prayer and worship.

Theology of the Psalms

God as Creator, Redeemer and Lord

Yahweh is King over Israel (Pss 47:6; 93; 99:4; 100:3; 145:1) and over all gods (Pss 29; 89:5; 95:3; 96:4-5; 97:7-9) and the nations of the earth (Pss 47:2, 7-9; 93: 1-2; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; 145:10-12). Yahweh is also a warrior defeating the enemy (Pss 89:10ff; 93: 1-4; Job 9:8) and the enemies of Israel (e.g., Ex 15:1; Pss 18: 15; 48:10). Yahweh is judge over the earth (Pss 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99).

Humanity's nature and predicament:

Humanity is insignificant compared to God and His Creation; yet pictured as the crowning glory of God's good creation, set apart to govern the earth. Ps 8, 19, 29, 104.

History and Revelation

Pss 105,106, 78 and others rehearse the Israel's past in order that future generations may pass it on to their children.

The Law of God:

The Law is at the heart of the worship of Israel. Psalm 119 is the great hymn to the Law. Pss 1 and 2, are a preface to the Psalter

The Messiah:: 2, 22, 72, 110 and 118. Look also at Matt 21:42 and 27:42-43; Mark 12: 35-37; Luke 1: 51-53; Acts 4:11; Phil 2:9-11; I Peter 2:7; Heb 7:16-17.

Redemption and Reconciliation: God brought Israel out of Egypt (see Pss 105, 106, 136), and back from Babylon (Ps. 85); Psalm 106 shows the cycle of redemption, disobedience, and forgiveness. Ps 51 gives a cry to God for a new and clean heart as the true path to forgiveness and reconciliation.

Worship: Praise God for God's steadfast love (see Ps 136); His wonderful works (Ps 107); His healing, protection, constancy and all the benefits of divine care and favor (see Ps 103). Worship transforms people as seen in Ps 13 in which the spirit of the worshiper is changed from anguish to confidence. God is exalted on the praises of God's people; and in being lifted up, blesses those who sing and pray and cry aloud.

Bibliography:

Bernhard Anderson, Out of the Depths (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1974)
Biblical Studies Foundation,
Encarta: http://encarta.msn.com
First Presbyterian Church, New York City;
John H. Hayes, Understanding the Psalms (Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1976)
Lee, Kent; Genres in biblical literature;
Leopold Sabourin, The Psalms: Their Origin and Meaning (New York: Alba House, 1970)
Psalms, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7736/psalm.html
Ronald Barclay Allen, Praise! A Matter of Life and Breath (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1980)
Westminster Confession of Faith;