INTRODUCTION As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? Ps. 18:30-31 The Psalms. We find 150 of them in our Bible. Some, like Psalm 117, are very short, comprising a scant two verses. The longest is Psalm 119 totaling a whopping 176 verses! The Psalms were written during a 1,000 year period, the earliest being composed almost 2,500 years ago and the oldest about 3,500 years ago. The word “psalms” comes from the Hebrew word meaning praises. Hence, reflecting much of its contents, the Psalms are a “book of praises.” The Psalms became both a prayer book and hymnbook for Israel’s worship, being used in the public and private worship of pious Jews. Early Christians began to refer to the Psalms as the “Psalter”, which literally means “collection of harp songs” or “songs set to music.” The Psalms are essentially poems that were often set to music for worship. While poetry in general can be difficult for most of us, poetry written in the vicinity of 3,000 years ago, in a cultural situation that was very dissimilar to our own, entails unique challenges! What we find in the Psalms is not a neat and tidy systematic theology, but rather theological reflections on the relationship of God to his people. As C.S. Lewis points out, “the Psalms are poems, and poems intended to be sung: not doctrinal treatises, nor even sermons.” (Lewis, p. 10) In reading this poetry it is important to keep in mind that not only were the poems written in a Near Eastern context addressed to God, they were also written before Christ. While some of the psalms point to Christ, and reflect on the hoped for Messiah, they were written at a time when God’s people worshipped through animal sacrifice in a temple setting. Poetry, while difficult, is a rich and textured way to communicate. In the Psalms we will encounter: · Parallelisms – Parallelisms refer to the way one phrase in the poem interacts with the phrase which follows it.1 For example: “O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger” is followed with, “or discipline me in your wrath.” (Psalm 38) 1 Tremper Longman, in his excellent book, How To Read the Psalms, points out that there are at least 7 different types of parallelisms in the Psalms. (Longman, pp. 99-105) STUDIES IN THE PSALMS PAGE 1 INTRODUCTION · Imagery – God is personified as a “rock” (62). “shield” (Psalm 28), “fortress” (Psalm 62), and “shepherd” (Psalm 23) to name but a few of the images employed. · Simile – Similes are a way to use an image and paint a picture for the reader by comparing it to something else. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42) · Metaphor – A metaphor is similar to a simile but more explicit and clear. “To you I call, O Lord my Rock.” (Psalm 28) The language of poetry is not always as clear as literal language. But it nevertheless communicates in a way that normal prose cannot. As we encounter rich symbols through metaphors, similes and parallelisms, the text of the poem probes the nature of God and our relationship with him in a manner that would not otherwise be available to us. Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman ponders why the Psalms use so many images to talk about God. Why are there so many? The answer may lie in God’s own nature. Briefly the answer is this: images, particularly metaphors, help to communicate the fact that God is so powerful and mighty that he can’t be exhaustively described. Metaphor . may be accurate, but is less precise than literal language. Metaphor preserves the mystery of God’s nature and being, while communicating to us about him and his love for us. (Longman, p. 121) When you read the Psalms they seem to lack order. They move randomly from one topic to another. This is for good reason. The Psalms were collected over roughly a 1,000 year period. It is generally agreed that Ezra the scribe collected and arranged the psalms in their present order. His scheme of arranging was not based on chronology but on progression of thought and usage of the names of God in the Psalms.1 For example, while the psalms are literally in the Hebrew “songs of praise”, there are more psalms of lament (where the psalmist cries out in distress) than psalms worshipping God. As we move through the Psalter, however, there is a strong movement from lament to praise, so that “by the end of the book we have a virtual fireworks of praise.” (Longman, p. 45) Old Testament scholars have tried to separate and categorize the psalms by topics. A classic thematic categorization would look something like this: Psalms of: · Praise · Nature · History · Society 1 The Psalms have been arranged into 5 books. This may be an effort to parallel the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Old Testament. PAGE 2 STUDIES IN THE PSALMS INTRODUCTION · Imprecation (prayers for the defeat and overthrow of the wicked) · Penitence (prayers of penitence over the psalmist’s failures) · Messiah Tremper Longman delineates a slightly different scheme: · The Hymn · The Lament · Thanksgiving Psalms · Psalms of Confidence · Psalms of Remembrance · Wisdom Psalms · Kingship Psalms While these categories may be helpful we should be careful to be flexible in our reading and study of these poems. In many of these psalms we find that 2, 3 or even 4 categories are present. The psalmist’s are very fluid and seem to be completely uninterested in being boxed in by the categories of modern scholars! Of the 150 psalms in our Bibles 116 of them have title inscriptions prefaced to them. These titles which introduce the individual psalms include musical inscriptions, historical situations and notes on authorship. The accuracy of these titles has been a source of debate and many of them were most likely added at a later date. The titles, however, do help us to know who wrote many of the psalms and in what historical context they were penned. Roughly half of the psalms are attributed to David, Israel’s second king.1 Two psalms are attributed to King Solomon (72, 127), twelve to Asaph (50, 73-83), nine to Korah (both Asaph and Korah refer to singing-clans that assisted in worship), one each to the wise men Heman (88) and Ethan (89), and one to Moses (90). The remaining 49 psalms are anonymous. The Psalms are the most widely quoted Old Testament book by New Testament authors. They have been a spiritual guide, prayer manual, inspiration, hymnbook and tutor in worship for generations of God’s people. Consider these quotations by influential believers from church history.2 The Psalms are referred to as, “an epitome of the whole Scriptures.” Athanasius, 4th century theologian. The Psalms were called, “a compendium of all theology.” Basil, the Bishop of Caesarea, 4th century. 1 Many have understood the title “Psalm of David” to mean of Davidic character or “belonging to a collection entitled David.” This may reflect that these Psalms were not necessarily all authored by David but rather written in the style that David established when he did write. 2 Longman, p. 52. STUDIES IN THE PSALMS PAGE 3 INTRODUCTION Martin Luther, the 16th century reformer, called them, “a little Bible, and the summary of the Old Testament.” As we read and study the Psalms we will learn about both God and ourselves. They will incite our emotions, inform our minds and, if understood correctly, move our wills. Santa Barbara Community Church has the privilege to spend 13 weeks studying, discussing and reflecting on this, quite possibly, the most influential and beautiful book of the Bible. As with any homegroup, to gain anything it is vital that we come prepared, having spent time in the text. What is especially crucial in a study—discussion of the Psalms is that we come to our small groups ready to talk about how the Psalms have penetrated our souls. PAGE 4 STUDIES IN THE PSALMS PRAYER STUDY ONE PRAYER Let’s face it, a lot of Christians are not exactly sure how to go about praying to God. If there is crisis and their life is in real trouble, maybe prayer comes a little easier. A drowning man can always yell, “help!” But, day to day prayer doesn’t always come so easily. The Psalms are there to teach the Christian how to pray. This is our prayer book. When we come up empty in our attempts to pray, the Psalms become our voice. But is it only for those times when we come up empty? As Eugene Peterson points out: The Psalms are the best tools available for working the faith—one hundred and fifty carefully crafted prayers that deal with the great variety of operations that God carries on in us and attend to all parts of our lives that are, at various times and in different ways, rebelling and trusting, hurting and praising. People of faith take possession of the Psalms with the same attitude and for the same reason that gardeners gather up rake and hoe on their way to the vegetable patch, and students carry paper and pencil as they enter a lecture hall. It is a simple matter of practicality—acquiring the tools for carrying out the human work at hand.