The Psalms: Israel's Prayers and Ours

*(From Chapter 11; How to Read the Bible for all its Worth)

“How do words that are spoken to God [as well as about God] function as a Word from God to us?” p. 187

They help us
1)express ourselves to God
The Psalms can help us express our joys and sorrows, successes and failures, hopes and regrets.
2)consider his ways

--Some Psalms are fairly easy to follow, like Psa. 23: The Lord is our Shepherd, but others are not so easy to follow...

--What about psalms that dwell on the misery of the speaker? "Be merciful to me O God, for men hotly pursue me (Psa 56:1)"

--That speak of the glory of kings? Ps 21:1 O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!

--That speak of infants being dashed against rocks (137:8-9)?
PS 137:8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you
for what you have done to us--
PS 137:9 he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.


I. General Points about Interpreting the Psalms

1.It’s poetry
a.Synonymous parallelism (Psa 19:1, 2, 4; 34:15,16 ); take it as a whole—Your turn 1,2,5, 6, 9, 10, 12 Psalm 33:Which verses are synonymous?
b.Musical poems--addressed to the heart:
A Mighty fortress is our God—he’s not a building
In sin did my mother conceive me (Psa 51:5) This is poetic, not literal.
c.vocabulary is metaphorical
mountains skip, PS 114:4 the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. enemies spit swords, God is a shepherd, fortress, shield and rock

2.The Psalms as Literature
a.Types-lament, thanksgiving…
b.Form (according to its type)
c.Function-you don't read something written for kings at a wedding. That doesn't relate.
d.Patterns-repetitions of words, acrostics (Psa. 119)
e.Literary unit-each verse fits into the whole. Don’t take things out of context.

II. The Types of Psalms

1.Laments-largest group, Individual (3*, 22, 31, 39, 42, 57, 71, 120, 139, 142) or corporate (12, 44, 80, 94, 137)
2.Thanksgiving- Community (65, 67, 75, 107, 124, 136), individual (18, 30, 32, 34, 40, 66, 92, 116, 118, 138*)
3.Praise-Salvation History-78*, 105, 106, 135

Imprecatory Psalms
137:7-9 Jerusalem destroyed. Taken captive by Babylon aided and encouraged by Edomites. We tell God our angry words. He is the one that will judge. We have handed over judgment to Him. Hate (Psa 139:22) can also mean despise, unable to put up with, reject. (See Mal. 1:2 Esau have I hated)

Concluding Observations
How can we use these words of God that are words to God?
Opportunities for us also to speak to God.

Three benefits:
a.An guide to worship
b.Encouragement to honest expression to God
c.Demonstrate the importance of reflection and meditation.

Caution: We are not guaranteed a problem free existence. Psa 23:6; David had a very difficult life.