The Psalms

The Psalms as Literature and

Theology

The Psalms of Praise“Praise the Lord, O My Soul; all my

inmost being, praise his holy name” (Ps.

103.1)

The Anatomy of Praise

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1Cor. 10.31)

Praise of Yahweh is a response to the grace of Yahweh for his people

The Anatomy of Praise continued“For you are holy, inhabiting the praise of Israel” (Ps. 22.3)

Praise of Yahweh’s people encourages the weak (Ps. 149.6-9) and summons the individual (Ps. 103.1-2), Yahweh’s people (Ps. 106.1), and everything (Ps. 150.6) to praise Yahweh

The Hebrew title of the book of psalms is tehillim, praises; tehillah, praise.

A helpful distinction in the psalms of praise is between declarative praise and descriptive praiseDeclarative praise refers to generic

language of praise, such as ‘Praise the Lord’ (hallelu+yah)

Descriptive praise refers to the details of a psalm (Ps. 113.5)

Form of Psalms of Praise

Description of Psalms of PraiseTwo

Groups identified

by

2)Theme1)Form

Form: Imperative psalms (Ex. 15.21; 98, 100, 136), participle psalms (cf. Is. 40-55), psalms of individual (8, 104)

Theme: praise of creation (8, 19a, 33, 104, 136); Yahweh as king (47, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99); harvest (65, 145); historical (105, 106, 114, 135, 136); entrance (24, 94, 100)

Frequently the life situation of the psalms is difficult to identify

Major Themes

Two major themes are central to the

psalms of praise:creation the history of

Israel

Creation is an important subject of the psalms, for it demonstrates Yahweh is in charge

Creation by the word (Ps. 148, 33)Creation by action (Ps. 147; Gen. 2.19-20)

Creation

Creation by wisdom (Prov. 8.30, 3.19; Jer. 51.15; Pss. 136, 104)

Creation by power (Pss. 65; 134)Beauty of creation (Ps. 8)Universality of Yahweh’s presence (Pss. 19, 113, 117, 33, 65, 66; 47)

Creation continued

Israel’s HistoryThe story of Joseph (Ps. 105.16-22)Egyptian sojourn (vs. 23-27)The plagues (vs. 28-36)The exodus (vs. 37-38, 43)The wilderness (vs. 49-42)The conquest (v. 44)Others history psalms (Pss. 106, 114, 136Psalmists sometimes use generic terms

(Pss. 65.5, 66.5, 105.1-2, 5; 106.2, 136.4, 145.4, 12)

SummaryThe psalms of praise dominate books 4 and 5 of the psalter (90-106, 107-150)

The psalms of praise extol the Lord for his great deeds in creation and in the history of his people

The psalms in this category praise the Lord and give reasons for it

Summary continued

“God the creator and his creation, the universality of God’s presence and reign, God’s awesome deeds in history, and the historical events in which God has shown himself to be faithful and powerful” (Bullock, Encountering, p. 133)

Psalms of Lament

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

DefinitionJoy and sorrow, hope and despair are the

emotions that represent the two extremes of life

The psalms of lament include the fact and the reasons

Laments can be divided into laments of the people and laments of the individual

In some of these psalms there is a strong trust component (Pss. 46, 123, 126)

The vow to praise rarely appears in the lament of the people, since individuals make vows

Laments of People The laments of people have five

components:Address and petitionLamentConfession of trustPetitionVow of praise (rarely)

Not all laments include all the parts nor do they always follow the same order

Psalms of lament deal with three dimensionComplaint against God Against the enemy Against themselves/himself (see Ps. 22)

Laments of IndividualsLaments of individuals have these components:

Address with introductory cry for help and/or turning to God

LamentConfession of trustPetitionAssurance of being heardWish or petition for God’s intervention Vow of praisePraise of God when petition has been heard

The psalmists are completely honest with the Lord about their feelings toward him, toward their enemies, and about themselves.

They encourage us to be fully honest with the Lord about our situations without defiance to God and hatred for our fellows

Subcategories

Psalms of Lament

Prayers of IndividualsPrayer of the sick (Pss. 38, 41, 88)Prayer of the sick with modifications

(Pss. 6, 13, 22, 30, 31, 32, 35, 39, 51 i69, 71, 91, 102, 103)

Prayer of the persecuted and accused (3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 17, 23, 26, 27, 57, 63)

Prayer of a sinner (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143; these psalms are also known as penitential psalms)

The thanksgiving prayer of the individual (18, 31, 32, 32, 66B, 92, 116, 118, 120)

Community PrayersThese are the prayers of the people (Pss. 44, 60, 74, 77, 79, 80, 83, 85, 90, 94, 123, 126, 137)

The individual psalms of lament are concentrated in book 1, psalms 1-41, the core collection of the Davidic psalms

The community laments occur in books 2-5 (Psalms 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150)

Analysis of Lament PsalmsIndividual lament of the sick:

Problem (38.7, 11, 17-18; 41.3-5; 88.3-5)Complaint against God (38.2-3; 88.6-9, 14-18)Complaint against self (38.4-5; 41.4) Complaint against enemies (38.11-12, 19-20; 41.5-9)Petition (38.1, 16, 21-22; 41. 4, 10; 88.1-2, 9b, 13-14)Solution (38.18; 41.4, 10-12)

In these psalms physical illness, spiritual anguish, and sin cannot be separated

In ten out of the fifteen psalms the psalmist considers God as the cause of his suffering

In as many times he blames his enemies as causing the problems

In the midst of their troubles the psalmists point out that trust in Yahweh’s unfailing character was the solution to their problems

Notes on Lament Psalms

Notes on Lament Psalms cont.

We must note the importance of confession, but especially that of forgiveness

A vow to praise Yahweh occurs in ten out of the fifteen psalms.

In three of the psalms there is an answer from Yahweh

Thirteen of these psalms are psalms of David

Community PsalmsCommunity psalms

present the laments of the

people In thirteen psalms the focus

is on some national crisis

The community appeals to the Yahweh’s work in history

Community Psalmscontinued

The solution to their problem is divine interventionHis intervention is an expression of his character; he is a God of mercy and grace

In three cases the community vows to praise Yahweh for his aid to his people

The following are suggestions:Friends who insisted that the person was punished because of his grievous sins (Pss. 32.5-6 38.18, 51; but 7.3-5, 17.4-5)

The viewers of the psalmist’s suffering accuse him of sin (Ps. 41.5-6, 8)

Identity of Enemies

Identity of Enemiescontinued

Foreign powers who threaten Israel (more true of the community rather than individuals: Ps. 83.4-12)

The language is metaphorical, inviting readers to identify with the psalmist (the enemies are an open category, which readers can fill with their own enemies)

SummaryThe psalms of lament as the largest

category in the book of psalms express the extremes of the human situation

At the same time there is also praise in these psalms at the point of help

While sickness is sometimes the crisis, spiritual and psychological anguish are usually present caused by personal failures and enemies

The faith of the OT believers encompassed also personal and communal complaint

Lament in not separated from praise; they are the two ends of the relationship with Yahweh

The Psalms of Thanksgiving

“I love the Lord, for He has heard my voice’ He heard my cry for mercy”

(Ps. 116.11)

Relation to LamentPsalms of lament and thanksgiving seem to be on opposite endsThe distance can be traversed quickly; when the psalmist experiences a response to his lament, he breaks out in praise

Praise grows out of Yahweh’s response to the needs of the psalmist

Relation to Lament cont.

Our experiences as human beings range between these two poles

In psalms of lament, the crisis is ongoing; in psalms of thanksgiving, the crisis is past (Pss. 31.9-13; 40.2)

Form and ContentThough ambiguity exists, some

essentials mark this category:The psalmist reports about his crisis that cause his difficulty

He states that the crisis has passed and he experienced Yahweh’s deliverance

The experience of deliverance differentiates these psalms from others

Elements Introduction: gives the intention to

worship and the reason, fluid (Ps. 92.1-4)Report of a crisis: one of the essential

elements (Pss. 52.1-7; short: 32.3-4, 40.2, 92.10-11, 120.1, 6; extended: 18.4-5, 7-19; 30.2-3, 6-9, 11-12a; 31.9-13, 21-22; 66.5-12)

Deliverance as fact: Yahweh’s deliverance issues in praise (Ps. 52.8-9, 32.5-9)

Conclusion: fluid as introduction, vow or promise of sacrifice (Ps. 116.17-19, 118.28-29; 30.11-12, 32.8-10

List of psalms of praise: 18, 30, 31, 32, 40, 66, 92, 116, 118, 120; Isaiah 38.1-12, Jonah 2.3-9

Life SituationThe ritual accompanying the psalms of

thanksgiving are somewhat unclearWhat is clear, a personal or national

crisis initiated the psalmWorshippers performed some kind of

ritual in the temple before the congregation (Pss. 63.13, 116.19)

Origin of psalms of thanksgiving (Ps. 107.4-9)

Life Situation cont.Psalms of thanksgiving may have been recited in connection with the sacrifice (Pss. 66.13-15, 40.5-8) in the presence of worshipers (Pss. 30.4, 31.23, 32.11)

Psalms are samples of accomplished composers: David (18, 21, 30, 32, 40); anonymous (66, 92, 116, 118, 120)

Community PsalmsSame two criteria: crisis and crisis

passed with community emphasis (Pss. 65.3, 124.1, 129.1)Individuals at times drew strength from

Yahweh’s deliverance of his people (Ps. 66.5-7, 8-12)

This deliverance demonstrated Yahweh’s character (Pss. 30.10, 31.19, 32.5, 10; 40.11, 66.20, 92.2, 116.5, 7, 12; 118.1, 29)

Community psalms of thanksgiving are: 65, 66, 107, 118, 124, 129

Theological ImplicationsYahweh’s mighty deliverance of his people

became the basis for the psalmist’s confidence of Yahweh’s deliverance of him (Ps. 66.5-12, 16)

The psalms indicate a double movement, from the community to the individual (Ps. 66.5-16) and from the individual to the community (Pss. 25.22, 51.18-19, 130.7-8)

The psalmists stress both the vertical and horizontal dimension of Yahweh’s grace; it radiates down and outward

Individual and community are codependent; gratitude frees both, but usually begins with individuals