Psalms - Lesson One

1. Psalms - Lesson One
I. Introduction
A. Speaks powerfully to all people, throughout time - in prayer,
mediation, literature.
B. Comes from a tradition dating back to Late Bronze Age (1600-1200
BCE) of common hymns and celebrations, reflecting, among other
things, Canaanite features, including councils of gods, warrior god
image, residue of polytheism.
C. Framed for Israelite purposes, with uncertain dating, traditionally
beginning with King David.
D. Features, though, from Solomon’s times, even pre-nomadic, as well as
First Commonwealth, Prophets, post-exilic, and even into the Second

2. Temple, up to perhaps 400 BCE, when finally edited, perhaps later.
Mostly over 500 years from around 1000 BCE to 500 BCE.
E. Purposes: cultic practice, liturgical, celebrations (including national
victories), thanksgiving, supplication, in moments of peril, lamentation,
praise of God, praise of Zion.
F. Authors - perhaps also poets within the Temple.
G. Structure - 5 books (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150.
H. Mizmor is a psalm, perhaps sung with musical instruments. Book is
not called mizmorim, but rather tehilim, meaning praises. This suggests
that our ultimate calling, whether in moments of celebration or
lamentation (or all in between) is to celebrate God’s greatness and to
express gratitude and praise. Book ends explicitly with 6 psalms of
praise, a sort of “orchestral climax” in the final psalm.
I. Method of poetry - rarely seeks startling effects, familiar images, and
fresh and moving poetry. Similes are often born of common ideas and
well known ideas or acts. Simple directness in use of traditional

3. figurative language. Expressive power in succinctness, parallelism,
sequencing.
J. Use of psalms by Temple cult, yet with power of intense spiritual
inwardness.
K. Poems retain eloquence after 2 1/2 millennia for believers, relating to
a wide range of experiences from joy to sorrow, pleading to gratitude.
L. Taken together, they make up a touchstone for our relationship with
God - we cry, we plea, we praise, we thank, all and more.
M. We explore and experience God’s presence and nearness, ourselves,
our relationship, who and how we are to be, not so much in the mode
of Proverbs in its wisdom, but rather through the beauty and mystery
and truth of the language of poetry and the images and experiences it
conveys.

4. II. Psalm 1 - this is a sort of wisdom psalm that flows from what we’ve
studied, close in nature to the Proverbs. It’s understandable that it is
placed first. It’s central to Jewish core thinking and recognizable to all
who follow Judeo-Christian ideas.
A. Note all the verbs to start, walk in counsel or on path, stand, sit,
desire, meditate, be. We live and are active - how we do it explains who
we are. We know God by attributes of action; so are we known.
B. Torah - what is it? Some translations say law. That is wrong. Rather, it
is some combination of instruction, teaching, words, ways, expectations,
and guidance. It’s what God “throws” our way as to what it means to
live as God expects, calling upon all our faculties of mind, heart, soul,
and mind.
The one who is blessed (happy) is the one who lives “Torah” and makes
meditation upon it perpetual, day and night.
Note that it is “his Torah” upon which we mediate. Whose? Rashi says it
is God’s - to begin. But, the more we make of it, the more it becomes
ours, too.

5. Terrien: how we live should be a day and night mediation on Torah, with
pleasure, because it intimates in the presence of God; the urgency of
rectitude in social relations.
C. Why a tree? For one thing, Torah is a “tree of life to those who hold
fast to it.” It’s something that grows, flourishes, is fruitful, sustained.
Here, the tree is nourished by water. Why water? It’s necessary for
sustenance, especially in semi-arid places.
Recall also the many ways in the Bible that water is suggestive of
spiritual sustenance. Miriam. Moses, striking the rock. The dew. The rain.
God’s presence, spirituality, streams under and out of Eden.
D. “Yields its fruit in season and its leaf never withers.” “He’s prosperous
in all he does?” Meaning?
Productive in service of life, God, and others. And in timely ways, when
needed, etc.
A leaf that never withers suggests something that lasts a long time,
endures, and may be eternal.

6. Does prosperous mean wealthy in mostly material ways? Go back to
ashrei. Is this conventionally or easily happy?
Robert Burns wrote: “Happy is the man, in life, wherever placed…”
There’s a sense of peace, gratitude, satisfaction, contentment. The
plentitude - the prosperity - seems to suggest a fullness of those things,
with a recognition of the limits and discipline as well as an awareness
that there may be sadness, cause for lamentation, etc. that comes “in
the package.”
Ashrei also means being blessed, a sense of going forward, walking on,
with some success, with, as Terrien taught, a felicitation involved in
blazing a trail, certainly of walking a path that God has set for us.
E. Contrast with the wicked, who like chaff, are driven by the wind,
subject to uncertain direction, if any at all. God attends to the way of
the righteous, to those who live by Torah. The blessed person walks
ahead, faithful to traditions given by God and willing to take risks in life,
while the wicked, ungodly, follow the horde, easily swayed, like straw in
the wind, unmindful of duty or responsibility to God or others.

7. III. Psalm 23 - we’ve heard this psalm so many times, often at funerals,
that we think we know it well. Actually, we’ve put it on a pedestal,
thinking we know what it means, and don’t. it’s sort of like Beethoven’s
5th. We need to know it a lot better than we think we do. Let’s give it a
fresh look.
A. Focus on the metaphor in the first verses. The Lord is the shepherd;
we are sheep. How?
(Human nature is such that we need constant tending from the Divine.
Think of the terrain. Rocky. Craggy. We are always in need of direction,
but the shepherd is present and providing and caring. This is descriptive
of the Divine Presence in so many ways.
B. “I shall not want.” What does that mean?
Discussion.

8. C. Green pastures. Still waters. We’ve seen an image of water in the first
psalm. We have a new sense here of what it’s like to be tended by God.
Discuss.
D. “Restores the soul.” Meaning?
Brings back to life. Renews life-giving deeper being, living alertness,
emotional drive, will to go on, zest for life, etc., as seen in the metaphor
of bedraggled and exhausted sheep who, like us, can be worn down by
the burdens of life.
E. Paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” We’ve studied
righteousness, but what does it mean, “for His name’s sake?”
Recall how careful the Jewish tradition is with the name of God. It’s so
careful that the name is simply, HaShem, the Name. It recognizes the
living and guiding Presence of the Divine to be worshipped, and seen as
Sovereign. So, a keeper of the covenant - a faithful one - would be on
the path for God’s sake, in God’s name.
As we pray, Praised be His Name, with honor and glory to our Ruler
forever and ever. On that day, God will be One, and His name shall be
one.

9. F. “Walk through the valley of deepest darkness, I fear no evil, for thou
art with me Thy rod and thy staff - they comfort me.” How is this valley
normally described in translation? How could this correct translation
help us see deeper and additional meanings?
It could be death. But it could also be times of great trial and trouble.
Perils of life. The terrors we face. The sheep on a rocky ravine face such
perils, but, unlike us, may not know of it. It may be when others do us
wrong, and we’re fearful. Or we’ve hurt others and feel guilty and
troubled. It may be the pain or exile or tormenting by others.
Abandonment. Feeling deeply lost and lonely. Purposelessness. Being
left out. Near death. Or near death in life. The shepherd is there to tend
us in all these ways.
The rod and staff comfort us. God’s love, guidance, discipline (even
punishment), prodding, support, signaling keep us on the path and/or
return us to the path.
G. Table. Anointing head with oil. Cup running over. Blessings of God’s
presence. Goodness and loving-kindness - God’s for us and ours for
others - follow us all the days of our lives. Meaning?

10. Growth and good and spiritual enrichment for me from God, and from
me to others. God’s concern for me. My recognition of God. And my
concern for others. In sync with the two great commandments.
All this leads us to a high point in the discussion of the Psalms teaching
of nearness to God - “I will dwell in the house of God for the length of
my days.” Later thinking amplifies this and leads us to think of “forever.”
This is the greatest gift - God’s presence.
III. Psalm 23 - we looked at this psalm 5 years ago with this question in
mind: was this psalm on Jesus’ mind during the crucifixion? Was Jesus
teaching something from it? If so, what? How does this give us a new
reason for why Jesus asked the question (according to Mark and
Matthew, Jesus’ only words from the cross) that comes from the first
verse of this psalm.
A. Today, we’ll look at several specific additional questions: in the midst
of the pain, suffering, and degradation, what does the psalmist
remember about God, and what gives the psalmist hope toward the end
of the psalm?

11. B. Further, what do we learn about God’s presence from the experience
of pain in this psalm?
We see the psalmist recalling the promise and presence of God to his
ancestors in the past. Also, we see the psalmist’s recollection of God’s
goodness earlier in his life. All of this is in the painful first 19 verses.
At the end, there is a present call to God, a hope in God’s rescue, a
celebration of God’s NAME, and an acknowledgement that God is with
those in misery, answering their cry for help, thus warranting our praise.
The psalm ends with a sense of ultimate and eternal victory, an
acknowledgement of the ever-present God from all time and for all
time. There will be the ultimate victory of God, and our salvation.