Psalms & Song of Songs slides for Foundations Bible School (copyright Don Palmer).

1. Session #5. Encountering the
Poetic (& Wisdom) Books
Covering the books of
Psalms, Song of Songs

2. Establishing the worship Removing the worship (&
of God practices) of the false gods
(Deut. 6) (Deut. 7)
A place for his name Idols (Deut. 32:17)
 A pattern of worship  Idolatry (Deut. 18:9-13)
 A lifestyle of worship  Warfare (Deut. 20)

3.  The offerings (ch. 1-7)  The laws (613)
1. Burnt offering
o The Priesthood
o Sacrificial system
2. Grain offering
o Day of Atonement
3. Peace (fellowship) offering o Festivals
4. Sin offering
5. Guilt offering • The Holiness code
• Lifestyle & health
• Social justice
“Be holy, for I am holy” (11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7, 26)

4.  Sabbath (weekly) NT application
1. Passover (1st month 14th day) Redemption
2. Unleavened bread (15th day)
3. Firstfruits Resurrection
4. Weeks (50 days after Passover) Coming of
the Spirit
5. Trumpets (7th month) A new day
6. Day of Atonement (10th day) ..now & not yet
7. Tabernacles (15th day) Life together

5. Categories of law:
Justice & righteousness
Love & mercy
Grace & generousity
Wisdom & godliness

6. The example of Solomon (1 Kings 3:5-15)
The example of Jesus (Matthew 7:24ff.)
The example of James (James 1:5; 3:13-18)
The example of Paul (Ephesians 5:15ff.)

7. “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a
breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on
the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the
wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all
the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man,
including Ethan the Ezrahite (Ps. 89) - wiser than
Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his
fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke
three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a
thousand and five. He described plant life, from the
cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls.
He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.
Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom,
sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his
wisdom.” (1 Kings 4:29-34)

8. “Wisdom is the basic principle in God’s
revelation…in which he imparts under-
standing to mankind. Without it the world
and human life would be devoid of
meaning. It is the all-pervasive force
created by God even before the world – it
permeates the universe, the natural world
and the social order of all human beings.”
C. Hassell Bullock

9. The Torah (5 books of the Law)
The Prophets
Former: Joshua, Judges, Samuel & Kings
Latter: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel & The Twelve
The Writings
Major: Job, Psalms, Proverbs
The Five Scrolls: Song of Songs, Ruth,
Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther

10. Poetic books (for wisdom & worship)
Proverbs (right, wrong & daily decisions)
Job (why do good people suffer)
Ecclesiastes (what’s the meaning of life)
Song of Songs (true love & how to find it)
Psalms (songs – wisdom in worship & prayer)

11. Wisdom is practical
Wisdom is everywhere The home
Wisdom is a gift from God
Wisdom is a lifestyle
The school
Wisdom must be chosen
 (Wisdom literature)
The “fear of the Lord”
Wisdom in a proverb
Wisdom in a song
(personal relationship)
Wisdom in a poem

12. “Wisdom is not something you do, rather it is a
way of doing things. This is born out by the
bewildering variety of human endeavours
mentioned in the OT in connection with
wisdom…such as governing a nation, the
interpretation of dreams, the construction of the
Tabernacle, the management of a crisis, the
efficient keeping of ones home or even so
simple a matter as chopping wood. Wisdom has
the advantage of giving success to those who
possess it. Whatever you do – can be done with
wisdom. It is invariably displayed in concrete,
practical living. Wisdom is basically skill – to be
wise is to be skilful at living.” (William Mouser)

13. Songs of worship A poem
Songs of joy (or collection of poetry)
Songs to shout!
An erotic love poem
Songs to help you cry
Songs for the road An unusual, erotic love
Songs for the blues poem (470 words)
An unusual – but wise
Heartfelt prayers
erotic love poem

14. “Seize the day
boys, and make
your life
extraordinary!”

15. “The Hebrew language has an intrinsic
musical quality that is inclined naturally
toward poetic expression. Beneath the
translation lies a poetic beauty & grandeur
that is not surpassed in any other language.
Even though the English reader is at a
decided disadvantage as they approach
Hebrew poetry, the rhythm & meter can be
detected fairly well with persistent study.”
(Bullock)

16. It’s all about (1) pattern & (2) rhythm
Parallelism
The main feature!
Main task is to find the connection between A & B
Figures of speech
Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole, Ellipsis, Metonomy, Irony,
Synecdoche, Idiom, Anthropomorphism,
Personification, Rhetorical questions

17. Synonymous (repetition of same thought)
Antithetic (contrast between two lines – “but”)
Synthetic (2nd line completes the 1st)
 Don’t forget those amazing Acrostics & Chiasms!

18. Remember you’re reading a poem or a song!
 What do you do with poems? Read
 What do you do with songs? Sing
 What do you do with prayers? Speak
 Don’t read poetry like Historical prose He did this.
 Don’t read poetry like Law Do this!
 Don’t read poetry like Prophecy …or else!

19. Song of Solomon (later addition)
Canticles (Latin: “Songs”)
“Song of songs, which is Solomon’s” (Heb.)
Song of songs
ie. Of all songs, this is the best –
the most beautiful!

20.  Adam & Eve
 Miss Saigon
 Romeo & Juliet
 Hunchback of Notre Dame
 Paris & Helen of Troy
 West Side Story
 Antony & Cleopatra
 Henry & Catherine… &  Wuthering Heights
Anne, Jane, Anne,  Ghost
Catherine & Catherine  King Kong
 Casanova & everyone  Love Story
 Charles & Diana  Gone with the wind
…or Camilla  Casablanca
 Ken & Barbie

21. O, my love is like a red, red rose,
that's newly sprung in June.
O, my love is like a melody,
that's sweetly play'd in tune.
As fair thou art, my bonnie lass,
so deep in love am I,
And I will love thee still, my dear,
till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
and the rocks melt wi' the sun!
And I will love thee still, my dear,
while the sands of life shall run.

22. O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
(Romeo & Juliet Act 1 Scene 5)

23. 117 verses
8 chapters
1 scroll (part of “The Writings”)
10 pages (in my NIV)
…& yet…
500 commentaries
Written over 17 centuries

24. 1. Solomon (the “lover”)
2. His wife (the “beloved”)
Daughter of the prince of Egypt
A Shulammite
3. The friends
The setting: …a garden & a bedroom
“Back to the garden…of Eden”

25. Title (Song of songs)
Anticipation of love (1:2-2:7)
Blossoming of love (2:8-3:5)
Consummation of love (3:6-5:1)
Maturing of love (5:2-8:4)
Conclusion (Love is…)

26. “The passion of love bursting into flame
is more powerful than death,
stronger than the grave.
Love cannot be drowned
by oceans or floods;
it cannot be bought,
no matter what is offered.” (8:6-7 CEV)

27.  “It’s like a lock for which the key has been lost”
Allegorical vs. Literal
Yahweh & Israel Solomon & his wife
Christ & the Church Man & a woman

28. It’s about love
In Greek - 4 words, philos, storge, eros,& agape
…in Hebrew - 1 achabah
It’s about sexual intimacy
It’s about marriage

29.  Negative attitudes (from the “Church”)
 Love is personified by God
 Sex was designed by God
 Marriage was instituted by God
“History began with a wedding
& will climax with a wedding banquet”

30.  You were made for intimacy
Look for it. If you find it, treasure & nurture it
 Sex is good, from God - it should be enjoyed
and protected
 Get into poetry, get creative & get romantic