Poetry of the Psalms

1. The Poetry of the Psalms

5. Introduction to the Psalms
• Collection of poetry and song lyrics used in
worship.
• Divided up into 5 books, related to periods of
Israel’s history.
• Hebrew title refers to songs of praise.
• Often organized by content into groups
focused on praise, thanksgiving, lament,
kingship, etc.
• Rich in metaphor and figurative language.

6. Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.

7. Psalm 138
4 May all the kings of the earth praise
you, LORD,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly
on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.

8. Psalm 138
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger
of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will vindicate me;
your love, LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

9. PARALLELISM
The Psalms are marked by …

10. A Poem
Sage pretty much knows
where everything goes.
She’s got enough info to go on:
dresses in dressers,
books in the bookcase,
toys in the toilet, and so on.
--From Mommy Daddy Evan Sage by Eric
McHenry

11. Not a Poem
Cleaning up after a fun day
of play is probably tops on
your preschooler’s “Things I
Don’t Like to Do List.” But
unless you want to spend
your time tripping over the
Little People and their
school bus (and their farm
and their zoo and their
Ferris wheel), your
preschooler needs to learn
how to clean up toys.
--From www.verywellfamily.com

12. Parallelism
Definition: “saying the same thing twice in
different words”
--C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

13. Forms of Parallelism
• Repetition
• Contrast
• Completion
• Development
• Explanation

14. Examples of Parallelism
1 I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
6 Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on
the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.

15. Examples of Parallelism
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

16. “The important point here is that some of the
most important things we want to say remain
just a little beyond even our best words.” The
reader is invited to “see the larger, unspoken
truth looming” behind the two expressions.
--N.T. Wright, The Case for the Psalms

17. “[Parallelism] is (according to one’s point of
view) either a wonderful piece of luck or a wise
provision of God’s, that poetry which was to be
turned into all languages should have as its chief
formal characteristic one that does not
disappear (as mere metre does) in translation.”
--C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

18. EVOCATIVE
The Psalms are…

19. Concrete Nouns Abstract Nouns
Love
Nutrition
Education

20. --From the American Writers Museum

21. Examples of Abstract Language
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my
foes;
with your right hand you save me.

22. “Evocative” vs. Vague or Abstract
• Evocative: “bringing strong images,
memories, or feelings to mind”
• What is your trouble? Who or what is your
foe?

23. COLLECTION
The Psalms are a …

24. Psalms as a Collection
Poetry Anthology Musical Playlist

25. “They are written to be prayed, recited, and
sung—to be done, not merely to be read.”
--Timothy Keller, The Songs of Jesus:
A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms

27. Structure of Thanksgiving Psalm
1. Give thanks.
2. Look back at difficult situation in which help
was received.
3. Invite others to join in with giving thanks.

28. Structure of Psalm 138
• Give thanks:
1 I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.

29. Structure of Psalm 138
• Reflect on difficult situation:
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
6 Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the
lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.

30. Structure of Psalm 138
• Invite others to join in praising God:
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

31. Write your own psalm.
• Give thanks.
– What are you grateful for? A danger averted? An
illness overcome? A difficult situation resolved? A sin
forgiven? Etc.
• Reflect on difficult situation.
– What was your status in the situation? What did God
do for you? What does that reveal about him?
• Invite others to join in your praise.
– Who do you want to join with you in praising God?
Why? How?