Poetry In the Book of Psalms
Poetry in the Book of Psalms is an art-form. Although the Psalms are unlike contemporary poetry in structure, they are valid expressions of thoughts, feelings and emotions that help us to worship God.
Poetry in the Book of Psalms
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The Book of Psalms is Poetry as an Art-Form
Poetry is an art-form, a literary genre using words to communicate thoughts and feelings in a beautiful, highly descriptive or verbally clever way.
By some measurements, almost one-third of the Old Testament – the Hebrew Bible – is written as poetry.
Poetry in the Old Testament
Among the obvious examples would be Proverbs and the book of Job. Many of the prophetic oracles of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel are recorded in poetic form, as are significant individual declarations at momentous points of redemptive history:
- Jacob’s patriarchal blessings to his 12 sons in Genesis 49.
- the victory song of Moses when the pursuing Egyptian armies were destroyed by the Lord (Exodus 15).
- Hannah’s prayer of praise to God in 1 Samuel 2 after she presented her child Samuel to serve at the tabernacle.
- Daniel’s vision of the pre-incarnate Christ in his Son of Man vision (Daniel 7).
The Book of Psalms is a Treasury of 150 Poems
But, the most obvious collection of Hebrew poetry is the Psalter – a treasury of 150 poems of life under God’s care, the connection of His people linking with the Lord relationally in times of worship, praise, prosperity and conquest, and also in seasons of discouragement, repentance, fear, and grief.
The Psalms were collected over 500 years from David to the return of the exiles in the era of Ezra and Nehemiah. And the Psalms are quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament book.
The Book of Psalms is Different From Contemporary Poetry
What is immediately obvious is that Hebrew poetry is unlike poetry from writers of more contemporary eras. Our poetry is founded on rhyme, meter and rhythm, alliteration and sound sequences.
Ancient Hebrew poetry is constructed around patterns, like alphabet acrostics where each verse or paragraph begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. And various forms of repetition.
Parallelism
A key feature of this repetitive pattern is parallelism – reoccurring concepts to drive home a point. The verses from Psalm 19 above illustrate the concept.
David echoes the beauty and power of God’s Word in successive lines, referring to it as law, statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances.
He holds up the written Word as a diamond, demonstrating its various facets: reviving the soul…making wise the simple…giving joy to the heart…giving light to the eyes.
The Psalmist provides a series of observations on the powerful affect of God’s Word to enrich those who read, meditate, and memorize from this collection of ancient poetry.
Takeaway:
The healthy Christ-follower – like David – desires an increased capacity to appreciate the Bible as more precious than gold and sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10), recognizing that the Lord’s precepts are protective, instructive, and nurturing…in keeping them there is great reward (Psalm 19:11).
Randy Bushey
After completing a 35 year corporate-management career in the general insurance industry, Randy is dedicated to full-time elder’s work at Bethel Gospel Chapel in North Bay (Ontario).
With a primary pastoral focus in Bible teaching (preaching and leading Bible studies). Randy is also engaged in visitation, church music, and helping develop other men in their roles as Christ-followers, preachers and leaders.
He is married to Pat who is investing her life in working with women and children in the local assembly. They are both energized by their 3 children (2 married) and 6 grandchildren!
You can listen to pod casts from Randy’s show, “The Faith Factor,” by clicking here.
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Psalms – Free-Photos
Woman looking out Window – Stocksnap
Hand – M_Soler
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