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Why Study Psalms
Why do we ignore this book of the bible as just being poetry and not something to seriously study and ponder what it’s saying to us? Every book of the bible has something to say to us whatever form it takes be it letter, history or poetry. This is a book of people expressing how they feel about God and the things they are going to. How can that not speak to us? The New Testament commands us to use the Psalms in our singing and speaking:
1. "speaking to one another in PSALMS and hymns and spiritual
songs..." - Ep 5:19
2. "...teaching and admonishing one another in PSALMS and hymns
and spiritual songs" - Co 3:16
3. "Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms." - Ja 5:13
Who Wrote the Pslams?
The historical books of the Bible, speak of David's considerable accomplishments as a musician, singer, and composer of poems. Moreover, one of David's Psalms is recorded in II Samuel 22, and reappears, with only slight variations, as Psalm 18. Parts of the medley, which David presented to Asaph in I Chronicles 16:8-36, are taken from Psalms 105, 96, and 106. Thus, the connection between King David and the Psalms, is well documented. However, he did not write all the Psalms. We don't know who wrote one of the "Wisdom Psalms," Psalm 119. This psalm is also known as a "Torah Psalm," because it goes into the law. Writers of other Psalms, are believed to have been contemporaries of David, whom he placed in charge of worship in Jerusalem. Solomon followed in the footsteps of his father, by writing Psalms, as well as Proverbs. Some of the earliest Psalms were written by Moses, five centuries before the time of David.
(from http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/psalm-construction.html)
How it was written.
The Psalms is written in the Hebrew poetic style. This is not like poetry as we know it that rhymes but it is thoughts that are connected to each other and repeated in different ways. A good example is found in Ps 24:2
1) "For He has founded it upon the seas" (first line)
2) "And established it upon the waters" (second line)
It is also written in Antithetic Parallelism where a truth written in one line is strengthen by a contrasting statement in another. (Ps 1:6). Then there is Synthetic Parallelism where the first and second lines bear some definite relation to each other (Ps 119:11). There is also Progressive Paralelism where several lines build on each other containing elements of a thought (1:1); Or a principal idea in the first line is repeated and expanded; or the first line is related to the third and second lines (ps91:14).
The Psalms use figurative expression. God is not literally a shepherd, he is like one. This type of speech must be interpreted according to when it is written. The Valley of the Shadow of Death has nothing to do with Funerals. It refers to a treacherous place where the guiding hand of a "shepherd" would be very helpful to "sheep" to AVOID death. It is applicable therefore to times other than dying.
Understanding these characteristics can also help avoid misinter-
preting the Psalms to teach doctrines the psalmist had no intention
of teaching!
Will you join us to study Psalms 40 in the chat room?
1. "speaking to one another in PSALMS and hymns and spiritual
songs..." - Ep 5:19
2. "...teaching and admonishing one another in PSALMS and hymns
and spiritual songs" - Co 3:16
3. "Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms." - Ja 5:13
Who Wrote the Pslams?
The historical books of the Bible, speak of David's considerable accomplishments as a musician, singer, and composer of poems. Moreover, one of David's Psalms is recorded in II Samuel 22, and reappears, with only slight variations, as Psalm 18. Parts of the medley, which David presented to Asaph in I Chronicles 16:8-36, are taken from Psalms 105, 96, and 106. Thus, the connection between King David and the Psalms, is well documented. However, he did not write all the Psalms. We don't know who wrote one of the "Wisdom Psalms," Psalm 119. This psalm is also known as a "Torah Psalm," because it goes into the law. Writers of other Psalms, are believed to have been contemporaries of David, whom he placed in charge of worship in Jerusalem. Solomon followed in the footsteps of his father, by writing Psalms, as well as Proverbs. Some of the earliest Psalms were written by Moses, five centuries before the time of David.
(from http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/psalm-construction.html)
How it was written.
The Psalms is written in the Hebrew poetic style. This is not like poetry as we know it that rhymes but it is thoughts that are connected to each other and repeated in different ways. A good example is found in Ps 24:2
1) "For He has founded it upon the seas" (first line)
2) "And established it upon the waters" (second line)
It is also written in Antithetic Parallelism where a truth written in one line is strengthen by a contrasting statement in another. (Ps 1:6). Then there is Synthetic Parallelism where the first and second lines bear some definite relation to each other (Ps 119:11). There is also Progressive Paralelism where several lines build on each other containing elements of a thought (1:1); Or a principal idea in the first line is repeated and expanded; or the first line is related to the third and second lines (ps91:14).
The Psalms use figurative expression. God is not literally a shepherd, he is like one. This type of speech must be interpreted according to when it is written. The Valley of the Shadow of Death has nothing to do with Funerals. It refers to a treacherous place where the guiding hand of a "shepherd" would be very helpful to "sheep" to AVOID death. It is applicable therefore to times other than dying.
Understanding these characteristics can also help avoid misinter-
preting the Psalms to teach doctrines the psalmist had no intention
of teaching!
Will you join us to study Psalms 40 in the chat room?
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