THE PSALMS

This series takes a look at five psalms. Most of the Bible speaks about God. The book of Psalms, on the other hand, is writing in which the author speaks to God. They are full of raw emotion, which is one reason for their popularity. They are poems. Well, they are poems that were often sung. The Psalms are taken from Israel's hymnbook. Many of them are also prayers. The Christian writer Eugene Peterson reminds us how important it is to remember this when he writes,

 The Psalms are poetry and the Psalms are prayer. These two features, the poetry and prayer, need to be kept in mind always. If either is forgotten, the Psalms will not only be misunderstood, but misused. 

The psalms come in many different varieties. From songs of trust to individual and group laments, hymns declaring God's glory, songs describing his saving acts, prayers seeking forgiveness, hymns of thanks and hymns that refer to a future Messiah, they come in all shapes and sizes. Many of them are associated with David, although we can't be sure that he wrote all of the ones with "of David" in the title. The psalms may have arisen from an historical context, but using and interpreting them doesn't require us to know exactly what lies behind each one. Perhaps that's one of their advantages. They're not tied to the past. They sound as new and fresh as if they had been written yesterday, because as human beings, we encounter the same trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows as the psalmists who lived over two thousand years ago. 

 The psalms included in this series are:

1) Psalm 23 - The most famous, and among the most beautiful pieces of writing in the Bible. Psalm 23 is a song of trust that extols the faithfulness of God. 

2) Psalm 51 - Associated with David's adultery with Bathsheba - a penitential psalm with the heartrending language of remorse and contrition.

3) Psalm 8 - A psalm of descriptive praise, Psalm 8's focus is on human beings, and God's surprising decision to elevate us to rule over creation. 

4) Psalm 100 - A short hymn of praise to Almighty God. Joyful and exuberant.

5) Psalm 83 - A psalm with imprecatory language. The psalmist calls on God to display his holiness by judging the wicked. 

ERRATUM: In the Introduction, I announce that six psalms will be covered during the series, instead of five. I include Psalm 139. My apologies for the error. Psalm 139 will be included in the next series on the Psalms. 

As you read the psalms, enjoy the language and look for the repetition of ideas from one line to the next. This is called parallelism. Use these poems alone, and use them as songs to sing with others. Use them as your own prayers. They are a gift from God to help us in our worship. Finally, enjoy working your way through this series of deovox, which will help you dig a little deeper into these wonderful works of art. 

The Lord bless you as you listen. 

Richard Collins

deovox managing editor