Some of the psalms written by David grew out of specific experiences in his life. For example, Psalm 3 is described as "a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son" [see also 51, 52, 54, 56, 57,59] But others seem to be general psalms that arouse from no specific life situation [53,55,58] Knowing the particular historical background of a psalm can help to interpret it correctly and apply its message to life today.

We may think of the psalms as a description of human response to God. At times God is presented in all His majesty and glory. Our response is wonder, awe, and fear: "Sing to God, you kingdom of the earth." - Ps. 68:32 - But other psalms portray God as a loving Lord who is involved in our lives. Our response in these cases is to draw close to His comfort and security: "I will fear no evil; for You are with me." - Ps. 23:4 - God is the same Lord in both these psalms. But we response to Him in a different ways, according to the specific needs of our lives. What a marvelous God we worship, the psalmist declares - One who is high and lifted up beyond our human experiences but also one who is close enough to touch and who walks beside us along life's way.

Other psalms might be described as outcries against God and the circumstances of life rather than responses to God because of His glory and His presence in our lives. The psalmist admits he sometimes feels abandoned by God as well as his human friends - Ps. 88 - He agonizes over the lies directed against him by his false accusers. - Ps. 109 - He calls upon God to deliver him from his enemies and to wipe them out with His wrath.  - Ps. 59 - Whatever else we may say about the psalms, we must admit they are realistic about human feelings and the way we sometimes respond to the problems and inequities of life.

But even in these strong psalms of lament, the psalmist is never totally engulfed by a feeling of despair. The fact that he uttered his protest to the Lord is a sign of hope in God and His sense of justice. This has a significant message for all believers. We can bring all our feelings to God, no matter how negative or complaining they may be. And we can rest assured that He will hear and understand. The psalmist teaches us that the most profound prayer of all is a cry for help as we find ourselves overwhelmed by the problems of life.

The psalms also have a great deal to say about the person and work of Christ. Psalm 22 contains a remarkable prophecy of the crucifixion of the Savior. Jesus quoted from this psalm as He was dying on the cross. - Ps. 22;1; Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34 - Other statements about the Messiah from the psalms that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus include these predictions: "You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever." - Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6 - "He would pray for His enemies." - Ps.109:4; Luke 23:34 - "His throne would be established forever." - Ps. 45:6; Heb. 1:8 -

The Book of Psalms is the best example in the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible of the nature of Hebrew poetry. The principle upon which this poetry is based is not rhythm or rhyme but parallelism. In parallelism, one phrase is followed by another that says essentially the same thing but in a more creative, expressive way. Here is a good example of this poetic technique:

                                       The Lord of hosts is with us;
                                       The God of Jacob is our refuge. - Ps. 46:11 -

This example is known as synonymous parallelism because the second phrase expresses the same thought as the first. But sometimes the succeeding line introduces a thought that is directly opposite to the first idea. This is known as antithetic parallelism. Here is a familiar couplet that demonstrates this form:

                                        For Yahweh takes care of the way the virtuous go,
                                        But the way of the wicked is doomed. - Ps. 1:6 -

A third kind of parallelism in Hebrew poetry may be called progressive or climbing - in which part of the first line is repeated in the second but also something more is added. For example:

                                         Yahweh, the rivers raise,
                                          the rivers raise their voices,
                                          the rivers raise their thunders; - Ps. 93:3 -

Another literacy device which the Hebrew writers used to give their psalms a peculiar style and rhythm was the alphabetical acrostic. The best example of this technique is Psalm 119 - the longest in the collection - which contains 22 different sections of eight verses each. Each major section is headed by a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the original language, each verse in these major divisions of the psalm begins with the Hebrew letter appears as the heading for that section. Many modern translations of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible include these Hebrew letters as a part of the structure of this psalm. Writing this poem with such a structure required a high degree of literary skill.

The peculiar poetic structure of the 150 psalms make them ideal for believers who like to create their own devotional exercises. You can easily combine the lines from many different psalms into a fresh, authentic expression of praise to God. Here is an example of such a combined psalm:
                                     
                                       Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
                                        For His mercy endures forever. - Ps. 136:1 -
                                                                 
                                        He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
                                        Nor punished us according to our iniquities. - Ps. 103;10 -

More example of such a combined psalm can be found in Ps. 61:5, Ps. 93:5, 90:12, 111:10, and 136:26.

                                                                     Page 2
If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.


HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -