Psalms: Songs of Orientation
Introduction:
Last week we began exploring the message of the Psalter. We said that the book is a whole and has an overarching message. It is broken down into five books. The first four end with a doxology, praising God. The final (fifth) book within the Psalter is a crescendo of Hallelujah and the final words of Psalms are "let everything at breathes praise the Lord!" and simply "Hallelujah!"
The Psalter opens with a psalm that praises meditation on its contents with the promise that those who do will have a good and prosperous life. They will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, but the ungodly (meaning those who do not meditate on the Psalter) will be like chaff, driven with the wind.
There is a lot that happens in the Psalter in between the promise of prosperity to those who meditate and delight in its words and the abandonment to exhilarating praise that ends the final book of the Psalter. There are psalms of orientation. These talk about life and creation as Genesis 1-2 describes it, as good, and just, and equitable. As Moses says at the end of the creation hymn, "God saw everything that He had made and behold it was very good." Then there are psalms that question this, psalms of disorientation. They lament that things do not seem to be working as they should and they engage with God as prayers of complaint. Finally, there are surprising psalms of reorientation. They talk about things becoming better again. This is the pattern of the story that we exist in: good creation, death, burial, resurrection, and new creation.
Psalms of Orientation:
Tonight we will talk about the psalms of orientation. These are psalms that were composed, preserved, and relied upon by a community of faithful people. We write songs and poetry based on our experience of God and life. The people who wrote these psalms were experiencing their faith as satisfying and important. The voice of these psalms is one where the speakers are settled and confident. There is no overwhelming anxiety.
There are five representative types of psalms in this category. They are descriptive hymns. They are very even-keeled in their mood. There is no trouble or threat in them. One might call the type of faith expressed in the "creation faith." They view life and creation as a reliable, stable, life-giving system. Chaos is not present. Life is lived under a "sacred canopy." These are the types of psalms that were probably composed by the well-off, politically significant, and economically secure. It is easy to sing these types of psalms when all is well. Psalms of Orientation also include psalms that suggest that the system of retribution built into the fabric of creation always works. Doing bad is punished and doing good is rewarded. These are Torah psalms, wisdom psalms, creation psalms, and blessing psalms. They present a well-ordered world.
A Warning:
They are beautiful, but as we read them we must remember that life is not so grand for everyone. We should keep this in mind before offering them as all the Bible has to say about life, especially to those less fortunate than ourselves. We should also be careful in making judgments about those who are not experiencing life as oriented in a good way. Creation faith may not always be the noblest type of faith. Those who have only experienced the best of life may look in disdain on those who have not. Job's friends judged him in his moments of disorientation, not realizing that they did not know the whole story. Jesus's opening words to the sermon on the mount tell us that there will be an eschatological reversal where the poor will be made rich and the afflicted will be comforted.
These psalms can offer comfort to those who are not experiencing the reign of God in their life situations. They can be pointed to and sung as confessions of faith that say, one day God will make everything right. This is the hope of the gospel.
Finally, there is something about connecting with the creation that gives us a sense of peace and wholeness. When God appears to Job in the closing chapter of the book, God simply points Job to the wonder of creation and its function and orderliness.
Songs of Creation:
These psalms look at the well-regulated and normal functioning of creation. These psalms do not need to be related necessarily to some religious insight. They are based on observing life as it is.
1. Psalm 145
Psalm 145 is one of the most representative statements of "Israel's joyous and grateful confidence in the Creator" (Brueggemann, 28). One of the first things to notice is that it is static in its descriptions of the world and what is true of it. What is true at the beginning of the psalm is true at the end. Creation can be counted on as it is. Many of the things in the psalm could be rearranged without disrupting the intent except that it is an acrostic. Each verse begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is as though the author is praising God for the wonders of creation, from A to Z!
Some scholars have suggested that Psalm 145 was once the final psalm in the Psalter. The Babylonian Talmud says that this psalm should be recited three times a day along with the Shema (Deut 6:4) if a Jew is to be sure that they are a child of the world to come. This psalm is the most important psalm in the Jewish prayer book.
Verses 1-7
Verses 1-7 are an introduction. It tells what the singer will do and says that these praises will continue for generations. It praises God for His greatness and the wonderful things that He does! There is a note of joy.
I exalt you, my God the King, and bless your name forever and ever.2 I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable.4 One generation will declare Your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts.5 I will speak of Your splendor and glorious majesty and your wondrous works.6 They will proclaim the power of Your awe-inspiring acts, and I will declare your greatness.7 They will give a testimony of your great goodness and will joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Some have suggested that its acrostic was used as a teaching tool for young children to learn in order for them to meditate on the mandate and mystery of creation. It is important to teach our children about the Creator and the basis of that knowledge is the written Word. When we put the written Word in their hearts, it may be easier for us to introduce them to the Living Word.
Verses 8-9
Verses 8-9 are a reflection on perhaps the oldest theological assertion of Israel. It quotes Exodus 34:6-7 where God passed before Moses and declared the Name of the LORD and made all of His Goodness to pass before Moses. As you read the Psalter and the other books of the Hebrew Bible, you will find the writers returning again and again. These are God's main characteristics: gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, good, and compassionate. These "express God's free, passionate and limitless self-giving to the covenant partner, [which is] in this case, the whole created world.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and great in faithful love.9 The Lord is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all he has made.
The rest of the psalm is basically an exposition of these attributes of God. It shows the ways in which God's self-giving is seen in the everyday blessings of life. These aspects of God's character are personal, relational, covenantal life. They are about God's faithfulness. The way that the writer knows these things are by experience. Life is seen as reliable. Creation is good. God is good to all. He cares for the sparrow and clothes the lily. There is childlike faith and wonder in Psalm 145.
Verses 10-13a
10 All you have made will thank you, Lord; the faithful will bless you.11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom and will declare your might,12 informing all people of your mighty acts and of the glorious splendor of your kingdom.13a Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your rule is for all generations.
Notice the repetition of the royal language. The word "kingdom" is repeated four times, rule, and power. These verses praise the sovereignty of the LORD. They recognize His rule.
Verses 13b-20a
These verses shift from talking about God's kingship to talking exclusively about His self-giving. to creation. As we read its words notice the word "all." It is repeated over and over again. Everyone benefits from God's care, everyone. All are welcome at His table. This could be a "table prayer."
13b The Lord is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his actions.
14 The Lord helps all who fall; he raises up all who are oppressed.15 All eyes look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.16 You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his acts.18 The Lord is near all who call out to him, all who call out to him with integrity.19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry for help and saves them.
Verse 20-21
20 The Lord guards all those who love him,
but he destroys all the wicked.
Verse 20 looks back to the creed in Exodus 34:6-7. God is both the rescuer and the judge. Those who love Him are those who are in covenant with Him. The word "wicked" means "covenant-breakers." This verse is sobering. It tells us that creation works as it should "within the boundaries of obedient responsibility" (Brueggemann, 31). As we have said, this is true, but we must also realize that it is not always true and we cannot assume that because things are not working as they should for someone, or a people group, or a nation, or region of the world that they are somehow more sinful than others people. Psalm 145 is the fullest representation of the creation psalm of orientation. And it is one that the well-off are most likely to see as representative of the way things always work.
Verse 21 is the verse that ends the fourth book within the Psalter. It is a doxology.
21 My mouth will declare the Lord’s praise; let every living thing bless his holy name forever and ever.
2. Psalm 104
Psalm 104 is another creation hymn. It differs because rather than talking about the compassion of the Creator, it looks at the splendor of creation. The name of God is almost absent from Psalm 104. Central to the theme in verse 23 which says that humans are workers in God's good creation. Work is a blessing like it was when God originally placed Adam and his wife in the garden. Psalm 104 gives us three conclusions of the psalmist's reflection on God's good creation.
God is confident, serene, and at ease (Brueggemann, 32). Verse 25 mentions the "sea." In the Bible and in ANE literature the sea and the sea monsters are dreadful and antagonistic. The gods wrestled and fought them. But, not YHWH. He created the sea and the sea monster. Verse 26 mentions the Leviatan (the Godzilla). It says that the LORD made him as a plaything. He is not so dreadful to the LORD!
Psalm 104:25-26
25 Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small.26 There the ships move about, and Leviathan, which you formed to play there.
What seems evil and dreadful is simply controlled by the LORD. He controls all things and they are like His pets. It is like the LORD's speech to Job from the whirlwind when He described the Leviathan. He showed him that He was in control of what He might have feared the most. God is in control! When Jesus woke up and spoke peace to the waves on the sea of Galilee his disciples were astonished because He had power over the sea. He used the same power and the same words to cast the legion of darkness from the man at Gadara. Jesus is YHWH in the form of Man! He controls the forces of darkness! What seems evil is tamer than we could ever expect in the Hands of the Creator God.
In verses 27-30 there is a "table prayer" similar to that of Psalm 145:15-16. There is however a difference. Here it is all of creation that is fed. The whole world is daily dependant upon "God's sustenance, God's Presence, God's Breath. The psalm speaks of the glories of the created world but then reminds us that it has no independent existence. As Paul said, "In Him, we live and move and have our being. We are His offspring" (Acts 17:28). All of creation, even those who do not, or cannot acknowledge Him are dependent upon Him. He is actively involved in creation. He shines the sun on everyone and waters the fields of everyone. He is supremely good. And creation is not spinning out of control. Every morning is a gift!
In verses, 31-34 this awareness of God's care and involvement in creation leads the speaker to move into spontaneous wonder and gratitude and praise! He realizes that YHWH is the only God and all of the experiences of life come from Him and Him alone! God is rightly called a Father, The Good Father, the Divine Parent. He cares for all.
Verse 35 again reminds us that while the world is a free gift from God, it does come with a cost and an expectation. Every generation who reads this psalm learns that humanity originally lived in a garden of delight, a well-ordered creation. The LORD is still on the throne and is still at work within creation. He upholds all things by the mighty word of His power!
3. Psalm 33
Psalm 33 is a "new song" (v. 3) and it sings about a "new order of things." It speaks of a new world that the LORD is creating. This is the hope of Israel and the hope of the world. It is a world of justice, where things are done right and God's faithfulness is sovereign.
Verses 1-5
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. 2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to Him with a ten-stringed harp.3 Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.
4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy.5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.
These first five verses are a great example of the basic structure of the hymns in the Psalter. There are five imperatives in the first three verses: rejoice, praise, make melody, sing, and play. These are summons to self-yielding praise. Verses 4-5 give the reasons to praise. They say that the new world that the LORD is creating matches the faithfulness of the LORD.
The ones called to praise are "the righteous and the upright." There is a group of words that are often clustered together throughout the Hebrew Bible: righteousness, justice, and faithfulness (cf. Hos 2:19-20; Jer 9:24). The righteous are those that act in alignment with the ways of God. It is about the way others are treated, more than it is about religious observance. God desires mercy and not sacrifice.
Verses 6-9
6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.7 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap; he puts the depths into storehouses.8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.9 For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it came into existence.
These verses talk about the power of God's Word. The background of these verses is Genesis 1. Creation seems vast to us, but when compared to the LORD it is minute. And God did it all without effort. He simply spoke and it became. Here we see that God's Word and God's Breath or Spirit are simply aspects of Himself. They are ways of God expressing Himself. And when He expresses Himself things come to life! These two themes are picked up by the writers of the NT where we read in John's Gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:1-3). As we think about this in light of what we have said about the Psalter being about the Messiah, Jesus, we see that the psalms attribute creation to the Word just like the NT writers do. Jesus is God and Man!
Again we see God's power over the waters. To the people of the ANE, the waters were terrifying, but the God of Israel controls them with His Word. The only proper response is to be in awe of Him. The disciples were in awe after Jesus calmed the seas and asked, what manner of Man is this that even the winds and the seas obey Him?!
Verses 10-17
10 The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples.11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation.12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—the people he has chosen to be his own possession!
13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone.14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from his dwelling place.15 He forms the hearts of them all; he considers all their works.16 A king is not saved by a large army;a warrior will not be rescued by great strength.17 The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power.
God is sovereign! God "looks down from heaven." He is both utterly free from the world and painstakingly attentive to it. He is omniscient. He knows all things at once. It is this kind of faith in the Person of God that causes us to throw anxiety away as Jesus tells us to do in Matthew 6:25-33. We do not place our trust in men, or governments, or militaries, or economic systems. Our trust is in the LORD! He rules over all! This psalm of orientation points us to God's rule and care!
Verses 18-22
18 But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him—those who depend on his faithful love19 to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield.21 For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name. 22 May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you.
The Psalter does not get into the weeds with philosophical speculation. While the apostle Paul tells us that the fact that there is a Creator is evident to all humanity. There are things that only those who choose to love the LORD can see. There are promises that only they will ultimately experience! As we move to our last psalm this evening. Remember and temper your reading through the realization that these psalms are written in the context of those who are experiencing the better sides of creation. These are written in times where the singers' experience matches what they read in the law of the LORD. These are the types of psalms that may have been read when Israel was on the winning side of battles when there was enough food for everyone when the king was ruling in righteousness. The poor could sing them when they were not oppressed.
4. Psalm 8
Our final psalm is one of my favorites. I learned it early and one of the very first research papers that I wrote was related to its message. Let's read it:
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
This is another example of a creation psalm. It is framed by praise for the majesty of the Creator (vv. 1, 9). Verses 1 and 9 form an inclusion. The words "throughout all the earth" are related to what happens in the middle of the psalm. There is a doxology of God in verses 1-2 and then a comparable celebration of humanity in verses 3-8. In this psalm, creation is seen as well-ordered and the singer is in awe of the fact that humanity is called to function as God's partner in ruling creation. Humanity is seen as a middle creature. He is not quite a heavenly being, but neither is he a monkey. Echos the image of God-language of Genesis 1:1-24 are heard here. Humanity is authorized to have authority over creation, like God. Humanity has honor and glory in relation to the angels, like God. Genesis 1 shows that God is in control of chaos. He is not arm wrestling with other gods. Everything is ordered according to His will and word. It is good. And humanity is right in the middle of it.
The psalmist is in awe of God's care and place for humanity. When Job thinks about it he feels oppressed (Job 7:17-21). The focal point of our story is us, in the center. Of God angels and the creatures of the deep.
This psalm is Messianic. The writer of Hebrews quotes it as a reference to Jesus (Heb 2:6-9). The Son of Man that is mentioned here is the same one who is mentioned in Psalm 2. Jesus quoted verse 2 as justification for those who praised Him during the triumphal entry as they cried "Hosanna!" (Matt 21:15-16). This also connects with Psalm 118:25 where the Messianic King is spoken of! The psalms of orientation are about Jesus!
There is a vertical progression from the heavens down to humanity's feet in this psalm, and then a horizontal progression to all of creation. Verse 1 speaks of God's glory "above the heavens." Verse 3 mentions the heavens, the moon, and the stars. In the ANE they gave the heavenly orbs sentience, power, and identity. The psalmist sees them as merely objects that were created by the God of glory. In verse 4 we are told that humanity's value does not come from what we have done, but from what God has done for us. He has clothed us with glory and honor. Our worth comes from outside of ourselves, from the LORD. God is the true King and by His sovereign choice, He has chosen to give us royalty and dignity. And with that dignity comes responsibility. But, I am getting ahead of the text. The verticle downward progression continues from the sun and moon and stars to the heavenly beings (v. 5a). The LXX translates the Hebrew word "elohim" as "angelos." That is where we get the translation "angels." There is ambiguity in the translation. Some translations have God here or angels. It may refer to the heavenly council that surrounds the throne of the LORD. The point is that humanity's place in creation is just below the heavenly beings. Then verse 5b mentions humanity's head that is crowned. Verse 6a mentions his hands, and finally his feet. All things are placed under humanity's feet. The psalm then makes a horizontal progression under humanity: sheep and oxen are domesticated animals. They live with, or at least in close proximity to, human beings. In some homes, the animals slept in the bottom half of the house. Moving outward from there the psalmist mentions the animals of the wild, the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and finally the farthest things from humanity and the scariest"whatever passes through the paths of the sea." The sea and its creatures are the places of chaos, the place where Godzilla lives. The creatures from the Jurassic era, in hidden caves waiting to be awakened. The psalmist says that when life is oriented the way God designed it to be, even the dragons, the Leviathans, are under the feet of humanity. God says that humanity has a job. There is a place in every child's life where they move from merely wanting to be helped to wanting to help.
God made us to be his helpers. He made us to have dominion and to care for what he has made. Especially one another. Sadly we have not done a very good job of that. This is why the writer of Hebrews when speaking of this psalm and recognizing that it finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus and his children in the new creation says in Hebrews 2:5-18:
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
God entered creation in Christ as one of us and He shows us what it really means to be human. These psalms point us to how it should be, and how we should be. There is hope because there is Jesus! He is with us along the way as we travel the hills and valleys. He knows what it's like in the highs and lows and he can help us along the way.
For the Road:
In the upcoming week read Psalms 1, 119, 15, 24, 37, 14, 112, 133, 131. As you read and think about them write notes about what God speaks to you. Once you have read them all take time to see if there are references to them in the New Testament. How did the NT writers use them? Finally, ask the Lord to show you how they point to the life of Jesus.
