INTRODUCTION
Opening Statement: So many times after the holiday’s, a little thing called discouragement sets in. It’s the gray slush of winter. Like a dreaded disease, it gnaws away at our insides. We are all subject to the currents of discouragement that can sweep us into a danger zone. Even the most positive people can get discouraged.
Illustration: Former heavy-weight boxer James (Quick) Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma who fought out of Chicago in the early 1980’s. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his arrival from Tulsa. “I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under by arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to conquer Chicago.’ “When I looked down, the suitcases were gone.”
Transition: We all get discouraged over unfortunate things that happen like this and we end up being haunted by our loneliness, our failures, by our inability to be the people we would like to be. To lift us up from times like these and to give us a renewed perspective, God gave us poetry, especially the Psalms, that reflects on His kindness, His steadfast love.
Quotation: Martin Luther prefaced his 1528 translation of Psalms with these words: A human heart is like a ship on a wild sea, driven by the storm winds from the four corners of the world. Here it is stuck with fear and worry about impending disaster; there comes grief and sadness because of present evil. Here breathes a breeze of hope and of anticipated happiness; there blows security and joy in present blessings. These storm winds teach us to speak with earnestness, to open the heart and pour out what lies at the bottom of it.
Book Introduction: The Book of Psalms is a collection (anthology) of songs compiled into 5 books written over a thousand year period (c. 1410 to 430 B.C), beginning with the Exodus and concluding with the return of the exiles from Babylon. While there are many authors to the Psalms (Sons of Korah [11], Sons of Asaph [12], Heman, Ethan, Solomon, Moses, and anonymous writers [50 Psalms]), the bulk of the Psalms (73) were written during the United Kingdom era by King David himself.
Amplification: The Book of Psalms is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other book, with the exception of Isaiah. Not only did other Biblical writers enjoy this book, but the fact that the Psalms are so often appended to copies of the New Testaments in America indicates that we English readers have come to love this book.
Sermon Series Intention: I would like for us to pick some selected Psalms over the next several weeks that I pray God will use to speak to our hearts.
OUTLINE
I. Introduction - How to Read Biblical Poetry
A. Notation: In order to put you in a better position to appreciate and use the Psalms both in your personal life, and also in the life of the church, I’d like us to note some things to keep in mind when reading the Psalms.
1. Each Psalm has it’s own historical setting. Understanding the author’s world and reason for writing unlocks the meaning. Some of the Psalms (116 of them) have superscriptions (added by an editor) that give you the historical setting or some kind of instruction.
2. Remember that Hebrew poetry does not rhyme. Hebrew writers tend to parallel ideas and images rather than words.
3. Biblical poetry should be enjoyed rather than dissected and analyzed. Don’t scrutinize every noun or verb. Don’t try to find some hidden meaning in every word or phrase. Poetry is meant to stir our souls and lift our hearts in broad strokes, much like an artist. I have a book of paintings by Norman Rockwell. Every time I look at it, he stirs up within me everything special about the American experience. Biblical poetry stirs up within us that which is special about an encounter or experience with God.
4. Miscellaneous things: The Psalms are loaded with figures of speech. Hyperbole, similes and metaphors are plentiful. The Psalms are not arranged in any specific order. They stand alone. You don’t have to read them in the order that they appear. The Psalms come in many different styles. There are: Celebration Psalms ; Messianic Psalms; Lament (Complaint) Psalms ; Praise Psalms ; Thanksgiving Psalms ; Pilgrimage Psalms; Wisdom Psalms ; Imprecatory Psalms ; Trust Psalms.
5. The Psalms were designed to be a literary sanctuary. The whole book was like a temple, a sanctuary where intimate expressions of personal dialogue with God could take place. Psalm 1 functions as the doorkeeper to the sanctuary. It was intentionally placed in its present canonical position in order to introduce the book. It functions as a "doorkeeper" to keep out the wicked. At the end of the book, we have five doxological Psalms (Ps. 146-150) that are characterized by exuberant praise! The Psalms provide sanctuary from evil.
II. Invitation - What the Psalms Invite us To Do
A. Explanation: The Psalms are your invitation to pull off of the busy highway of life, full of cares and take the scenic route where you have time to enjoy God.
B. Questions: Have you found yourself being moody lately? Have you found yourself in bad circumstances? Do you feel that God is distant or that He is somewhat unfair? Are you angry because evil seems to always win? Do you feel like complaining? Have you done something really stupid and you’re discouraged about it? The Psalms are borne out of people’s experience. The Psalms are for you. We can’t deal with all of the stuff in this messed up world without an encounter with God. That’s what the Psalms do for us. They are our words that in desperation we utter back to God when our relationship with Him has been clouded.
C. Application: Some of you have been carrying burdens for too long. God is inviting you experience Him, to speak to Him about your need or situation, to express to Him your joys and sorrows, successes and failures, hopes and regrets. If you need to connect with God, that meeting place will be found somewhere in the Psalms.
Notes:
The Bible was written in many genres. One of these is poetry. There are five Books of Poetry in the Bible, all of which are found in the Old Testament. They are: Job (addresses suffering), Psalms (addresses praise and worship), Proverbs (addresses wisdom), Ecclesiastes (addresses wisdom), and Song of Solomon (addresses marital love). Of special interest to me are the Psalms, the Hebrew worship manual.
Murphy, Roland, Proclamation Commentaries.
Swindoll, God’s Masterwork. Psalms - Hebrew Tehillim "praises" and sometimes Tephillot "prayers." Greek psalmos "poems sung to the accompaniment of stringed instrument.
Book 1 (Ps.1-41); Book 2 (Ps.42-72); Book 3 (Ps.73-89); Book 4 (Ps.90-106); Book 5 (Ps.107-150). This echoes the Mosaic Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy). Each book corresponds with the Mosaic books. Psalm Book 1 has much to say about man (Genesis). Book 2 says much about deliverance (Exodus). Book 3 says much about the sanctuary (Leviticus). Book 4 says much about rest in a wandering world (Numbers). Book 5 says much about thanksgiving and the Word of the Lord (Deuteronomy). Each book concludes with a doxology (Ps. 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52; 106:48; 150).
Ryken, Leland, A Complete Literary Guide.
Fee, How To Read the Bible; Swindoll, A Look at the Book.
Ryken, Leland, A Complete Literary Guide. However, there are some minor groupings according to author or function.
Covenant renewal (Ps. 50, 81, 89, 132); Royal Psalms (Ps. 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 110, 144); Songs of Jerusalem (46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122);
Individual Laments (Ps. 3, 22, 31, 39, 42, 57, 71, 120, 139, 142) help a person to express struggles, suffering or disappointment with the Lord. Corporate laments (Ps. 12, 44, 80, 94, 137) do the same for a group. Lament Psalms, comprising approximately one-third of the book of Psalms, are the most numerous category of psalms (Ryken, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery).
Creator (Ps. 8, 19, 104, 148); Protector (Ps. 66, 100, 111, 114, 149); Lord of History (Ps. 33, 78, 103, 105, 106, 113, 117, 135, 136, 145-147).
Community thanksgiving (Ps. 65, 67, 75, 107, 124, 136) and individual thanksgiving (Ps. 18, 30, 32, 34, 40, 66, 92, 116, 118, 138).
Psalms 36, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127, 128, 133.
Psalms 58, 69, 109, 137.
Psalms 11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, 131).
Ryken, Leland, A Complete Literary Guide.
