Psalms of the Bible, Research Paper Example

The Psalms of the Bible are prayers and hymns in the Old Testament which express many human emotions such as joy, anger, despair and hope. Also called Psalter, they are a collection of Hebrew poetry involving feelings and thought. They tell stories of events in people’s life, heed warnings, and give hope for the future.  Psalms comprehend the complexity of human life, the variety in the bible, the elements of the doctrine of salvation and the divine-human communication (Mays, 1994). Psalms provide an emotional look at the events and concepts conveyed through them.  They provide an avenue for Christian living, and worship and praise for both the church and the synagogue.

The Psalms are comprised of 150 poems written to be prayers and hymns. The New Testament frequently quotes from the Psalms and are the primary scriptural context for titles by which Jesus is identified (Mays, 1994).  Psalms are also used in personal meditations and devotions. Many have been used for memorization and recitation in worship publically and privately. Psalm 23, a Psalm of David is one of the most widely memorized and recited. This psalm is used as a prayer in many denominations. The Psalms’ character and content is directly related to theology and creates reflection and thought on Christian faith (Mays, 1994).

Psalm 23 specifically refers to the protection which God gives to his followers. This poem has been one of many mediums including hymns, recitations, and used by both Christians and Jewish faiths. It uses metaphors with God as a shepherd and humans as the flock. It recounts the ways in which God provides protection, love and guidance to all humans. The shepherd theme and imagery is woven throughout the entire poem, referencing God’s continued dedication and love to mankind.

As poetry the Psalms are written in units; specifically lines and measures. Original text was written such that the Psalms could be chanted in a rhythm. Although various translations may have lost some of this quality, they are still written in a way that putting them into a hymn is possible. Psalms contain rhetorical qualities with metaphors and hyperbole. Psalm 53 demonstrates a metaphor in line 4: “Will the evildoers never learn – those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?” (Bible).

The Psalms were collected and assembled over a long period; approximately one thousand years. They represent a part of ordinary life through deeply emotional words, expression and figurative speech. They are intended for all of humanity in public and private worship. The works echo various emotions and prompt us to learn to relate to God through these passions to be able to fully express our innermost love, turmoil, hope, and exhilaration. The Psalms demonstrate the author’s deep sentiments and show us how to relate to our feelings and be able to show and share them with God.

The Psalms as a book are organized with an introduction to Psalm 1 and 2. Psalm 150 is written as a conclusion with instruction to praise God to the fullest. According to Dennis Bratcher (2010) there are five basic collections: the Davidic collections (3-41, 51-70, 108-110, 138-145), the Asaph Psalms (73-83), the Korah Psalms (42, 44-49, 84-85, 87-88), and the Song of Ascent (120-134), to which might be added the Hallel, or Praise Psalms (113-118, 146-150). To the Hebrews a book is believed to have ended with the words ‘Amen, Amen’ and this phase occurs at the end of Psalm 40, 71, 88, and 105; with the fifth book extending from 106 through to 150.

The Psalms almost all have prefixed titles which give reference to the character or matters of the poem. It may designate the use or history of the Psalm. The prefixed title may indicate the author or the concept it illustrates. Although titles are not affixed to each Psalm, the prefixed titles are meant to illustrate the core of the poem and give the Psalm a means of remembering and titling the poem.

The Psalms are not creeds or history but an avenue for expressing human emotion and feelings. The most numerous types of Psalms are lament which are distress cries to God expressing pain and sorrow and generally asks the question of ‘why’.  Thanksgiving Psalms offer praise and thanks in response to prayers answered or enlightenment. Hymns also offer praise but rather just for the sake of demonstrating appreciation for God as the Creator, instead of asking for help, hope or solace.

Psalm 137 is unlike the other Psalms as this makes references to places and events detailing a historical event. The theme is ‘remember Zion-Jerusalem’ and reflects on the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon (Mays, 1994). The significance of being a historical poem is important in understanding the themes of specific Psalms. Psalm 139 is also distinctive as it is the most personal expressed and portrays human existence in terms of god’s knowledge, presence and power (Mays, 1994). While the Psalms comprise one book of the Bible, each one is different with varying meaning and purpose.

Psalms are categorized into six major categories. Lament and petition, praise and thanksgiving, trust, hymn, royal and wisdom and didactic Psalms. There are many themes in the Psalms to include the creation as in Psalms 8 and 19. The Exodus theme, God’s kingship, imprecation, penitence, pilgrim, prophetic and victory themes all comprise the Book of Psalms. Not all Psalms have a known author. However, the known authors include David, Solomon, Sons of Korah, Asaph, Heman, Ethan and Moses.

King David was the author to the greatest number of the Psalms and Scripture refers to him as the sweet singer of Israel (2 Kings 23:1). These Psalms represent David’s love and humility towards God. However, the Psalms as a book are considered one long prayer. David’s sentiments have affected many Christians and been the source of devotionals, hymns and prayers.

Psalm 8 is my favorite poem and begins “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all of the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens” (Bible, Psalms 8:1). This Psalm symbolizes the majesty of God and his creation. As a child, I remember hearing how David kept sheep and at night he would look at the sky and realize how God was the creator of everything.  David felt small and insignificant. However, David also knew that God would make him strong when he needed to be.

This touched my life as I realized that no matter what our role in life or our connection to God that God is the creator and ruler and takes care of everything as he determines. It has always been a Psalm of realization for me. In Corinth Paul wrote “God said, My power works best when you are weak” (Bible, 2 Corinthians 12:9). To me this symbolizes Psalm 8 and has always comforted me in times of trouble.

The 150 Psalms of the Bible are the most widely read and referenced and have given humans comfort and hope, as well as provided incentives for praise and happiness in life. The book of Psalms takes us through trials and tribulation into confession, and ends with praise for God as our father and Creator. The value of Psalms as prayers and hymns has a long history. They continue to provide us with unmistakable love and worship through the power of the lyrics and concepts.

References

Bible. Zondervan NIV Study Bible.  Fully rev. ed. Kenneth L. Barker, gen. ed.  Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print

Bible, Ps 53:4-6; – Passage Lookup – New International Version … (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+53%3A4-6&version=NIV

Bratcher, Dennis. Introducing the Psalms. (2010). Web. Retrieved February 24, 2010 from http://www.crivoice.org/psalmsintro.html

Mays, James L.  Psalms. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching.(1994). Louisville: John Knox Press. Retrieved February 24, 2010 from http://books.google.com/books?id=uf8cSMSffmMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=psalms&source=bl&ots=PsTDckPLLx&sig=XetAAJL9z40TKDWp2jQsTXX0yOI&hl=en&ei=AhqHS7WOOIyWtgehyPm8Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CB4Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=&f=false