1. Discuss the poetic nature of the psalms. The psalms teach a balance between requesting from the Lord and praising Him. First, poetry is a language written in lines where line length matters. The writing is planned out, and that plan is very obvious. The writing can be metrical (musical). In addition, poetry has obvious, formal conventions. Narrative planning, on the other hand, is more subtle and usually over long passages. Second, poetry contains imagery (word pictures or figures of speech (the three are closely related)). Third, poetry is experiencial. Although they contain some doctrinal truths, the psalms were not intended to teach doctrine. They were written in the language of experience, and their goal is to communicate those experiences.

2. Discuss the types of psalms. The kinds of psalms (psalms are lyric poetry, which is a brief poem) are: (a) lament (to be outwardly sorrowful, can be written or sung (Psalm 17 shows the format of a lament psalm – the address (verse 1), the description (verses 2-12 where verses 2-5 are the "I" part, verse 7 is the "Thou" part, and verses 8-12 are the "enemies" part), the petition (verses 13-14), and the praise (verse 15)) and (b) praise (which can take the form of thanksgiving (to praise or compliment God for what He has done) or hymnal (who God is)). The type (genre) of psalm is not always clear. It can be lament or praise, but it can also be royal (dealing with a Davidic king), Divine Kingship (God is King over all the earth), wisdom (like Psalm 1 which is almost like a proverb), or penitential (seeking forgiveness).

3. Discuss Psalm 109 and 137 as two imprectory psalms? The case study is on Psalm 109, and this psalm is an imprecatory psalm that contains bad wishes for one’s enemies. Psalm 137 is also imprecatory, and it was written during one of the periods of exile. An important note is that these psalms are not a genre within themselves. They are found as part of the other genres. For instance, a lament psalm can contain some imprecatory remarks. The question is, how can the Bible have such terrible sentiments by God’s own people? Some explanations are: (1) the diary approach (the writer is venting his frustration and anger, not trying to teach, and God lets us witness it), (2) an observation on non-vengeance (the authors ask God to take vengeance rather than doing it themselves), (3) corporate personality (what affects one affects all (picture a triangle where God, the writer, and Israel are the three ends), and the author is asking God to take vengeance against those who hurt him (the author), and by extension Israel and God), (4) the Israelites were allowed to hate their enemies, and (5) the Israelites had a Prophetic or Deuteronomic Viewpoint where good was rewarded and evil was punished.

4. Discuss some of the applications of the psalms. Some application are: (a) a balance between petition and praise, (2) even with lament, there is praise (their prayers were more than just a shopping list), (3) there is a hymnic element to every psalm, in all genre, (4) praise is always a part of Scripture, and (5) we can pray imprecating prayers when we ask for the Rapture to occur. The church sometimes uses the hymnic element ("May God bless and keep you") as part of the liturgy, and this is not always a good thing. We should try to express our thoughts with different vocabulary so as not to be continually redundant. Repeating the same expressions over and over can actually become dishonoring.

5. State the case study for Lesson 19. The case study for Lesson 19 is the Book of Job. Try to decide if he was truly patient or whether he just barely passed his test.

				Tom of Bethany

Back To TLEE's Home Page

Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews

Lesson 19. The Experiential Aspect of Poetry

Send email to: tlee6040@aol.com