Next week's assignment: Psalms

A beginner’s guide to studying the Psalms-helpful hints

1.       Psalms were meant for praise.

Psalms means “praises” in the Hebrew text.  It is good to keep in mind while reading and studying that these were originally meant to be sung and used in worship.  Although the book contains a wide variety of subjects, one predominant theme is that God is the sovereign ruler of the universe, and will establish justice on earth in and through His people.  God’s kingdom is at the center of the people’s prayers, thoughts, and worship.

Structure: Psalms is traditionally divided into 5 books covering a wide range of subjects.  They are loosely grouped and cannot be categorized neatly by any one subject. 

Book 1: Ps. 1-41

Book 2: Ps. 41-72

Book 3: Ps. 73-89

Book 4: Ps. 90-106

Book 5: Ps. 107-150

Most carry a heading identifying them with a person, historical event, and include musical designations.

There are several types of psalms including:  wisdom psalms, enthronement psalms (recognizing the Lord’s kingship), psalms of thanksgiving or praise, psalms of lament, messianic or prophetic psalms.  As you study, ask yourself what type of psalm this is.  This will help you to understand the author’s purpose and message.

2.       Psalms are written as poetry.

 It is helpful to remember the psalms are poetry, which uses many pictures and figures of speech to excite the imagination about God and His ways.  Almost everything I looked at about this book described the use of parallelism, two lines that build on each other, add new information, or give an alternative thought to communicate meaning. 

An example from Ps. 103:15

“As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.”

Or from Ps. 40:4

“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,

And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.”

Another literary device used often in the Psalms is hyperbole, which uses exaggeration to make a point.  Consider how the author uses these tools to deliver and support his message.

3.       Psalms are interactive.

This book pictures God’s revelation to Israel and records her response.  Therefore, it is very interactive.  Not only does it encourage us to hear who God is and what He is saying, it encourages our response and praise.  Many of the psalmists pour out their hearts in petition to God,  ending with praise as the psalmist anticipates God’s answer to their prayer of faith.  What a lesson this is for us, to take our concerns and cares to the Lord, trusting Him and praising Him for the outcome and answer.

As you study the Psalms, I would encourage you to look for how they reveal the character of God.  What names of God are used by the author?  How does this compare to their current circumstances?  It becomes clear over study that we must interpret our circumstances through the lens of God’s character and not the other way around.

This week’s assignment:

Ps. 1, 51, 63, 100, 110

They represent different types of psalms.  See how you do identifying them and enjoy what you will learn!

Mining the Word: Genres of Scripture

Has this ever happened to you: you read an email and thought you understood its contents, only to talk with the friend who sent it and discover they had a totally different tone or message than what you had understood?  Or maybe the opposite has happened.  You sent an email that you felt was well-worded and perfectly understandable, but found out from the recipient that your message was as clear as mud!  We must know what an author intends by their words before we can completely understand the message.

The same is true of the Bible and its message.  It is very helpful to identify what kind of literature you are studying before you dig in to understand the meaning.  Identifying the way an author presents his message will be helpful in interpreting what it is really saying.  I compiled the following information with help from Howard Hendricks' Living By the Book.

Both the Old and New Testament contain narrative passages, which tell stories about God's dealings with people.  In stories it is helpful to note the movement (physical, spiritual), the characters and possible comparisons between them, and the problems and solutions that are presented.  Many times we can easily find examples to follow or not follow.  When you are reading the story, ask yourself why the characters responded the way they did.  What was going on culturally, spiritually, physically?  What do their lives reveal about the condition of their heart or soul?  How does that knowledge help you see yourself more clearly?

In the New Testament, most of the narratives are contained in the gospels and in Acts.  Here Jesus Christ is revealed to Israel and then to the Gentiles.  How did people respond?  What do you learn of Jesus' character and person?  How do these revelations elicit faith in the character, and how do they encourage your faith?  How do they provide warnings through examples of missteps?

The epistles are an example of exposition.  This genre is generally a straightforward argument or explanation of truth.  Exposition is excellent for beginning studiers, because the meaning of the text is usually easy to discern.  When studying these letters, it is important to understand what questions the author is trying to answer, and to follow the logical unfolding of their argument.  For example, Romans is like a courtroom argument for the explanation of the gospel.  Many times epistles will deal with an error in the church. One thing to keep in mind when studying many of the letters is that often there is an explanation of the person and work of Christ, followed by application to the church and daily Christian living.  It's easy to want to skip doctrine and go to application, but we cannot live well until we think well about Christ and His work and correct any errors we may have regarding these things. 

Another genre in the Bible is poetry.  The largest book is Psalms, but there is beautiful poetry scattered throughout.  This literature captures human emotion and imagination.  We can find our own experiences in the written record of others who have been in similar circumstances, and there are breath-taking pictures of God and glimpses of Christ.  Look for how the author deals with emotions while he clings to the character of God and the promise of salvation in all things.

One of the most challenging types of Biblical literature is prophecy.  The tone is often one of warning and judgment, with the aim of helping people to wake up and turn to the Lord.  Throughout the harsh and sober warnings of judgment you will find messages of salvation and comfort.  There are many direct and indirect references to Christ as the coming King who will save His erring people.  Knowing biblical history is important in understanding prophecy.  The more you know about the problems the prophet is addressing, the better you will understand his message.

There are many other genres in scripture, but this is an overview of some of the most common.  As you gain experience in study, you will pick up clues and helps along the way.  Before digging into a book, skim its contents and look for clues that point to what is there.  This will help you better understand the author's overall message and aim, and make the job of finding lessons and application easier.  Most of all, enjoy the adventure of getting to know God through the authors of scripture as they point you to the Divine Author who guided their message.