{"id":1473,"date":"2020-10-12T22:17:46","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T22:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.local.net\/?page_id=1473"},"modified":"2020-10-12T22:17:46","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T22:17:46","slug":"introduction-to-psalms","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/?page_id=1473","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to Psalms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><u>A little about psalms in general<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus quotes from the psalms many times and the bible references the psalms in the New Testament. Psalms is a book of songs, praise, &amp; poetry&nbsp; done to instruments (like our hymnbooks today are sung to instruments in church) Sometimes the Psalms are prophetic and tell of Jesus&#8217; birth, crucifixion, resurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In biblehub.com you can read the different translations from the Bible to get a clearer picture and you can read the parallel bible portion which shows other verses in the bilbe that go along with the main verse you are studying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Psalms were written by: <\/u><\/strong>&nbsp;David wrote 73 of the psalms. Others were written by-Moses, Solomon, Sons of Korah, Asaph, Heman, Ethan ,Hezekiah, and Orphanic,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Psalms are <u>Arranged in order of: <\/u><\/strong>the Pentaeuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviicus, Numbers &amp; Deuteromonomy). They are also <strong><u>Arranged in Stropes (or parts)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Greek word &#8220;strophes&#8221; means \u201cturn.\u201d Used in Greek it means to debate-moving from one argument to another and also refers to theatre as one actor moves from one side of stage to another or a part is changed to another person.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>A common invocation <\/u><\/strong>in the psalms is asking God to hear us, to listen to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Psalms can be divided into Types or classifications <\/u><\/strong>(these are examples, but they vary)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Davidic Psalms&nbsp; (1-41)\u2013 mostly psalms written by David that show his faith (a man after God\u2019s own heart). He faced a lot of trials and stress yet he always turned to God in trust and reflected on how God cared for him in the past.<\/li><li>Historical Psalms (42-72)\u2013 prayers of lament and distress but there is history integrated in remembering and celebrating God\u2019s acts in history.<\/li><li>Liturgical Psalms (73-89)\u2013 many written by Asaph. These songs come from a place of darkness yet there is still hope that all is not lost. They also contain history.<\/li><li>Pre-captivity Psalms &amp; others (90-106) \u2013 Mostes wrote psalm 90=songs of God\u2019s faithfulness and sovereignty. There are referenceds to pre-captivity of Israelites<\/li><li>Psalms of the Captivity and Return (107-150\u2013 songs of God\u2019s goodness. (146-150) are \u201challelujah psalms).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>B. <u>Some Category\/ Class of Psalms <\/u>-very brief since there are many subcategories and different classifications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Wisdom psalms-&nbsp; practical guidelines for godly living. Point out the path to live a godly life. (ps 1, 37, 119)<\/li><li>The Messianic Psalms describe messianic rule of Christ as sovereign king. focus on two kings: (1) the human king of Israel (Psalms 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 132) and (2) God as king (Psalms 47, 98). There is also a messianic theme throughout the Psalms<\/li><li>The Lament psalms- prayers for divine intervention and deliverance in time of trouble. It\u2019s one of the larger group of psalms with more than 60 psalms, including \u201cpenitential\u201d psalms and trust psalms. Lamentations begin with a complaint, but often conclude with praise.( ps 3-7, 12-13, 22, 25-28, 35, 38-40, 42-44, 51, 54-57, 59-61, 63=64, 69\u201371, 74, 79=80, 83, 85-86, 88, 990, 102, 1-9, 120, 130, 140-143 (trust-is subcategory: ps. 11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, 131<\/li><li>Thanksgiving psalms- These are similar to hymns, but particularly recount what God has done. They are closely related to laments, in that a thanksgiving psalm is often an answer to a lament.(Ps. 8, 18, 19, 29, 30, 34-34, 36, 40, 41, 66, 103-106, 111, 113, 117,, 124, 129, 135-136, 138-139, 146-148, 150)<\/li><li>Pilgrimage Psalms- recall goodness of God. Songs were song as they travelled to Jerusalem to celebrate Jewish festivals (Ps. 121)<\/li><li>Imprecatory psalms= asking for God\u2019s judgment.This came from a time of war when God\u2019s people were being attacked and looking for justice and peace. Some psalms speak of time when the Antichrist will come to power.<\/li><li>Enthronement psalms-describe God\u2019s sovereign rule over all his creation and the care of his creation (ps&nbsp; 24, 29, 47, 49, 93, 96-99)<\/li><li>Liturgies psalms (catch-all) 15, 50, 68, 81 etc)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>How Psalms were written:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>English poetry manipulates sound, and emphasizes rhyme and meter. Hebrew poetry repeats and rearranges <em>thoughts<\/em> rather than sounds. Like the Hebrew language itself, Hebrew poetry uses vivid images, similes, and metaphors to communicate thoughts and feelings. There are several types of parallel arrangement of thoughts, with the first three listed below being the most basic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Synonymous (echos)\u2014the same t<strong>hought of the first line is basically repeated in different words in the second line <\/strong>(2:4; 3:1; 7:17).  The idea of the first line is reinforced in the second line. Here from Psalm 103.10<ul><li>1.&#8221;He does not treat us as our sins deserve<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>2. or repay us according to our iniquities.&#8221; (Psalm 103:10)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Antithetical (contrasts)\u2014the thought of the first line is emphasized by a&nbsp;<em>contrasting<\/em>&nbsp;thought in the second line (1:6; 34:10). They are often identified <strong>with \u201cbut.\u201d<\/strong> this is common in Proverbs.<ul><li>1. &#8220;The wicked borrow and do not repay,<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>2. <strong>but <\/strong>the righteous give generously.&#8221; (Psalm 37:21)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>&nbsp;Synthetic (completes)\u2014the second line explains or further develops the idea of the first line (1:3;95:3).<\/li><li>Climactic\u2014The second line repeats with the exception of the last terms (29:1).<\/li><li>Emblematic\u2014One line conveys the main point, the second line illuminates it by an image (42:1; 23:1)<\/li><li>Imagery is used often in the psalms:<\/li><li>There are similes: -a comparison which is made explicit by the presence of the word &#8220;like&#8221; or &#8220;as.&#8221; For example: &#8220;As the deer pants for streams of water,So my soul pants for you, O God.&#8221; (Psalm 42:1). <\/li><li>There are metaphors-a comparison that is implicit, that is, a comparison without the mention of &#8220;like&#8221; or &#8220;as.&#8221; For example,&#8221;The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.&#8221; (Psalm 23:1) A metaphor communicates a more vivid image than a simile because it is implicit and draws the comparison more closely.<\/li><li>Acrostic-A few psalms (9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145) are structured as an acrostic, each verse or section beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Exactly the function acrostics serve, we&#8217;re not sure. But the acrostics may be a way of reflecting the order of God in creation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>The Psalms are<\/u><\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Inspired Scripture \u2013 truth revealed and inspired by the Holy Spirit. 2 Tim. 3:16 <em>All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness<\/em>,<\/li><li>Instructive- They teach us about God\u2019s character and how we respond to him.<\/li><li>Filled with human emotions . We can relate to what is being said&nbsp;<\/li><li>Show us how to pray.&nbsp; We are shown how to be honest with God, how to see our sin yet know he forgives us, how to praise God, how to voice our doubts &amp; questions, how to turn to Him when we are in trouble as well as for all our needs.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>HOW TO STUDY PSALMS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read it-&nbsp; Read it more than once. Read parts of it aloud.&nbsp; You can listen to it (ESV Bible App).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sing it- Put it to your own music or sing a worship song or hymn taken from the Psalms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Memorize it-pick your favorite verses that inspire and comfort and teach<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pray it-Pray the actual words over your circumstances and to our mighty God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meditate- Mull it over and be quiet and see God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teach it -to someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Journal it- Use a Journal to write your thoughts. You can also use doodling or coloring or drawing to make points in your journal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use other sources Commentaries or books written about psalms or online (use parallel verses to the&nbsp; one you are reading<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make up index card: On one index card you can put all of God\u2019s caracteristc with subcategories of verses that show that God is love, or God\u2019ss sovereignty or control, etc. I learned so much about God when I did this and have a large collection of index cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make a table with columns labeled: About God, What we\u2019re called to do, Who we are in God, About the Wicked, etc. Label as you wish but yo learn a lot by breaking down bible chapters with a table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A little about psalms in general Jesus quotes from the psalms many times and the bible references the psalms in the New Testament. Psalms is a book of songs, praise, &amp; poetry&nbsp; done to instruments (like our hymnbooks today are sung to instruments in church) Sometimes the Psalms are prophetic and tell of Jesus&#8217; birth, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":760,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1473","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1473\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.gracewalk.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}