Archives: Definitions

Torah Psalms

Closely related to wisdom psalms are several psalms that extol the torah of God as the medium through which the will of God is known and which is the basis for true wisdom and blessedness. Torah is a rich Hebrew word that refers to the history of God’s actions to redeem people and to God’s instructions that shape the lifestyle of the redeemed. We have torah in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. The wise person humbly acknowledges her dependence on God and seeks to know God’s will by studying the scriptures.

Examples: Psalms 1, 19:7-14, 119

Wisdom Psalms

Some Psalms reflect the wisdom movement in Israel which taught that the foundation of wisdom is faith in God and reverence for him. Wisdom psalms are meditations on the good life, the blessings of living the wise way of life of dependence on God as opposed to the way destruction which the foolish live who rely on themselves to work out their own destiny.

Examples: Psalms 37, 49, 73

Songs of Trust

Even in direst straits, the psalmists interject words of trust and confidence in God. However, in some psalms the theme of trust is developed as a self-contained song. the psalmists share their sense of the nearness and saving power of God, and their attitude of humble trust in God. These psalms speak for us as we entrust our will and our lives to God’s care. Psalm 23 is the most famous psalm of trust.

Example: Psalms 11, 16, 23, 27:1-6, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, 131

Songs of Zion

Several psalms express the view that God chose Zion as the earthly center of the divine rule. Mount Zion was the site of the Jerusalem temple. It was the place where God chose to be present in the midst of the people. So it became a sanctuary to which the people made pilgrimages. To the psalmists, Zon was the center of historical meaning that God had disclosed to Israel and, through Israel, to the whole world. The psalmists glorify Zion at that location. Zion came to represent the meeting place of heaven and earth and a foreshadowing of eternal life.

Examples: Psalms 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 121, 122

Royal Psalms

These are psalms in which the Davidic king is the central figure. The king’s authority comes from God, and his task is to rule as God’s representative in the kingdom on earth. Since he is God’s representative on earth, the enemies of God oppose him. These psalms find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ when “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” (The Apostles’ Creed, BCP, p. 96)

Examples: Psalms 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 110, 144

Psalms of the Davidic Covenant

Read the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7:11b-16. Unlike the conditional Mosaic covenant, God’s promises to David have no conditions. It contains a conditional element in that wrong actions will have consequences that no even a king can escape, but God’s relationship with teh people, mediated through the reigning king of David’s lineage—“the anointed one”—is based solely on God’s grace.

Examples: Psalms 78, 132, and 89

Enthronement Psalms

Some of the hymns in the Psalter are called “enthronement psalms” because they focus on the theme of God’s kingship. His throne is established from an immeasurable past time, and his kingdom will be everlasting. In the Temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, God became present to his people in worship. God did not literally dwell/live in the Temple but his people experienced his “tabernacling presence” there as they worshipped. He was enthroned in the praises of his people. His kingship may also have been celebrated in a ritual enactment of enthronement, a drama of God ascending his throne amid shouts of acclamation. God is enthroned triumphantly over powers that threaten to plunge our lives into meaningless chaos and disorder. Christians read these psalms in the context of the good news that God in Christ has inaugurated the divine kingdom by striking a decisive blow against all powers of oppression, darkness, chaos, and death. We pray the enthronement psalms in the spirit of the Lord’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)

Examples: Psalms 29, 47, 93, 95-99

Covenant Renewal Liturgy

In their early history, before the time of David, the Israelites probably had a special time in the autumn of each year to renew their conditional covenant with God, the Mosaic covenant. “If you will obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession…” (Exodus 19:5) The saving deeds of God in Israel’s history were proclaimed and the people were asked to reaffirm their allegiance to God.

Examples: Psalms 50 and 81

Hymns

Hymns extol the glory and greatness of God as it is revealed in nature and history, and particularly in Israels’s history. Hymns praise God in general terms for his power and faithfulness as creator of the cosmos, ruler of history, and creator/redeemer of Israel to bring blessing to all the world. Israel’s hymns stress God’s active involvement in the life story of Israel. Hymns typically demonstrate motives for worshipping and praising God. A clear example is Psalm 117, the shortest psalm, just two verses:

¹ O praise the Lord, all you nations; *

praise him, all you peoples.

² For (= Hebrew ki) great is his loving-kindness towards us, *

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.

Praise the Lord.

Hymns were used for exuberant worship in the temple and the synagogue. The people of God before the Incarnation invite us to celebrate and praise with them in hope of the kingdom of God and his Messiah. Hymns, like all psalms, show Christians how to praise God who has acted in creation, in revelation, and in redemption, and who is acting decisively in establishing his kingdom on earth. They do not ask anything; they simply rejoice in God’s presence.

Examples: Psalms 8, 19:1-6, 33, 66:1-12, 100, 103, 104, 145-150, and others

Psalms of Thanksgiving

These psalms/songs praise God in response to an event of deliverance already experienced. They are songs sung by people who, after a time of waiting, have experienced the goodness of God in the everyday world. These songs come from ordinary individuals, the king (royal), or the believing community.

Examples: Psalms 30, 32, 34, 65, 67, 92, 107, 116, 124, 138 and others