Chapter: Book 3

Laments

More than 1/3 of the Psalms fall into the category of complaints to God in situations of limitation or threat. These laments were a form of prayer and praise based on the conviction that God is concerned about people and answers the human cry in ways surpassing human expectation or understanding. Israel’s laments out of distress were a way of praising God even when he seemed absent. The faith of the psalmists is founded on the good news that God intervenes in desperate situations to help those who are distressed. The psalmists share a deep confidence that God is compassionate, concerned, hearing his people and involved with them; God is faithful and trustworthy. A lament is an outcry to God from a responsive heart. Laments came from individuals or from the community.

Examples: Psalms 3-5, 22, 27:7-14, 42, 51, 69, 90, 130, 137 and many others

77

Voce mea ad Dominum

¹ I will cry unto God with my voice; *

even unto God will I cry with my voice, and he shall hearken unto me.

² In the time of my trouble I sought the Lord; *

my hands were stretched out in the night without rest; my soul refused comfort.

³ When I think upon God, I groan; *

when I ponder, my spirit grows faint.

⁴ You hold my eyelids open; *

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

⁵ I consider the days of old; *

I call to remembrance the years that are past.

⁶ In the night I commune with my own heart; *

I meditate and search my spirit.

⁷ Will the Lord cast me off for ever, *

and will he no more show his favor?

⁸ Is his mercy gone for ever, *

and has his promise come utterly to an end for evermore?

⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious, *

and will he withhold his loving-kindness in displeasure?

¹⁰ And I said, “Has his right hand become weak? *

Has the hand of the Most High lost its strength?”

¹¹ I will remember the works of the Lord, *

and call to mind your wonders of old time.

¹² I will think also of all your works, *

and my talk shall be of your deeds.

¹³ Your way, O God, is holy; *

who is so great a God as our God?

¹⁴ You are the God who does wonders, *

and have declared your power among the peoples.

¹⁵ You have mightily delivered your people, *

even the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁶ The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and were afraid; *

the depths also were troubled.

¹⁷ The clouds poured out water, the skies thundered, *

and your arrows flashed on every side.

¹⁸ The voice of your thunder was heard in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; *

the earth was moved and shook.

¹⁹ Your way was in the sea, and your paths in the great waters, *

yet your footsteps were not seen.

²⁰ You led your people like sheep *

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

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

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

76

Notus in Judæa

¹ In Judah God is known; *

his Name is great in Israel.

² At Salem is his tabernacle, *

and his dwelling is in Zion.

³ There he broke the arrows of the bow, *

the shield, the sword, and the weapons of battle.

⁴ You are of more honor and might *

than the everlasting hills.

⁵ The strong of heart have been despoiled; they have slept their sleep; *

and all those whose hands were mighty have lost their strength.

⁶ At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, *

both the chariot and horse lie stunned upon the ground.

⁷ You, even you, are to be feared, *

and who may stand in your sight when you are angry?

⁸ You caused your judgment to be heard from heaven; *

the earth trembled and was silent,

⁹ When God arose to judgment *

and to help all the meek upon earth.

¹⁰ The wrath of man shall be turned to your praise, *

and the remnant of fierceness you shall restrain.

¹¹ Make a vow unto the Lord your God and keep it, all you who are round about him; *

bring gifts unto him who is worthy to be feared.

¹² He restrains the spirit of princes, *

and is feared among the kings of the earth.

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

75

Confitebimur tibi

¹ Unto you, O God, do we give thanks; *

indeed, unto you do we give thanks.

² Those who call upon your Name *

declare your wondrous works.

³ “Surely at the time which I appoint, *

I, the Lord, will judge according to what is right.

⁴ The earth shakes with fear, and all that dwell therein; *

but I, even I, have made firm its pillars.

⁵ I say to the proud, ‘You should not boast!’ *

And to the ungodly, ‘Do not lift up your horn!

⁶ Do not lift up your horn on high, *

nor speak with a stiff neck.’”

⁷ For help comes neither from the east nor from the west, *

nor yet from the wilderness or the mountains.

⁸ For it is God who is the Judge; *

he puts down one and lifts up another.

⁹ For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is foaming; *

it is fully mixed, and he pours it out.

¹⁰ As for the dregs of it, *

all the ungodly of the earth shall drink them and drain them out.

¹¹ But I will magnify the God of Jacob *

and praise him for ever and ever.

¹² All the horns of the ungodly will I break, *

but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

Laments

More than 1/3 of the Psalms fall into the category of complaints to God in situations of limitation or threat. These laments were a form of prayer and praise based on the conviction that God is concerned about people and answers the human cry in ways surpassing human expectation or understanding. Israel’s laments out of distress were a way of praising God even when he seemed absent. The faith of the psalmists is founded on the good news that God intervenes in desperate situations to help those who are distressed. The psalmists share a deep confidence that God is compassionate, concerned, hearing his people and involved with them; God is faithful and trustworthy. A lament is an outcry to God from a responsive heart. Laments came from individuals or from the community.

Examples: Psalms 3-5, 22, 27:7-14, 42, 51, 69, 90, 130, 137 and many others

74

Ut quid, Deus?

¹ O God, why have you utterly cast us off? *

Why is your wrath so hot against the sheep of your pasture?

² O think upon your congregation *

whom you have purchased and redeemed of old.

³ Think upon the tribe of your inheritance, *

and Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.

⁴ Draw near and behold how all is made desolate *

and how the enemy has destroyed all that is in your sanctuary.

⁵ Your adversaries roar in the midst of your holy place *

and set up their banners as tokens of victory.

⁶ Like hewers of timber in a thicket of trees, *

so have they broken down all the carved work with axes and hammers.

⁷ They have set fire to your holy place *

and have defiled the dwelling place of your Name, even to the ground.

⁸ They said in their hearts, “Let us make havoc of them altogether.” *

Thus have they burnt up all the houses of God in the land.

⁹ We do not see any signs; there is not one prophet anymore; *

there is no one who knows how long these things shall continue.

¹⁰ O God, how long shall the adversary do this dishonor? *

How long shall the enemy blaspheme your Name, for ever?

¹¹ Why do you withdraw your hand? *

Why do you not take your right hand out of your bosom to consume the enemy?

¹² For God is my King of old; *

he is the one bringing help upon the earth.

¹³ You divided the sea through your power; *

you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.

¹⁴ You smote the heads of Leviathan in pieces *

and gave him to be food for the people in the wilderness.

¹⁵ You brought fountains and waters out of the hard rocks, *

and you dried up mighty waters.

¹⁶ The day is yours, and the night is yours; *

you have prepared the light and the sun.

¹⁷ You have set all the borders of the earth; *

you have made summer and winter.

¹⁸ Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffed, *

and how the foolish people have blasphemed your Name.

¹⁹ Deliver not the soul of your turtledove to the wild beasts, *

and forget not for ever the lives of your poor.

²⁰ Look upon your covenant, *

for the dark places of the earth are full of violence.

²¹ Let not the oppressed go away ashamed, *

but let the poor and needy give praise to your Name.

²² Arise, O God, maintain your own cause; *

remember how the foolish one blasphemes you daily.

²³ Forget not the voice of your enemies, *

nor the tumult of those who hate you, which increases ever more and more.

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

73

Quam bonus Isræl!

¹ Truly, God is loving to Israel, *

even to those who have a clean heart.

² Nevertheless, my feet had almost stumbled; *

my steps had nearly slipped.

³ For I was envious of the proud *

when I saw the ungodly in such prosperity.

⁴ For they are in no fear of death, *

but their bodies are healthy and strong.

⁵ They come to no misfortune like other folk, *

neither are they afflicted like others.

⁶ Therefore they wear pride as a necklace, *

and they wrap themselves with violence as with a garment.

⁷ Their eyes swell with greed, *

and their hearts overflow with wicked thoughts.

⁸ Their talk is malice and mockery; *

they have proud looks, and tyrannous words are on their lips.

⁹ For they set their mouth against the heavens, *

and their evil speech spreads through the world.

¹⁰ Therefore the people turn to them, *

and find no fault in them.

¹¹ They say, “How should God perceive it? *

Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

¹² Behold, these are the ungodly; *

they prosper in their ways, and they have riches in possession.

¹³ I said, “Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart *

and washed my hands in innocence.”

¹⁴ All the day long have I been afflicted, *

and chastened every morning.

¹⁵ Indeed, had I spoken as they do, *

then would I have betrayed the generation of your children.

¹⁶ When I sought to understand this, *

it was too hard for me,

¹⁷ Until I went into the sanctuary of God; *

then I understood their end.

¹⁸ Surely, you set them in slippery places, *

and cast them down, and destroy them.

¹⁹ Oh, how suddenly are they consumed; *

they perish and come to a fearful end.

²⁰ Indeed, like a dream when one awakens, *

so shall you make their image vanish out of the city.

²¹ Thus my heart was grieved, *

and I was wounded within;

²² So foolish was I, and ignorant, *

as if I were a beast before you.

²³ Nevertheless, I am always with you, *

for you hold me by my right hand.

²⁴ You shall guide me with your counsel, *

and after that receive me with glory.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? *

And there is no one on earth whom I desire in comparison with you.

²⁶ Though my flesh and my heart fail me, *

God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

²⁷ For behold, those who forsake you shall perish; *

you destroy all those who are unfaithful to you.

²⁸ But it is good for me to hold fast to God, to put my trust in the Lord God, *

and to speak of all your works in the gates of the city of Zion.