HRB.Chapter8.docx

Poetry in the Bible Poetry, like prose, comes in a variety of styles. In the ancient world, poetry was used to tell stories. Examples from Greek literature include The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, written in the 8th century B.C. or earlier. This kind of poetry is called narrative poetry because i...

Poetry in the Bible Poetry, like prose, comes in a variety of styles. In the ancient world, poetry was used to tell stories. Examples from Greek literature include The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, written in the 8th century B.C. or earlier. This kind of poetry is called narrative poetry because it tells a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Probably written long before Homer’s works, the book of Job serves as a good example of narrative poetry in the Bible. By the fifth century B.C. poets were using poetry to write plays. Works by Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristophones fall into this category in the ancient world. Shakespeare is a more modern example of the same type of poetry. The Bible does not contain any of this kind of poems. A third type of poetry in Bible times is lyric poetry, poems intended to be read as the lyre (a stringed musical instrument) is played.1 The Bible has a large number of this type of poem, most notably the psalms. Some also occur in the New Testament, for example, in Luke 1 and 2. The poetry we find in the Bible has some elements in common with poetry outside of the Bible, but it also differs in many ways. The poems in the Bible aren’t based on a meter that we would ordinarily recognize, and biblical poetry does not rhyme. Parallelism The most obvious distinctive feature of Hebrew poetry is parallelism, a repetition of the thought in the first line expressed with some variation in the second line. The second line may be synonymous with the first line, may introduce an opposite thought, or may enrich’add emphasis’to the first line. This parallelism makes the poem (or psalm) especially useful in worship services, because it lends itself so readily to antiphonal reading or chanting. One part of the assembly says the first line and the second part of the worshiping group repeats the thought of the first line, but says it in a different way. See Psalm 121 for any example of parallelism. The Hebrews used this psalm as a pilgrimage song, sung by people on the way to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem was the temple, the “embassy” of God on earth. As pilgrims traveled up to Jerusalem, which is set on the top of a mountain, they could sing or chant this psalm in preparation for worship and sacrifice. This wonderful Gospel poem assures the believer of God’s providence and care. As you read the psalm, notice how the poet has made his song sound natural, almost like a conversation or dialogue. Each of the second lines repeat or expand the thought in each of the first lines without sounding artificial or forced. Historical Setting When reading Hebrew poetry, especially the psalms, it is very helpful to know the historical setting in which the poem was written. Psalm 51 provides a very good example of this. The heading of the psalm reads: “For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.” If you don’t know the story of David, Bathsheba, Uriah, and the prophet Nathan, it is a good idea to turn to 2 Samuel 11:1–12:25. David commits a variety of sins (including adultery and murder), but tries to cover them up. Only after being confronted by Nathan does David confess his sin and seek forgiveness. Out of that terrible tragedy comes this psalm, a heartfelt confession of sin and a joyful celebration of God’s forgiveness. As you read through Psalm 51 you may recognize several parts of it. Verses 10–11 appear as “Create in Me,” or the Offertory, in many liturgical worship services. Several services use Psalm 51:15 (“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise”) as a verse and response. Some confessional services include verse 17 (“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise”). Worship and Biblical Poetry Liturgical worship services draw heavily from the poetic sections of the Bible. The Venite (“Come, Let Us Sing for Joy to the Lord”) is Psalm 95:1–7 set to music. The Nunc Dimittis (“Lord, Now Let Your Servant Depart in Peace”) is the joyful song of Simeon in Luke 2:29–31. He took the infant Jesus in his arms and blessed God, who had kept His promise that Simeon would see the Savior before His death. The Benedictus (“Blessed Be the Lord God of Israel”) comes from Zechariah, who sang that song when he was filled with the Holy Spirit following the naming of his son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:68–79). The Magnificat (“My Soul Magnifies the Lord” [NKJV]) is Mary’s song of joy over bearing the Christ Child (Luke 1:46–55). You might enrich your worship experience by investigating the origin of the elements in the worship services you use at your church. Poetic Meanings One word of caution is in order when interpreting biblical poetry. Figurative meanings, metaphors, and symbolic language are found somewhat more frequently in poetry than in prose. For example, David writes in Psalm 7:14–15, “He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.” Men don’t literally get pregnant, but the psalmist can use the metaphor of conception, pregnancy, and birth to make his point more vividly. He shifts to a second picture in verse 15, that of a man digging a hole. He makes his point clear in verse 16, “The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.” Or, as we might say, “You reap what you sow.” Background for the Psalms You will also want to be aware that many psalms reflect earlier Scripture or celebrate the great saving acts of God in the past. If possible, read these background passages before interpreting the psalm you are studying. Genesis 1:26–28 forms the background to Psalm 8. Based on these two sections of Scripture, answer the following questions: How would you describe the status of humanity in relation to the animals? How would you describe the status of humanity in relation to God? Why has God elevated humanity to such a high status? How does the theory of evolution view humanity? David, the author of Psalm 8, begins by contrasting the glory and magnificence of God with the relative unimportance of man. He uses parallelism to make his point in verse 4: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” David said the same thing twice, in different ways, to make the point more forceful. He then contrasts our apparent insignificance with the status God has granted us as His image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26–28), writing in verse 5: “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings2 and crowned him with glory and honor.” God created humans in His image and likeness, and appointed them as His representative to rule over the earth. The theory of evolution tells us that we are essentially the same as the animals, particularly the primates. We may be at the top of the food chain now, but only by accident have we achieved this. Genesis 1–2 (and Psalm 8) reveal to us that we were created to be the “crown of creation,” God’s appointed managers of the earth, second only to Him in relation to the rest of creation. Yet the gulf between us and God is very great, as the psalmist confesses. However, God often chooses the lowly things of this world to reflect His mercy and praise (Psalm 8:2). Messianic Psalms Another feature of the psalms is that they are sometimes Messianic. That is, they combine prophecy and poetry to portray the coming Savior. Psalm 23 (part two of a two-part introduction to the whole book of Psalms) and Psalm 1104 both serve as examples of Messianic psalms, but none is more powerful than Psalm 22. Read Psalm 22 and identify details that pertain to Christ’s crucifixion, recorded in Matthew 27:45–56; Mark 14:33–41; Luke 23:44–49; and John 19:16b–30. Keep in mind this was written by David, about 1,000 years before Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. Psalm 22:1_____________________________ Psalm 22:6_____________________________ Psalm 22:7_____________________________ Psalm 22:8_____________________________ Psalm 22:15____________________________ Psalm 22:16____________________________ Psalm 22:17____________________________ Enjoy the poetry of the Bible! As the Old Testament often celebrated God’s deliverance of His people in psalms (Exodus 15; Psalms 74, 77–78, 105–106), so in the New Testament several poems rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ (two of them are Philippians 2:5–11; Colossians 1:15–20).