10 Acrostic Poems in Psalms and Proverbs

1. Psalm 9
2. Psalm 10
3. Psalm 25
4. Psalm 34
5. Psalm 37
6. Psalm 111
7. Psalm 112
8. Psalm 119
9. Psalm 145
10. Proverbs 31:10-31

(Acrostic poems are also found in Nahum 1:2-8 and Lamentations 1, 2, 3 and 4. Chapter 3 is a triple acrostic, using each letter three times)

10 expressions of faith found in the Psalms

Gerard van Honthorst, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

1. 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
2. 25:1, 2 Of David. In you, LORD my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3. 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
4. 31:6 and 14 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the LORD. 14 But I trust in you, LORD; I say, "You are my God."
5. 33:21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
6. 52:8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.
7. 55:23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.
8. 56:3, 4 and 11 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise - in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
9. 86:4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
10. 91:2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

(Also 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.)

Christopher Ash on The Psalms at The Pastors Academy

I have remarked I am sure on the blessing of living near to the London Seminary/Pastors Academy. They had another of their special lecture weeks this week nnd I went along. Christopher Ash has a four volume commentary out on the Psalms and was able to draw on that to provide two and two half-days of lectures for Seminary students adn others. Ash is a mild mannered fellow and not Ivory-towered at all. I enjoyed his stab at the psalms, looking at their theology, the history of their exposition and other matters. I am very sympathetic to his view that we should see Christ everywhere in the Psalms (as opposed to Philip Eveson and others who are much more cautious). There were no major break throughs for me but something like the paralllels between Psalms 1 and 2 I'd missed (see below).

1. They are both untitled, something which is unusual in the first book of the Psalter.

2. There is an inclusio which uses the word happy or blessed at the start of Psalm 1 (1:1) and the end of Psalm 2 (2:12).

3. Both refer to ‘the way’ - 1:1 and 2:12 again.

4. Both use the Hebrew word hagah in a manner central to the psalm’s ‘argument’. In 1:2 it is often translated meditating and in 2:1 as muttering. In both places it could be translated as murmuring; in the former case the positive murmuring of torah and in the latter, negative language as in the English idiom of ‘under one’s breath’.

5. The pious individual in Psalm 1 parallels the anointed of Yahweh in Psalm 2.

6. The wicked, sinners and mockers in Psalm 1 parallel the rebellious kings and rulers in Psalm 2.

(I couldn't reach ten!)

10 headings that reveal the circumstances in which David wrote certain psalms

1. 3 A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom. (2 Samuel 15)
2. 34 Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left. (1 Samuel 21)
3. 51 For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11)
4. 52 For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”(1 Samuel 21, 22)
5. 54 For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?” (1 Samuel 23:19-25)
6. 56 For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam When the Philistines had seized him in Gath. (1 Samuel 21:10-15)
7. 57 For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave. (1 Samuel 22:1)
8. 59 For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. (1 Samuel 19)
9. 60 For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. (2 Samuel 8)
10. 142 A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. (1 Samuel 22:1)

(See also - 7 A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.; 18 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul; 63 A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.)

Ministers Fraternals

I've ended up attending two ministers fraternals this week. On Monday it was the very traditional Westminster Fellowship down in Wesminster Baptist. There Philip Eveson preached to us and spoke very interestingly on Psalms, especially the structure of the book, followed by discussion. We also prayed. There were about twenty of us and it was all very helpful. Then on Wednesday I joined the North London Baptist pastors walking across Hampstead Heath. Quite postmodern, we simply walk, stop for a cuppa and then walk a little more before dispersing. There were about ten of us. Again, very enjoyable. I guess there is a place for both sorts of fraternal. I am certainly thankful for both.

Lord's Day August 23 2015

 

I'm a bit behind with this but I was sat listening again this last Lord's Day. We were in the Cardiff area after the wedding and stayed with relatives and so we went to their church, Emmanuel Baptist in Gabalfa, Cardiff. The preacher for the day was Dave Norbury who gently and winningly encouraged us from Scripture - from Psalm 78:19 in the morning and from Acts 6 in the evening. The first was a reminder of what God can do and the second a call to follow him. We also had a brilliantly told children's story in the morning. Dave Norbury has a background in education and Beach Missions and until recently was General Secretary of the EMW. In the evening my wife's brother-in-law interviewed him. I believe he is currently a member in Llanelli  Free Church.

Lord's Day June 21 2015

Back in Childs Hill yesterday. We looked at Psalm 107 in the morning. A number of people weren't really familiar with this late psalm that is full of good and encouraging things so I was glad that we tackled it. In the evening after communion we were in the Sermon on the Mount and that very encouraging section about asking, seeking and knocking. I was in quite a jolly mood for some reason and there were a good number present, as was the case in the morning. It's still very few, however. one hopes that the message preached gets to others in other ways as people hopefully talk about what they have heard.

10 Longest Psalms

My blog of the shortest psalms done some time ago has proved quite popular. Perhaps this one will too.

1. Psalm 119 (176 verses)

2. Psalm 78 (72 verses)

3. Psalm 89 (53 verses)

4. Psalm 18 (51 verses)

5. Psalm 106 (48 verses)

6. Psalm 105 (45 verses)

7. Psalm 107 (43 verses)

8. Psalm 37 (40 verses)

9. Psalm 69 (36 verses, 708 words AV)
10. Psalm 68 (35 verses, 680 words AV)
[Psalm 104 (35 verses, 598 words AV); Psalm 22 (32 verses)]

Lord's Day May 31 2015

Every Sunday is different at Childs Hill. Fifth Sundays are perhaps more different than others. We had a good turn out in the morning though we were quite low in the evening. There were a five or six regulars away for various reasons. We had hopefully encouraging sermons that sort of matched. I am not planning to begin a new series in the morning until after the summer so we looked at Psalm 73 in the morning, which I know best from Dr Lloyd-Jones's book The Triumph of Faith. I didn't check out Lloyd-Jones to remind myself of his approach but I'm sure it is there subliminally. In the evening we looked at worrying from the Sermon on the Mount. Previously I have gone through verses 25-34 over two or three weeks but it seemed better to take it all in one go. I ended up quoting three pop songs for some reason (Three little birds, Hands and One day at a time sweet Jesus). I would not be happy with any of those songs but each has snippets of truth - Don't worry about a thing, worry is wasteful and the need to live one day at a time.

Slogging along

Slogging along in the paths of righteousness by Dale Ralph Davis is Davis's apparently unplanned follow up to The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life. The first book covers Psalms 1-12 and the second Psalms 13-24. Both books give around 10-12 pages to each Psalm, beginning with Davis's own careful translation and characterised by his usual mix of gentle scholarship, playful language, brilliant illustrations, judicious quotations and helpful applications. I am far from being alone in recognising what a great gift Dr Davis is to God's people. Another 10 books like this would be most welcome. The only problem I can see is with titles and special effects for the covers (for the first we had slightly raised mud splashes which I did try to rub off and this second has colour in a black and white photo). How about Trudging the Lord's ways through the sludge of reality and using a black and white colour split effect (as below)?

 

Fesko on Psalms 1-8

Having read one or two of Fesko's books recently I thought I'd try his 2014 Songs of a suffering king which looks at Psalms 1-8. Fesko's concern is to see how the eight psalms relate to each other and especially how they speak of Christ. At the end of each chapter he suggests a way of singing the psalm (which I did and enjoyed doing I confess) and gives a series of questions, which I spent less time on. Fesko seeks to be vigorous in his scholarship but at the same time practical which he more or less manages, though he can sound ponderous at times. This is certainly not Dale Ralph Davis. His chapter headings are as follows - Song of the Righteous Man, Song of the Lord's Messiah, Song of Deliverance, Song of Hope, Song of Protection, Song of Forgiveness, Song of Vindication and Song of Majesty.

Puritan Riches

See this link on the recently sold Bay Psalm book. I must rummage round in the Evangelical Library and see what we've got.

10 Shortest Psalms (corrected)

1. Psalm 117 (2 verses)

2. Psalm 134 (3 verses, 49 words AV)

3. Psalm 131 (3 verses, 66 words AV)

4. Psalm 133 (3 verses, 75 words AV)

5. Psalm 123 (4 verses)

6. Psalm 100 (5 verse, 87 words)

7. Psalm 93 (5 verses, 92 words AV)

8. Psalm 15 (5 verses, 103 words AV)

9. Psalm 125 (5 verses, 112 words AV)

10. Psalm 70 (5 verses, 114 words AV)

[Psalm 127 has 5 verses and 116 words;  Psalm 43 has 5 verses and 130 words]

Etymology and the Psalms

1. Placebo (n) Early 13c., name given to the rite of Vespers of the Office of the Dead, so called from the opening of the first antiphon, "I will please the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 114:9), from Latin placebo "I shall please," future indicative of placere "to please". Medical sense first recorded 1785 "a medicine given more to please than to benefit the patient." Placebo effect attested from 1950.

2. Pony (v) 1824, in pony up "to pay," of uncertain origin. OED says from pony (n.), but not clear how. Other sources suggest from slang use of Latin legem pone to mean "money" (first recorded 16c.), because this was the title of the Psalm for March 25, a Quarter Day and the first payday of the year. Psalm 119:3 begins Legem pone michi domine viam iustificacionum "Teach me, O Lord, the ways of thy statutes".

3. Dirge (n) early 13c., dirige (current contracted form is from c.1400), from Latin dirige "direct!" imperative of dirigere "to direct," probably from antiphon Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam, "Direct, O Lord, my God, my way in thy sight," from Psalm 5:9, which opened the Matins service in the Office of the Dead. Transferred sense of "any funeral song" is from c.1500.

4. Golem (n) "artificial man, automaton," 1897, from Hebrew golem [Psalm 139:16] "shapeless mass, embryo," from galam "he wrapped up, folded."

5. Memento (n) c.1400, "Psalm 131 in the Canon of the Mass" (which begins with the Latin word Memento and in which the dead are commemorated), from Latin memento "remember," imperative of meminisse "to remember, recollect, think of, bear in mind," a reduplicated form, related to mens "mind". Meaning "reminder, object serving as a warning" is from 1580s; sense of "keepsake" is first recorded 1768.

6. Asperges (n) 1550s, from Latin asperges, 2nd person singular future indicative of aspergere "to scatter, strew upon, sprinkle," from ad "to" + spargere "to sprinkle". The word is taken from the phrase Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor, from Psalm 51 (Vulgate), sung during the rite of sprinkling a congregation with holy water.

7. Brouhaha (n) 1890, from French brouhaha (1550s), said by Gamillscheg to have been, in medieval theatre, "the cry of the devil disguised as clergy." Perhaps from Hebrew barukh habba' "blessed be the one who comes," used on public occasions (eg Psalm 118).

8. Miserere (n) 13c., from Miserere mei Deus "Have mercy upon me, O God," opening line of Psalm 51, from Latin miserere "feel pity, have compassion, commiserate," imperative of misereri "to have mercy," from miser. From 15c.-17c. used as an informal measure of time, "the time it takes to recite the Miserere." Also in miserere mei "kind of severe colic ('iliac passion') accompanied by excruciating cramps and vomiting of excrement" (1610s), literally "have mercy on me."

9. Overjoy (v) late 14c., "to rejoice over," from over + joy; translating Latin supergaudere (in Psalms 34, etc.). Transitive sense of "to fill with gladness" is first recorded 1570s (now usually in past participle overjoyed).

10. Iron entered his soul - this is from Miles Coverdale's mistranslation of the Psalm 105, which includes But he had sent a man before them: even Joseph, who was sold to be a bond-servant Whose feet they hurt in the stocks : the iron entered into his soul. It is beautiful but wrong. It should be his neck was put in irons. The Hebrew word nefesh can mean breath or neck, because that's where you do most of your breathing. Metaphorically it can mean soul because your breath is your soul.

Athanasius on Psalms

Writing to Marcellus Athansius wrote

 

Let each one, therefore, who recites the Psalms have a sure hope that through them God will speedily give ear to those who are in need. For if a man be in trouble when he says them, great comfort will he find in them; if he be tempted or persecuted, he will find himself abler to stand the test and will experience the protection of the Lord, Who always defends those who say these words. By them too a man will overthrow the devil and put the fiends to flight. If he have sinned, when he uses them he will repent; if he have not sinned, he will find himself rejoicing that he is stretching out towards the things that are before and, so wrestling, in the power of the Psalms he will prevail. Never will such a man be shaken from the truth, but those who try to trick and lead him into error he will refute; and it is no human teacher who promises us this, but the Divine Scripture itself.

Affinity 2013 Paper 3

The third paper on the Psalms was given by Gordon Wenham (Old Testament Tutor, Trinity College,

Bristol). He used no headings so here is his conclusion and the questions we discussed.

 

Conclusion

In this paper I have tried to sum up some of the key arguments in my book Psalms as Torah. I have drawn attention to the power of song to imprint on the mind and be memorable. This in itself would give the Psalms great influence in moulding the ethic of those who pray and sing them. But I applied the insights of Donald Evans on the performative power of liturgical texts to the Psalter to develop this argument. In that most scholars agree that the Psalms originate as texts for worship, and were certainly used later by Jews and Christians in their worship, this use gives them peculiar potency. Reciters of the psalms are making both a public commitment to their sentiments and affirming to God these same truths. If the worshipper does not assent to the ideology of the psalm, he has the choice of offending his fellow worshippers by his silence, or insulting God by his hypocrisy by mouthing words he does not mean. Thus liturgy compels assent more powerfully than sermons or laws, stories or proverbs. This is the reason why the ethic taught by the psalms has been so influential and why biblical scholars should have paid more attention to it. In the rest of the paper I have tried to pick out some of the distinctive emphases of the psalms’ ethical teaching. Of course most of the fundamentals are shared with the rest of Scripture, but a comparison with the Ten Commandments proved instructive. We noted the very strong emphasis on the misuse of the tongue on the one hand and on the other the absence of commands to observe the Sabbath or other great festivals despite the fact that a goodly number of psalms would be suited to such occasions. Other leading emphases include the appeal to justice, especially its formulation in the lex talionis. Worshippers pray that God will prove his just sovereignty by punishing the guilty in a way that matches their crime. Those who suffer at the hands of the mighty and find no redress are often the poorer and weaker members of society, so like the Pentateuch the Psalter especially advocates care for the poor as well as praying for divine intervention on their behalf. In this way the righteous are taught to imitate their creator in his concern for the oppressed and their plight.

 

Questions

1. Does your church use the Psalms in worship? Why?
2. Have you considered the power of liturgical texts as a means of teaching?
3. Do you agree with Griffiths about the performative value of the Psalms?
4. What do you see as distinctive about the Psalter’s ethical teaching?
5. Is the principle of the lex talionis, exact retribution, defensible today?
6. Should the imprecatory psalms be used in Christian worship?
7. Do we highlight the last judgment in preaching? Can it be made palatable and believable?

The format was again for the writer to presnet his paper which Gorodn Wenham did firstly drily adn then with some emotion as he came to the imprecatory psalms.

Davis on Psalms 1-12

Just before I came away to Aber I noticed that Dale Ralph Davis had a new little book out - The way of the righteous in the muck of life. What it is is a series of sermons on the first 12 Psalms. Each Psalm is written out in Davis's own translation and followed by a brief sermon characterised by the usual Davis formula of careful scholarship, hippish lingo and great illustration. I enjoyed the first two or three, enjoying the illustrations especially. Then it began to pall a little and I thought there were too many. I then got back on a more even keel accepting that Davis has great strengths but you wouldn't want everyone to follow the same formula. Each preacher is to give us God's word through his own personality.

Here is a great little book then, excellent for devotional reading, sermon prep or just to read through. We are greatly indebted to Dr Davis for this and to the publishers for arranging it. Another few volumes could well be sustained. I was able to get my copy signed by the man himself, which no doubt adds to its value. By the way, I did find myself trying to scratch the speck of mud off the front at one point so full marks to the cover designer for his efforts too.

JC 52 No 50

On Psalm 119:89 (Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens)

As we see nothing constant or of long continuance upon earth the writer elevates our minds to heaven, that they may fix their anchor there. David, no doubt, might have said, as he has done in many other places, that the whole order of the world bears testimony to the steadfastness of God’s word – that word which is most true. But as there is reason to fear that the minds of the godly would hang in uncertainty if they rested the proof of God’s truth upon the state of the world, in which such manifold disorders prevail; by placing God’s truth in the heavens, he allots it a habitation subject to no changes. That no person then may estimate God’s word from the various vicissitudes which meet the eye in this world, heaven is tacitly set in opposition to the earth. Our salvation, as it has been said, being shut up in God’s word, is not subject to change, as all earthly things are, but is anchored in a safe and peaceful haven.’

52 JC No 41

This is Calvin's comment on Psalm 84:10 (... a day in thy courts is better ....)

Unlike the greater part of mankind, who desire to live without knowing why, wishing simply that their life may be prolonged, David here testifies to the fact that not only was the aim he proposed to himself in life was to serve God but that, in addition, he set a higher value on spending one day in the divine service than on a long time passed among men of the world, from whose society true religion is banished. It being lawful for none but the priests to enter into the inner and innermost courts of the Temple, David expressly declares that, provided he were permitted to have a place at the porch, he would be contented with this humble task of being a doorkeeper.

The value that he set on the sanctuary is presented in a very striking light by the comparison, that he would prefer having a place at the very doors of the Temple to having full possession of the tents of wickedness. The plain import of this is that he would rather be cast into a common and unhonoured place, provided he were among the people of God, than exalted to the highest rank of honour among unbelievers. A rare example of godliness indeed! Many can be found who desire to occupy a place in the Church but ambition has such sway over the minds of men that very few are content to continue among the number of the common and undistinguished class.

Almost all are carried away with the frantic desire to rise to distinction and can never think of being at ease until they have attained to some position of eminence.

52 JC No 37

This is the last part of the preface to the Geneva Psalter (see here for the whole thing)

What is there now to do? It is to have songs not only honest, but also holy, which will be like spurs to incite us to pray to and praise God, and to meditate upon his works in order to love, fear, honor and glorify him. Moreover, that which St. Augustine has said is true, that no one is able to sing things worthy of God except that which he has received from him. Therefore, when we have looked thoroughly, and searched here and there, we shall not find better songs nor more fitting for the purpose, than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit spoke and made through him. And moreover, when we sing them, we are certain that God puts in our mouths these, as if he himself were singing in us to exalt his glory. Wherefore Chrysostom exhorts, as well as the men, the women and the little children to accustom themselves to singing them, in order that this may be a sort of meditation to associate themselves with the company of the angels.
As for the rest, it is necessary to remember that which St. Paul hath said, the spiritual songs cannot be well sung save from the heart. But the heart requires the intelligence. And in that (says St. Augustine) lies the difference between the singing of men and that of the birds. For a linnet, a nightingale, a parrot may sing well; but it will be without understanding. But the unique gift of man is to sing knowing that which he sings. After the intelligence must follow the heart and the affection, a thing which is unable to be except if we have the hymn imprinted on our memory, in order never to cease from singing. For these reasons this present book, even for this cause, besides the rest which has been said, ought to be singular recommendation to each one who desires to enjoy himself honestly and according to God, for his own welfare and the profit of his neighbours: and so there is need of all of it being much recommended by me: seeing that it carries its value and its praise. But that the world may be so well advised, that in place of songs in part vain and frivolous, in part stupid and dull, in part foul and vile, and in consequence evil and harmful which it has used up to now, it may accustom itself hereafter to the singing of these divine and celestial hymns with the good king David.

Touching the melody, it has seemed best that it be moderated in the manner we have adopted to carry the weight and majesty appropriate to the subject, and even to be proper for singing in the Church, according to that which has been said.