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THE THEOLOGY IN THE PSALMS

The God of Isreal 

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The portrait of God sketched in the psalms draws altogether 

all of the characterizations of God found in the rest of the Israelite tradition.

Go is the as the creator of the universe and the source of all life, victoriously

enthroned in heaven, yet dwelling in the city of Jerusalem. Initially believed to

be exclusively Israel's liberator, God's reign was ultimately perceived as universal,

and all people were invited to worship this God in Jerusalem. The God depicted

in the psalms inspires both fear and confidence because

of God's breathtaking divine power and majesty as well as the care and
protection that God provided for Israel's ancestors in the past. This God
demands compliance to the law and yet forgives infraction of it, regardless
of the seriousness of the violation. Perhaps the key characterization of the
Lord is that of "covenant partner." Fundamental to this understanding of
God is the firm conviction that God initiated the covenant, not because
Israel in any way deserved it, but because God is "gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in love" (Pss 145:8; 103:8).

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Humankind

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The psalms come from a society in which men are the norm and so the
language and imagery reflect this gender bias. Honored as the culmination
of creation, humankind is made responsible for all other living creatures.
Still, humans live a fleeting life, perishing after a short life span like field
flowers. The absence of a clear notion of life after death underscores the
starkness of life's impermanence. Though all humans are dependent on
God's providence, God seems to be the special guardian of the poor and
afflicted, the defenseless widows and orphans.

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Natural creation

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The psalms reveal a special regard for creation as the handiwork of
God's power and ingenuity. Furthermore, Israel reinterpreted many ancient
Near Eastern concepts of divinity, arguing that its own God is the one re-
vealed through the elements of nature, in the exquisite design of the natural
world, in the power of the thunderstorm, and in the gentleness of refreshing
rain. In many psalms creation itself is called on to join in the praise of this
wondrous creator-God.

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The future

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Israel's view of the future, known as eschatology, stems from its faith
in the goodness of God toward all creation. Despite the struggles that it
faced throughout its history, Israel believed that the final victory would be
God's. The psalms say very little about possible life beyond the grave, but
they frequently mention the shadowy existence known as Sheol. This neth-
erworld was not a place of reward or punishment, but of darkness, dust,
and inactivity. Israel may not have had a clear idea of life after death, but
it did not seem to believe that the dead ceased to exist. The people awaited

a final divine victory that would unfold in history, but in a history that

included the cosmic realm of the heavens as well.

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                                    LITERARY CHARACTERISTICS

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The psalms are first and foremost lyrical creations, poems that are rich
in metaphor and fashioned according to the patterns and techniques of
ancient Israelite poetry. One of the most distinctive characteristics of this
type of poetry is its parallelism. In this feature, the second half of a poetic
line somehow echoes the sense of the first. Thus we read in Psalm 61:

This poetic technique serves to intensify the point being made.

Another very important feature found in several psalms is the acrostic
structure. In this structure the first letter of the first word of successive
poetic lines follows the order of the alphabet. The structure is meant to
suggest comprehensiveness, similar to the English expression "from A to
Z." Unfortunately, this alphabetic pattern is usually lost when the psalm is
translated. However, identification of the acrostic or alphabetic pattern has
been retained in Psalms 37,111,112, and 119.

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A third important feature of the psalms is meter. This is a form of poetic
rhythm that is determined by the number of accents in the words that
comprise the line of poetry. Since this is a feature of Hebrew poetry, it is
also lost in translation.

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Finally, a single word, selah, is found in several psalms. It is probably
an indication of some kind of pause, but it does not always follow the sense
of the poem. Many scholars believe that it might have originally functioned
as a liturgical or musical directive. However, this is not clear. Nonetheless,
it has been retained in the Hebrew and so it does appear in many versions
of the Psalter.

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                                      Types of psalms

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The major classifications of psalms are lament, hymn, prayers of confi-
dence, and prayers of thanksgiving. There are also royal psalms, wisdom
poems, historical recitals, ritual or liturgical, and some psalms that might
fit more than one classification.

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Laments

Nearly a third of all psalms are laments. Some of them are complaints
of an individual; others are communal complaints. Laments usually consist
of an actual complaint, a plea for deliverance from hardship, an expression
of praise of God or confidence that God will intervene and deliver the one(s)

suffering, and a promise to perform an act of devotion in gratitude for God's
intervention. Some laments include an acknowledgment of guilt or a claim
of innocence. Finally, there is frequently a curse hurled at the one(s) believed
to be responsible for the intolerable situation that called forth the lament
in the first place. Many people believe that originally the lament included
several distinct religious sentiments. The first was the lament or complaint.
This was followed by expressions of confidence that God would hear the
complaint and remedy the situation. The lament would then end with
expressions of gratitude for the divine graciousness of which the psalmist
was confident. While traces of all three sentiments can still be found in
some laments, the confidence and thanksgiving often comprise individual
psalms.

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Hymns

The hymn consists of a call to praise God and an account of the won-
drous acts of God that elicited the praise. These marvelous divine acts might
include glories of creation or the marvelous feats performed in history on
behalf of Israel. Hymns praising the Lord's kingship are a distinct group
of psalms. Their focus is God's cosmic sovereignty and exclusive reign over
all the heavenly bodies. Songs of Zion extol God's holy mountain, the place
of God's dwelling on earth, and Jerusalem, the city built on that mountain
from which God chose to rule.

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Prayers of confidence

Although confidence or trust is often found in laments, the Psalter also
contains prayers that focus primarily on such sentiments. The motives for
confidence in God's protection and care include divine justice that the
people believe will be shown on their behalf, God's faithful commitment
to the covenant that God chose to initiate with Israel, and the promises
made to Israel's ancestors and renewed from generation to generation. As
is the case with laments, there are both individual prayers of confidence
and those that are communal in character.

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Thanksgiving

Scholars do not agree as to which psalms belong to this category because
expressions of confidence and gratitude are often found in laments. Con-
sequently, this type of psalm is usually classified according to its content
rather than its form. Thanksgiving psalms are similar to hymns, in that they
extol the marvelous works of God. However, hymns call forth praise
because of these wonders, while thanksgiving psalms include expressions
of gratitude for God's graciousness.

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Royal psalms

Some psalms seem to have sprung from various occasions in the life of
the king. They are often referred to as "messianic psalms," since messiah
means" anointed one" and kings were anointed. On occasion, they might
celebrate the king's success in battle. However, they usually extol the special
covenant relationship that God established with the king and the divine
protection bestowed on the Israelite rulers because of it. Royal psalms take
on new meaning when they are included in the Christian tradition and are
applied to Jesus who is king par excellence and the one uniquely anointed
by God. In such instances, it is not that the original psalmist had Christ in
mind when composing the poem. Rather, the early Christian community
began to view Christ from the perspective of the Davidic ruler and to in-
terpret the psalm from a Christian point of view.

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Wisdom poems

Wisdom poems clearly differ from other psalms in both content and
style. They call people to listen and to learn, not to pray. Although they do
not follow a uniform style, they do possess some distinctive literary char-
acteristics. One such characteristic is the acrostic arrangement in which the
alphabet determines the initial letter of the first word of each successive
line. This is recognizable only in the original Hebrew. A second characteristic
is the recourse made to order in the world of nature. This order is employed
as an incentive for establishing social order. One of the most prominent
topics of the instruction found in these poems is the theory of retribution:
the wise or good will be rewarded with happiness and prosperity while
the foolish or wicked will suffer misfortune. Descriptions of situations that
illustrate this teaching are intended to exhort people to live life in a way
that will lead to happiness.

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Various other psalms

The songs of ascent, one of the early collections mentioned above, were
probably sung during pilgrimages to or processions around Jerusalem and
the temple. A few other psalms appear to have been composed in the style
of prophetic speech. Finally, a small number of psalms defy classification.
They are either historical recountings of the feats of the Lord, composites of
other psalm forms, celebrations of the kingship of the Lord, or liturgical songs.

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Book  One:  Psalms 1 -41

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Psalm 1 (Wisdom)