Xenos Christian
Fellowship
Christian Ministry 2
Week
3 – Old Testament Poetry and Wisdom
Old Testament Poetry
and Wisdom
Job – making
sense of undeserved suffering.
Psalms –
honest prayer and praise to God.
Proverbs – the value of
true wisdom based on the fear of God.
Ecclesiastes – the
possibility of finding meaning and significance during our short
life on earth.
Song of Songs –
celebrating love between husband and wife.
Common features
Key features of Hebrew poetry
1.
a.
Synonymous parallelism: The second or subsequent line REPEATS OR
REINFORCES the sense of the first line.
“For
he satisfies the thirsty
and
he fills the hungry with good things.” – Psalm 107:9
“He
turned rivers into a desert,
flowing
springs into thirsty ground.” – Psalm 107:33
b.
Antithetical parallelism: The second or subsequent line CONTRASTS
the thought of the first.
“The
upright see and rejoice,
but
all the wicked shut their mouths.” – Psalm 107:42
“A
wise son brings joy to his father,
but
a foolish son grief to his mother.” – Proverbs 10:1
c.
Synthetic parallelism: The second or subsequent line PROVIDES
MORE INFORMATION about or COMPLETES THE THOUGHT in the first line.
“Others went out on the sea
in ships,
they were merchants on the mighty
waters.” – Psalm 107:23
“Blessed is the man
who
does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or
stand in the way of sinners
or
sit in the seat of scoffers.” – Psalm 1:1
Implication
for the reader:
(Alexander
Pope) “Some people never learn anything because they
understand everything too soon.”
Good questions to ask:
“How
are these lines related to each other?” “Are they saying
the same thing?” “Are they saying the opposite thing?”
“What additional information is being communicated in this line
about the one preceding it?”
2.
“Let them give thanks to
the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.”
– Psalm 107:8,15,21,31
“Praise
the LORD, all nations;
Laud
Him, all peoples!
For
His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And
the truth of the LORD is everlasting.
Praise
the LORD!” – Psalm 117
Implication for the reader:
3.
“As
the deer pants for the water brooks,
So
my soul pants for Thee, O God.” – Psalm 42:1
“I
will say to God my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me?’”
– Psalm 42:9
“He
sets the needy securely on high away from affliction,
And
makes his families like a flock.” – Psalm 107:41
Good
questions to ask:
“Where is the similarity
being drawn in this image? How is God like a rock, a warrior, etc.?”
Compare
Exodus 14:26-31 and Exodus 15:1-5.
Psalms
What are the Psalms?
(Longman)
“Here we have one hundred fifty separate poems, constituting a
book that functioned as the hymnbook of the Old Testament people of
God.”
Why are they useful?
They show how us how to relate
to God.
(Athanasius)
“Most of the Bible speaks to us. The Psalms speak for us.”
They
encourage us to relate _____________ with God.
Reverence
and respect: (Psalm 5:7) “But I, by your great mercy, will
come into your house; in reverence I will bow down toward your holy
temple.”
Shame:
(Psalm 44:15a) “My disgrace is before me all day long and
my face is covered with shame….”
Anger:
(Psalm 109:9-10) “May his children be fatherless and his
wife a widow, May his children be wandering beggars; may they be
driven from ruined homes.”
Sorrow:
(Psalm 6:6) “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I
flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”
Doubt:
(Psalm 73:3-5) “I envied the arrogant when I saw the
prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles….Surely in
vain I have kept my heart pure; in vain I have washed my hands in
innocence.”
They
show us how to affirm what is true.
(Psalm
42:5) “Why are you in despair, O my soul?
Why have you become disturbed
within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again
praise him.
For the help of his presence.”
(Psalm
73:3) “For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the
wicked.”
(Psalm
73:15) “If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’
behold, I would have betrayed the
generation of Your children.”
(Psalm
73:27,28) “For, behold, those who are far from
you will perish;
you have destroyed all those who
are unfaithful to You.
But as for me,
the nearness of God is
my good;
I have made the Lord God my
refuge,
that I may tell of all your
works.”
They
show us how to appreciate __________________.
(Psalm
29:2) “Give honor to the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”
Who wrote the Psalms and how
are they organized?
Authors: David, Asaph, the sons
of Korah, Solomon, Heman, Ethan, Moses, and others.
Organization:
The psalms are a collection of smaller collections: Psalm 1-41; Psalm
42-72; Psalm 73-89; Psalm 90-106; Psalm 107-150.
Different kinds of Psalms
See
handout.
Gratitude
– Psalm 107
Structure:
Opening
announcement expressing a desire to thank God.
(Psalm
107:1) “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His
lovingkindness is everlasting.”
A
description of distresses faced and God’s deliverance.
Psalm 107:6,13,19,28.
Conclusion
– usually a word of praise or closing command.
(Psalm
107:43) Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider
the great love of the LORD.
The importance of gratitude
(Psalm
95:2) “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,
let us shout joyfully to him with Psalms.”
(Psalm
107:1) “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for his lovingkindness is everlasting.”
(1
Chronicles 16:8) “Oh give thanks to the Lord, call
upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples.”
(Colossians
3:15) “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to
which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
(Hebrews
12:28) “Therefore, since we have received a kingdom which
cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer
to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe…”
(Ray
Lock) "Next to Christianity, advertising is the greatest
force in the world. And I say that without sacrilege or disrespect.
Advertising makes people discontented. It makes them want things they
don't have.”
Application:
1.
2.
“(The
cross) is the measure of the goodness of God; lay it to heart. Ask
yourself the Psalmist’s question – ‘What shall I
render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?’ See grace
to give this answer – ‘I will take the cup of salvation,
and call upon the name of the Lord… O Lord, truly I am thy
servant… I will pay vows unto the Lord now…’
(Psalm 116:12ff.).”
3.
Praise – Psalm 103
Structure:
“Bless
(praise – NLT, NIV) the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within
me, bless His holy name.” (103:1)
Because
he cares for the oppressed (103:6).
Because
he is compassionate and gracious (103:8) .
Because
he is sovereign and rules over all (103:19).
A
conclusion – often a repetition of the opening call to praise
“Bless the Lord, O my
soul.” (103:22)
The
importance of praise:
(Psalm
135:1) “Praise the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD;
praise him, you servants of the LORD…”
(Hebrews
13:5) “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer
to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his
name.”
Why
would God be so intent on receiving praise from us?
1.
“For
great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he
is to be feared above all gods.
For
all the gods of the nations are idols,
but
the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before
him;
strength
and joy in his dwelling place.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families
of nations,
ascribe
to the LORD glory and strength,
ascribe
to the LORD the glory due his name.”
–
1 Chronicles 16:25-29
2.
(C. S.
Lewis) “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because
the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is
its appointed consummation… the delight is incomplete till it
is expressed… the worthier the object the more intense this
delight would be.”
If you’ve ever seen an
excellent movie, read a good book, or just come back from a great
vacation, you know that Lewis is right. Without someone to share our
experience with, our joy is incomplete.
Through praise, God is helping us
learn to enjoy him.
(C. S.
Lewis) “To fully enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to
glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.”
3.
Application:
1.
Choose a psalm of praise and
2.
Praise God together in your
3. Start
your own time of prayer with praise.
Messianic
Psalms
Jesus taught the disciples to
look for references to him in the Old Testament, and specifically in
the Psalms:
(Luke
24:44) He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke
to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written
about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms
must be fulfilled.”
The career
of Christ, his suffering, death, resurrection and return as king
messiah are all described in the Psalms. Key chapters include Psalm
2, 8, 16, 22, and 110.
Compare the
passages on the right with each text in Psalms on the left to see how
the New Testament authors applied various Psalms to Jesus.
2:7
Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5 ; 5:5
2:8,
9 Revelation 2:26, 27; 12:5; 19:15
8:2 Matthew
21:16
8:4-6
Hebrews 2:6-8
8:6
1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22
16:8-11 Acts
2:25-28
16:10b Acts
13:35
18:2b
Hebrews 2:13
18:49
Romans 15:9
22:1
Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34
22:7
Matthew 27:39; Mark 15:29; Luke 23:35
22:8 Matthew
27:43
22:18
John 19:24; compare Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34
22:22
Hebrews 2:12
110:1
Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42, 43; Acts 2:34, 35;
Hebrews 1:13. Compare. Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:6,2; 16:19; Luke 22:69;
1 Corinthians 15:25; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3;
8:1; 10:12, 13; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22.
110:4
Hebrews 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21
Application
restrictions for all the Psalms
1.
Examples:
(Psalm
26:6) “He [the Lord] made Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion
like a wild ox.
(Psalm
114:5-7) “Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that
you turned back… Tremble, O earth at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool
– the hard rock into springs of water.”
We
recommend the Bible Background Commentary
and Derek Kidner’s two-volume set (part of the Tyndale Old
Testament Commentary Series).
2.
(Psalm
105:34) “He spoke and the locusts came, grasshoppers
without number.”
Studying
and applying psalms of praise and gratitude
See handout.
Proverbs
Definition
of a proverb:
Who wrote Proverbs?
Most of the
Proverbs are attributed to David’s son Solomon (cf. I Kings
4:32; Prov. 1:1; 10:1; 25:1), but he did not write all of them (cf.
30:1; 31:1).
The
purpose of the book of Proverbs:
Proverbs
1:1-6.
(Fareed
Zakaria) “Diffusion of knowledge is the dominant trend of
our time... But knowledge is not the same thing as wisdom. Knowledge
can produce equally powerful ways to destroy life, intentionally and
unintentionally. It can produce hate and seek destruction. Knowledge
does not by itself bring any answer to the ancient Greek question
‘What is a Good Life?’ It does not produce good sense,
courage, generosity and tolerance. And most crucially, it does not
produce the farsightedness that will allow us all to live
together—and grow together—on this world without causing
war, chaos and catastrophe. For that we need wisdom.”
Wisdom
is not just the accumulation of information, wisdom is the
____________ of information.
A
key concept in Proverbs: the fear of God.
(Proverbs
1:7) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and
instruction.”
To fear God is to:
(Proverbs 14:26) “In the fear of the LORD there is
strong confidence, and his children will have refuge.”
(Proverbs 23:17) “Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but live in the fear of the LORD always. 18 Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.”
(Proverbs 8:13a) “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil…”
The opposite of fearing God is
______________.
(Psalm 14:1) The fool has said in his
heart, "There is no God."
Implication for the reader:
(Proverbs 14:12) “There
is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of
death.”
Application restrictions
1. Proverbs tend to be general
maxims that speak the truth but not the whole truth. They do not deal
with the exceptions.
(Proverbs
16:7) When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even
his enemies live at peace with him.
2.
You must interpret a SINGLE proverb in light of ALL of the
proverbs.
-
8:18
With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
10:4 Lazy hands make
a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
10:22
The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble
to it.
14:24 The wealth of
the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.
22:4 Humility and the
fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.
|
11:4 Wealth is
worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from
death.
11:28 Whoever trusts
in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a
green leaf.
19:1 Better a poor
man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are
perverse.
22:1 A good name is
more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better
than silver or gold.
30:8 Keep falsehood
and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but
give me only my daily bread.
|
Job’s friends: an
example of misusing proverbial wisdom
(Job
11:13,15) “If you devote your heart to him and stretch out
your hands to him…you will surely forget your trouble,
recalling it only as waters gone by.”
(Job
11:20) “But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape
will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp.”
(Job
13:4,12a) You… smear me with lies; you are worthless
physicians, all of you… your maxims are proverbs of ashes.
Conclusion
Memory Verses
Psalm 42
& 43** – Why are you downcast, O my soul? Put your hope
in God, for I will yet praise him.
Psalm
107** – God rescues those who cry out to him. Give thanks
to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
Proverbs
1:7* – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
Assignment
Complete the Acts Assignment.
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Copyright 2006 Xenos Christian Fellowship