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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
The Psalter Reclaimed Reflection Essay
Submitted to Dr. Joel Ajayi, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course
OBST 520 ? D06
Old Testament Orientation II
by
Oliver M. Brown
April 24, 2016
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Introduction The book of Psalms has been divided into five major sections, like the Pentateuch, with each sections ending with a doxology. It has the most chapters in the Bible, including the longest and the shortest chapters. In completing the reading assignment, a greater insight and understanding about the book of Psalms was gained. In reading the Psalms, one is able to identify the character of God and His steadfast love to those who fear Him.
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Worship, therefore, is a freely given response to who God is and what He has done throughout creation. It is a response based upon the relation between the creator and the created, and as such, worship is a Christian?s way of life.
The act of worship may be private or communal and is carried out in various forms, such as reading the bible, singing and praying. In biblical times, the Psalms were used for offering praises to God through singing and praying. According to Wenham, ?[m]ost, if not all, of the psalms were originally composed to be sung in temple worship?[and secondarily] as a resource for private meditation and devotion.?[footnoteRef:2] The Psalms, therefore, were not only sung in temple worship but were an integral part of a layperson?s daily life. Interestingly, the book of Psalms was more than likely, the only part of the Bible available to a layperson and it generally would be memorized so that it could be recited from memory.[footnoteRef:3] [2: Ibid.] [3: Ibid.]
This poses a challenge to the modern Christian?s understanding and way of worship and begs for a re-examination of whether or not the Psalms should play a more pivotal role in worship. Wenham purports that the current approach to reading Psalms is where one reads what he wishes and ignores what he chooses, then later forgets what he had read. This approach is not empowering and life sustaining. It falls short and limits the development of
Worship is the primary action of the church. Those who are part of it assemble together to sing, pray, remember Christ, listen to the Scriptures, and contribute to the Lord’s causes (Acts 2:42, 47; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). It is one of the church’s primary purposes, and it is crucial for its worship to be in harmony with the Scriptures. In Lutheranism, worship is a spiritual exercise that outwardly expresses itself as an acceptance of God’s gift to humans (Jacobs 551). Lutherans
In Psalms, we see a collection of lyrical poetry, songs and prayers. Many of these were written by King David himself. The book covers almost the entire gamut of human emotion, from sorrow to joy, from doubt to faith.
Everyday millions of Americans read stories to their children before they go to bed. I often read Dr. Seuss books to my son Seth, who is four years old. He loves the rhythm and rimes that are those books. One of his favorites is Green Eggs and Ham. Seth has begun to answer the questions of Sam, answering him for the other character saying “he does not like green eggs and ham”. It caught my attention that some of the Psalms also have a repetitive nature. Psalm 119 is the longest of all the Psalms and is very repetitive. Many people only read one section of the Psalm because of the repetitive nature and do not look at the chapter as a whole. There is a lack of churches teaching on the Psalms and some a not reading them at all. Psalm 119 is more than a long repetitive Psalm, reading it as one passage there is evidence of determination by the author to show why following the Lord’s teaching is vital to life as a Christian.
In the bible, people read it often and most of them like to share scriptures that they think is very important to them because it gets stuck deep down in people’s minds. When it gets stuck, that is when people come out of their comfort zone to reach out to others and read the portions. Psalms 23 and The Sermon on the Mount are one of these scriptures that get stuck deep down in people’s minds. These two found in the Bible, are known for the Shepard of the people, relating to the Lord. Psalm 23 immensely relates to the guidance of the Sermon on the Mount, which is engaged in different stories in the Bible such as Mathew and Mark. In Psalm 23 ( Of David), is found in the old testament of the Bible. It is invoked to help turn around negative thinking
Use of Bay Psalm book in both public services and private Devotions underscores the central place of
Recently, best selling author and pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian, Tim Keller, participated in an interview involving his belief that the Bible is “all about Jesus.” His statement became an important topic in the news, because it is an unusual perspective considering all the books in the Old Testament were assembled centuries before Christ’s birth; therefore, Jesus is not mentioned in about half the books so not many people associate Jesus with the Old Testament. Although the book of Psalms has been read in three different contexts including a conversation between the Messiah and God, which is Tim Keller’s view of the whole bible, it does not show that relationship consistently throughout the entire book. Throughout the interview Tim Keller is asked a series of questions related to his interpretation of Jesus in all of the books of the bible, especially the book of Psalms. The book of Psalms consists of songs and poems written mostly by King David, but is often called “The Songs of Jesus.” Keller believes this title fits the book of Psalms well, because they were songs Jesus sang since the
Indeed God hears and understands these weak efforts, but by restricting the intensity of our communication, we become superficial in our relationship with Him. But God knows us, and wants to have real communication with us. The highlight or focal point of the Bible is the book of Psalms. This wonderful group of songs and prayers communicates the character and essence of the human race. In them we discover the entire scope of human activity expressed. David and the other writers sincerely poured out their feelings, representing a vibrant, influential, and life-changing relationship with God. The psalmists confess their sins, communicate their doubts and fears, request assistance from God in times of difficulty, and worship and glorify His
Psalm 78 is one of the most amazing chapters in the bible, if one can call any chapter more amazing than another. Just a quick reading reveals many things about God, and if you do a study on it, then it becomes a wonderful source of great revelation about man and also about the wonderful character of God.
This chapter helped me realize that there are different purposes for the psalms. I never thought about how
In my observation the psalm begings and ends with the outburst of congregational praise of God's majestic name. Within those verses comes the praise of God's particular works (overturning foes in B; blessing human's in B), and at the center , the wondering awe of the poet (C). However, instead of an isolating “me,” vewing a distant universe is existential anxiety, “I' (C) stands surrounded by the gracious and protecting works of God (B/B) and the congregstion gathered to sing God's praise (A/A). This tructure of the psalm could be molded for the congregation by reading or singing it in worship in three groups: A, B, and C, corresponding to the segaments of the psalm. The format in Psalm 8, as in Genesis 1 to which refers, is the relationship between humanity (us!)
This forum post presents the Christological Approach to the Psalms and then describes the five major categories of Psalms relating to Jesus the Messiah: the (1) Royal Psalms, (2) Typological – Prophetic Psalms, (3) Prophetic – Typological Psalms, (4) Prophetic – Messianic Psalms, and (5) Eschatological Psalms.
The psalms from the Old Testament of the Bible are a vital part of the scripture, stories, and history within it. A collection of 150 poems and songs, the psalms are written in various styles, lengths, and by various authors. Psalm 30 is one of the psalms that most scholars claim they know the author of. This psalm is attributed to David. In psalm 30 David is in need of healing, and a blessing of his temple, resulting in this writing.
One can say that the book of Psalms is one of the true precious jewels a Christian has today. These books have often been looked at as a source of comfort, encouragement, and instruction on how to praise God. As psalm twenty-nine is examined, one can argue that this is a key psalm of praise, and it speaks on the glory of God through nature.
I have chosen Worship as my most favoured Christian discipline. Worship comes to me as a natural practice to give thanks and gratitude to Jesus for all he’s done and is doing for all humanity. I praise and pray on a daily basis, either through quiet reflective time in prayer to listening to worship music in the car, work and at home. Worship allows me to give thanks for the incredible gifts Jesus has given me and keeps my mind focused my spiritual journey in Jesus. Jesus is worth all the worship and praise as it says in Romans 12:1-2: “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable, or well pleasing and perfect.”
This article used structural analysis to theologically examine Psalms 51 and 32. His purpose for the article is two fold. First, and primarily, he intended to contribute to a biblical theology of sin and man. Secondarily, the author asserted that an analysis of the structure of biblical texts should prove to be helpful as a tool for biblical theology. Aageson, in “Scripture and Structure in the Development of the Argument in Romans 9-11,” affirms that literary analysis of the structure of Scripture is a very useful method of gaining theological insight. The thesis, though not stated clearly, is that the structural markers of Psalms 51 and 32 lead a sinful humanity to renewal, praise, and teaching sinners God’s ways. Barentsen started off by discussing his methodology. He elaborated on his use of structural analysis and then showed how he would synthesize the results in a thematic outline. Then, the key aspects of the background of Psalms 51 and 32