Comprehensive Notes on Biblical Psalms and Wisdom Literature
Study Overview: Psalms and Wisdom Literature
The study of Scripture genres involves moving beyond narrative to specific categories like wisdom literature and the psalms.
While there is an overlap between wisdom literature and the psalms, they are considered two distinct categories for academic and examination purposes.
A foundational understanding of these genres relies on identifying their uniquenesses and specific functions within the biblical canon.
The Nature and Uniqueness of the Book of Psalms
The Book of Psalms is uniquely defined as both God’s word to humanity and a revelation of how humanity can communicate to God. It is anointed by God to help individuals express themselves to Him.
The collection serves as a guide for various forms of communication, including making complaints known to God or even lashing out at enemies in prayer rather than in person.
The Psalms involve poetic literature, categorized by a specific use of vocabulary including:
Metaphors: Finding points of comparison (e.g., God as a rock).
Similes: Explicit comparisons using "like" or "as."
Figures of speech: Including synecdoche and others.
Hyperbole: Use of exaggeration for effect.
Caution must be used with poetic metaphors; they should not be taken to an extreme where they become absurd. For example, while God is called a "rock," He is not a physical stone in the universe, but rather a place of help and stability.
Hebrew Poetry and Parallelism
Distinct from English poetry, which often relies on rhyme, Hebrew poetry is structured around parallelism. There are three primary types of parallel structures:
Synonymous Parallelism: The first line is repeated or echoed in the second line for emphasis using different words. Example: Proverbs 1:20 state, "Wisdom shouts in the street, she lifts her voice in the square." "Street" and "square" are synonymous in this context.
Antithetical Parallelism: The first line is reversed in the second line, often contrasting a positive and a negative thought. Example: Proverbs 10:1 states, "A wise son makes the father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother." Here, "father/glad" is contrasted with "mother/grief."
Synthetic Parallelism: The second line repeats the structure of the first but adds an additional thought or builds upon the initial idea to complete the verse.
The Musical and Structural Nature of Psalms
The Psalms were originally intended to be sung. This musical aspect influences the tone and experience of the text.
Hebrew musical terms found in the text often have uncertain meanings:
Selah: May mean to pause, rest, think about what was just said, or repeat the section.
"To the tune of…": Some Psalms include instructions for specific melodies, though the original music has been lost to history.
Refrains are repeated sections within or between Psalms that highlight the central emphasis. For instance, Psalms 42 and 43 are linked by the repeated refrain: "Why are you in despair, O my soul? Why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him."
The 150 Psalms are organized into five distinct books, a structure reflecting the five books of the Torah (the Pentateuch). This "New Torah" structure is also seen in the Gospel of Matthew, which features five teaching blocks.
Editorial divisions mark the end of each book with specific doxologies or verses that may not have been part of the original individual Psalm but serve to denote the close of a collection.
Interpretive Categories of Psalms
Laments: These express distress, trouble, or discouragement. A typical structure for a lament includes a complaint, a statement of trust, and a plea for or acknowledgment of deliverance.
Thanksgiving: These express joy and gratitude for God’s blessings and interventions.
Hymns of Praise: These focus on praising God for two major themes: His role as Creator and His role as Redeemer.
Salvation History: These provide an overview of God’s redemptive work over time, often using the Exodus from Egypt as the archetype of deliverance.
Songs of Celebration/Affirmation: This category includes:
Covenant Renewal Psalms.
Royal Psalms: Dealing with the king of Israel as a type of God’s kingship.
Enthronement Psalms: Likely used in yearly ceremonies to celebrate God’s rule over creation.
Songs of Zion: Celebrating Jerusalem and Zion as the dwelling place of God and the source of help.
Wisdom Psalms: These praise the concept of wisdom and the lifestyle of living as though God exists.
Songs of Trust: Expressions of reliance on God regardless of circumstances, such as Psalms 23, 91, and 121.
Imprecatory Psalms: These involve calling down curses or judgments upon enemies. Examples include:
Psalm 137: "How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock."
Psalm 109: Requests for an accuser to stand at an enemy's right hand, for their prayers to become sin, for their days to be few, for their children to be fatherless, and for their wives to be widows.
These Psalms should be read through a "Jesus grid" (loving enemies) while acknowledging they allow for the raw expression of human anger and pain before God.
Hermeneutical Principles for the Psalms
Approach with Common Sense: Read the text literally as poetry (acknowledging figures of speech) but not literalistically.
Identify the Setting: Determine the "setting in life" (historical context) and the "setting in the book" (the placement within the collection and its thematic flow).
Historical Context Case Study (Psalm 3): The title indicates David wrote it when fleeing from his son Absalom. This context includes the background of David’s sin with Bathsheba, the rape of Tamar by Amnon, and Absalom's subsequent coup. The "many" rising against David include his own son and followers. This context explains the raw emotion and the miracle of David being able to sleep () in the midst of a shameful retreat.
Theological Theme: The overarching theology of the Psalms is that while life is difficult and full of struggle, God remains present and trustworthy through the "valley of the shadow of death."
Defining Wisdom Literature
Wisdom is the discipline of applying truth to life based on experience. It is not about IQ or theoretical knowledge but about the practical application of how to live as though God exists.
Forms of Wisdom Literature:
Proverbial: Short, pithy sayings found in Proverbs.
Speculative: Philosophical reflections on the meaning of life found in Ecclesiastes.
Discourse/Argument: The back-and-forth conversation regarding suffering and fairness found in the book of Job.
Common Abuses of Wisdom Literature:
Reading in part rather than the whole: This is especially dangerous in Job or Ecclesiastes, where the full argument is necessary for correct understanding.
Misunderstanding terms: A "fool" in wisdom literature is not someone with low intelligence, but someone who chooses to live as though God does not exist.
Literary Techniques in Wisdom Literature
Acrostic: A structure where each line or section begins with successive letters of the alphabet. Proverbs 31 (the ABCs of the virtuous woman) and Psalm 119 (organized by the Hebrew alphabet) are prime examples.
Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds.
Numerical Sequence: A technique using the formula "X things, no Y" (e.g., "There are four things… no five"). This is not a correction of a mistake but a literary device indicating that the list is not exhaustive, thereby inviting the reader to meditate and expand upon the lesson.
Dialogue and Symbolism: In Song of Solomon, identifying the speaker (bride, bridegroom, or bridesmaids) is essential to following the flow of the book. Interpretations range from allegorical (God and Israel or Jesus and the Church) to literal marital relationships.
Questions & Discussion
Question: How did a pastor recently approach the Song of Solomon?
Response: The pastor conducted a series for the whole congregation, explaining the symbolism. The approach involved interpreting the text as a relationship between a husband and wife, as well as the spiritualization of the relationship between Jesus and the Church.
Question: What is a "Christian fool" according to the definition of wisdom?
Response: A Christian fool is someone who possesses a theology of God but practically lives their life as if He does not exist.
Question: What was the thesis of Dr. Kent Smith’s dissertation regarding music?
Response: He studied the change in lyrics during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that the global pandemic shifted the tone of music to give expression to laments, suffering, and struggling.