How to Read the Psalms     By Tremper Longman III / Inter-varsity Press

Today, I wanted to add to my original post on “How to read the Psalms”. As Christians the Psalms seem to be one of our favourite books of the Bible, it’s the one we always come back to. However, like I stated before, despite our love for them, we often misunderstand or misinterpret. We love the bits we can identify with, that express something of our own situation, yet ignore the ones that are somewhat bizarre, that call for revenge upon our enemies. We give comfort to others from the part of the Psalm that sounds nice, quickly skipping over the next few verses that rant and rage (just check out the whole of  Psalm 139) 

 This is not my attempt to “slam” anyone, I have found that it is simply that as Christians we are never properly taught how to read the Bible, it is often presumed you’ll just know how, and get on with it using some kind of devotional. While this has it’s place, I think we can miss out on so much because we are just not properly equipped.

Below I have taken 9 principles used by Tremper Longman III. (Don’t fret if you have no idea who he is). I’ll list a couple of his books at the end of this post, if you’re interested in checking his stuff out. 

Nine principles to enrich your understanding 
by Tremper Longman III

There are nine principles that we should keep in mind as we read the psalms. Not only will they help us understand God’s message through this book, but these principles will also allow us to see them in all their richness. As we meditate on the psalms we will think, feel, imagine, and make choices in increasingly godly ways.

PRINCIPLE 1: Read a psalm in its context.

This first principle, of course, is fundamental for reading any passage of Scripture. However, we must take into account the special nature of the book of Psalms as we apply the principle there.

The psalms are unique in the Bible. Psalms is an anthology of 150 separate poetic compositions, not a narrative like Genesis or Mark nor a collection of prophetic oracles like Isaiah.

Through the ages, attempts have been made to give a rationale for why one psalm follows another. Occasionally, you can see small collections of similar poems grouped together, for instance the ”songs of ascents” (120-134). But context does not mean the same thing in Psalms as it does in other biblical books:

A psalm may have no relationship to the ones that surround it.

Therefore, it is important to read a portion of a psalm in light of the whole poem. 

PRINCIPLE 2: Determine the genre of the psalm you are reading

Every psalm is unique. No two psalms are exactly alike. Nonetheless, the 150 psalms fall into some basic patterns, reflecting how they were used in their original setting. I will look at the “Types of Psalms” in another post – yet to come!

PRINCIPLE 3: Meditate on the parallelism of the psalm.

Open to any psalm, indeed any poem in the Bible, and you will discover an echoing effect between the lines. The words are rarely exactly the same, but they are often obviously related in meaning, as for instance in Psalm 2:2:

The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
the rulers plot together against the LORD
and against his anointed one. (NLT)

“Kings” in the first line parallels “rulers” in the second. “Prepare for battle” in the first is echoed by “plot together” in the second. The third and fourth lines are both prepositional phrases naming the objects of the human rulers’ attack.

Many wrongly understand this phenomenon, called parallelism, to be merely ornamental. “The poet is saying the same thing twice, just using different words.”

On the contrary, the second line of a parallelism, while showing a strong similarity with the first, always carries forward the thought of the first line. It is not A (the first line) equals B, but A, and what’s more B.

PRINCIPLE 4: Unpack the imagery of the psalm

Parallelism and imagery are the two most notable characteristics of biblical poetry. In both cases, we see that we need to reflect more carefully and slowly on poetry than prose, because poetry is compressed language. It says a lot using only a few words.

Not only do we need to ask about the relationship between the lines (parallelism), we must be on the lookout for the metaphors and similes that give such imaginative power to the psalms.

 

PRINCIPLE 5: Read the psalm in light of the title

The title of a psalm provides a wealth of information (authorship, worship setting, musical terms, historical situation, and so on), but we often overlook it. It is unlikely that these assignments were part of the original psalms, However, they are there now and definitely seen as a part of the canon passed down from Old Testament times.

Nonetheless, we must apply this principle with care. The titles can give us information about such things as the historical setting that inspired the writing of the psalm in the first place (see Psalms 3 and 51 as examples), but the psalm itself purposefully distances itself from that historical setting. It never mentions specific names and events, and for a very important reason. The psalms were written in order to be used in regular worship of the Old Testament people of God. This will be explored further under Principle 9, but for now know that the psalms are intentionally non-specific in terms of their original historical background.

PRINCIPLE 6: Glean the theological teaching of the psalm

The psalms teach us about God and our relationship with Him; that is the heart of theology. The Psalter may be thought of as a portrait gallery of God, presenting us with multiple images of who God is. These images are most often pictures of relationship. God as our shepherd (23); warrior (18); king (47); and in the case of Psalm 131, a mother who cares for us, protects us, and calms our anxious souls.

The psalms use imagery to communicate God because imagery reveals Him to us by comparing Him to things and people in our experience. But images reveal Him in a way that does not compromise His mystery. We are not presented with a carefully precise prose description of the nature of God, but rather with metaphors, through which we learn truly but not comprehensively. God is high above our thoughts, but He kindly gives us glimpses of His nature through imagery.

PRINCIPLE 7: Ask how the psalm anticipates Jesus Christ

Jesus gave the disciples a principle that should govern our reading of the whole Old Testament. He told them “that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk. 24:44). Therefore, we need to look out for how the Psalms anticipate Jesus.

While the New Testament shows us that a handful of psalms are especially relevant to the coming of Christ (2, 16, 22, 69, 110, for example), it is suggested that we should read every single psalm with Christ in mind.

As we pray the psalms, for instance, we can pray them as prayers to Jesus. We should also think of the psalms as prayers of Jesus. After all, He sang them (Heb. 2:12). He often quoted them (see Mt. 27:46, quoting Ps. 22:1).

The whole Old Testament, the psalms included, anticipate Christ. Ask yourself how the psalm you are reading leads you to Christ.

PRINCIPLE 8: Consider the psalm a mirror of your soul

The psalms are a mirror of our souls. When I get up in the morning, I drag myself, somewhat reluctantly to the mirror. As I force my eyes open, I gasp…and get right back into bed! Okay, maybe not everyday. A mirror, you see, gives me a close look at my physical appearance.

Psalms also give me a good look at myself, but they peer deeper than a glass mirror; they reveal my soul.

The psalms express every emotion that human beings experience. The laments articulate our fear, despair, shame, and anger. The hymns express joy, love, and confidence. As we read the words of the psalmist, they become our own. They help us understand what is going on inside of us. But even more, they minister to us as they direct us toward God.

PRINCIPLE 9: Let the psalm guide your life

The psalms do more than teach us about God by stimulating our imagination. They do more than guide our emotional lives. They lead us to godly actions and attitudes.

Preeminently, the psalms, as the hymnbook of ancient Israel, tell us how to worship. They encourage us to sing, praise, clap our hands, pray, fall on our knees. They invite us to an enthusiastic adoration of our God in good times and in difficult times.

These principles can help us as we seek to understand and apply the psalms to our lives. They are not a magical formula, however. We must approach the psalms with the understanding that we will meet our God there.

PART 1: How to read the Psalms – Click here

How to Read the Psalms       By Tremper Longman III / Inter-varsity Press

Introduction to the Old Testament, Second Edition       By Tremper Longman III & Raymond B. Dillard / Zondervan

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Related posts:

1. How to read the Psalms
2. Blogging the Psalms
3. >Reflections on the Psalms
4. Psalm 1: Reflection
5. Psalm 1: A Tale of 2 Ways