Immerse Poet: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day two hundred and eighty five.
Poets
introduction to poets,
the five covenants God made with humanity through Noah, Abraham,
Moses, David, and Jesus provide the deep structure of the Bible.
The vital historic events that occasioned the first four of these covenants, the
flood, the Call of Abraham, the Exodus and the establishment of Israel's
monarchy are found in the beginnings and kingdoms volumes, the words and
deeds of the prophets who spoke for God to the people of Israel, follow in the
prophet's volume as the Jewish people assembled their scriptures over time.
They included another group of books that they called the writings.
These books from the latter part of the first Testament provide a key link for
us to Israel's world during and after the nation's 70 year exile in Babylon.
By the time these books were collected in final form, Israel's political
independence had ended and the people were living under the rule of foreign powers.
While some of the Jewish people remained in their traditional homeland,
many were dispersed throughout the ancient near Eastern world.
The sages and scribes who wrote and gathered the writings, provided
stories, songs, and wise words to God's people to keep them closely
tethered to their ancient identity.
And calling the unique stories and historical records of the writings are
collected in the Chronicles volume.
The poetical books from the writings are collected here in poets.
The first books in this volume, Psalms, Lamentations, and Song of
Songs are collections of song lyrics.
These song collections provide scriptures that reflect the rich reality of human
life and a full range of human emotions.
They are closely tied to Israel's life and history, expressing the agony of their
trials and the joy of their celebrations.
Through the deep sorrow of Lamentations, the joyful exuberance of the love songs.
Of songs of songs, and the complaints, Thanksgiving, exaltation
and praise of Psalms, we enter more deeply into Israel's story.
Israel's regular worship calendar from weekly Sabbath observances to
annual festival celebrations formed a vital part of the nation's ongoing
covenant relationship with God.
Many of the songs Israel used in worship are preserved in the great collection
of lyric poems known as Psalms.
Through these songs, we can also learn to find our own voice for
talking to God about the heights and depths in our own life journey.
These Hebrew songs are primarily expressed through parallel lines of Hebrew poetry.
Most Hebrew poetry is written in groupings of parallel lines.
Usually two lines though, sometimes three.
These lines work together in various ways.
Often using rich metaphors and other poetic features to state
and then revisit their points.
Second and third lines can reinforce, extend, deepen, or even talk back
to the opening statements, the final books in this collection,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job come from Israel's wisdom tradition.
These books share customary features with the wisdom writing of the ancient
near Eastern world, but they have the invaluable advantage of seeing
life from within the context of a covenant relationship with God.
They proclaim that fear of the Lord.
Yahweh Israel's covenant.
God is the foundation of true knowledge.
These wisdom books explore the workings of life in God's good but fractured World.
Their core premise is that the Creator has embedded his wisdom into his
creation, and they invite people to find and then follow that good way of life.
Wisdom books commend the path of wisdom or righteousness.
Asserting that the God who created the world is the one who can best instruct
us on how to live and flourish within it.
The Wisdom books are also written mostly in poetry, though in a
greater variety of forms than the lyric poetry of Israel's songs.
Proverbs consists almost entirely of couplets, two lines of
verse, while Job mostly contains much longer poetic speeches.
Ecclesiastes is a mixture of poetry and prose.
Though the prose receives its shape more from recurring words and imagery
as in a poem than from the linear progression of a plot line as in a story.
It is a tremend tremendous gift to us that the Bible is not just a
collection of lectures about God.
These books of songs and wisdom add depth, color, and texture
to the biblical narrative.
Through the use of beautiful lyric poetry and striking imagery, they
help us fully realize that God's truth is truth for the real world.
They invite us to see all the struggles, triumphs, and complications
of our own lives within the bigger story of God's ongoing work not yet
completed to bring flourishing life and peace to the world he created.
Immersed in Psalms, there are moments in the life of faith that need to be
expressed with a full strength of human emotion, and nothing serves that need
better than putting words to music.
So we should not be surprised that Ancient Israel had a song book used in large
gatherings at the temple and also in smaller settings within local communities.
Psalms is a book of song lyrics.
And many have musical notations, instructions, and even the
names of tunes still attached.
The fact that our scriptures include heartfelt expressions like these of
God's people speaking directly to him, highlights that he wants to hear from us.
He wants us to express our deepest longings and feelings to him.
These songs were gathered into the large collection we have today during the
time after Israel's exile to Babylon.
But many are preserved from earlier times.
King David is associated with 73 of them, nearly half of the total number.
Our collection now includes 150 Psalms.
Those Psalms nine and 10 and 42 and 43 were each originally written as one
Psalm, but later divided, and one Psalm is repeated twice, appearing as both.
Psalm 14 and Psalm 53.
Whether birthed in the spiritual journey of an individual or the experiences
of the community of God's people, all these songs came to be used in
the corporate worship of Israel.
But Psalms is more than a song book.
As the collection came together, it was shaped in two, five books,
each closing with a doxology special words of praise to God.
These five books of Psalms recall the five books of Moses, the Torah.
At the beginning of the Bible, just as the Torah was used for instruction and study,
Psalms came to be used the same way.
In fact, Psalm one seems to have in placed first precisely to
encourage people to meditate on Psalms as a book of instruction.
This shows that these songs that were sung in worship could
also be read as scripture.
These song lyrics are written in the usual form of Hebrew poetry
with groupings of parallel lines.
The second line repeats, contrasts, or intensifies the meaning of the first line.
The figurative language in these poems is perfectly suited for
forcefully expressing authentic human responses within God's story.
Most of the Psalms in the Bible are one of three types,
praise, lament, or Thanksgiving.
Psalms of praise call on people to worship and sing to God, honoring
him for his goodness and grace.
Songs of lament are prayers to God for deliverance in deeply troubled times.
Lament typically begin with an urgent and emotional cry describing the struggles
that the person or community is facing, and then make a specific request for help.
Almost always ending with expressions of trust in God.
Psalms of Thanksgiving often review the troubles that someone was experiencing,
explained that they called upon God and were delivered, and then invite others
to share in thanking and praising God.
This collection of Psalms also include some other types of Psalms, Royal
Psalms celebrate the role of Israel's king, both the human king and God
as the nation's High King pilgrim.
Psalms also called Psalms of ascent.
Were sung by pilgrims making their way up to Jerusalem for one of
the great Jewish festivals, wisdom Psalms, echo Israel's traditions
about following God's instructions to discover the path to flourishing life.
It is important that the Psalms are more than just psal of praise.
The laments and cries for justice prevent the songs from being merely
a celebration of the status quo.
The life of faith includes the shattering pain of injustice
and wrongdoing that calls God's power and goodness into question.
In such situations, God's deliverance of his people and answer to their
cries leads them to a more profound appreciation of his faithfulness and care.
The enduring message of the book overall is that God welcomes the
honest expressions of our hearts.
Reflecting all the challenges of our ongoing relationship with him.
The Book of Psalms was very popular in the first century AD
and is crucial for understanding the story of Jesus the Messiah.
The writers of the New Testament saw the themes of Psalms continuing in
the ongoing story of God's people.
This can be true for us today.
Also, as we read, sing, reflect on.
And enter into the same story of struggle, rescue, and restoration.
Israel's songbook gives us the words for expressing our own movements
through lament and praise and thanksgiving on our journey with God
toward a world of justice and peace.
The Psalms book one, Psalms one through 41.
Psalm one O.
The joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around
with sinners or join in with mockers, but they delight in the law of the
Lord meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the river bank bearing fruit.
Each season.
Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.
But not the wicked.
They are like worthless, chaff, scattered by the wind.
They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the Godly for the Lord.
Watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the
wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm two, why are the nations so angry?
Why do they waste their time?
With feudal plans, the kings of the earth prepare for battle.
The rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed.
One, let us break their chains.
They cry and free ourselves from slavery to God, but the one who rules in
heaven laughs the Lord scoffs at them.
Then in anger, he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury.
For the Lord declares, I have placed my chosen king on the throne
in Jerusalem on my holy mountain.
The king proclaims the Lord's decree.
The Lord said to me, you are my son.
Today I have become your father.
Only ask and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth.
As your possession, you will break them with an iron rod.
And smash them like clay pots now, then you kings act wisely.
Be warned you.
Rulers of the earth serve the Lord with reverent fear and rejoice with trembling.
Submit to God's royal son or he will become angry and you will be destroyed
in the midst of all your activities.
For his anger flares up in an instant.
But what joy for all who take refuge in him.
Psalm three, a Psalm of David regarding the time David fled from his son, Absalom.
Oh Lord, I have so many enemies.
So many are against me.
So many are saying God will never rescue him.
Interlude.
But you, oh Lord, are a shield around me.
You are my glory.
The one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the Lord and he answered me from his holy mountain interlude.
I lay down and slept.
Yet I woke up in safety for the Lord was watching over me.
I am not afraid of 10,000 enemies who surround me on every side.
Arise, oh Lord.
Rescue me my God.
Slap all my enemies in the face.
Shatter the teeth of the wicked victory comes from you.
Oh Lord, may you bless your people interlude
Psalm four for the choir director, a Psalm of David to be accompanied
by stringed instruments.
Answer me when I call to you, oh God, who declares me innocent?
Free me from my troubles, have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
How long will you people ruin my reputation?
How long will you make groundless accusations?
How long will you continue your lies interlude?
You can be sure of this.
The Lord set apart the Godly for himself.
The Lord will answer when I call to him.
Don't sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent.
Interlude.
Offer sacrifices in the right spirit and trust the Lord.
Many people say, who will show us better times?
Let your face smile on us, Lord.
You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests
of grain and new wine in peace.
I will lie down and sleep for you alone.
Oh Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalm five for the choir director, a Psalm of David to be accompanied by the flute.
Oh Lord, hear me as I pray.
Pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my king and my God.
For I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly, oh God.
You take no pleasure in wickedness.
You cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence for you.
Hate all who do evil.
You will destroy those who tell lies, the Lord detests, murderers, and
deceivers Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house.
I will worship at your temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, oh Lord, or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul.
Like the stench from an open grave, their tongues are filled with flat flattery.
Oh God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice.
Let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them.
That all who love your name may be filled with joy for you.
Bless the Godly, oh Lord, you surround them with your shield of love.
Psalm six for the choir director.
A Psalm of David to be accompanied by an eight stringed instrument.
Oh Lord, don't rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage.
Have compassion on me Lord, for I am weak.
Heal me Lord, for my bones are in agony.
I am sick at heart.
How long, oh Lord, until you restore me.
Return, oh Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love for the dead.
Do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave.
I am worn out from sobbing all night.
I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears.
My vision is blurred by grief.
My eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.
Go away.
All you who do evil for the Lord has heard my weeping.
The Lord has heard my plea.
The Lord will answer my prayer.
May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.
This concludes today's immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.