Psalms

Psalm 143 is most widely known as being one of the seven Penitential Psalms. As Psalm 143 falls into this grouping, it also means that it is considered a lament of repentance. While there is not an obvious transgression that David, the writer of the Psalm, is begging for repentance for, it is clearly shown through his words that he needs God to intercede in his life and save him from his transgressions and predicaments. Through his imploring of God to save him, David does not lose hope—he still…

My imagination is based on Psalm 23: 2 that states “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters.” The sheep were scattered grazing in the fields while the shepherd felt there was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and spotted him wandering close to the fields…

Psalm 139 is written after the author has a divine encounter about God’s character and the intimate knowledge he has of them. The author’s word choice can be further understood by studying in the original Greek/Hebrew words within the text that carry deeper meanings. Psalm 139:1 English standard version translation says. “Oh Lord you have searched me and you know me”. Two words that are important in this particular verse are the Greek/Hebrew words for Lord and know. The particular word for Lord…

I thought the psalms that were selected to discuss tied in well with the theme of justice and reconciliation. Psalms 13 when it states, “Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” This Psalms is a prayer and someone asking God for answers. There is pain and wanting guidance is something I think is natural through hardships in life. The apartheid obvious created pain and challenges for non-whites. Later on in the Psalms it describes wanting healing and…

God.” (Psalm 1:1, Living Bible). Psalm 1:1 uses the synonymous parallelism. The synonymous parallelism is identified in this verse because both lines articulate the same idea (Tullock & McEntire, 2012). The verse describes the actions of what is godly via not listening to or being associated with evil. “But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.” (Psalm 1:2, Living Bible). Psalm…

Propp, in his article Is Psalm 45 an Erotic Poem, writes about the origin, interpretations, imagery, terminology, and other aspects of Psalm 45. With a hidden meaning of poor translations behind every word, the depth of the palm is endless. However, due to the sexual themes and notations throughout the poem it can be difficult to see the psalm as anything less that an erotic poem. The original use of Psalm 45 was for either an Israelite or Judean royal wedding, possibly for common use or for…

Psalm 30 portrays the struggles of the life of faith within a brilliant edifice: The Jerusalem Temple, a powerful icon that portrays the faith of the community, the enduring presence of God and the sanctity of God’s promises to the Israelites. The Psalm is ascribed to David, but it is also dedicated to the construction of the Temple in 164 B.C. The title of the Psalm, “Thanksgiving and Deliverance”, gives us a sense of graciousness, which we should keep in our hearts when we read it and meditate…

level. Caring for a family and home with the added pressure of children’s education is something that can be overwhelming. I’ve been on this journey for twelve years and I have had my fair share of days when I wanted to pull my hair out and scream. 7 Psalms for the Homeschool Mom One good thing about this journey is I’m not the only one on it. I’m not swimming around in the middle of shark infested waters alone trying to survive. There are others who are experiencing the same thing or have…

Psalm 22 King David wrote one of the prophecies foretelling Jesus’s crucifixion. Even though Kind David was writing about his own emotions, most of the things that happened in Psalms 22 was foretelling to the happenings during Jesus’s death. David’s Psalm foretells of Jesus’s physical and spiritual problems approximately 500 years before the crucifixion took place. An example of the physical problems would be best shown through Psalms 22:7-8, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults,…

Psalm chapter 1 is instruction concerning good and evil. Standing before us is life and death the blessing and also the curse; that we will take the right way which leads to happiness, it avoid that which will certainly put an end to our misery. The different character and condition of godly people and wicked people, those that serve God and those who do not serve God. Psalm discuss the fact that the children of God and the children of the wicked one, as it is ancient. Since the terrible…