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Psalm 2: Hope in the Midst of Injustice

Terrorists murder and maim. Con artists bilk the elderly. The rich exploit the poor. Abusers scar children. The promiscuous mock the chaste. Liars lock the innocent behind bars. Those who’ve sworn to uphold justice overturn it.

What is our hope in the midst of injustice? Psalm 2 tells us.

It’s a psalm originally composed for singing at the coronations of kings descended from David. It’s one of about ten psalms categorized as royal psalms because they’re about the Davidic monarchy.

Psalm 2:1-3 The root of injustice

Psalm 2:1-3 shows us from where injustice comes

A good, effective king was a cause for rejoicing. Such a king fought wickedness, judged righteously, executed justice, defended the poor, and crushed oppressors. A godly king brought the hope of justice and righteousness to the kingdom.

Since ancient Israel was a type of the heavenly kingdom, and King David was a type of King Jesus, royal psalms often have elements that apply to the kingdom of heaven and to Jesus’ reign. Psalm 2 is no exception, and the New Testament quotes it frequently, applying its words to Jesus, the Son of David. It foretells the crowning of Jesus the Anointed One—the Messiah—so it is also a Messianic psalm.

So what does Psalm 2 tell us?

God Decreed His Son King

Psalm 2:7a is the psalm’s center and tells us the psalm’s theme:

I will tell of the decree:

The rest of the verse explains the decree:

The Lord said to me,
“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.”

This refers to the decree God made regarding King David. When David wanted to build a temple for the Lord, he asked the prophet Nathan to ask God if that would be acceptable.

That night the Lord spoke to Nathan and told him to tell David no, David would not build a house (that is, a temple) for God, but rather God would build a house (that is, a dynasty) for David. God decreed that he would establish the throne of David’s son’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:13). These sons of David would be called sons of God—a political term in those days because lesser kings (vassals) were called “sons” of the greater king (suzerain) whom they served. David and his sons were to be vassals of God.

The first son of David to reign would be Solomon. Most Bible translations capitalize “Son” so you don’t miss that the last Son is Jesus, not son in the same political sense as David’s other sons—that was mere foreshadowing of the Son of God born of a virgin. It is Jesus’ throne that will last forever.

Well and good, but what does that have to do with the evil we see around us? For that we look back to the beginning of the psalm.

Many Rebel Against the Decree

Psalm 2:1-2 (see figure) tells of a rebellion of those who don’t want to submit to the newly crowned king. Newly crowned kings often faced rebellion from those ready to test their strength. In Jesus’ case, the religious leaders rebelled and turned Jesus over to Rome to be crucified on trumped-up charges. They celebrated, thinking the threat to their authority demolished. They didn’t know God had raised Jesus from the dead and anointed him king on the heavenly Mount Zion.

Psalm 2:10-12 the final answer to injustice

Psalm 2:10-12 Those who refuse God’s Son’s rule will perish, but those who embrace it will be blessed

When Jesus ascended to heaven, his followers proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah who had sat down at the Father’s right hand. They offered the grace found in Psalm 2’s close: Be wise and warned, serve the Lord God, and “kiss the Son” (that is, pay homage to him as ruler) so that you will not perish, but have eternal life.

Today, Christians continue to spread this message in a world in which most still rebel.

For one day, trumpets will sound and the Lord will return (Matthew 24:31). On that day, it will be seen that all the plotting to reject his rule will be in vain (Psalm 2:1), and every knee will bow. Some will bow as the conquered bow, yielding to the inevitable before perishing. But those who willingly bowed on earth will bow then in gladness and joy, the hope of Jesus’ reign finally come.

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12). Yes, truly blessed: They will be in Jesus’ kingdom where there will be no injustice, no tears, no pain. All will be made right.

That is our hope in the midst of injustice today.

His Kingdom Comes!

Until that day, we pray, “Maranatha!” There in one word is the cry, “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). It encapsulates what Jesus teaches us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

When we pray for God’s kingdom to come, we express our yearning for that kingdom in which our Lord rules with righteousness and justice. We offer ourselves as obedient servants longing to dwell under his reign. We agree that God’s commands are right and holy, and that justice demands sin’s wages be paid. We give thanks for Jesus paying the penalty for our sins through his death on the cross in order that we might live. We trust that as he rose from the dead, so shall we.

Maranatha!

Adapted from Discovering Hope in the Psalms (Harvest House, 2017)

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Art as Worship

Whether you consider yourself to be artistic or not, you can worship God through art. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, for God sees the heart: “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12).

Worship is an offering of ourselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1-2). It involves adoration, submission, proclamation, and service, all of which can be done through art.

Stained glass art as worship

Stained glass portraying Saint Luke | Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Art has played a significant part of Christian service: Consider Handel’s Messiah, the medieval illuminated manuscripts, Milton’s epic Paradise Lost, and the stained glass of the great cathedrals. Even culinary arts are represented during feasts that celebrate Christ’s birth and resurrection—particularly when lamb is served for Easter accompanied by an explanation of Jesus being the Lamb sacrificed for our sins.

Take a look at how the arts played a part in Israel’s worship of God. Here is just a sample.

Art as Worship in the Bible

Performing Art as Worship

Members of three choirs greeted worshipers at the temple’s gates, played music, and sang throughout the temple facility. Men and women alike wrote and sang songs commemorating God’s mighty works. All the people acted important historical events, such as Passover—where families dressed and feasted in the way the Israelites did on the night God freed them from Egyptian slavery—and the Feast of Tabernacles—where they lived in palm booths for a week to reenact the wilderness experience and the entrance to the Promised Land.

Literary Art as Worship

Moses, Miriam, and other men and women in the Bible wrote songs for others to sing so they would remember God’s instructions and mighty deeds. At least one shepherd boy (David) wrote psalms for use in personal worship. Later, worship leaders wrote psalms to be sung by the choirs and recited by the masses. Some wrote histories and testimonies to teach others about God. Church leaders wrote letters to encourage, admonish, and bless.

Culinary Art as Worship

Illuminated mss is art as worship

Illuminated manuscript (Genesis) | Wenceslas Bible, 1389, from freechristimages.org

Worship included feasts, the elements of which often symbolized an aspect of God’s care. For example, the spring Passover feast included lamb to represent the Passover Lamb slain that they might live, and unleavened bread signifying the haste with which the people fled Egypt. The summer Feast of Weeks included leavened bread in celebration of the grain harvest God provided in the Promised Land; to the early church it symbolized the falling of the Seed that produced the harvest of the church. The fall Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the year’s final harvest; it also symbolized the Last Day’s harvest of souls.

Visual Art as Worship

At homes, Scripture adorned doorposts and gates, providing teaching opportunities. But where the visual arts really stood out was at the temple. There wood carvings, gold inlays, intricate embroidery, and bronze statues reminded worshipers that this was the temple of the Creator of all in heaven and earth. He was holy and they drew near him through sacrifice. The artistry reminded people who God was so they could worship appropriately.

Why Attempt Art as Worship?

Many of us have enjoyed stained glass windows in cathedrals and Bible stories in plays or movies. But this level of art as worship is beyond the skills of most: We can enjoy it, but not do it.

Still, artistically expressing what we’re learning in Scripture has these benefits:

  • Deepens our involvement with the passage
  • Helps us remember the passage’s message
  • Gives us a means to easily and vibrantly share the passage with others
  • Is a part of loving the Lord with our whole being: heart, soul, mind, and strength
Art as worship deepens our involvement, helps us remember, & gives us a means to share Share on X

Simple Ideas for Art as Worship

Art as worship: Psalm 1:3

“A tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3) | Art doesn’t have to be skillful to be meaningful–I enjoyed creating this and was blessed by the layers of meaning that came out

So what are some simple ways to use art as worship? Here are ideas based on Psalm 1, most of which could be used with any Scripture passage:

Performing Arts

  • Find a musical version of the psalm to play or sing (such as that of Kim Hill)
  • Act out the psalm as you read or recite it aloud to music (spoken word poetry)
  • Write music and lyrics based on the psalm

Literary Arts

  • Write a psalm similar to Psalm 1 based on a particular biblical instruction.
  • Form this psalm’s message into a poem of any type you like

Culinary Arts

  • For a picnic, gather chaff (papery seed covering) from plants that have gone to seed (or weeds if you can’t find chaff) and place it on a container. Prepare fresh fruit and place it on another container. Show children or friends the contents of the two containers. As you explain how chaff is good for nothing, toss it in the air and let the wind drive it away (or pour it into the trash if the day is windless). Serve the fruit as you explain how healthy and desirable it is. Explain what Psalm 1 says about our lives being like chaff or well-watered fruit trees.
Art as worship can be simple

Clockwise from top: 1. cross stitch in progress; 2. stamped tile; 3. bookmarks; 4. scale as reminder of justice.

Visual Arts

  • Create a container garden with a small plant pruned like a tree and tiny rocks suggesting a stream
  • Write part or all of the psalm in calligraphy
  • Create an art journal: sketch, paint, and affix photos and words from magazines
  • In a journaling Bible, pick one verse to illuminate in the wide margin
  • Overlay a verse on top of a photograph of a fruit tree by a river
  • Create a diorama or sculpture or piece of jewelry
  • Create fabric art using cross stitch, embroidery, or applique
  • Turn what you are learning into an artistic expression to encourage others: bookmarks, greeting cards, t-shirt, coaster
Art as worship in a laundry room

“‘A merry heart createth a cheerful countenance’ Proverb 15:13” | My MIL Rae disliked housework so she painted her laundry room in a way that would remind her that her service was worship.

My favorite ways of creating art as worship are writing new psalms based on other psalms, turning a passage into a story or poem, sketching passages, and fabric art. My husband, Clay, has written several encouraging psalms during difficult times. I have a friend who makes coasters from tiles, another who illuminates verses in a journaling Bible, one who made a container garden to illustrate the Parable of the Sower, and still another who makes bookmarks.

What ways have you used art in worship? What might you try?

Adapted from Discovering Hope in the Psalms (Harvest House, 2017)

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How to Understand Psalms

I used to dislike the Book of Psalms because the psalms kept repeating themselves instead of proceeding point-by-point to a nice conclusion in the first line of the last stanza. After all, essays put the main point in the first sentence of the last paragraph. That’s why we call it a “conclusion.” The psalms didn’t do that.

The problem was that I didn’t understand Psalms’ genre. Not understanding the genre of a book of the Bible leads to not understanding the book. You see, every kind of writing has a genre. We read a newspaper differently than a love note or a poem or a bank deposit slip. We read Philippians differently than Proverbs.

It wasn’t until I learned a bit about Hebrew poetry that I began to not only appreciate, but love, Psalms. Here’s what I needed to know.

To Understand Psalms, Find & Compare Parallel Elements

The psalms are Hebrew poems. A Hebrew poem’s basic unit is a poetic line. Most lines have two segments, though some have three or four, and a few have only one.

Most line segments in Hebrew poetry use parallelism. They often say something similar in multiple ways, giving us different ways to grasp the poet’s meaning. The best part about parallelism is that it translates well, so we don’t have to know Hebrew to enjoy it. God was planning ahead when he helped the Hebrews develop their poetry!

Here are the parallel elements of Psalm 1:1 lined up:

Understanding Psalms 1:1

Parallel elements in Psalm 1:1 are below each other

What I thought was pointless redundancy was an invitation to compare the parallel elements to see how they relate. In this case, they intensify, which lead me to ponder how to avoid the progression by not taking the first step.

In the verse above, the parallelism is illustrated like this: ABCD/B’C’D’/B’’C’’D’’. Sometimes the parallel elements are placed in a pattern like this: AB/B’A’. This is called a chiasm (KEY-asm; chi is the Greek name for the letter “X”). In the chart below, the lines drawn between the parallel elements of Psalm 1:2 cross in the shape of an X:

Understanding Psalms 1:2

Parallel elements in Psalm 1:2 form an X shape

When I compared the parallel elements in this verse and considered what delight and meditation have to do with each other, I realized that the righteous so delight in the Lord’s instructions that they meditate on it all the time. We naturally think about that which delights us. Delight brings meditation, and meditation increases delight.

By this time I was delighting in parallelism.

To Understand Psalms, Note the Type of Parallelism

Knowing the most common types of parallelism helps us interpret psalms.

In synonymous parallelism, the parallel units use words with similar meanings to express the same idea in a similar way. Both of the above verses use synonymous parallelism, and I showed you how pondering on how the units are similar brings greater understanding of the verse.

In antithetical parallelism, the parallel units use words with opposite meanings to contrast ideas. In Psalm 1:6, “knows” is parallel to “perish”; in the Bible, those whom God knows he watches over and keeps from perishing:

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

In synthetic parallelism, the parallel units do something else, such as complete a thought. In Psalm 1:4, the first line segment tells us the wicked are not like the well-watered fruit trees from the previous verse, and the second line segment tells us what they are like. That invites us to compare the functions, value, and endurance of fruit trees with that of chaff.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away

To Understand Psalms, Find the Theme from Parallelism

It’s not just segments within a poetic line that have parallelism. The entire poem may have parallel elements. Often the first and last words or lines are parallel, in which case they’re the clue to the theme. Psalm 1’s first word is “blessed” and its last word is “perish” (antithetical parallelism); both lines refer to “ways”; therefore, the theme is There is a way that is blessed and a way that perishes.

Sometimes the first and last stanzas are parallel, as are the second and second-to-last stanzas, and so on, forming a chiasm of stanzas in which the center is the psalm’s theme. Psalm 71 is such a chiasm:

Understanding Psalms 71

Parallel stanzas in Psalm 71 form a chiasm

In other words, I’d been looking for the “conclusion” in the physical conclusion. But in Hebrew poetry, the central point is often in the center! Compare all the stanzas equal distance from the center to understand psalms with chiasm, and you’ll find the poet’s thought progressions.

As you can see …

If you want to understand Psalms, parallelism is the key Share on X

Adapted from Discovering Hope in the Psalms (Harvest House, 2017)

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Seven Tips & Tricks to Memorize Psalms

By Jean E. Jones @JeanEstherJones

Did my last post, Why Memorize Psalms? 10 Good Reasons, leave you wondering just how anyone would go about memorizing psalms?
Now, I know people who can read a long passage a few times and it’s memorized. I’m not like that. So when I decided to memorize some psalms, I first read up on memory tricks. Here are six tips I’ve found particularly helpful.

1. Pick a Bible Version that Aids Memorization

Indented lines help you memorize psalms

Tips 1+3. Indented lines help you memorize psalms–so does drawing in your Bible

Memorizing will be easier if you choose a Bible version that breaks the psalms into stanzas and lines rather than printing them as paragraphs. Hebrew poetry consists of poetic lines with parallel parts, and being able to see those parts one above the other will help you see their relationships, and that will help you memorize. For example, look at Psalm 30:5 as it’s indented in ESV (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version)) below:

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

See the relationships? That helps you remember.

2. Recite Aloud Every Day with One New Verse per Day

Andrew M. Davis wrote a helpful little book called An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture. In his method, you review every day and add one new verse per day, using these three steps.

  1. “Yesterday’s verse first”: Begin by reciting the verse you added the day before ten times aloud, looking if you need to.
  2. “Old verses next, altogether”: Recite everything you’ve memorized to date aloud, peeking if you forget anything.
  3. “New verse”: Begin memorizing the next verse in the passage by saying it ten times while staring hard at the words.
Memorize psalms with linked pictures

Tip 3. Hyssop linked to snow to remember Psalm 51:7

Davis emphasizes saying the verses aloud and “photographing the verses with your eyes.” To help me “photograph” the line, I cover everything below it with a white card while I say it and stare at it. When I’ve said it enough times to remember it, I’ll cover the line, picture it in my mind, and say it, then immediately uncover and read the line to reinforce it.

3. Use Linked Mental Pictures

Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas in The The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play explain that “thoughts may be associated to each other, so that one thought will remind you of the next thought” (p. 24). They advise you to think of a mental image that reminds you of the first item you want to remember, and then associate it with a picture of the second item you want to remember. Then take the second picture and associate it with an image of the third, and so on until you’ve linked all the items you want to remember.
This is very easy with visual psalms such as Psalm 23, but let me show you how to do it with a passage that has intangibles. Here’s Psalm 51:7-8 with a key word in each line in bold:

Linked pictures help you memorize psalms

Tip 3. Snow linked to hear (ear) to remember Psalm 51:7-8

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

For intangibles, substitute an image of something that sounds similar (ear for “hear” or Mary for “marry”) or connects in some way (a hand holding a tissue for “blot”). The pictures demonstrate how to associate each key word with the next. You can also sketch the pictures in your Bible.

4. Review with a Recording

When I’ve memorized several verses of a psalm, I play a recording while I recite it. This seems to engage a different part of the brain than reading: I stumble in different places! You can use the audio feature of Bible apps such as YouVersion or record yourself reading the psalm slowly and with feeling into your cellphone’s recording app, pausing between stanzas. (I usually start with YouVersion and switch to my own recording when I’m just about done with the psalm. By that time, I know how I want to read it.)

Memorize psalms with linked pictures

Tip 3. Hear linked to bones to remember Psalm 51:8

Of course, if you’re musically inclined, put the psalm to music like the Israelites did and you’ll learn it even faster.

5. Remember the Stanza Flow

Make a mental note of each stanza’s central point so you can remember their order. Here’s Psalm 30 by verse numbers:

  • 1-3: Praise
  • 4-5: Divine description
  • 6-7: Dilemma
  • 8-10: Dilemma’s prayer
  • 11-12: Thanksgiving

6. Pay Attention to Parallelism to Memorize Psalms

The most significant aspect of Hebrew poetry is its use of parallelism. Parallelism is a huge help in memorizing, as you can see in Psalm 1:1:

Parallelism helps you memorize psalms

Tip 6. Noticing parallelism helps you memorize psalms

See how much easier it is to remember how the line flows when you see the parallel parts laid out like this? The structure here is diagrammed like this: A / B C D / B’ C’ D’ / B’’ C’’ D’’. Most Hebrew poetic lines are either A B / A’ B’ or A B / B’ A’. Paying attention to how the parallel elements relate to each other helps your memory. I often write out stanzas with the parallel items stacked so I can visualize them better.

7. Use Tricks for Synonyms to Memorize Psalms

Memorize psalms with memory tricks

Tips 3+7. Face linked to blot and lips sighing (SI=Sins Iniquities) to remember Psalm 51:9

I found Psalm 51 difficult to memorize because of all the synonyms for sin. So I made a mental picture of “TIS” next to the first stanza (standing for Transgressions, Iniquity, Sin) and “TSSE IS” next to the second stanza (Transgressions, Sin, Sinned, Evil, Iniquity, Sin). For the third stanza, I took the mental picture of face linked to blot and added sighing lips to remind me of “SI” (Sins, Iniquities; see the illustration).

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There you have it: the seven tips and tricks to help you memorize psalms!

Have you used these tips and tricks? What additional tips and tricks help you memorize?

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Why Memorize Psalms? 10 Good Reasons

When I first read Gorden Wenham’s careful and convincing chapter in Psalms as Torah [ref]Gorden Wenham, Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Studies in Theological Interpretation) (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), 41-56. [/ref] that the Psalms were meant to be memorized, I asked myself, “So why haven’t you memorized any psalms?” Answer: I find memorizing long passages difficult—very difficult! But I’d recently read a book on memory tricks, so I resolved to give it a try. Besides, I loved praying psalms and knew that would be a way to add psalm praying to my regular prayer time rather than my Bible reading time.

Memorize Psalms

When we memorize Psalms, we store them in our heart

Was I surprised: I now love memorizing psalms! And it’s easier than I thought.

Here’s why.

1. When I memorize psalms I can pray them any time

Most psalms are inspired prayers meant to be sung.[ref]Ibid., 63. [/ref] Psalms teach us how to pray, and I’ve prayed them for years. Now that I’ve memorized four psalms, they’re available to me to pray at any time. I usually walk during my main prayer time, and I absolutely love beginning with something memorized.

2. When I memorize psalms they increase my joy & peace

I wanted to add a thanksgiving psalm to my regular prayers to help me give thanks for answered prayers. I chose the beautiful Psalm 30. Wow. Beginning each day extoling God for salvation and remembering how he brought me to him is so uplifting that it makes my heart sing. It increased my joy by leaps. It reminded me that just as God miraculously saved me, so he can get me through that day’s troubles, and that brings me peace. Yet those weren’t my goals. They are side benefits: I aimed to bless God and he blessed me!

3. When I memorize psalms I’m more likely to do what they say

Praying psalms commits me to obeying what they say. Praying, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked” (Psalm 1) commits me to obeying God, not the world. Praying, “I will extol you, oh Lord” (Psalm 30), commits me to extolling God—to magnifying him and to telling others of his good care. In fact, I now regularly follow reciting this line with a prayer, “God, how can I best extol you today?” In the midst of memorizing this psalm, I jumped at the chance to speak on overcoming fear, knowing this would be a perfect means to glorify God. Frankly, until I memorized Psalm 30, I wasn’t actively looking for ways to publicly glorify God for what he’s done in my life.

4. When I memorize psalms they prepare me to face any circumstance

Confidence songs like Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd”) can be on my tongue the instance a difficulty strikes. This one is full of imagery, and just picturing the mental images I focused upon while memorizing this psalms brings me the peace of the psalm even before I recite the words.

5. When I memorize psalms I meditate on God’s words more frequently

The blessed man meditates on God’s words day and night (Psalm 1). In ancient times, you couldn’t meditate on God’s words at night unless you had them memorized: Torches just weren’t that efficient. With psalms memorized, I can meditate even when my Bible’s not open.

When Clay was a child his agnostic father would come into his room at bedtime and recite Psalm 23 with him. Clay quickly memorized it and remembers walking down the street to grade school reciting it to himself. He found this encouraging and spiritually formative as he was growing up even though he didn’t become a Christian until several years later in junior high.

6. Reciting psalms makes my sleep more peaceful

This was another surprise. When I awake in the middle of the night and my thoughts start racing, I can calm them by reciting psalms. This is turning out to be a good way to get back to sleep. The psalmists apparently knew this since they talk about night songs (Psalm 42:8), meditating in bed (Psalm 63:6), and awakening at night in order to meditate on God’s promises (Psalm 119:148).

7. Poetry is easier to memorize than prose

Martin Luther “described the Psalter as a mini-Bible, which sums up the whole message of the Scriptures.” [ref]Gordon Wenham, The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms
(Wheaton: Crossway, 2013), 40. [/ref] Since poetry is easier to memorize than histories and letters, it’s a good way to get more of God’s words into my heart.

8. Memorizing psalms is a good mental challenge

Okay, there’s nothing particularly spiritual about this. But keeping my brain active could give me more years to actively serve God.

9. Jesus memorized psalms

WWJD? Jesus quoted psalms regularly: He had them memorized. We’re called to imitate him.

10. The psalms were meant to be memorized

Why not memorize them if they were meant to be memorized? This was the clincher for me. I decided if the ancients could do this, then I could do it.

Coming next : Tips & tricks to make memorizing psalms easier

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Psalm 137 and Dashing Babies on Rocks

What does Psalm 137:8-9 mean: “O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!”? Why would a supposedly righteous person use such an awful image? How can the psalmist call someone who does such a thing “blessed”?

Shocking, isn’t it?

Poets use gut-wrenching imagery to get others to feel what they feel. The Jews had watched Babylonian troops tear down Jerusalem’s walls, loot the temple, and burn their buildings. The invading soldiers slaughtered them with swords and dashed their babies on rocks.[ref] These and other horrific acts were meant to terrorize kingdoms into submission. ”The dark realities of warfare in the ancient Near East often doomed the innocent to destruction. While soldiers and men were often subject to dismemberment and impalement, women and children might also be ravished and slaughtered…. Pregnant women might be lacerated in order to extract the fruit of their wombs for sport, and infants were smashed on the ground….” John W. Hilber, “Psalms,” Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Volume 5, John H. Walton, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 432. [/ref] Then they shackled survivors and exiled them to Babylonia (today’s southern Iraq). [ref]Jeremiah 40:1.[/ref]

The writer of this psalm is one of those exiles. He’s grieving the loss of home and loved ones—perhaps even his own child. He’s written this psalm to help the community of exiles grieve.

The Imagery of Psalm 137 Symbolizes the Horrors the Jews Suffered

Of all the horrors the psalmist saw, he chooses one as emblematic of their suffering: murdered infants. The psalmist uses a common poetic device called synecdoche, in which a part of something represents all of it. The dashed babies is the one horror he most wants to see Babylon repaid for, and so he uses it as a symbol for the total repayment he knows is coming.

Synecdoche: a poetic device in which a part of something represents all of it.

Why did he think Babylon would be repaid?

Psalm 137:9 Quotes Prophets

The prophets who foretold Judah’s exile also said the exile would last just seventy years. Then the Medes would conquer Babylon, repay her for all she did to Judah, and send the Jewish exiles home. One of the things the prophets said would happen to Babylon is this: “Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes” (Isaiah 13:16). So the psalmist isn’t making some gruesome punishment up: he is quoting what the prophet Isaiah foretold. He uses one image from what the prophets said would happen to Babylon to stand for the whole of the oracles about Babylon. Thus, his statement is a proclamation of faith in God’s promise that Babylon would fall and the exiles would come home.

The Imagery Represents Eye-for-Eye Justice

The Jews’ concern with equal repayment may seem foreign to us, but it’s important to understand that they lived under a talionic (eye-for-eye) justice system where punishment matched the crime. One should be treated as one treated others. They had no problem wanting God to repay wrongdoers, especially when they knelt powerless before a cruel oppressor. Gordon Wenham explains: “The psalmist is asking for justice, not revenge. This will demonstrate to others that God hears prayer and intervenes on behalf of the poor and oppressed.” [ref]Gordon J. Wenham, Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), 171.[/ref] The Jews wanted eye-for-eye justice because it showed God cared about righting wrongs.

Wenham adds an important note: “In these psalms there is no suggestion that the psalmist will personally intervene; vindication is left to God.” [ref]Ibid.[/ref] God always gets it right.

Additionally, in Psalm 137:9 it’s important to note that the psalmist is not asking God to have babies killed; rather, he is commenting on the state of those who fulfill the prophecies of Babylon’s fall.

The Imagery Symbolizes Ending a Dynasty

There’s another piece of symbolism here. Ending a reign in ancient days meant eradicating the royal line. Leaving an heir to the throne alive invited future rebellion. Psalm 137 speaks of the coming of the end of Babylon’s ruling dynasty.

Erich Zenger, who was Professor of Biblical History at the University of Münster in Germany, says this:

Psalm 137 is a political poem: It deals with the end of Babylon’s reign of terror. This is also important with respect to the image of the children of the daughter Babylon, who are to be smashed against the stone pavements of the capital city. “The children” are those of the royal house, that is, of the dynasty (cf. Isa. 7:14-16; 9:1-6). The horrible image means to say that this dynasty of terror ought to be exterminated completely (“root and branch”).[ref]Erich Zenger, A God of Vengeance? Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath, trans. Linda M. Maloney(Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1994), 50.[/ref]

But Why Call Him “Blessed”?

So the psalmist uses emotive imagery to symbolize the horrors that the Jews suffered, the whole of the prophecies about Babylon’s demise, the eye-for-eye repayment he considered just, and the end of a cruel dynasty.

Painting of Rembrandt's "Belshazzar's Feast," for Psalm 137:8-9

“Belshazzar’s Feast” by Rembrandt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Still, why would the psalmist call the one enacting punishment on Babylon “blessed” or “happy”? It is not that he would be happy to kill babies. It is simply this: he would be happy to end a cruel and tyrannical regime.

On the night Cyrus the Great, King of the Medes and Persians, invaded Babylon, the Babylonian King Nabonidus was absent. His son Belshazzar was partying with holy vessels plundered from Jerusalem’s temple. The overthrow was relatively bloodless, but Belshazzar died that night (Daniel 5:30), and there is little doubt his children died too to prevent a future challenge to the throne.

Even the Babylonians were happy about the dynasty’s demise: “The inhabitants of Babylon greeted Cyrus not as a conqueror but as a liberator, and spread green branches before him.”[ref]Edwin M. Yamauchi, Persia and the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990), 87. [/ref]

Blogs on other Bible questions
See also

Here are four excellent books that discuss the more difficult psalms, in order of reading ease.

  • In A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah, J. Clinton McCann Jr. discusses Psalms 109, 137, and 82 in his chapter, “Prayer and Activity: Vengeance, Catharsis, and Compassion.” He writes for a general audience.
  • Gordon J. Wenham’s The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms is very good. It’s a compilation of lectures and therefore doesn’t read as smoothly as his book below, but it covers a broader range of topics. The chapters, “Praying the Psalms” and “The Imprecatory Psalms” are helpful; he quotes McCann’s and Zenger’s books. His audience is the more serious student of the Bible, seminary students, and church leaders.
  • Gordon J. Wenham’s excellent Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Studies in Theological Interpretation) has two chapters particularly relevent to understanding the harsher psalms: “Laws in the Psalter” and “Appeals for Divine Intervention.” He summarizes McCann’s and Zenger’s books. Here his audience is seminary students.
  • In A God of Vengeance?: Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath, Erich Zenger argues that the psalms that cry out against injustice are essential in a world of violence. Zenger was a German Roman Catholic priest and a professor of biblical history, and his take on the German churches’ wrestling with psalms of violence after the world wars is culturally fascinating. The audience is church leaders and scholars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Trying to Turn Things into What They’re Not

When I was a child, I tried to turn a Chihuahua into Lassie.

I wanted a dog like Lassie, that heroic TV collie who had long orangish/brown fur, bits of black around her perky ears, and a huge white mane that fluffed softly from her chest and was always clean and brushed. Every week I watched her rescue little Timmy from danger.

I thought if I had a dog like Lassie, she could rescue me if a river swept me away, attack bad people that tried to hurt me, and run for help if I were trapped in a collapsed mine. Then she would lick my face while sweetly whining, just as Lassie licked Timmy’s face at the end of every show.

Trying to turn things into what they're not

My sister Karen, brother Tony, and I playing in the sprinklers with Moosie, the tiny blob in front of us

But I didn’t have a Lassie. I had Moose: an irritable, golden blonde Chihuahua whose girth nearly matched her height. The top of her head sported a large, bald soft spot I wasn’t supposed to touch. She scurried about on spindly legs while her toenails went clickety-clickety-clickety. When I disturbed her frequent naps, she growled and bit my fingers with needle-like teeth.

Nonetheless, I was sure Moosie could be like Lassie with a little nudging.

So one day when a group of kids big enough to go to school were hanging out on the sidewalk in front of our small stucco house, I decided to bravely walk outside with Moosie by my side. I called her. She ignored me. I picked up all eight pounds of her and carried her to the front door. “Come on, Moosie, we’re going outside,” I coaxed. I set her down and she put her wiggling, wet nose on the crack where the door opened. I turned the doorknob and pulled on the door. She jumped out the door and I followed her. But as soon as she saw the school kids, she ducked her nose onto the ground, whipped her skinny tail under so far it nearly touched her pointed chin, twisted the front half of her body around like a hairpin, and dove back into the house.

The big kids stared.

A Lassie she would never be.

Trying to turn things into something they're not

Moosie standing on the armrest of a chair staring at my grandmother’s parakeet

Although I wanted a dog to protect and befriend me, what I didn’t know is I had someone infinitely more reliable, infinitely mightier, and infinitely more concerned for me than Lassie ever could be for Timmy. Lassie, after all, was mortal, besides being fictitious. Her successes depended on a storywriter’s will to keep the dangers facing Timmy within Lassie’s ability to overcome. There was no Lassie that could protect me from the dangers of the real world in which I lived.

It wasn’t a Lassie I needed, then as a child or later as an adult. I needed, and have, the Good Shepherd. This Shepherd knows my heart and thoughts, as well as the heart and thoughts of all around me. There is no story line bigger than his abilities to overcome. Not even death.

And yet … we sometimes try to mold people and situations and things into being that which only the Good Shepherd can be for us. When we try to make creation do what only the Creator can do, we set ourselves up for disappointment and unhappiness.

  • We may try to mold our spouse into being everything we emotionally need, rather than seeking all we need from God
  • We may turn our environment into never-ending entertainment, rather than taking our nagging and tumultuous thoughts to God for examination
  • We may feign illnesses so family members will prove they’ll always care for us, rather than trusting God for our future
  • We may form our deeds into exceptional works to prove we’re good people, rather than accepting the forgiveness God offers through Christ Jesus
  • We may habitually dull pain and sorrow with alcohol or drugs, rather than seeking the lasting comfort that only God can give
  • We may chase positions, possessions, and people to gain worth, rather than pursuing the eternal glory God offers
  • We may shape our work to gain approval from people, rather than being satisfied that the only approval which counts is God’s
  • We may manipulate others into doing what we want, rather than acting in honest ways and trusting God to provide for us
  • We may try to control others, rather than committing ourselves to prayer and trusting God with others’ lives

Have you been looking to mold someone or something into that which only God can be, just as I tried to mold Moosie into Lassie? It won’t succeed. Only the Good Shepherd can guide and care for you as you need.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

Psalm 23:1-3a

 

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Who are “the Righteous” in Psalms and Proverbs?

Today I’ll address a common question:

The Bible says no one is righteous, so to whom are the Psalms and Proverbs referring when they talk about “the righteous”?

That’s a great question. We read that all have sinned and no one is righteous in both the Old and New Testament: “…no one living is righteous before you” (Psalm 143:2); “…None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

So what do we make of verses like these?

The righteous are like trees near water

Psalm 1 says the righteous take in God’s words like trees planted near streams take in water, causing them to flourish

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. ~Psalms 1:6

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. ~Proverbs 9:9

The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. ~Proverbs 10:32

Though the question arises most often about Psalms and Proverbs, verses about the righteous occur elsewhere:

Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice … ~Ezekiel 3:20

If he rescued righteous Lot … ~2 Peter 2:7

And they [Zechariah and Elizabeth] were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. Luke 1:6

The answer has to do with the different ways the word righteous is used.

“The Righteous”

The standard for righteousness is God’s righteousness, and no person is righteous on his or her own. We can’t be righteous on our own because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

However, Scripture calls some people the righteous: these are those whose faith in and love for God causes them to order their lives according to God’s laws (Psalm 1:2; 1 John 3:7); God bestows righteousness on them because he counts faith as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Philippians 3:9).

In the New Testament, God makes righteous those who put their faith in Jesus. In both Testaments, the righteous aren’t sinless, but when they sin, they seek God’s forgiveness, and God cleanses them of unrighteousness (Psalm 51:9-10; 1 John 1:9).

Beeson Divinity School professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Allen P. Ross puts it this way:

The basic meaning of “righteous” has to do with conforming to the standard; in religious passages that standard is divine revelation. The righteous are people who have entered into covenant with God by faith and seek to live according to his word. The covenant that they have makes them the people of God—God knows them, and because God knows them, they shall never perish. They may do unrighteous things at times, but they know to find forgiveness because they want to do what is right. [ref]Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume I (1-41) (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011), 193-194.[/ref]

In contrast, the wicked are those who live as they see fit. The word translated wicked in Psalm 1 above can refer either to those who simply don’t love God, or to those who reject God’s laws,[ref]Ross, 185-186.[/ref] or to those committed to violence and oppression.

Righteous Living versus Righteous Standing

When reading Scripture, it’s important to differentiate between righteous living—ordering one’s life by God’s commands, including the command to love God—and righteous standing—the righteousness God gives people who live by faith (justification).

Righteous living without faith (simply keeping a certain moral code) never leads to righteous standing, whereas righteous standing based on faith always leads to righteous living.

Just keeping a moral code cannot lead to righteous standing because no person is sinless and God gives righteous standing to only those with faith in him (Romans 3:20). Additionally, those without faith in God always break the greatest command:

And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” ~Matthew 22:37-38

On the other hand, righteous standing always leads to righteous living because those with faith in God love and trust him enough to obey him (albeit imperfectly) and because God works in them to change them (Psalm 94:12; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 12:11; 1 John 3:10). It may take time to overcome weaknesses and old habits, but the Holy Spirit will produce growth.

For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield. ~Psalms 5:12 (ESV)

 

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Spontaneous Praise and Why the Psalmists Call Us to do It

Many psalms in the Bible’s book of Psalms tell us to praise God. But if the Bible is God’s words, is this God commanding praise? Indeed, some skeptics complain that praise psalms make God appear egotistical. In fact, when I first read Psalms, this very thing bothered me.

Mangroves elicit praise
Mangrove Trees

But let me tell a story that clarifies what what I had missed.

A Trip Down a River

Clay and I once boarded a boat docked on the sea green Tortuguero Canal in Costa Rica. Its blue canopy shielded us from sun and sporadic showers as we glided slowly on the water on the lookout for wild creatures.

We spotted many birds, including tiny roosting bats and blue-and-white swallows. Iguanas and big-headed green basilisk lizards crawled on roots and branches. Both two- and three-toed sloths hung lazily in trees.

Tiny bats elicit praise
Tiny roosting bats

We floated between riverbanks thick with the big, heart-shaped leaves of balsa trees. Everywhere, skinny aerial roots reached from mangrove tree branches down to the brackish water. Heavy yellow fruit hung like pendulums on coconut trees beneath cream-colored frothy flowers and jade-green serrated fronds. Flamboyant flowers in showy colors popped amidst the deep jungle green.

We heard hidden monkeys howling from the tree canopy. We breathed in the soft perfume of the pale yellow ylang-ylang flower, from which Channel No. 5 is made. Our fingers brushed fuzzy red achiote seed pods. We tasted slightly crunchy lady fingerling bananas with their lingering, honey-like sweetness.

Natural Praise

We praised achiote
Achiote seed pods

With each new wonder, we said to each other, family, and even strangers things like, “Look! Isn’t it gorgeous?!”; “Here—feel how incredibly soft this is!”; “Did you hear that? Wasn’t it amazing?!”; and “Oh, you’ve got to smell this—it’s beautiful!” When our ultra-zoom camera caught details the eye couldn’t see, we passed it around to others: “Look at this!”

The boat was filled with excited chatter about the wonders surrounding us.

Isn’t that what most people do when they encounter something wonderful? It seems fitting to share our discovery with someone. And when others respond with equal delight, our enjoyment increases.

Why the Psalmists Call us to Praise

Northern Jacana elicits praise
Northern Jacana

In fact, as C. S. Lewis has pointed out, enjoyment is not complete until it is expressed and shared.

This is why the psalmists so often call us to sing praises to the Lord: They experienced God and responded by calling others to share in their joy.

I did not always know this. I confess that the first few times I read Psalms, I wondered why God told people to praise him. The idea made me squirm because I associated it with tyrannical dictators and bad bosses: people who surround themselves with Yes men, reward flattery, and punish disagreement. Since then, I’ve found I wasn’t alone in my confusion.

Even a sloth elicits praise
Sloth

What I missed was that the psalms aren’t God demanding people praise him. Rather, they are psalms by godly people who experienced the wonders and realities of God, and who responded naturally with praise and a call to others to witness and share their delight under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

C. S. Lewis on Praise

C. S. Lewis put it this way:

Basilisk lizard in Costa Rica elicit praise
Basilisk Lizard

All enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless (sometimes even if) shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game—praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars.… Just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.

C.S. Lewis, The Inspirational Writings of C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (New York: Inspirational Press, 1994), 179 (Amazon affiliate link).
Spontaneous praise
Egret

On the Costa Rican boat, there was something else we did besides call others to marvel in tropical plants and animals: We praised their Creator, and thanked the Giver of all blessings. It was only fitting.

Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

Psalm 147:1

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Ylang-ylang brings praise for its fragrance
Ylang-ylang Flower

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Do the psalms tell us to praise God because God is egotistical? Or is something more delightful and spontaneous going on? Share on X
UPDATED NOVEMBER 15, 2019
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Honest Prayer

honest prayerLike many Christians I’d memorized verses such as “all things work together for good” and “give thanks in all circumstances (Rom 8:28, 1Th 5:18). When bad things happened, I’d quote these verses, thank God for the good He would work, and push away questions. Trying to trust God, I did something akin to closing my eyes, putting my hands over my ears, and saying, “Lalalalalal—just have faith—lalalalalala.”

After a second trimester miscarriage, I dutifully did these things and refused to think about problems. I thought I was fine. I didn’t feel angry at God; actually, I didn’t feel anything towards God. That concerned me, but I dismissed it as emotional exhaustion.

But when I noticed I was often mad over minor matters, I wondered if I were angry with God.

I looked up “anger” in my Bible’s concordance to see how God might respond. I found that He is slow to anger and full of understanding and compassion. I found too that God expects me to be patient and forgiving towards others’ anger, so that must be what He’s like.

I decided that if I were angry with God, He already knew it so I may as well talk to Him about it—not with a raging heart, like the fool in Pr 19:3, but in the same way I might talk to anyone whose actions I didn’t understand but whom I knew dearly loved me.

I headed out to a deserted schoolyard and prayed, “I think I might be mad at you, God.” I listed what bothered me (the things I’d been refusing to think about) and quickly discovered I was mad—really mad.

I admitted everything I was angry about, even the minor things such as, “Now I can’t enjoy a future pregnancy!” I disclosed every fear: “How will I face those church members who think my loss was due to lack of faith?” I asked every question: “How could you let something bad happen when I’m Your child?”

Surprisingly, such honest prayer helped three ways.

First, some issues resolved immediately. No sooner were the words out of my mouth about not being able to enjoy a future pregnancy than I realized the complaint wasn’t valid—irritation over not enjoying something is merely peevish.

More importantly, when I demanded, “Everyone else can have children; why can’t I?” I instantly realized my error. Many women cannot have children; some also have no husband. Ignoring my secret thoughts had kept me believing a lie and thinking God was denying me a right—and that was the basis of my anger.

Second, the fact that some issues resolved immediately gave me hope the others could resolve too. I still hurt, but now I had peace.

Third, the still unresolved questions were now exposed so I could seek answers. Before I had felt as if a craggy, deep red and black mountain had plunged onto the path before me, its height insurmountable and its dark shadow engulfing me. Now I felt as if the mountain were gone. Ahead my path approached a manageable hurdle, then another, then eventually it climbed a small beige hill and in the distance a larger hill behind which the sun shone brightly, lighting my way.

The difference between how I was attempting to trust God before and after may seem subtle, but the effects were significant. Before, I was closing my eyes lest something be exposed that weakened my faith. But while closed eyes can’t see problems, neither can they see God. When I opened my eyes and took questions and problems to God rather than ignoring them, I began to find answers and understand God better. Instead of weakening, my faith in God’s goodness grew. I still quoted verses and trusted God over what I didn’t understand, but out of faith rather than fear. I was searching for understanding “as for hidden treasures,” and was beginning to find it (Pr 2:4-6).

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalms 139:23 

You can read more about contentment with life’s circumstances in my article, Journey of Childlessness, on www.Kyria.com.

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