Psalms

I had a class at Fuller Theological Seminary on the Psalms where I wrote a number of reflection papers. These were very helpful to me, so I thought I’d post them. I had them up on another site for the longest time, and I decided to consolidate them to my blog. They appear just they [...]

Psalm 6

This Psalm is a heart-wrenching cry for deliverance from bodily affliction. What exactly the nature of this affliction is unknown, as well as its cause. The psalmist is shaken to the very core of his being in this psalm from this illness. He seems to feel that the Lord is angry, and yet makes no [...]

Psalms 42 and 43

These psalms can perhaps best be summarized by saying, “Life is messed up right now, but I know that God can and will deliver me, so I still have reason to hope.” This is the general thrust of these psalms. Even thought the psalmist has reason to be upset, prays to God for help, he [...]

Psalm 88

All right, there really is no way around it; this Psalm is depressing on its first read through. And the second, and the… As far as an attempt to categorize it goes, the Psalm is perhaps best titled as “God is Gone,” and the overall thrust is an accusation of God for having left the [...]

Psalms 143 and 144

Introduction: Thrust of the Psalms and Initial Observations The thrust of these Psalms is prayer for deliverance, but while the first one seems to focus entirely on deliverance of the individual, the second goes on to include the nation as well. The first is focused on asking God to act more than the second one, [...]

Personal Reflection on the Psalms

In the past, before taking this class, I was very much accustomed to thinking of the psalms as journal entries. After all, I write prayers in my journal as often as I write about when I’m bummed out about something. I still think that this is a valid perception, however, I feel as though I [...]