As I read through the Bible more and more, I am constantly drawn to the book of Psalm. The Psalms is an extremely interesting book in the Old Testament. As one of my favorite Bible professors taught me — Dr. Joanne Jung — the Psalms have different principles of interpretation.
1. Blend experience and theology.
The book of Psalm is a beautiful blend of real-life experience and emotions with the things of God. It brings the Bible to life because it shows our human disposition in light of our goal, a heavenly disposition.
2. Read as a whole, complete work.
It is extremely important to take a lot of time to study and read the Bible as a whole. While the book of Psalm is different than most other books of the Bible, it is still important to read chapters as a whole, so as to not take verses out of context.
3. There are different types of Psalms: lament, thanksgiving, hymns of praise, wisdom, songs of trust, etc.
One of my favorite things about Psalms is how there is a chapter for everything, honestly, there are so many categories. It is so applicable to daily life! When you’re feeling down, David has a ton of relatable laments, and when you’re happy, there are psalms of praise and rejoicing!
4. Parallelisms: rhyming of ideas, thoughts and repetition.
So, if you’re a literature and poetry nerd, then you’ll also love the book of Psalm. The Psalms are chock full literary devices, specifically the rhyming of ideas, thoughts and repetition. When a point needs to get made, it does.
Learning about what they are, how to read them well and how to better understand the Psalms is a great process. A really good way to test your knowledge of the Psalms as well as get in touch with your spiritual life is writing a Psalm. You can base your Psalm after one already in the Bible or you can write a poem about your personal blend of experience and theology.
Dr. Jung spoke at my church’s annual women’s retreat this year (as well as the previous one) and challenged the women to write a Psalm. During the time of this retreat, my heart was heavily burdened and I felt as if God was far off. But I took time to write a — very rough — Psalm. It began as a reflection of my heart and is now a prayer for my life.
Quiet My Heart, O LORD
For I am headstrong and filled with pride
Keep still My Soul, O LORD
As I am consumed with things not of You
Selah
Soften My Heart, O LORD
For I am hard and cold
Open My Eyes, O LORD
As I seek not Your Face
Selah
Adonai, I call out to You
Hear My Voice and hold my hand
Be here Savior
Adonai, I am in need of Your Grace
Help me reflect Your Love
Be here Savior
Let Your Glory rain like in the springtime
