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Goal
To be able to take in the Beauty and Power of Old Testament poetry so as to fill us with joy in our amazing God.
The Beauty and Power of Old Testament Poetry
What is poetry and where is it in the Bible?
The Unique Beauty of Hebrew Poetry
Feeling the Power in Poetry
Where do we find poetry in the Bible?
Old Testament—almost ½ is poetry:
Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Psalms
Large parts of the Prophets: Hosea (entire), Micah, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Isaiah, Jeremiah
Songs in narrative books: Genesis 49, Exodus 15:1–18, Deuteronomy 32 and 33, etc…
New Testament Poetry?
Not as much poetry in the New Testament, but
Many quotation from O.T. poetry
Songs are included in several places (e.g. Col 1:15–20)
What is Poetry
Rhymes?
Has a rhythm?
Pretty?
Not a “pretty rhyme” but intensified language
The Eagle by Alfred Tennyson
He clasps the crag with cooked hands; close to the sun in lonely lands, Ringed with the azure world he stands.
Not a “pretty rhyme” but intensified language
The Eagle by Alfred Tennyson
He clasps the crag with crooked hands; close to the sun in lonely lands, Ringed with the azure world he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; He watches from his mountain walls, And like a thunderbolt he falls.
Psalm 27
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his
tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27 (not poetic version)
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his
tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
He’ll make sure I am safe when there’s trouble
and keep me away from danger
Poetry today in our songs
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind but now I see
The Beauty and Power of Old Testament Poetry
What is poetry and where is it in the Bible?
The Unique Beauty of Hebrew Poetry
Feeling the Power in Poetry
Poetic Form
There once was a man from Nantucket,
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man,
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
Limerick
There is a young schoolboy named Mason,
Whose mom cuts his hair with a basin.
When he stands in one place,
With a scarf round his face,
It’s a mystery which way he’s facin’
Parallelism
The basic feature of Hebrew poetry is pairs of lines which resonate together
By day the LORD sends forth his love and at night his song is with me. (Psalm 42:9)
This rhythm of paired lines is called “parallelism”.
Occasionally four lines e.g. Isaiah 1:3
The ox knows his master the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know my people do not understand
Matching Parallelism e.g. Ps 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
Opposing Parallelism e.g. Ps 90:6:
The grass (as a picture of how short our lives are) In the morning / it flourishes / and is renewed; in the evening / it fades / and withers.
Proverbs 14
Whoever oppresses the poor
shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy
honors God.
Picture to reality
one of the parallels is a metaphor, the other literal:
Psalm 42:1
As the deer pants for the waterbrooks, ←figurative So pants my soul for you, O God” ←literal
Ps. 103:13
As a father / has compassion on / his children, so the LORD / has compassion on / those who fear Him.
Staircase parallelism
To create movement in the song to a climax, e.g. Ps 29:1,2a
Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD Glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due to his name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The Beauty and Power of Old Testament Poetry
What is poetry and where is it in the Bible?
The Unique Beauty of Hebrew Poetry
Feeling the Power in Poetry
An Example: Psalm 40
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit
out of the miry clay,
He set my feet upon a rock,
and made my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, you weary one,
lay down your head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
weary and worn and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.
Beneath the cross of Jesus
I choose to take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock
within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day.
The Lord Is My Shepherd Ps 23—A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not lack.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.