Subject: Psalms of Lament |
Bible Note: Exciting! I love that quote about the end of 56. May God train our hearts to be so fiercely honest in prayer, and then to find such trust at the end.... Psalm 120 still seems a lament to me. While it does begin with praise for God's listening ear, this fits with "address," part of a lament --- for these psalms begin with an acknowlegment of who the person is praying TO. ... in this case, to God who listens to our distressed cries. There is confidence about what God will do ("what shall be done to you, you false tongue?") --- but the psalm still leaves the supplicant living amid warring and godless folk. "Woe to me." Psalm 120 begins the Psalms of Ascent -- a mini-psalter within the psalter, that was used as pilgrims journeyed to the Temple. So, the lament causes the writer to leave Kedar, and move toward the joy of Jerusalem (psalm 134, or 135). Have you read Eugene Peterson's book on these Psalms, called "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction?" I enjoyed that a lot. I find the Psalter quite long, without a sustained narrative to hold it together; therefore grouping them in different ways helps me to sink my teeth in better. Thanks for your posts. They are pointing me back into the Word. JRM |