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Types of Psalms
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Psalms is a rich collection of poetry. It consists of five “scrolls” that together make up the largest “book” in the Bible. The Psalms express the full spectrum of human emotions, from the highest joys to the depths of despair. They are not primarily cognitive, about what you should believe. Rather, they help us worship. They also help us express our feelings to God, from joy to sorrow to anger.
The Psalms consist of various types. Each serves different purposes and expresses different aspects of our relationship with God. They do so by way of Hebrew poetry, which rhymed thought rather than sound. One line might repeat the basic sense of a previous line in a different way (synonymous parallelism) or contrast with it (antithetical parallelism) or might extend it in some way (synthetic parallelism).
One of the most prominent types of Psalms is the praise psalm. These psalms extol the greatness, goodness, and majesty of God. They often commence with a call to worship, followed by the telling of God’s marvelous deeds, his righteousness, and his enduring mercy and compassion. They are characterized by their exuberant joy and gratitude, leading the worshiper to a deeper acknowledgment and celebration of God’s boundless grace. We must express our praise to God.
Similar in tone to the praise psalms are psalms of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving psalms are expressions of gratitude to God for his benevolence, deliverance, and unwavering support. They are often recited in acknowledgment of God’s salvation from peril, his healing, or his provision in times of need. They echo the psalmist’s relief and gratitude, praising God for his enduring love and mercy, reaffirming the believer’s faith and commitment to God. We should express our thanksgiving to God.
Contrary to the joyful expressions of the praise psalms, the lament psalms encapsulate the depths of sorrow, despair, and pleading before God. Lament Psalms provide a voice for the anguished soul, grappling with affliction, abandonment, or oppression. These psalms follow a typical structure, beginning with a petition for God’s attention, followed by a description of the psalmist’s affliction, a plea for divine intervention, and often concluding with an affirmation of God's faithfulness and a vow to praise him. Lament Psalms underscore the human vulnerability and the unwavering reliance on God’s mercy and deliverance. We can grieve to God.
If the psalms of lament express sorrow and grief, imprecatory psalms express anger. They are a different kind of expression of grief, characterized by their appeals for divine vengeance upon enemies who have done evil things. They express the psalmist’s plea for justice against oppression, deceit, and violence. These psalms, while often unsettling in their intensity, emphasize the yearning for divine justice and the triumph of righteousness over evil. We can express our anger to God.
One takeaway from the Psalms is that we can be honest with God about how we are feeling–no matter what we are feeling.
Wisdom psalms, like the wisdom in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, offer moral guidance and insight into righteous living. They provide counsel on the path of integrity. How can we avoid wickedness? How can we pursue a life in harmony with God’s laws? Wisdom psalms emphasize the principles of justice, righteousness, and the fear of the Lord as the foundation for a blessed and prosperous life.
A final type of psalm we want to mention is the royal psalm. These psalms originally had to do with the kings of Israel. They focus on the kingship, seeing the monarch as God’s anointed representative on earth. They emphasize the divine covenant with the Davidic line, expressing hope and prayer for the king’s success, wisdom, and justice. Royal psalms highlight the interconnection between the king’s righteousness and the nation’s prosperity, underscoring the theological conception of kingship in ancient Israel. The New Testament will read many of these psalms in a spiritual sense in relation to Jesus.