Psalms Flashcards
Psalms are NOT what?
Doctrinal statements
Creeds
History
Psalms ARE
Poetry
Prayer
Intended to be set to music and prayed in worship.
What is the book of Psalms often called
The Psalter
How should we understand the Psalms?
We should understand the Psalms as the product of a community of faith who composed, collected and passed on their prayers, hymns, songs and liturgy as a witness to their experience as being the people of God.
What are the different types of Psalms?
Lament Psalms (most numerous)
Thanksgiving Psalms
Hymns
How have Psalms become authoritative for us?
As a guide for worship
As an example of honesty before God
As a demonstration of the importance of prayer, praise, and meditation
Where does Psalms find affirmation of Biblical authority?
The Psalms are affirmed by the New Testament as well as Jesus himself as Biblical authority.
Was the material in the Psalms written to communicate abstract theology?
No.
It was written to help people come to worship God from all the turmoil of life, good and bad.
What was the function of the Lament Psalms?
To express faith and trust in God even when there is no immediate evidence that He is active.
What is the function of Thanksgiving Psalms?
To praise God for something He has done for the Psalmist or to offer Thanksgiving in the form of worship.
What is the function of the Hymn Psalms?
ALL Psalms are different aspects of praise.
To praise God because He is God, and we know he is because we have cried to Him and He has acted.
How do Psalms perceive God?
The Psalms think of God not in intellectual terms or doctrine, but in dynamic terms that see God active and interactive in human affairs.
What does the Psalter teach us about praise in the mode of lament?
That praise in lament is just as important as praise in Doxology.
What are the theological implications of the lament-Thanksgiving-hymn cycle?
The theological implications are that the cycle of lament-Thanksgiving-hymn are a deliberate progression.
