Meditations from the Psalms

The Psalms is a collection of poems and choruses from Hebrew worship. They express a range of emotions from sorrow and despair to joy and jubilation. They praise God for miracles done and for promises to come.

There are several key points to remember when reading the psalms. First is the differences between poetry in ancient Hebrew and poetry in English. The concept of rhyme didn't apply to Hebrew poetry (which is fine with us - not reading the original Hebrew, we'd miss it anyway!) What we do see is measured repetition and flow. Second is the "common" nature of the Psalms -- these were very approachable by all the people, not just the scholars, as everyone rejoiced together in worship. Finally, the psalms show the theology and understanding of God from the Old Testament, anticipating and foretelling but not yet knowing the Messiah.