#12 Understanding the Variety of Psalm Types and Their Unique Expressions:

Part 2 – Communal Laments

 

Understanding & Using the Psalms

  • Individual Lament:

Cries of the individual in times of distress

5,6,10,13,22,26,35,38,39,40,42,43,51,54,55,56,57,59,64,69,70,86,88,102,109,120,130,142,143

  • Communal Lament:

Cries of the community in times of distress

60,74,79,80,90,108,123,137

  • Hymns of Praise:

Celebrations of Yahweh’s goodness & character

8,9,19,29,30,33,34,65,66,67,68,76,95,96,97,98,99, 100,103,104,111,113,116,117,134,135,138,144,145, 146,147,148,149,150

  • Songs of Confidence:

Declarations of trust in Yahweh

3,4,7,11,12,16,17,18,20,23,27,28,31,36,41,46,50,58, 62,63,71,77,82,83,85,89,91,92,93,94,114,115,121,124,125,126,129,139,140,141

  • Royal Psalms:

Song in praise of Yahweh as Israel’s true king and the monarch who rules on Yahweh’s behalf

2,21,24,45,47,61,72,110,132

  • Psalms of Zion:

“National Anthems” that praise the earthly residence of Yahweh

14,48,53,84,87,122

  • “Thank” Psalms:

Expressions of appreciation for Yahweh’s deliverance

75,118,136

  • Wisdom or Priestly Instruction:

Poems which contain condensed teachings to be passed along by memorization

1,15,25,32,37,44,49,52,73,78,81,101,105,106,107,112,119,127

 

Communal Laments

  • Character: Cries of the community in times of distress
  • Examples: Psalms 60, 74, 79, 80, 90, 108, 123, 137

 

Communal Laments: Example #1 – Psalm 60

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

1 You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;
    you have been angry—now restore us!
2 You have shaken the land and torn it open;
    mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
3 You have shown your people desperate times;
    you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
    to be unfurled against the bow.

5 Save us and help us with your right hand,
    that those you love may be delivered.
6 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
    “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin,
    on Edom I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?
11 Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.
12 With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies.

 

Note these things:

  • The Psalm is connected directly to a difficult time in the life of David, according to the title.
  • We do not know what the Hebrew word “miktam” means, but all of the Psalms in which it appears in the titles are Psalms of David, and are psalms of distress.
  • Note the connection made between the difficult fortunes of Israel in battle, and the sense of divine judgment
  • Note the concluding confidence (as was the case with Individual Laments):
      God had heard
      God will help

 

Individual Laments: Example #2 – Psalm 80

1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
    they have defiled your holy temple,
    they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 They have left the dead bodies of your servants
    as food for the birds of the sky,
    the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
3 They have poured out blood like water
    all around Jerusalem,
    and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
    of scorn and derision to those around us.

5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations
    that do not acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
    that do not call on your name;
7 for they have devoured Jacob
    and devastated his homeland.

8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
    may your mercy come quickly to meet us,

    for we are in desperate need.
9 Help us, God our Savior,
    for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
    for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations
    that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
    with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
    the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
    will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
    we will proclaim your praise.

 

Note These Things

  • Israel’s idea of blessing is tied to its “inheritance” in the land of Canaan
  • Fleeing before conquering nations is considered to be part of the curses of the Sinai Covenant that kick in when the people are unfaithful to God
  • God’s very honor is at stake in the outcome of this conflict
  • Therefore God’s people are certain that God will bring victory

 

Individual Laments: Example #3 – Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
    when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars
    we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
    while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
    my highest joy.

7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them against the rocks.

 

Note These Things

  • This Psalm dates from late in Israel’s existence: the Babylonian Exile
  • Alienation from the land of Promise is an indication of God’s judgment
  • But even in an alien environment, God’s people do not have to imagine themselves forgotten, or lacking the watchful care of their God
  • Still, the unique practices of the people of God separate them from other religious groups and cultures, and make them stand out. This can lead to taunting and persecution.
  • “Zion” is the code name for God’s dwelling on earth, the Temple in Jerusalem
  • Remembering and faith and faithfulness are all part of the same package

 

Reflections on Communal Laments

  • We live in a world that often thinks of “worship” as mostly songs of praise and prayers of thanks.
  • Laments help us remember our own needs and failures.
  • Communal laments give voice to the cries of the community that transcend individual experience.
  • Communal laments keep us focused on segments of society that are inherently lacking access to justice and positions of influence.
  • Communal laments arise from devastations that are much larger and more critical than simply a single person’s misfortunes.
  • Communal laments are about shared pain and shared faith.
Last modified: Thursday, August 9, 2018, 9:10 AM