Reading: Communal Laments (Video Slides)

#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.