Reading: Songs of Confidence (Video Slides)

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

Part 8 – Songs of Confidence

 

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

 

Songs of Confidence Psalms

• Character: Declarations of trust in Yahweh
• Examples: Psalms 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

 

Songs of Confidence: Example #1 – Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

 

Note these things:

• This may be the most familiar of all of the Psalms. It may, in fact, be one of the earliest of David’s Psalms, given that its themes reflect the perspectives of a shepherd out in the wilds with his sheep.
• The Psalm is rich in metaphors, all of which provide an analogy between the competent shepherd who cares for and protects his sheep and God, who is viewed as even more competent and caring and protecting when it comes to looking after us.
• Because of the references to death and eternity, this Psalm has become a favorite at funerals and in times of death and disaster.

 

Song of Confidence: Example #2 – Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ If the Lord had not been on our side—
    let Israel say—
² if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us,
³ they would have swallowed us alive
    when their anger flared against us;
⁴ the flood would have engulfed us,
    the torrent would have swept over us,
⁵ the raging waters
    would have swept us away.

⁶ Praise be to the Lord,
    who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
⁷ We have escaped like a bird
    from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
    and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

 

Note These Things

• This is one of the “Psalms of Ascent,” the 15 pilgrimage psalms that would have been sung by those traveling from the distant reaches of ancient Israel up to Jerusalem for either the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Booths (the three annual pilgrim festivals, requiring the presence of all Israelites to travel to the temple). Notice that its themes speak of deliverances from attackers, which might well have happened to some along the way through dangerous places.
• According to the title for this psalm, it was written by David. There is a lot of similarity between this psalm and Psalm 23. Both credit Yahweh with being the great deliverer and provider, and both confidently express delight in God as Savior and Protector.

 

Songs of Confidence: Example #3 – Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

 

Note These Things

• Along with Psalm 23, this is one of the most widely known and often quoted among the Psalms. It is also attributed to David.
• David is very personal about his trust in God. He reflects on every dimension of his personal existence, giving God the sovereign credit for shaping and caring for it, but without any sense of feeling limited or bound within that knowledge.
• In fact, the final stanzas show that David has gained God’s values, so that those who are enemies of God have become David’s enemies as well.
• The last lines are a powerful prayer, seeking to conform fully to the good will of the One who is Creator, Sovereign, Redeemer and Lover.

 

Reflections on Songs of Confidence

• Along with the Psalms of Praise, these are among the most numerous in the book of worship found in the Bible. This echoes the dominant themes we need to express in our relationship with God: praise and confidence.
• While it is stated in many ways, including very individual expressions of deliverance, the common theme to all of these Psalms is a great trust in God, no matter what the current circumstances, leading to faith and hope and an optimistic view about the future.
• These testimonies are directed to two hearers:
  -First, of all, of course, is God. These Psalms are direct prayers of praise and thanks for deliverance, and confidence about future benefits in this relationship.
  -Second, these Psalms are meant to be sung in front of and with others, so that the experiences of deliverance and confidence of the one giving testimony can be shared and affirmed by others, and so that they can also deepen their confidence in God.