By the time we reach the Psalms we are half way through the Bible. In this series they begin our consideration of what are indisputably the main poetic works of the Bible but begs the question why Part Four does not begin with Job. However, as I explained at the end of Part Three, I consider Job as historical, albeit in poetic form, whereas the psalms are predominantly poetry which contains much prophecy and elements of history..

The Greek psalmoi refers to poems sung to music and there is Hebrew word for psalm (zemir) whereas the Hebrew name of this volume is Sepher Tehillim (Book of Praises) and, at 150 songs, is the longest book in the Bible. Most of the psalms are attributed to King David, but many were written by others contributors, including Moses, Asaph and Solomon.

The volume is itself divided into five books of predominantly worship songs and of the many Old Testament references to the Messiah cited in the New Testament, about half are found in Psalms; not least in Psalm 22. Here are just the first 3 verses:

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.

However, it doesn’t stop there, but goes on to speak of restoration, victory, praise and worship, which I believe is what Jesus intended to be understood when he cried out from the Cross, quoting from verse 1. This is a very typical rabbinical device known as a kesher, where the rabbi cites a line or two of a scripture in order to elicit the whole passage in the minds of his hearers. Not only is this common practice but in Jesus’ case a critical necessity, as crucifixion is essentially execution by asphyxiation, making the recitation of the entire psalm a ridiculous expectation.

Among its 150 Psalms the shortest, at just two verses, is Psalm 117, while the longest is Psalm 119 at 176 verses. An entire article could be written about any single psalm, indeed, about any verse or stanza of any psalm, so it would be an impertinence to comment further in a vain pretence of meaningful analysis of so rich a seam of spiritual literature. This is a thumbnail sketch, so we‘ll leave it at that.

Mishley in Hebrew (from a root meaning compare or allegory) Proverbs is one of the Wisdom Writings. Mainly by Solomon, they are not torah (instruction) to be obeyed but wise principles to be heeded. This is perhaps best exemplified by verses 4 and 5, in chapter 26, which appear to diametrically contradict one another:

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

The answer to which principle applies will depend on the circumstances specific to the situation in which the question arises. In other words, there is more to wisdom than merely being able to recite a bunch of wise sayings. One has to have the wisdom to understand how to apply them, and that is a spiritual matter. In this case, the balance lies between responding in kind and responding with as much kindness as the fool will permit you to show him.

Also the work of Solomon and in Hebrew called Qoheleth (Preacher) this is once again wisdom literature which, while informative, should not be read as torah. In fact it is largely the cynical view of a world-weary sage who has discovered from experience the futility of living independently of God in pursuit of carnal gratification. As such it has value as an exposition on what we should not do if we wish to avoid learning from life the hard way.

Shir HaShirim is also sometimes known as Song of Solomon and is quite frankly the most graphically erotic book in the Bible. Israel is frequently typified as a woman in Scripture (God’s Bride or Beloved) and the language is unashamedly sexual because God created sex and sanctified it. This should always be remembered by those believers who have swallowed the lie that sex is dirty or shameful. Like everything else that God considers blessè d and holy, Satan desires nothing more than to pollute and pervert it. But that does not make such things bad; only that Satan is able to put good things to bad use.

The writer of Hebrews 13:4 recognises this principle thus:

Let marriage be held in honour among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Paul goes even further in Ephesians 5:32 explaining why God considers sex as holy. In a chapter dealing with the relationship between husband and wife, including the often misunderstood principle of the wife’s submission, he concludes:

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

If only this were more widely understood, a great deal of domestic abuse could have been avoided in the Church, and where it did occur, the Church would have better equipped to mobilise Paul’s teachings to condemn it, rather than deploying them to justify it. And if only more believers understood how joyfully God expected men and women to use his gift of sex in the right way, how much more eagerly would the Church have encouraged the reading of this wonderful book and recognised in the depth of its sexual imagery the profound appreciation of Paul expresses in Ephesians 3:17-19...

...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.