Introduction
Psalm 19 is a very special Psalm because it clearly proclaims the glory of God as revealed through God’s creation and by God’s word. Psalm 19 describes how the glory of God and the knowledge of God’s attributes can be seen and understood through the natural revelation of his creation. Psalm 19 also describes how the special revelation of God’s law more specifically proclaims God’s character and provides wisdom, joy, and light to those who live by that law. The special nature of Psalm 19 was noted by C.S. Lewis in his book Reflections on the Psalms; Lewis stated “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”
This paper will present an analysis of Psalm 19 in regards to the Psalms (1) author, genre, structure, and message; (2) literary features such as imagery and figures of speech; (3) interpretive problems and proposed solutions; and (4) theological principles and applications.
Author, Genre, Structure, and Message
Psalm 19 was written by David according to the superscription “For the choir director. A Psalm of David.” Psalm 19 is likely a communal Psalm to be used by Israel in praising God for his revelation through the creation and the law. The
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, , In Psalm 19: (1) verses 1-6 focus on God’s revelation through his creation; (2) verses 7-11 focus on God’s revelation through his law; and (3) verses 12-14 are a prayer for help in living a life according to the law. Additionally, the names used for God change in each of the 3 section; in section 1, God as “el” is used; in section 2, Lord as “yhwh” is used; and in section 3, Lord as “yhwh” is used along with “my rock and my Redeemer.” This three-fold structure also shows a progression from (1) the very broad perspective of all of God’s creation, to (2) the specifics of God’s law, and to (3) the individual in
St. Albans Psalter Psalm 68 is not long, but it does have lots of detailed material to study the author’s choice of language, and the power of the images that are being conveyed to the readers through an emotional and sentimental way. The simplicity of this psalm’s gives it power, since it expresses an emotional despair in a careful shaped prayer, which comes from a human being in what seems to be a life-threatening situation. In the image and the content, the psalmist’s travels an arc of desperation to salvation, in a vivid personal plea to Christ to save him from what seems to be a swirling vortex of hopelessness that threatens to pull him under forever.
Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis, is written as set of guidelines of Christian belief. Lewis does not say there is any particular way to believe but he does make a point that the topic of religion itself is serious. As you consider whether you want to believe or not, you have to recognize how much thought it requires, and how thought provoking a process this decision is. Lewis covers Christianity in four different books within his book. In book one, Lewis discusses the Law of Nature and makes note of a tendency in humans of appealing to a standard of absolute truth in quarrels and arguments. He calls this standard the Law of Nature or the Moral Law. The Law isn't the same as the law of gravity because in the latter case, we have no choice but to obey physical laws. The Law that governs human conduct is distinct, then, from the "way the universe works." Lewis concludes that the moral law is alive and active in human lives. According to Lewis, science cannot be used to discover the mind behind the creation of the universe. In book two Lewis simply states what Christians believe. He talks about the major divisions within belief in God, and discusses what he calls Christianity-and-water. Lewis speaks on free will, Satan, and the nature of Christ. Book three contains The Three Parts of Morality. He discusses what he calls the cardinal virtues. According to old writers, there are seven virtues. Four are called cardinal and the other three are theological. Lewis argues for morality between man and man, and what a society would be like if it were completely Christian. He also discusses chastity, marriage, forgiveness, the great - sin pride and self-conceit, and gives another look at the theological...
Salvation is an important part of the Catholic religion. As a non-religious student, I have had to rely heavily on the definition of Salvation from the teachings in my class. With the aid of The Bible, C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, St. Athanasius’ writing on Incarnation, and the “Class Notes on Salvation, I have been able to grasp an understanding of what Salvation is. At first, I believed that Salvation was a simple definition. I thought that Salvation was accepting Jesus Christ so that all of one’s sins are washed away. However, Salvation is much more than that. After multiple classes, I have learned that Salvation is essentially God’s plan to save humans by cleansing humans from Original Sin by using mechanical techniques such as becoming a finite being and dying for humans to live an indisputably whole life. After looking at the Fall, Lewis argues that sin affects the character of the fallen individual. Because of Original Sin, it can be said that human beings are corrupted in the mind which can be seen as a punishment in itself. With the understanding of Salvation, Catholics view Salvation by understanding the two sides of Salvation, Justification and Sanctification.
In order to better appreciate the “Psalm of Nephi” as poetry, and to more clearly understand the elements of poetry it uses, it is helpful to set aside the traditional format found in the LDS standard works—numbered verses and two columns of text-- and separate the text into lines of poetry as they ...
Inspiration can be defined as God’s ongoing and dynamic revelation of truths to humans in order for us to know how to live and deal with spiritual and ethical encounters, by instilling wisdom and understanding of his word. Since humans wrote the Bible there is room for idiosyncrasies, intelligence, historic context, social context, and geographical context to influence scripture. However, God’s revelation of himself and his character prevails through the Bible. There is a dimension of God that can only be reached through personal encounters of His truths, through prayerful reflection of the Bible.
Psalm 89 of the Book of Psalms, advocates the message of consequentialism, foreground by man’s relationship with God, with direct lin...
Psalm 113 reads like a 1st century pep talk for those with spiritual burnout. The writer makes his case for the Lord by pointing to the many ways that God earns our praise. These nine verses of scripture are saturated with three specific reasons to praise the Lord – He is Su...
Today’s culture is one where people like to do as little work as possible. Even when it comes to reading our own scripture, The Holy Words of God, a lot of people like to look up one verse and reference it to something without knowing what the rest of the passage says. Psalms 109 is no exception, it is one the more widely misused passages as of late. A popular verse from Psalms 109 is verse 8 which reads “Let his days be few; and let another take his office”, this is seen in reference to our current president, but what people fail to realize is what else David is actually praying. This paper is going to go through Psalms 109 and unpack it verse by verse to show the true meaning of what David was praying and to give us a new look at how to pray.
Psalm 29 can be related in some ways to Genesis 7, specifically to the stories associated with the origin of the Great Flood and the connections with God’s power. First, the footnotes state that a section of Psalm 29 is about a storm from the Mediterranean to the coast (near water) of Syria. “All the fountains of the great abyss burst forth, and the floodgates of the sky were opened” (Genesis 7:11) which is used when referencing the God’s power of eliminating sin from the Earth. On the other hand, Psalm 29:3 says, “the voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over the mighty waters” which means that “the Lord sits enthroned above the flood,” (Psalm 29:10) and He has power and dominion over nature. “The voice of the Lord is power” (Psalm 29: 4) captures that God is so powerful that even His voice has value.
Both the sermon on the mount and Psalm 23 emphasize on how God meets all of our needs, whether they be spiritual or physical, and Gods divine protection so that we may be blessed in the presence of the lord. The sermon on the mount is comprised of various ideas on how God loves, protects, and wants us to care for ourselves; how to deal with all of our problems, so to speak. Each topic teaching a memorable and meaningful lesson mainly about God’s goodness and our reliance upon him and how it can help us. While Psalm 23 reminds us that God is always there to provide and protect us so that we may never be fearful, whether it be in front of our enemies or in facing sins and temptations.
Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1995. Print. (BS195 .C66 1995)
However, I feel that the Lord's prayer is essentially a Jewish prayer, exhibiting the form and function of contemporary Jewish prayers. As with many other studies of any writings in the Gospels, it is important to discuss how these traditions have been brought to us, and what, if any modifications were made to the original text. Therefore it would be prudent, for the purpose of this paper to first look at the literary elements of the Lord's Prayer. To illustrate why the Lord's Prayer is essentially a Jewish prayer, we must first define and explore what Jewish prayers were like during the time of Jesus.
The King James Bible was completed in 1611 and is still very relevant today because of its powerful and compelling scriptures. Psalm 23 and The Sermon on the Mount are two of the most memorable works in the King James Bible and both serve many different purposes to its readers, including the teachings of valuable lessons. While comparing the two works, you will find that they have many differences and similarities, specifically in the themes, tone, and style of the writings. Psalm 23 is a short six verse poem that uses symbolism, imagery, and metaphors to express the trusting relationship that a young shepherd, David, has with God. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want,” is the metaphor that sets the whole theme of the poem.
In this paper I am trying to find out what true Biblical exegesis means. By finding that truth then I and the person reading this paper can leave with an understand-ing on how to comprehend the content of exegesis. Through out my paper you will see noted some of my sources. I have carefully read these books and have selected the best ones to fit the purpose of this document. I will be exploring many areas of exegesis and will be giving you a brief overview of these and then explaining different uses for exegesis.
The Hebrew word for glory is khavod and “It points to God being distinct from the created order, possessing qualities which set him utterly apart from nature”. Nature is a big aspect of theology and understanding the Word—this is even truer when it comes to Hans Urs von Baltasar, Jonathan Edwards, and G.K Chesterton. These three men all speak about nature and God in each of their own famous writings. Hans Urs von Baltasar was a Swiss Catholic writer who is most associated with the exploration of the theme of the glory of God. Although Baltasar was not a teacher, his famous piece is known as Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics.