Pslec

Notes from Dr.
John Kleinig’s Lectures on the Book of Psalms
Psalms Lecture 1 (Length: 51:12): https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=5yKWbHXjDS0&index=5&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Introduction to the Psalms – Imagery in the Psalms
[These notes come from Youtube videos on a seminary course on the book of Psalms taught by Dr. John
Kleinig in Australia before he retired. Among other things, Dr. Kleinig has written the commentaries on
Leviticus and Hebrews for the Concordia Commentary series. For many years he was a seminary
professor in Australia. He has now retired from the seminary, but remains very busy. He has made
several trips to the USA and Canada where he teaches seminars on various subjects.]
The class begins.
Introductory statement on Psalms in worship.

 There has been a revival of interest in using psalms in worship.
 Psalms are basically religious poetry. Their proper use is liturgical.
[Discussion on course tests, vocabulary, etc. – what is expected of the students.]
The text book for the class is Encountering the Psalms.
Imagination vs. Abstraction
In the education system of the West, we have been trained to think abstractly. It is the attempt to
explain things in the terms of concepts and ideas. Theology has been done this way since the
Enlightenment. Most people don’t naturally think this way. Most people think in terms of pictures,
images. And that is the way the OT was written. There are not many abstractions. The language is
concrete and visual and sensory. It explains things in terms of pictures. The ability to see a picture is
imagination. This is not fantasy. Fantasy sees what isn’t. Imagination sees what is, the way things are. So
imagination is visual and abstraction has more to do with hearing. Imagery deals with what you see but
it also has to do with all of the senses. Imagination is seeing what is said.
This use of imagination has application with the Apostle Paul. You won’t understand him in terms of
concepts (abstraction) nearly as well as if you see the picture of the terms he uses. A good thing to do in
biblical interpretation is to get the picture and once you do that you will get the idea. This is what is used
in poetry, music, and art. This is used in television. TV reinforces that we communicate visually. If you
want to learn more about imagery, look at advertising on TV.
The Use of Imagery in the Psalms

1. Poetry uses picture language. Most of the time we communicate using pictures. These include
clichés.
1
Notes from Dr. John Kleinig’s Lectures on the Book of Psalms
2. Through imagery, poets appeal to our imagination. Imagination is the ability to see concretely.
The poet wants us to see as they see someone or something, to see reality as they see it. So in
the Bible, imagery helps us not only to see what God sees of us and the world, but it helps us to
see as he sees. It helps us step into God’s shoes and gives us a different perspective than our
own.
3. Imagery is not only visualization; it also uses the other senses and invokes their responses. For
example we say, that stinks. That is using the imagery of smell.
4. The Psalms give us a vision of God and ourselves in relation to God.
5. Psalms use stock imagery of something that is familiar to us to make something unfamiliar and
unknown to us (like God’s character) known to us. For instance, in the Psalms God is described
as a rock. You use what is known to expand your knowledge on what is unknown. The Scriptures
use everyday images in new and surprising ways. In the Psalms and in the Scriptures, be aware of
the Kleinig principle: expect the unexpected. Look for clichés that are used in unexpected ways.
We will see this shortly in this class.
6. Much of the power of imagery is conveyed by their unconventional use. For instance in Ps. 1. It
says the Lord knows the way of the righteous; not that the righteous know the way of the Lord.
The cliché is that the righteous are those who know from experience the way of the Lord. Ps. 1
turns that on its head. So it’s taking something familiar, turning it around, and opening up a
whole new world to you, just by turning it around. The Bible is full of these and the Psalms even
more so. For instance, the Bible often takes pagan images and turns them on their head.
7. Since the point of the images is never fully explained, it triggers a process of mediation that
leads you to see something for yourself, which you can then use to make sense of yourself and
your experiences in life. On the other hand, abstraction explains and it explains away. So take for
instance one of the biggest abstractions we have, which is the theory of evolution. It supposedly
explains everything. But in reality it explains away everything but itself. Images don’t help
explain mysteries away like abstractions, rather, they help give us a deeper appreciation of the
inexplicability of everything. Imagery helps us see things, but it’s like a blinding light. We can
only see a little at a time. An image forces you to meditate and think for yourself. It evokes two
stages. The first is an “Ah-ha, I see it!” moment. And the second is, “Ah-ha, I see how it applies to
this and this and this”. So you see it and then you use it to make sense of other things.
Four questions we need to ask and answer for the analysis of imagery in a psalm.
1. First, nail down who or what is being spoken about. Most psalms have three actors: God,
the psalmist, and the enemy.
2. Then you ask, How is one like the other? You ask questions like, with whom or what is God
compared to? With whom or what is the psalmist compared to? With whom or what are the
enemies compared to? Imagery always involves comparison. For instance, a psalm might
say, God is a rock. What is left unexplained then is, how God is like a rock.
3. How is this imagery used elsewhere in the psalm, in the Psalter, and in Old Testament (OT)?
Sometimes the image by itself is very puzzling. You don’t see what it is getting at. Many
times the clue to help you figure it out lies in the same psalm. Good poetry will have a key
metaphor which is not just in one verse, but it unfolds throughout the whole psalm. Or it
2
may have a number of images that are unpacked throughout the psalm. If it isn’t clear in the
psalm, you look at the other psalms to see how it is used. And if you still can’t get the idea,
then you look to the OT. And sometimes to get the full force of it, you might have to look at
other ancient texts, but this is not normally the case. On this last point, some psalms take
Canaanite imagery and apply it to the Lord or the people of God and quite often turn it
around. We will look at some cases of that. Missionaries do this. They take what is known to
the people and use it to explain how the Lord is different.
A student had a question about differentiating between imagery and symbolism. Symbolism
is a particular type of imagery. Imagery is general. Within imagery you have:
 similes (this is like that; the Lord is like a rock),
 metaphors (this is that; the Lord is a rock),
 analogy (an extended metaphor (this is like that in these ways; one is used to explain
a number of features of the other)),
 allegory (rarely used, the most abstract),
 symbolism (stock images serve as symbols. He drew a large, capital M on the board.
When you look at it you know it stands for McDonalds. It is a symbol for
McDonalds.)
4. How does this image connect with other images in the psalm to create a composite picture
and tell a story like a series of shots in TV commercial? To understand a psalm, you have see
all of the pictures in it and then you have to put all of the images back together in the
sequence that they are presented in the psalm.
To interpret psalms where there is a sequence of pictures, there are two things that you
need to be sensitive to.
1.First look for the key picture or key metaphor. This is the main picture, the
one that recurs. It’s like a theme in a piece of music. To understand the
psalm then you need to understand all the other metaphors in light of the
main metaphor.
2.If there is no main metaphor, which metaphors would you say would be the
most important ones? The first and the last. They will be the drivers and the
rest are understood in relation to them.
Now we will apply this to a psalm. Let’s have a look at Ps. 92. Dr. Kleinig chose this psalm because it is
not well known and therefore the students wouldn’t have any pre-understandings of it. [They then read
through the psalm.]
Psalm 92
92 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
3
and your faithfulness by night,

3
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5
How great are your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep!
6
The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
7
that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
8
but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9
For behold, your enemies, O LORD,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
10
But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me[a] fresh oil.
11
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12
The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
15
to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
There are four basic subjects, that is, the people or things that are spoken about in this psalm. What are
they? There is God, the psalmist, the enemies, and the righteous. It’s like a drama. The main actor is
God. The next is the psalmist. And then there are two other groups – the enemies and the righteous.
One thing before we take a break, which will illustrate what’s called “translator, traitor.” [In a translation,
there are always going to be things left out and generalized.] This is illustrated in verse 11. The NKJV has
this for verse 11:
11
My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies;
My ears hear my desire on the wicked
Who rise up against me.
It italicizes what has been added. Without the italicized words, it is close to the Hebrew. So taking out
what is italicized you have:
4
11
My eye also has seen ‘x’ on my enemies;
My ears hear ‘x’ on the wicked
Who rise up against me.
How does that strike you? Why do all translations add something there? It doesn’t make immediate
sense if you leave them out. But in doing so, the translations dumb it down. They do the thinking and
meditating for you. They change an unknown into a known. They take something that is meant to get
you thinking and they keep you from thinking by supplying an answer for you. What is unknown here is
what is heard and seen. It’s a riddle. A riddle is a puzzle. Translations turn a riddle into a statement.
Psalms Lecture 2 (Length: 45:50):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW6bWFuPsHM&index=16&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Introduction to the Psalms – Imagery in the Psalms (continued)
Let’s refresh our memory by reading through Ps. 92 again.
Pictures in Psalm 92
Images for the Psalmist
Verses 1-4 – picture of the psalmist
What is the picture used for the psalmist in verses 1-4? The psalmist is pictured as a musician at the
temple, one of the Levitical musicians. You also need to know that musicians were always singers as well.
So the first picture is the psalmist as a musician and singer. He is singing what? Praises to God. When
does he sing? He sings them in the morning and the evening. Concretely, what does this refer to? It
refers to the morning and evening sacrifices at the temple. The song of sacrifice was sung during
morning and evening sacrifices.
Verse 10 – pictures of the psalmist
The next time we come to a picture for the psalmist is in verse 10. There are actually two pictures. First
the psalmist is compared to a wild ox, a wild ox, not a domesticated one, with great big horns. Second is
the picture of the psalmist having fine oil poured on him. This oil is anointing oil. It was made of fine
olive oil and perfume. The modern equivalent is perfume. For us the base is alcohol instead of oil. So the
psalmist is compared to an anointed person.
This raises the question: what kind of anointed person? Who or what was anointed secularly or
religiously in the OT?
 The king was anointed with the most holy anointing oil on his head. Since it was most holy, it
communicated God’s holiness to the king. Messiah means “anointed one.” Therefore the
Messiah was the holy one of God.
5
 Priests were anointed. The ordinary priests had their vestments anointed. The high priest had his
head anointed.
 A bride was anointed before her wedding.
 When a guest came to your house you would wash their feet and anoint them. (see Ps. 23).
Which of the three (anointed king, priest, or guest; bride doesn’t fit here) is meant here? To determine,
you ask yourself the question: Do any or all of these make sense for this psalm and the pictures it
presents? At the end of our study of Ps. 92, we will come back to this question to see what is the
dominant picture used.
Now let’s look at the picture of the wild ox or bull with horns. There are two images here that are stock
images from the ancient world. First, what is significant about a bull? Horns signify strength and virility. A
bull is the head or king of a herd. So this is royal imagery. Just like a lion is the king of the wild beasts and
the ram is the king of the flock, so the bull is the king of the herd. To exalt one’s horns is to give him
bigger horns and more strength and power. And also this is a wild bull. If it were a domesticated bull, it
would be king over the local flock. [So just as a lion is the king over all the wild beasts all over the world,
so] a wild bull is king over all of herds of the world. So in this case he is not just over the herd of
Israelites, but of all herds of people all over the world, including over his enemies. He is king of the
righteous and unrighteous.
There is one more dimension to look at. There is a book that is very helpful in getting these pictures. It is
called: The Symbolism of the Biblical World by Bob O. Keel. In this book it tells about pictures or
engravings in the ancient world. Sometimes you will get a picture of one animal or person with horns
and one without. The horns denote divinity, someone who is divine or someone who has divine power.
So the horns have to do with divine power. This is stock imagery in the ancient world. Someone with
horns has divine status and power. A wild bull has power over wild animals. Who are the wild animals?
The nations.
Verse 11 – picture of the psalmist
The next picture for the psalmist in verse 11. A student read the ESV version of verse 11. According to
this translation the picture is one of military/war because it speaks of enemies. The psalmist is
compared to a soldier in an army. He is a spectator who sees the defeat of his enemies who threatened
to destroy him. This is a stock image in the psalms. In our view, a soldier always wants to smash and
defeat his enemies. But there is something different here. The soldier here doesn’t fight. He only sees his
defeated enemies. It’s even more puzzling if you look at the Hebrew. He doesn’t see defeated enemies.
He sees his enemies. The question is, what does he see about the enemies? We will come back to that
when we look at the enemies. In verse 11 it states that he sees the enemies and hears the enemies. This
is a stock image that is used in a different way than normal. Later we will see that other images in the
psalm that help us understand this image better.
Images for God
Verse 4 – picture of God
6
It talks about the general works of God and narrows to the works of his hands. This compares God to a
craftsman, a skilled worker who works with his hands.
This is very closely related to the picture in verse 4. This person is not just a doer but one who thinks
deeply. This is an artisan and a wise person, a sage. So God is compared to a wise person. God is at work
in such a profound way that fools have no clue of what he is doing (v. 6).
This is a person that is in an exalted position. Taken most literally, if you have a group of people and one
person is in a higher position than the rest, he is of a higher rank, with more authority and status. A
concordance search would show that this phrase is connected to royal imagery and therefore it implies a
throne. So God has a higher rank, authority, and status than anyone else.
There are two pictures here. One is up front and the other recedes behind it. It speaks of the “house of
the Lord.” Therefore God is pictured as the owner of his house. And since it speaks of “the courts,” this
house is a palace. This house is surrounded by palms and cedars (v. 12), a pleasure garden. So God is
pictured as a king in a palace surrounded by gardens. The house of the Lord in the OT is always the
temple.
Here God is compared to an upright rock. It is not a crooked rock, but is a straight rock. A crooked rock
has weak points that break. So God is a strong, righteous rock.
Notice the sequence of the pictures for God. He is a craftsman, then a sage, then a person higher than
others, then a king in a palace surrounded by gardens, and finally an upright rock.
Images for the Wicked
Verse 7 – picture of the wicked
Here the wicked are compared with seasonal grass. You get some rain and it grows like crazy. But at the
end of the growing season, it quickly dies. There’s nothing to it. When an animal dies it leaves bones.
When a tree dies it leaves wood. But when grass dies, it decays very quickly and disappears. The wind
scatters it. Everyone in ancient Israel would understand this picture from their everyday experience. They
see it happen every year. What is surprising about this use of grass for the enemies and how does this
connect with God’s work as a skilled craftsman? What would you expect God to do to the enemies of his
people? Smash them! That’s what is expected. But what happens? God is going to let them rise up and
flourish for a season but then they will quickly die out like grass. He lets them flourish so that they and
their wickedness can be destroyed. The dominant theology that runs through all religions is what? That
God will destroy our evil, that he will tackle it head on. But the picture here is different. God lets evil
7
prosper in order to let it destroy itself. That takes some skill, doesn’t it?! God uses death to deal with sin
and evil. So then that triggers questions in us. This is a kind of riddle that God puts forth for us to
meditate on.
Verse 11 – picture of enemies
When we read this, it used the words “downfall” and “doom” in the ESV. Let’s get rid of those words. It is
translated there as if the enemies are a defeated army. If we think about this without those words, we
see that the psalmist is foreseeing the destiny of his enemies. The enemies seem to be luscious green
grass, but God enables the psalmist to see that they are perishing. So the picture of the enemies is
changed. It changed from seeing them as strong powerful enemies to grass that will soon wither and die.
This is very profound. Note that the term “wicked” refers to those who God has already judged and
condemned.
Verses 9-11 – a surprising sequence of pictures for the enemies
Notice that in v. 9, the enemies are the Lord’s enemies and in v. 11 the enemies are “my enemies.” The
expected sequence is that my enemies are the Lord’s enemies. Here it is the opposite. Those whom God
has condemned are his enemies and since I’m on God’s side, they are also my enemies.
Images for the Righteous
Verses 12-15 – two pictures of the righteous
First the righteous are compared to the palm and cedar trees. They are planted in the Lord’s temple, the
place where God is with his people, where they flourish. In a similar way, the righteous are planted near
the Lord. And in his presence they grow healthy and flourish.
What is the significance of these two trees? They are symbolic. It is important to note that palm trees
bear fruit in the desert. And they bear fruit not once a year, but twice a year. From the palms sugar was
made. They flourish in the most hostile environment. Palm trees and their fruit were very valuable. They
get water to grow and survive from deep down in the earth. They weather storms. They are strong. Palm
trees live a very long time. Palm trees bear fruit in their old age. How then are the righteous like a palm
tree? They too flourish in a hostile environment. Unlike grass (the wicked) they grow slowly and live for
a long time (forever). The righteous also bear fruit. The older they get the more fruit they bear.
The most surprising image which would have hit anyone in the ancient world was the righteous being
compared to the cedars of Lebanon. Cedar trees were very valuable; the temple was made with them;
they were the king of the trees; they were the king of the forest. They flourish on the high mountains of
Lebanon, the place where heaven and earth meet. They were associates with gods. Therefore they
symbolize kingship and divinity. The wood from cedars was used in building palaces and temples. So in
ancient iconography the cedar would represent a god or a king. So knowing this, what is amazing about
this psalm? The ordinary people who trust in God and who God declares as righteous are the ones who
have royal/divine status and power. They are priestly and royal people.
8
We’ve taken some time in looking at this imagery to demonstrate something. What does identifying and
digging in to the imagery do? It causes us to think and to meditate in a deep way. These images take
cliché thinking and turn them on their head, which opens up whole new dimensions for our
understanding. It takes clichés about enemies and gives us different understandings about them. It takes
clichés about kingship and applies them where they don’t normally apply to ordinary people. It takes a
cliché about horns and applies it to the righteous.
Dr. Kleinig gave the class a voluntary exercise of looking at Ps. 16 and identifying the pictures in it for
God. It will help sharpen your skills on imagery. To prepare for next time, take a look at Ps. 6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w-gjTWIra8&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=50
Introduction to the Psalms – Imagery in the Psalms (continued) and Structure in
the Psalms
We start out with a summary of imagery in Ps. 92. And then we will move on to the importance of
structure and function in the psalms and religious poetry.
Summary of the Imagery in Ps. 92
There are four tracks that run through Ps. 92.
 The main focus is on the psalmist.

o First he is a praise singer at the temple. That’s fairly cliché.
o Then he is described as a wild bull. That’s arresting. You have to meditate on it. You have
to think: How on earth is the psalmist like a bull?
o Then he is an anointed person, but Levites were never anointed. That doesn’t seem to
fit. So it raises questions too.
o In the last picture of the psalmist, he is a spectator of a disappearing army. Another
funny picture.
 The psalm ends with two pictures about the righteous.
o They are like palm trees.
o They are like cedars of Lebanon.
o At the end of the psalm the psalmist disappears and it speaks of the righteous.
o So it leaves us wondering, is the psalmist meant to be seen as one of the righteous?
 Then we have the pictures of God.
o He is a profoundly skilled craftsmen.
o He is a sage, a wise person. He is good with his hands and his head.
o The amazing skill that God has is the way he deals with his enemies. That’s his dominant
skill here, but he is also skilled at dealing with “the righteous.” They look like they are
9
defeated by the enemy but they end up in God’s house and they end up sharing in God’s
power, life, and kingship.
o God is also pictured as a victor. He wins the victory by his enemies dying. In a sense, he
gives them rope so they can hang themselves. This touches on one of the most profound
teachings of the Scriptures: that God uses evil to undo evil. Again we have a cliché that is
turned on its head.
o Then God is pictured as a king in a palace that is surrounded by a park, a paradise, a
garden.
o Lastly God is pictured as a rock, a straight rock with no faults in it.
 The line of pictures for the enemies.
o The enemies are the wicked, those pronounced guilty in a court of law.
o The wicked are like grass. They grow quickly but also disappear quickly. They are
contrasted to the righteous, the slow growing palm and cedar trees. Grass is transient
versus the trees which are eternal.
o There is a connect between the righteous seeing the disappearance of the enemy in this
psalm to the Israelites seeing the Egyptian army disappear in the Red Sea as they made
their exodus from Egypt. The Israelites are the armies of God but they don’t do any
fighting. They sit back and watch God fight for them (in the ten plagues and at the Red
Sea.)
The Use of Structure in the Psalms

The Structure of Ps. 92
Now we will look at Ps. 92 again and this time we will look at how it is structured. Hebrew poetry works
with couplets and parallelism. Remember it’s meant to be sung, so the poetry works very much like
music works.
1. The basic building block of Hebrew poetry is the couplet. A couplet is two halves of a line, which
work together. In it you have two statements that are parallel to each other. Poetry is like music.
You establish a certain pattern. The surprise comes or the force comes when you change the
pattern. There are three basic variants to a pattern.
a. A half couplet. Instead of having two lines, you have one line. It has a very dramatic
effect.
b. A triplet. Instead of having the normal two lines, you have an extra line.
c. A carry over – one idea in two halves. Musically it works out as a couplet, but grammar-
wise it is not a clear contrast between the two.
2. Couplets are joined together by other devices into verses or stanzas. A stanza is a group of
couplets that are linked together, either grammatically or thematically.
3. You need to note the connectives or the conjunctions. The normal Hebrew connective is the
“and”, which works in many different ways that it does in English. “And” is a co-ordinating
conjunction. Another is “but”, which gives a contrast. And there is “for,” which gives the
explanation for what just came before it. It can give the purpose, reason, or circumstances.
Usually it gives the reason for what is being said.
10
4. Repetitions are used as literary devices. There are many different kinds of repetitions. One of
these that is fashionable today is the inclusion. It a bracketing. In Latin it is inclusio. This is a
classical music term. And it is a common device used in speaking, in oral language. If you are
going to preach well, where you begin is where you will end. That is a classic inclusio. You go
back to where you started.
5. A change of subject or a change of address is very important. For instance, a psalm might begin
by talking to God, but end by talking about God.
Now let’s take a look at the psalm we’ve been looking at in terms of imagery, Ps. 92. But now let’s look at
it in terms of its structure. First of all, can you pick out the basic connectives or conjunctions?
 V. 4 uses “for” to give the reason and context for praise. The question then is, how far does that
“for” run? It goes to the end of verse 7 because at the beginning of v. 8 you get a transition with
the next connective “but.”
 V. 8 uses “but.” It is used to contrast God and the enemies. The enemies are like grass that fade
and wither quickly, but God is on high forever. Given what we’ve just talked about in terms of
couplets, what do you notice about v. 8? It’s a half couplet, therefore it’s emphatic. And when
you sing it, it really stands out because you would stop the tune right in the middle.
 V. 9 uses “for.” What is its purpose? What does “for” always do? What is the function of the
conjunction? It gives the consequence of God being exalted forever. Because God is exalted on
high forever, his enemies will perish.
 From this you can see the importance of the connectives. Verse 8 is intrusive. Verses 6, 7, and 9-
11 deal with the wicked. Verse 8 deals with God. It is shoved in the middle of the discussion
about the enemies. It’s unexpected. It’s emphatic. It’s saying, pay attention to this. This is very
important.
The last thing we need to look at are transitions: change of address or change of subject. Are there any
transitions in Ps. 92?
 In verse 12 there is a transition. Who is speaking in vv. 1-11? I am speaking. And to whom am I
speaking? I am speaking to God. Who is speaking in vv. 12-15? The speaker of these verses is not
identified. It is a general statement about the righteous.
If you had to break the psalm up into its basic parts, what would they be? We are working here on the
structure of the psalm, the way it is arranged.
 A student suggested verses 1-8 makes a unit. But Dr. Kleinig said that unit can be broken into
three parts: vv. 1-3, vv. 4-7, and v. 8. Then comes vv. 9-11 and finally vv. 12-15.
How many couplets are in each unit?
 Vv.1-3: 3 couplets.
 Vv. 4-7: 4 couplets.
 V. 8: a half couplet.
11

 The pattern is: 3-4-1-3-4.
We look at couplets and connectives and structure because this is poetry or hymnody. It’s not prose, so
you treat it differently than prose. You treat it like a piece of music. If you want to understand music, you
look at how it is arranged, its structure.
A student asked about verses 7 and 8. Verse 7 is actually a triplet. There are many other features that
could be pointed out, but all that Dr. Kleinig is after is the big picture. He is giving us the basic tools of
analysis. The couplets are obvious in the Hebrew and if there were more time, Dr. Kleinig said he could
go into the Hebrew and show all kinds of devices for parallelism that are used in the couplets.
General Instructions on the Critical Analysis of Structure

Much of what we are about to talk about doesn’t just apply to psalms but to poetry in general, and not
just to poetry but even to prose. The aim of your analysis is to discover how the psalm works. One thing
introduced by the Enlightenment that is not helpful is to focus on what a text means. The most
important thing when reading and studying the Scriptures is not what it means, but how it works, what it
is meant to do. Think about a car. What does a car mean? That’s a stupid question because the real
question is, what do you use the car to do? and how does it work? If you know how it works, it helps you
see what you can do with it. It is similar with the psalms. It is better to look for the function than the
meaning of a psalm. Once you know that, it is very easy to preach and use in pastoral care and in
spirituality. That’s because you are immediately thinking not in theoretical terms but in practical terms.
To determine how a psalm works, you need to figure out the structure of the psalm with its main parts
and the function of each of those parts. We’ve looked at Ps. 92 as a whole and we’ve looked at each
part. The next question is not what does each part mean, but what is each part meant to do? What is the
function of each part? A psalm is a series of speech acts that is meant to accomplish something.
One of the most interesting and useful things to come from modern linguistics and speech study is the
moving away from purely understanding language as communicating meaning, to seeing how language
works. There has been a lot of work done that is helpful for exegesis and preaching, which is called
speech act theory. The person who pioneered this is John Austin, a philosopher of language from
Cambridge. He has a series of lectures called: how to do things with words. He pointed out that nearly
every statement we make has three parts to it.
1. There is what it says.

2. There is the effect it aims to have on the hearer.
3. Then there is what it does by being said.
Your outline of the psalm should summarize how the psalm is arranged and how each part functions.
Not what it means, but what it is meant to do. So for example, if I said, James, could you please go and
shut the door. That is a speech act because I do it in order to get James to do something.
Here is some general background information, as summary of speech act theory. Words perform six
12
functions:
(1) Words can be informative. They tell how things are. It’s proclamation. A statement like, Jesus is Lord,
is a statement of the way things are.
(2) Words can be expressive. They can express attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of a person or a group of
people. You can complain or confess or many other things. A lot of emphasis has been placed on this in
modern times.
(3) Words can be contractual. They can commit a person or a group of people to someone or to do
something. An example of this is telling someone that you love them. It commits you to that person.
Vows and promises fall into this category.
(4) Words can be imperative. Even questions can be imperatives. What does the question, did you put
out the garbage mean? Grammatically it is a question, but in speech act theory it is a strong imperative.
Words can ask someone to do something or to ask something be done to them. Paul says, Believe and be
baptized. “Believe” is an imperative and “be baptized” is something being done to you.
(5) Words can be evocative. They can produce an intended physical or emotional or mental or spiritual
state in another person. You flatter someone so that they feel good about themselves. Praise, assurance,
encouragement fall into this category.
(6) The one that is most important theologically is that words can be performative. By saying
something, you can do something. As an example, take absolution.
 It is informative. It tells you that you are forgiven (1).
 It is evocative. It assures you you are forgiven (5).
 But most importantly, it actually forgives you (6).
The same statement can work in several different ways. Take, “thank you.” It can be a statement of fact
(1). You recognize that someone has given you a gift. But it can also be expressive (2). You express your
gratitude to the person who has given you the gift. It could also be evocative (5) because you want the
person to feel appreciated. And lastly, it is performative (6). By saying, thank you, you are being thankful.
Context determines which of these apply and which is dominant. One word or one phrase can do many
things. For instance, Lord have mercy. It is so rich. Or, the Lord be with you. Or, even something so simple
as, “good day.” In terms of speech acts, they do many things at many levels.
Another very simple example is when you say, “Hi” or “Hello.” Can you tell me what they really mean?
No one knows what they mean. Information-wise, they don’t mean anything. So why do we use a word
that we don’t know the meaning of? Because it performs a function. It is a greeting. Like other words
we’ve looked at, it performs several of these six functions. But the most important of them is #6.
Naming a person is a performative speech act. Pronouncing a verdict or a sentence is performative. The
words enact the verdict. Giving a benediction is not just information or a wish. The words actually give a
blessing. You give what you say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF45y5wjI0Q&index=53&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Analyzing the Structure of a Psalm (continued)
13
How do you go about analyzing the structure of a psalm? This will be a little review.
The following questions may help you produce the outline of a psalm. This is not a tick off list. It gives
you a general approach.
1. In all cases you need to determine the literary genre and then work out how closely it follows
the typical pattern of that genre. For instance one genre is an individual lament. Another is a
psalm of thanksgiving. A genre is a particular kind of literature. In a car you might have two
different kinds of books of two different genres – a manual and a directory. What is the purpose
of a car manual? It tells you how to operate the car and know where different things are. And if
something goes wrong, it will help you fix them. What is the purpose of a street directory? It
helps you get to where you want to go. Once you know what its purpose is, that will help you
know what the structure is.
2. To help you map the surface structure of the psalm, identify who is speaking to whom and about
what and how. Determine who is addressing whom and who or what are they addressing.
3. Note the conjunctions and work out how they function. And then work out how the subordinate
clauses function, how they stand aside from the main thread.
4. Plot the patterns of formal and verbal repetition in the psalm. An important one used in the
psalms is the repeated use of the holy name- Yahweh. Another is a list of petitions.
5. Locate the main breaks in the psalm from the change of address or change in form or change in
subject matter to divide the psalm into a series of stanzas, the main parts.
6. Identify the poetic and literary devices used in the composition of the psalm, such as imagery or
word play. For word play you have to go to the Hebrew. Word play is very important for Hebrew
because Hebrew has such a small vocabulary, which means that one word is used in many
different ways. Sometimes it can mean multiple things. So for instance in the psalm we just
looked at, it talks about anointing with fine oil. Is this referring to a secular anointing or a holy
anointing? And it affects what kind of anointed person it is talking about.
7. Watch for parallelism, inclusion, and chiasm.
8. The last will be the hardest. Determine the function of each unit of the psalm as a speech act by
working out what it is meant to do or accomplish.
Structure of Ps. 6
Let’s take a look at Ps. 6.Dr. Kleinig provided his own translation (see below). As we go through this, you
will see that most translations obscure things. Also notice that it starts off with the holy name – Yahweh.
Remember that you could not use the holy name anywhere except the temple.
Dr. Kleinig’s Translation of Ps. 6:
1. Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your wrath,

Nor discipline (teach, instruct. Practical teaching, training.) me in your anger.
2. Be gracious to me, Yahweh, for I am faint;
Heal me, Yahweh, for my bones are struck with terror.
14
(The Hebrew word “nephesh” most concretely refers to the throat. The throat is used for eating and
breathing. It is necessary for life. So for v. 3 of this psalm, nephesh is life breath, which equates to life,
which equates to a living being, which is translated as soul. At its most literal level you could translate
this as, “I’m breathless or I’ve lost my breath.” “I’m so terror struck that I can’t breathe. That’s what we
call panic.)
3. My soul is utterly terror struck.

While you, Yahweh - how long?
4. Please turn, Yahweh. Please deliver my soul.
Save me because of your loving kindness (generosity, mercy).
5. For in death there is no remembrance of you;
Who can give thanks to you in sheol?
(Sheol is the Greek term for the underworld, the grave, the place of the dead. It is also the OT word for
Hades, which is hell. The clearest way to communicate this is translate it as “underworld.”)
6. I am weary with my groaning;

Every night I flood my bed;
I drench my bed mat with tears.
7. My eyes grow weak with grief;
They fail because of all my foes.
8. Depart from me you evil doers,
For Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.
9. Yahweh has heard my plea for grace;
Yahweh has received my petition.
10. Let my enemies be put to shame and utterly dismayed;
Let them once again be suddenly put to shame.
Our main concern right now in looking at this psalm is not its content and exegesis, but its structure. In
light of what we’ve talked about, is there anything that strikes you about the structure of this psalm?
One student noted the repeated use of Yahweh, the divine name. Yahweh is used 7 times. They tend to
cluster in the first and fourth verses.
What else do you notice about the structure? It’s a plea. The psalm begins with a plea. How far does the
plea go? To help answer this, look for the conjunctions. There are two conjunctions in v. 2. The “for”
conjunction gives a reason. So there two conjunctions give a reason for the plea. Be gracious to me
because I am faint. Heal me because my bones are struck with terror. Where is the next connective? It is
in v. 5. It gives the reason why God is to save this person. When you are dead you can’t remember God,
by giving thanks to him.
There are series of pleas here. How many pleas are there? There are 5 positive pleas and 2 negative
pleas. So there are 7 pleas altogether. They are:
1. Do not rebuke me.
2. Do not discipline me.
3. Be gracious to me.
4. Heal me.
5. Please turn.
6. Please deliver my soul.
15
7. Save me.
In a series like this, which pleas will be the most important? The first and last one will color all the ones
in between.
In looking at the first 5 verses of this psalm, there is something that is out of place, that doesn’t fit. Can
you identify it? Verse 3 has an incomplete sentence. It starts out with “While you Yahweh”. And then
you would expect a statement to follow explaining what is being talked about. But then it asks a
question, “How long?” How long will you continue doing something or not doing something or before
you begin to do something? In the context of this psalm, is “How long” negative or positive? It is both
positive and negative. It applies in all three ways. The negative is: How long will you continue to rebuke
me? The positive is: How long before you will be gracious to me?
Let’s think about this in terms of a speech act. We see that there are imperatives and that they are used
both positively and negatively. It’s a plea. What is the function of this? What is it meant to do? It’s
expressive; it expresses his frustration. But it’s stronger than that. It’s evocative. It’s a form of protest.
It’s a formal complaint.
In a lot of situations we’ve been taught not to do this. It seems a bit rude to us to complain. For instance,
if a student complains to his teacher, the teacher may take it out on the student and they might get a
worse grade than if they didn’t complain. Or it may not go well if you complain to your spouse. For us
many times it doesn’t do any good. But that is what is happening here. It expresses frustration and is a
formal complaint to God. Politicians will do anything to keep people from complaining, but what is
striking in the Psalms is that God authorizes us to complain to him.
So the first basic unit was verses 1-5, where there was a series of pleas and a complaint. What is the next
basic unit? And what does it do? The next unit is verses 6 and 7. The expressions in these verses tie back
to the “for” in verse 5. The psalmist is in great anguish (vv. 2-3). It’s almost to the point of death (v. 5).
Verses 6-7 express why he is in such anguish to the point of death. His foes have done something to
cause him great terror and anguish. It is a confession of the suffering he’s going through. It’s rather
vague, but you get clues of what’s gone wrong in what verses? Verses 2-3 and 6-7. The enemies of this
person have done something to him and the result is that he is faint (v. 2), terrified (vv.2, 3), completely
shaken to the bone (v.2), weary with groaning (v. 6) (you groan when you are in unrelieved pain),
possibly confined to bed (v. 6), and his eyes are faint with grief (7). This looks like life-threatening stuff.
He is physically, emotionally, and spiritually shaken.
If someone sins against you and treats you unjustly, what is the affect of it? How do you feel? One strong
emotion is that you are angry. That’s normal. If you’ve sinned you feel guilty. If you have been sinned
against, you feel hurt and that hurt will show up as anger. But in this psalm there is no indication of the
psalmist’s anger, but of God’s anger.
Now the way that you deal with sin if you’ve sinned is to confess that sin, bring it out in the open. If
you’ve been sinned against and you are angry, you also have to deal with that sin and anger. There are
two ways to deal with your anger. One way is to react violently and lash out, get vengeance and pay
back. There is a problem with this reaction if the person you lash out against is your superior. The
superior can squash you. So the second way of dealing with it is to hold your anger in, repress it. Doing
this makes your anger even worse.
16
What the laments/complaints do is tell God three things: what has happened, how it has affected you
and made you feel, and who is responsible. But notice that the complaint is not made to the enemies.
It’s made to God. So this person has been abused by someone, his anger has been repressed, which
makes him feel like God is against him. He feels like God is siding with his enemies. When interpreting
the psalms you must not only learn to see the pictures presented, you must also learn to interpret the
emotions being felt.
Now what is the next unit? It is verses 8-9. What is surprising about the jump from v. 7 to v. 8? The
psalmist switches from addressing God to addressing his enemies. Something has changed for the
psalmist so that he dismisses his enemies. Why does he dismiss them? What has happened? God has
heard his plea.
Then there is the last part of the psalm, v. 10. This is what people find most offensive in a lament psalm.
Who is being addressed here? It does not specifically say. But it is implied that Yahweh is being spoken
to. What does the psalmist do in this verse? He tells God what to do. What’s the difference between him
telling God what to do in vv. 1-5, where he tells God what he doesn’t want him to do, followed by what
he does want his to do, and v. 10? In vv. 1-5 he tells God, in imperative form, what actions to take toward
him and in v. 10 he speaks about God’s actions toward his enemies. V. 10 is not an imperative. Rather it
is in the form of a jussive, which is a wish or desire. He tells God what he wants him to do about his
enemies. It’s put as a jussive rather than an imperative because it is merely a wish. It is up to God
whether he does it or doesn’t do it.
The best way to explain this in today’s terms is an example from a courtroom. A crime is committed
against someone. The person committing the crime is tried and found guilty. Sometimes between the
verdict and sentence the judge allows the offended person to recommend to him what they think a just
punishment would be.
So what is the importance of the psalmist making this recommendation about his enemies to God? Let’s
go back through it again. When you are hurt you feel angry. You feel like you’ve been treated unjustly
and you want justice. You want to take revenge or you want someone else to take revenge. In making the
recommendation, you are letting the last bit of anger stored up in you out. You are handing over your
desire for revenge. You are putting it in God’s hands. After you hand it off, you can’t take it back and you
can’t carry out the revenge yourself. It drains you of your desire for revenge.
If we don’t hand it off, the anger in us builds because we recycle the event. And then we see all the other
bad things the enemy has ever done or said to us and the enemy becomes an even bigger enemy. Then
we start to hate our enemy. And that feels good to us because in our minds they are bad and we are
good. I have the moral high ground and I find it hard to let go of the offense. But then you go on a
crusade to get vindication and you end up doing far worse to the enemy than what was ever done to
you.
Let’s look at the outline of the structure for Ps. 6.

1. The psalm begins with seven requests (vv. 1-5).
a. There are two negative pleas for relief from punishment.
b. Then there are five positive pleas for help. There is a plea for mercy and grace. There is a
plea for healing.
c. Then comes the protest. The protest cuts the positive pleas into two parts.
17
d. Then it continues with the plea. It’s strange because he asks God to turn. He is asking
God to turn toward him instead of away from him, to turn from anger to grace. Then
there is the plea for deliverance from enemies and salvation from death.
2. The psalm then moves on to the lament (vv. 6-7), which describes not so much the trouble but
the effect of the trouble, the suffering caused by the evil and abuse done to him.
a. Two things are highlighted. First the person is so devastated that he can’t even sleep at
night. And second, he spends most of his time crying from grief.
3. Then comes the dismissal of the enemies (vv. 8-9). They will be banished because the Lord has
heard his pleas.
4. It ends with the prayer against the enemies (v. 10). The prayer is a wish and not an imperative,
putting it in God’s hands.
The prayer against the enemies is the most surprising part of the psalm for us. We are reluctant to pray
for justice for ourselves and we are even more reluctant to pray against evil and evil doers. In this case
it’s a bit strange. You might expect the psalmist to pray for their death, but instead he prays that they be
shamed. Notice that he is calling for a reversal. Because of what his enemies have done, he has been
shamed. So the request is to take what has unjustly been done to him and be done to them. The culture
of the psalmist is a shame culture. And in that culture public shaming is the worst punishment you could
get.
(As an aside Dr. Kleinig told his class that Australia was quickly moving from a guilt culture to a shame
culture. And as pastors in order to minister to people, especially under the age of 30, they would need to
minister in terms of shame. They will need to understand it and how it works socially, psychologically,
and spiritually. They will need to know how to minister to people who have been shamed. The psalms
will be a great resource for this.)
The most striking thing about this psalm is the jump from vv.1-7 to vv. 8-10. There are two possible
explanations for this jump.
(1) The first explanation is technical. It was prayed at the temple and perhaps the first part of the psalm
(vv. 1-7) was prayed not by the person but by the Levites. And then for the last part (vv.8-10) a priest
would step in and give a word of assurance. There is some evidence for this, but Dr. Kleinig did not think
it was likely.
(2) There is another explanation that is even more profound. Why is it that the person is so sure that his
enemies have been dealt with and God has answered his prayer? It is because he has called on the holy
name. The use of the holy name brings with it the assurance that God will act. And if you look at this
closely, you will see that there are a whole bunch of promises of God that are being claimed here. The
use of the holy name in the holy place in connection with the holy sacrifices means that God, not only
will hear the prayer, but has heard the prayer. It’s the same thing when we receive the absolution. We
can be sure we are forgiven even if we don’t feel forgiven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3uTzH_gUZ8&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=47
Analyzing the Genre of a Psalm
[It appears that the first few minutes of the lecture were not recorded.]
18
[See pages 9-10 of the Class Notes -

http://www.johnkleinig.com/files/9513/9019/8296/Psalms_Course_2014.pdf ]
Today’s lecture is about genre. Genre has to do with how you go about communicating certain things to
certain people in a certain situation. So how you write something is determined by what you want to
accomplish. And how you write it determines it structure. And the purpose is determined by the setting
of your communication.
So let’s look at an example. A sermon is a particular kind of oral genre. If you want to make sense of a
sermon, there are certain features of a sermon. First you look at the setting. What is the setting for a
sermon? A sermon takes place when a pastor, in the Divine Service before the congregation, speaks to
his people. Within that setting, every sermon has a particular purpose. That purpose then determines
how you structure and arrange the material.
Another example, which we have already talked about, is the two books in my car which are of two
different genres. There is the genre of a car manual. And then there is a genre of a street directory. If you
analyze the genre of car manuals, you will find a certain tradition on what is contained in a car manual.
There is a table of contents. There is an index. And in between there is certain material arranged under
certain headings. The arrangement of the material is determined by the purpose of the genre.
There are two great scholars of genres that you need to know about. One was a German named Gunkel.
He studied the psalms as religious literature. He identified the key genres of the psalms. His work was
then taken up by one of his students, Mowinckel, a Norwegian. These were both Lutherans. Gunkel was
a bit of liberal pietist. Mowinckel was a more orthodox Lutheran. While Gunkel concentrated on the
genre, Mowinckel concentrated on the social setting. Because Gunkel was a pietist he assumed that the
psalms came out of the devotional life of Israel. But Mowinckel said there were no pietists in Israel. He
said the obvious setting for the psalms was liturgical. Sometimes the greatest discoveries are the most
obvious ones. So he made the connection between the genre, purpose, and the liturgical setting of the
psalms.
Gunkel classified the psalms according to their genre. Here are the major ones.
1. The most common genre is individual petitions (Gunkel) and laments (other scholars). We looked
at one in Ps. 6. In general, a person is in trouble, he tells God about his trouble, he asks for help,
and he promises to praise God. That is the basic structure of an individual lament. That is a
traditional pattern for this kind of psalm. And that pattern is determined by its liturgical setting.
2. What you have on an individual basis, you also have on a national basis. You have communal or
national petitions and laments. In national laments it’s not “I” but “we.”
3. The third type is an individual or personal psalm of trust. In Lutheran terms it is a confession of
faith. Ps. 23 is one of these types of psalms. Dr. Kleinig does not like the term “individual”
because in ancient Israel no one looked at themselves as an individual. The community was
always what was important.
4. Then there are communal psalms of trust or national psalms of trust. Here the whole nation
confesses its faith in God.
Let’s go back to the personal laments. When a person went to the temple and made a personal lament it
followed this pattern:
1. God would be addressed by name.
2. The person would tell God about the trouble that he or she had experienced.
19
3. There would be a petition for help.

4. And it would end with a promise of praise in the future.
So let’s say your wife was sick. You went to the temple. You lamented to God and asked God to heal her.
And you ended with a vow or promise of praise. What would you be required to do when God heard
your prayer and healed her? You would be required to come back to God and offer him a Thank Offering.
And part of that offering was a psalm of thanksgiving. So you used an individual psalm of thanksgiving to
fulfill your vow of praise you made to the Lord. Ps. 116, which is used in the liturgy, is an individual psalm
of thanksgiving.
5. Corresponding to this on a national level is a psalm of communal thanksgiving. If you have a

national catastrophe like the grasshopper plagues in Joel, the priests through the king call a day
of national lament. You pray for God to deliver the nation. When God heard the prayer for the
nation, there would a day for national thanksgiving. So for instance, Ps. 118 is the national
psalm of thanksgiving that David used to thank God for the victories he won against the enemies
of Israel.
6. Lastly, there are psalms of praise. They do not have a historical setting. It didn’t tie back to a
particular event of a person or the nation. The psalms of praise were sung as the burnt offering
was being presented morning and evening at the temple. Their setting was a regular theological
setting. They were part of daily liturgy.
Let’s read Ps. 100 and as we do listen for the liturgical setting for this psalm of praise. (A student
read Ps. 100.) What clues are there in the psalm to its liturgical setting? V2 has “Come into his
presence with singing!” To come into his presence is to come into the sanctuary at the temple.
Also v. 4 has “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!” What are the gates?
In the temple you have two courts with two gates. There is an outer gate and an inner gate. You
enter through those gates when you enter the temple. The inner gate is called the Gate of the
Lord or the Gate of Righteousness. Only those who were ritually clean could go through the Gate
of Righteousness. Also the songs of praise and thanksgiving were sung as the burnt offering was
offered to God.
(A question was asked about where the choir stood. Dr. Kleinig drew a picture and explained the
layout of the temple and process followed by the choir and people.)
Analyzing a psalm by using its origin, content, and purpose

These are the basic genres of the psalms. You can understand some psalms by identifying their basic
form according to their genre. But you can also classify some groups of psalms according to their origin
and content and purpose. We will look at 6 groups of these psalms and note that there will some overlap
between them.
1. The first group of psalms is royal psalms. These are psalms that were used for a royal occasion
like the anointing of a king, the coronation of a king, thanksgiving of a king, intercession of a
king, or the wedding of a king (Ps. 45). The most significant occasion was the coronation of a
king.
20
These are of great significance for us as Christians because all of the royal psalms are messianic
psalms. They apply not only to the kings of Israel but they apply to Jesus as the anointed King,
the Messiah.
There can be overlap between genre and purpose. For instance you might have a royal psalm
that is an individual laments. You can have a lament of a king or a royal psalm of petition or a
royal thanksgiving. So any genre of psalm can be used by a king.
2. Secondly, you get one very strange and odd group of psalms. And these are very significant for
the Church – the psalms of Zion. They refer to the city of Jerusalem as the city of God. An
example of this is Ps. 46. The focus here is on the royal city, the city of God which has both the
palace of the king and the palace (temple) of the heavenly King.
Carry this to the NT. All of the psalms of Zion are connected in the NT to the Church. In the old
hymn books the Church is referred to as Zion, the city of God. All of the prophecies of Zion are
fulfilled in the Church.
3. Then you get enthronement psalms. They are a particular kind of hymn of praise. These psalms
do not celebrate the enthronement of the earthly king, but of God as King over all of his enemies
and chaotic powers. They have to do with prophecies of the kingdom of God. They praise God as
King and Victor over all evil powers, as King over the whole cosmos.
So when Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of God is at hand, the most obvious reference is back
to these enthronement psalms. What God was praised for then is accomplished now in and
through his Messiah.
4. Then we have a number of prophetic psalms. They are called prophetic psalms because you get
an oracle of God in them, a prophet speaking God’s word. So for example Ps. 110 begins, “The
Lord (Yahweh) said to my Lord (king or messiah) sit at my right hand until I make my enemies
your footstool.” God is speaking so this is a prophetic psalm.
5. Then you get a whole class of psalms that are liturgical psalms. You have an overlap here with
the psalms of praise that we discussed earlier. These are psalms of blessing, entry, or procession.
One particular group of these psalms is the fifteen psalms of ascent from Ps. 120 to Ps. 134.
“Ascent” refers to going up the steps. So these psalms refer to the ascent of the fifteen temple
steps from the outer court to the inner court. These psalms are filled with liturgical references.
6. The last group of psalms is the wisdom psalms. The wisdom psalms are teaching psalms, didactic
psalms. They don’t teach abstract doctrine. They teach people to meditate and to pray and to
praise. A psalm we will look at is Ps. 1, which is a wisdom psalm.
Patterns and Breaking the Pattern
Those are the basic categories of the psalms. In many cases it is clear what kind of psalm the psalm is.
But there are some psalms that mix it up and include multiple of these.
21
Let me give you a good principle of communication and this applies to all of the arts, not just spoken and
written communication. It applies to music and art as well. Let’s consider music. One of the things a
composer does is work within a tradition in which there are certain patterns. When a pattern is
established, then as you go along you know what to expect, what comes next. A symphony, a poem, a
pop song have a particular pattern. The most powerful music follows the tradition and then changes it. It
introduces something new or unexpected. You could say the same thing with painting.
So you establish an expected pattern and then you introduce something new. That’s meant to make you
sit up and pay attention. In fact it makes you look back at everything that came before it and reconsider
it in light of the unexpected thing. The same thing happens in any good writing and the same thing
happens in a good sermon.
A number of scholars have recognized this in the psalms, that there is a kind of cycle.
1. The psalm begins with an experience of trouble. The psalm begins with a life experience. The
counterpart to this later in the psalm is God’s help. This is another life experience.
2. After experiencing trouble, you complain to God about that trouble. And at the same time that
you complain, you look back at the trouble and you meditate on the trouble. You try and
understand the trouble in the light of God’s word.
3. Sometimes these troubles are cause by enemies, so you pray against the enemies. This is not
always the case, but it may be an option.
4. You ask God for help with your trouble.
5. You then promise to thank and praise God when you’ve experienced God’s help.
6. An option at this point is to intercede for God’s people.
7. You experience God’s help.
8. So you come back to the temple and present a thank offering and praise God.
9. When one praises God, one does not direct one’s praise directly to God. Rather the praise is
directed to the congregation. When you do this you bear witness to the congregation. You
encourage them to do what you did. You are saying to them: If you have trouble call on the Lord.
He will help you. And when he helps you, you will join me in thanksgiving.
10. Then there is a confession of faith. The whole cycle began with faith. You take your trouble to
God believing he will help. When he does help, it confirms your faith and leads to a renewed
confession of faith.
11. And when you confess your faith, it teaches you and the congregation the faith. It is a teaching in
experiential terms – you’ve experienced God’s grace.
12. You then call on the congregation to join you in praising God. Or said in another way, you add
your praise for God to the ongoing praise of the congregation.
So the people of Israel in the psalms seem to be a lamenting community, a praying community, a
thanksgiving community, and above all a praising community. So how do you come to praise God? By
going through this cycle [by experiencing trouble!]. The next time you experience trouble how do you try
and understand it? You look at it in terms of the communal praise of God for his grace and in terms of
God’s word and promises, which you confess your faith in.
This is the full cycle. But in any one psalm you won’t have all of these. The psalm might start anywhere in
the cycle.
22
A question was raised to explain corporate praise and meditation on God’s grace works. Here was Dr.
Kleinig’s answer. Many times you experience a contradiction between what you believe and the gracious
God you praise and the trouble you experience. So a psalm might start out with: Our fathers said this
(God is a loving gracious God) but I am experiencing this trouble. This is a fundamental Christian
experience, so we can relate to it very well. Luther calls it the theology of the cross. It’s when experience
contradicts what you believe. So for instance, God is good and just. But you experience injustice. God is
good and generous, but you experience poverty and need. God is merciful and forgiving, but you are
plagued by your sins. So sometimes in a psalm a lament starts and then all of a sudden it switches back
to a confession of faith or the grace of God. This is an attempt to understand the trouble in terms of the
confession of faith and the praising of God for being good and gracious.
We all face troubles that contradict our faith. The book of Psalms more than any other book gives us help
in dealing with this situation. Normally when we experience trouble, we [quite wrongly] assume God is
absent. We look at it in purely secular terms. Yet the testimony of the people of God in both the OT and
NT is that in their personal lives they experience God at work most clearly, not in the good times but in
the bad times. The bad times tests, strengthens, deepens, and grounds your faith.
Luther wrote about three ways to do theology: prayer, mediation, and temptation. When you experience
trouble, you experience temptation and testing. The primary Christian experience is in the experience
of trouble rather than in good times. And it must be that way because otherwise the Christian faith can
become an escape from reality and an exercise in self-delusion.
Next time we will finish the introduction by looking at the arrangement of the Psalter and then we will
take a look at Ps. 1, which serves as an introduction to the entire Psalter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoKQsbqWd1s&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=42
The Arrangement of the Psalter

The Psalter is, like the Law, divided into 5 books. The five books are clearly delineated by markers at the
end of each book.
 Read the last verse of Ps. 41. Ps. 41:14: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting
to everlasting! Amen and Amen.” This closes the first book of the psalms. Blessing can be spoken
of in one of two ways: (1) God is spoken about or (2) God is spoken to as the One who gives
blessings. So the first book of the psalms is closed with a blessing. Which of the two kinds is
used? There are two different kinds of blessing. There is a benediction in which blessing is given.
And there is eulogy in which you acknowledge God as the giver of blessing. In this case it is a
eulogy [saying a good thing about God, that he is the Giver of blessing.]
 Next let’s look at the end of Ps. 72, the end of the second book. It has something added to it.
Read Ps. 72:18-20. It ends similar to the first book. But the last verse shows that this is the end of
the Davidic Psalter. The eulogy this time is extended. This is a messianic psalm so it is filled with
messianic overtones. The hope that God’s glory fills the whole earth looks forward to the End
23
when God will fill the whole earth through the Messiah.
 One thing to watch for is a pattern. This is important for the OT. In the first four books we have a
pattern for eulogy. So what is the purpose of the first four books of the Psalter which all end with
a similar eulogy? It is to teach people to bless the Lord [recognize him as the Giver of blessing].
The psalms encourage us to meditate, to lament, and pray. And the focus of all that is to bless
the Lord for all of his good gifts to you.
This pattern is broken in Ps. 150 (the end of the fifth book of the Psalms). When we read it,
notice that there is no eulogy, no blessing. Instead we get something else. Let’s read the whole
psalm. [A student read Ps. 150.] In Hebrew it comes off as more dramatic. It begins with
“Hallelujah.” And then it continues with “Hallelu” five times. And it ends with “Hallelujah.” What
is hallelujah? It is a call to praise Yahweh. The psalm calls us to praise God in heaven and on
earth by everything that has breath in every possible way. So the book of Psalms climaxes and
culminates in the great call to praise. All of creation, visible and invisible, is called to praise God.
So why does the book of Psalms end with this universal call to praise? It’s very dramatic when
you take Ps. 150 in light of the preceding psalms, especially Pss. 145 - 150. These psalms are an
exegesis on the Hallelujah. Hallelujah is a call to praise. It’s a victory cry. The first Hallelujah is
found in Ps. 104, which talks about the victory of God over all evil powers. It is a call to praise
God for his victory over all the evil powers in the cosmos.
Finally then, why is it that the book of Psalms ends with the call to praise? The whole purpose of
the Psalter is to teach the people of God and all humanity to praise God. But take notice that
the first three books of the psalms are basically laments. The last two books are basically calls to
praise. So you lament in order to bless which leads to praise.
A student commented how the Divine Service follows this same basic pattern as the five books
of the Psalms. Dr. Kleinig remarked how modern worship likes to turn this on its head. They like
to start where the Psalter ends with praise and then stay there. They want to get straight to
heaven without dealing with trouble on earth. That’s called realized eschatology. They use praise
in order to escape injustice, trouble, disaster, pain. There is nothing escapist about the book of
Psalms. It doesn’t use praise to avoid trouble, to make you feel good. Instead the Psalms get you
to meditate on trouble to show you a God that works miraculously by bringing good out of
evil, by bringing good to a people that are in the midst of disaster.
Collections of Psalms
The book of Psalms did not drop from heaven in its final form. It has a long history. It goes all the way
back to David (about 1000 BC) and goes to post exilic times. It’s like our hymn book. There are songs that
go all the way back to the early church. There are hymns from the middle ages, the reformation, the time
of orthodoxy, pietism, all the way up to the present time. Within the book of Psalms there are many
collections of psalms from different time periods.
Some of the most important collections are:

 The prayers of David the son of Jesse (Pss. 3-72).
24
 Within the prayers of David is a group called the Yahwist Psalter. Pss. 3-41 use the holy name,
Yahweh. But then the psalms from Ps. 42 forward to Ps. 83 use Elohim (God) instead of Yahweh.
The use of a general term for God (Elohim) seems to indicate that this collection might have
been used in the home. The holy name of Yahweh could only be used at the temple as a way of
accessing God. So if the temple singers were to sing one of these psalms, they would probably
substitute Yahweh for Elohim.
 The Psalms of Korah (one of the singers that David appointed for the temple) (Pss. 42-49, 84, 85,
87, and 88).
 The Psalms of Asaph (another one of the singers appointed by David) (Pss. 50, 73-83).
 The Hallelujah Psalms. There is praise for the Lord before Ps. 104, but the first Hallelujah occurs
at the end of Ps. 104. Ps. 104 praises God as the Creator of the whole cosmos who in his wisdom
upholds the whole world and deals with the wicked. At the end of the psalm it talks about God
destroying the wicked and that is where we have the first Hallelujah. It builds up from Ps. 104
and comes to a crescendo at the end of the Psalter.
o The first Hallelujah psalms are 104-106 and they focus primarily on wisdom. Not just
God’s wisdom in creating and upholding the whole world, but with God’s wisdom in
dealing with evil in a most unexpected way.
o The second group of Hallelujah psalms is the so-called Egyptian Hallel, Pss. 113-118. It is
significant because it was sung at the Feast of Passover, but then at later times it was
used for all three of the great pilgrim festivals (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles). So
these are festive psalms. It’s called Egyptian because it begins praising God for the
deliverance of Israel by God from Egypt and ends with Ps. 118, which is messianic psalm
of thanksgiving for the victory God accomplishes through his king. These psalms are the
psalms that Jesus would have sung with his disciples at the end of the Passover meal
before he went to the Garden of Gethsemane.
o The Egyptian Hallel is introduced by a couple of other Hallelujah psalms, Pss. 111-112.
o Ps. 135 is a single Hallelujah psalm.
 The fifteen Psalms of Ascent (Pss. 120-134). So you have a Torah psalm (Ps. 119), the psalms of
ascent (Pss. 120-134), and then there is a Hallelujah psalm (Ps. 135). The Torah teaches people
how to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and worship. The ascent is the entry into the sanctuary.
And that culminates in praise. These are all liturgical markers.
 Finally the last group, which is Pss. 146-150, is the last group of Hallelujah psalms. There is a
particular sequence to these psalms.
[At this point there was a general discussion on how the psalms were put together. The Psalter was not
haphazardly put together. The sequence of the psalms is intentional. Dr. Kleinig hinted that Pss. 20, 21,
22, 23, and 24 were place in that order for reason.
Then the discussion turned to the familiarity of the laity of the psalms. The psalms carried over from the
temple to the synagogue. So when Jesus quoted from Ps. 118, everyone who heard it were familiar with
it. They knew it was the Passover psalm and that it had to do with the Messiah. So when Jesus quotes
about the stone that the builders rejected, they automatically thought: Ps. 119, the Passover psalm, the
Messiah. Then they would question in their minds who is this Messiah? Is it Jesus?
Today Bible literacy is very low. Most people only get the surface meaning. They miss out on the riches
contained within it.]
25
Features of the Psalter

Let’s look at some key psalms. In addition to looking at the context of each psalm (the psalms that come
just before it and just after it), it is important to look at the first psalm in the book and the last psalm in
the book. So for instance, we are going to look at Ps. 1. It’s not just the beginning of the first book of the
Psalter, but it’s also the beginning or introduction of the Psalter as a whole. It tells you what the Psalter is
about, not in theoretical terms but in practical terms.
Even though there are not a great number of wisdom psalms, they are placed in very significant
locations.
 Ps. 1 is a wisdom psalm.
 The first psalm in the third book (Ps. 73) is a wisdom psalm.
 The first psalm in the fourth book (Ps. 90) is a wisdom psalm.
 The first psalm in the fifth book (Ps. 107) is a wisdom psalm.
 Then you have a very important wisdom psalm in Ps. 119.
We will have more to say about wisdom psalms later.
Then there are the royal psalms. Remember we said these psalms were used for royal ceremonies. Once
Israel no longer had kings (586 BC) they ceased to be functional. Yet a handful of these psalms were
included in the Psalter. They were included because they were understood to be speaking of a messianic
king. They didn’t just apply to David or Solomon but to a king who would come in the future.
From a NT point of view and also for Jews in their hope for a messiah, these psalms are key, critical
psalms for understanding the Psalter. Look where they occur in the Psalter.
 Ps. 2, along with Ps. 1, introduces the whole Psalter. Ps. 1 tells you how to use the Psalter, which
is to meditate on the Law of God. Ps. 2 tells you that the Psalter teaches people to take refuge in
the King that was to come, the Messiah.
 Ps. 45 is the messianic wedding, the marriage of a king to a queen. Paul talked about the
relationship between Christ and the Church as the Bridegroom and the bride. This psalm is
connected to that theme.
 The first two books of the Psalter end with a messianic psalm, which is a psalm of intercession
for Solomon or the king. It’s basically a prayer to God that he would give his justice to his king,
the royal messiah. So all of the laments of all of Israel’s troubles culminate in a prayer to God
that he would give his righteousness and his justice to the king so that he can bring them to
God’s people on earth. This is a prayer for the kingdom of God to come through his messiah.
 The third book ends with a messianic lament. It begins with a recollection of God’s covenant
with David and that culminates in a lament because it seems that God has rejected his king. This
was probably composed in the post-exilic period. So all of the laments you find in books 1, 2, and
3 culminate in the lament for God apparently rejecting David his king, failing to fulfill the
covenant he made with David.
 Book four contains no royal psalms. Instead you get psalms that praise God as King
(enthronement psalms). So there is a shift from the earthly messiah/king to the God as King and
the coming kingdom of God.
 The next most important messianic psalm comes in the fifth book. There are two very important
messianic psalms in book 5. First there is Ps. 110 which is quoted more frequently and alluded to
more frequently in the NT than any other OT text. “The Lord says to my Lord sit at my right hand
until I make my enemies your footstool.” In it God enthrones the Messiah/King at his right hand.
26
The last messianic psalm is Ps. 144. It is a royal psalm of prayer and praise, where the king prays
for his people and praises God on behalf of his people. The messiah leads the congregation in
prayer and praise. That then leads to the final Hallelujah psalms.
Now let’s draw together the consequences of this – the big picture. What does all of this data we’ve
discussed tell us about the theological purpose and the theological shape of the Psalter? What does the
arrangement of the Psalter tell us about the purpose and use of the Psalter?
1. First of all Ps. 1 introduces the rest of the Psalter in a most unexpected way. This psalm has to do
with meditation. The first purpose of the Psalter is to teach people to meditate on the Torah,
the teaching of God. So every psalm is a meditation and it’s meant to teach meditation on the
instruction and guidance of the Lord. The Psalms don’t talk about meditation, they do
meditation. What’s surprising is that most of the meditation in the Psalms is not on God’s might
deeds, but on trouble. You meditate on the Word of God and then you use the Word of God to
make sense of your trouble and to make sense of how God is at work in the world and in your
life.
2. If you want to understand the purpose of any book, you look at the beginning and the end of the
book. We just looked at the first psalm. The last psalm tells us the final purpose of the Psalms.
We are to teach and meditate in order to praise God. And it’s not just praising God by yourself,
but with all of God’s people and with all of creation and with all of the angels in heaven. So the
Psalms are a handbook on praise.
3. Thirdly, the Psalter is a handbook on wisdom. There is a big difference between wisdom and
knowledge. Knowledge can be theoretical and abstract. So you can at the same time know a lot
about many things but also be very stupid. There is not necessarily any connection between
knowledge and wisdom. How do you learn wisdom? You learn it from the school of life.
Sometimes it’s called the school of hard knocks. What is it that teaches you wisdom? You learn it
when you get knocked down. Trouble teaches you wisdom. So to be a good politician, you need
to have failed in life and you need to have learned from your failure.
Out of meditation and prayer comes wisdom, not human wisdom but God’s wisdom. Wisdom
comes from the interaction of three things: people, God, and trouble.
a. It starts with each of us living in a community. We live in the community of humanity
and in the community of God’s people.
b. Wisdom comes not by avoiding suffering and trouble but by facing it honestly. You face it
not just with your head, but also with your heart and imagination.
c. So instead of becoming numb to the pain, you go with the pain and take it wherever it
leads you and learn from what it teaches you.
d. You face your trouble and you learn to see how God is working in and through your
trouble.
e. It works in two ways. First it goes from you to trouble to God. In this way you discern
God’s gracious working in your troubles. Secondly, it goes from you to God to trouble. In
this way you use what God has done in the past for other people to make sense of what
he is doing in your life.
f. In Psalms the trouble is usually the confrontation of the wicked one or the enemies.
Behind all of this lies God’s Torah, which is practical teaching, coaching, instruction. It is what a
football coach does with his players. It is what a master does with an apprentice. Instead of
telling people what to do, you do it together with them. So God’s Torah is his practical instruction
through his word. God teaches through his word and works. And you will only make sense of it in
27
light of you trouble. So God’s word needs to be understood in the light of the experience of
your trouble. And the experience of your trouble needs to be understood in the light of God’s
word. In these things you get the Torah of God. This is completely alien to modern, popular
Christianity. And it is unique to the Jewish/Christian tradition.
4. The Psalter is a messianic handbook. On Easter evening Jesus appeared to two of his disciples.
When he did he opened the minds of his disciples so that they understood all that was spoken
about him in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. More than just a few royal psalms refer to
Jesus. Jesus says that the whole Psalter teaches Jesus. So if you want to understand who Jesus is
and what he has done and is doing, you don’t just go to the gospels and epistles. You also go to
the book of Psalms. It teaches you the Messiah. It doesn’t teach you abstractions. Rather it
teaches you to take refuge in the Messiah (Ps. 2). Normally the OT says to take refuge in God.
Here it says take refuge in the Messiah. So the Messiah can be viewed as God’s representative or
as God himself. If you are going to meet with God and discover God, you will find him in only
one place. Where? In the Messiah. And you won’t find him so much in the glorified and
enthroned Messiah, but in the suffering Messiah.
Luther first learned the theology of the cross from the Psalms and especially from Ps. 119. Luther said
this psalm was the key to his theology. It talks much about God’s Torah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_EmfB87hJc&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=41

Unfortunately, it appears as if we missed the first part of this lecture because the microphone was not
turned on. Evidently he has been reading through his translation of Psalm 1 and explaining parts of it as
he read through them. He was up to v. 4 when the microphone was turned on.
Two Introductory Psalms

We join the lecture with Dr. Kleinig talking about chaff mixed with wheat (Ps. 1:4). He is going over Ps. 1
and explaining how it introduces the whole Psalter.
When working with wheat, you reap the wheat, you thresh it, and then you winnow it. When you have a
pile of wheat mixed with chaff, the wheat is heavy and the chaff is light. So on a day when there is some
wind, you throw the mixture into the air with the winnowing fork and the wind blows the light chaff
away while the heavier wheat falls to the ground. The chaff is worthless. So the psalmist says that the
wicked are like chaff that the wind drives away.
In vv. 5 and 6 then we get the conclusion (“therefore”). This is the point of the psalm. “The
wicked/judged/rejected ones will not stand in the judgment. Sinners will not stand in
assembly/congregation of the righteous/vindicated ones.” This is the first mention we have of “righteous
ones.” Then comes the last verse, which is the proverb around which the whole psalm is built. “For
Yahweh knows the way of the righteous ones, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
28
Notice the connectives which show the structure of the argument.

1. You start out with an assertion (blessed is the man) by way of contrast to the wicked.
2. Then you have the result.
3. The explanation.
4. Then there is the negation of the wicked.
5. It then has the contrast again.
6. Conclusion and reason for that conclusion.
So this is a very carefully crafted argument in poetic form.
Dr. Kleinig then read through Ps. 1 from beginning to end.

The Imagery of Ps. 1
The genre is a wisdom psalm which teaches about two ways of living. It ends with two typical proverbs
(v. 6). It uses wisdom language: scoffers, Law/instruction/teaching (how to live a good life), counsel
(practical advice which you can use in life), the way (Proverbs contrasts two ways/journeys, the way of
wisdom and the way of folly, righteous/wicked, life/death) and contrast between the righteous and the
wicked (typical of wisdom to compare those God approves of and those people that God rejects).
Let’s look at the imagery in Psalm 1. Various images are used for the wicked.
1. First there is the imagery of the wicked. They are travelers on a road. Three stages they go
through are walking, standing, and sitting. You start off walking on a journey, but you end up no
longer traveling anywhere. The journey stopped. So they are journeying to nowhere. Their way
will perish (v. 6). So the picture is one of a way that is popular, that looks like a way that leads to
prosperity. But the way perishes. It disappears. It’s a road to nowhere. That is the picture you
must have in your mind if you are going to make sense of this psalm.
The next picture is the person who sits in the seat of scoffers. This is a picture of the wicked as
teachers (seated) and they teach by ridiculing those who are righteous.
The wicked are like windblown chaff.
The wicked are like a person condemned in a court of law.
They are excommunicated from the congregation of the righteous. They are excommunicated
from the life-giving community.
2. There are two main pictures of the righteous. The first is that a righteous person is like an
evergreen irrigated fruit tree that regularly bears fruit. The picture here is a fruit tree growing
not on fertile ground but in the desert. And it can only grow in the desert because it has water
supplied to it by unnatural means.
The second picture is where the righteous are travelers with God. There is a contrast here. The
wicked have a clear way that they travel on. The righteous go a different way. But the funny thing
29
is that they don’t know the way; they don’t know where they are going. Only God knows the way
(v. 6). So what does he do? He leads us like we are blind people. He leads the righteous step by
step along an unseen way. This is very important if the psalm is going have a full impact.
3. In the psalm there are two pictures of life. First, life is like a school, either a school of wisdom or
a school of folly. In life you learn either wisdom or folly.
Second, life is a journey. Either you take a journey with God or you take a journey to nowhere.
4. Next we look at pictures of God in the psalm. First of all he is a teacher, a practical teacher. He
stands with a person and teaches them day and night. He never stops teaching. Dr. Kleinig
pictures to himself a blind person. A blind person cannot see but they can hear the voice of God
who tells them where they are and what they are to do.
Second, God is pictured as a fruit grower [who supplies streams of water that the tree might
grow and bear fruit].
Third, God is a farmer who winnows the wheat.
Fourth, God is the judge of both the righteous and the wicked.
Fifth, God is a guide. He guides a blind person on an unseen, invisible journey.
The Structure of the Ps. 1
The psalm is beautifully and carefully structured. It is straightforward, yet it presents a sophisticated
argument. It falls into three parts.
1. First you get the congratulation of a successful disciple of God (vv. 1-3). What makes him
successful?
a. First he avoids the wrong way, the way of the wicked (v. 1). The accent here is not so
much on the way you go, but on the way you don’t go.
b. The main feature of a successful disciple of God is one who concentrates on and listens
to God’s teaching day and night (v. 2). He constantly speaks God’s word to himself so
that the teaching outside of him becomes the teaching inside of him.
c. A successful disciple who meditates is similar to a fruit tree that is planted next to an
irrigation canal (v. 3a – 3b). He who meditates on God’s word is like a fruit tree in the
desert which is being watered in a remarkable, unexpected way. It bears fruit in season.
You can’t tell a righteous person by his fruit all the time because he bears fruit in season.
What you can tell is that that person is always green, is always alive, never withers.
d. This culminates in the statement of the success of the disciple (v. 3c). What is the secret
of a successful life? To meditate day and night on the teaching of God. This leads to
success as a person, which then leads to success in what you do. Success here is not
your obvious success. It’s hidden and mysterious.
2. Then comes a contrast to the way of the wicked people (vv. 4-5).
a. The wicked will not be well watered, fruitful trees (v. 4a). Their leaves will wither.
b. They will be like chaff (v. 4b). They are like chaff in God’s judgment. God rejects them.
c. God excommunicates them, excludes them from his community (v. 5).
30
3. Then comes the conclusion of the psalm (v. 6). This verse is a proverb. If you really want to
understand this psalm, you start out with this proverb. The whole psalm is a meditation on this
proverb. Your meditation considers the following question: What does it mean that God knows
the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish? If you are going to understand
proverbs, you need to know that many of them are cliché busters. They take what is a cliché, a
self-evident truth, and they turn it around. What is the cliché that is turned around in this
proverb? There are two primary clichés used in the OT. One is that the righteous know the way
of the Lord. Here it is turned around when it says that the Lord knows the way of the righteous.
That’s done to trigger your meditation. The second cliché that you will see again and again in the
OT is that people who do evil will destroy themselves. Evil is self-destructive. Notice how that
cliché has been turned on its head here. What is it that will perish in v. 6b? The way of the
wicked will perish. The whole psalm is a meditation on the proverb in v. 6.
A Detailed Exegesis on Ps. 1
1. It begins with the question: what is it that makes a person lucky? (vv. 1-2) Everyone wants to
have a good successful life. So it starts out talking about a truly successful, truly blessed, truly
fortunate person. And there is a contrast between negative characteristics and positive
characteristics.
a. Negative characteristics (v. 1).
A successful person will not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of
sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers. Notice the three-step parallelism: walking, standing,
sitting and wicked, sinners, mockers. It ends up with the wicked sinner mocking the way
of the righteous. And he does so because he mocks God’s word. Their attitude towards
God’s word is shown in their attitude towards the right way, the good way. They are
cynics and they teach by ridicule.
Notice also the three-fold progression of: advice, way, and seat. They start out with
advice on how to do things in life. Their advice is evil and it turns into a way of life. Their
advice isn’t something you do just once, but something you do over and over again, a
way of life. But then it becomes a seat. You sit down. You stop travelling. You make your
stand on it. That is where the journey ends. It’s where you end up. You then take a seat
and teach the evil you’ve embraced.
So what is implied here is the person who is successful will disassociate himself from the
people who are condemned by God. They will disassociate themselves in three ways: (1)
from their words, speaking, advise; (2) from their actions, from copying their behavior;
(3) from their cynical thinking, from joining in their ridicule of what is good and
righteous.
Have you ever pondered on the strange phenomena in all societies of ridicule, scoffing,
mocking? What kind of things do we ridicule? It’s usually good things. Why do we
ridicule what is good? It’s a leveling down of sorts. You want to bring everyone as low as
you are. That’s a part of it. Why bring down instead of admiring what is good? Because
then you are admitting that you are lower than them. It’s a mark of unease with yourself,
a form of guilt. You ridicule what you fear. It is the number one mechanism in a post-
modern society for social control. It’s a basic teaching mechanism in any peer group and
31
in any community.
b. Then comes a contrast to the negative characteristics, the positive characteristics of a

successful person. (v. 2).
The delight of the successful person is in the teaching of God. Notice that it doesn’t start
out with thinking but with emotion. They take delight in, they enjoy God’s word. The
mark of a wicked person is that he has nothing to do with God’s word. He rejects it and
everything that has to do with it. A successful, righteous person has an emotional
attachment to God’s word. He loves God’s teaching, God’s word.
Luther said whatever you love is what you will spontaneously meditate or think about. If
I love money I will meditate on making money. If I love myself I will meditate on myself.
If I love my wife I will mediate on her. If I love God’s word I will quite spontaneously
meditate on it. I will chew on it, delight in it. So the mark of a successful person will be
active mediation that results from enjoyment of God’s word.
Why doesn’t the psalm start out by saying this is the mark of a righteous person? If you
look around can you tell who is righteous and who isn’t? Which is easier to spot, the
righteous person or the wicked person? You can’t really tell. You can judge behavior but
you can’t see inside a person. What is the mark of success, of righteousness with God?
The psalm says there is one key behavior, which is meditation on God’s torah. Whoever
meditates on God’s torah is successful and is righteous. The person who is righteous,
that is right with God, will love God and will love his word and will meditate on God’s
word.
So the mark of success is not the blessings in life. The mark of success is the person who
delights in God’s teaching and meditates on God’s teaching. This doesn’t happen at just
one or two points in their life or once a week on Sunday, but day and night. What does
day and night refer to? There are two ways of taking that. First it could mean meditate
all the time. Second, since this is a psalm that is used in the divine service, when you
hear “day and night”, you think of the morning and evening sacrifices when the psalms
were sung. The time of the sacrifices was also the time of meditation and prayer for the
people of God in their homes. So “day and night” could refer to either of these or both.
Next period we will finish Ps. 1 and begin Ps. 2.
Psalms Lecture 8 (Length: 1:02:50):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYlNF1PJ0_M&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=40
A Review of the Assignment on Images
Dr. Kleinig went over some class housekeeping items about the class assignment on imagery. He asked
for more precision in identifying the images. As an example he said some students got the picture of God
protecting them. But they needed to narrow it down. He protects like what? A body guard? A soldier? A
parent? Recognizing that God is protecting us is half way there. But that is not a precise picture. If you
want to get the precise picture, think to yourself: If I were to translate that in visual terms, what person
32
or thing would I paint to show how God is protecting? The basic question you always need to ask is,
Who or what is being compared with who or what?
Think for example about Ps. 1 which we have been going over. One picture of the wicked is that they are
travelers on a road that leads to nowhere. They are teachers who teach by ridicule. They are like wind-
blown wheat chaff. They are like a criminal that has been condemned in God’s court of law. They are like
a person who has been excommunicated from a community. The righteous are like a fruitful, irrigated,
evergreen fruit tree in the desert. They are like someone travelling with God. So the identification of
images in a psalm need not take pages and pages. He wants his students to pin it down in more exact
terms. The reason for such assignments is for the students to practice it. It doesn’t come easily and
naturally to us because we are not trained to do this. Even people who do art and poetry don’t know
how to do it. They have to learn it.
A Review of the Assignment on Outline and Structure
This is the assignment they are currently working on. Dr. Kleinig wants it in tabular form. Let’s look again
at Ps. 1. First you identify the main parts. How many parts does it fall into? There are three parts to it.
Each of the three main parts have subsections to them. And each section is related to the poem as a
whole. The are some interesting features to Ps. 25, the psalm that was assigned to the class. Look at it
closely. See how it is arranged.
So for instance if we look at the arrangement of the chairs in the next room. How are they arranged?
They are in a square, a perfect square. If you want to break that down further, you could say the square
has four interlocking sides. And in the center it has a hole. So you break a psalm down in a similar way. If
you’ve got three or four pages, you need to cut it back. Also look out for the literary features, the devices
used. But the main thing is the structure of the psalm.
Continuation of Detailed Exegesis on Ps. 1

Dr. Kleinig read through his translation of Ps. 1 and made the following points:
 We talked about meditation. It’s not thinking to yourself but speaking to yourself.
 Also notice that torah (the Law) is repeated twice. Repetition is one of the most important
devices used in music and poetry.
 Note that the tree is passive. It doesn’t plant itself, it is planted.
 There is also another possible translation for the beginning of v. 3. It could start out “So that.” It
could be translated as a purpose. He meditates “so that” he is like a tree and “so that” he yields
his fruit and “so that” his leaf does not whither.
 The end of v.3 could be: (1) In whatever he does he prospers or (2) whatever he does prospers or
(3) whatever he does God prospers.
 “Not so the wicked” (v. 4) is emphatic because it is a half verse, a half couplet. The wicked do not
prosper. They whither. They don’t bear fruit. They are not planted by streams of water. They
don’t meditate on the Law. They don’t delight in the Law. And they go the way of sinners and
scoffers. “Not so” refers back to everything that precedes it.
33
2. The Result of Meditation on God’s Torah (v. 3)
Now we pick up where we left off. To begin with we will focus on v. 3. Torah is broader than just
the Law. It could refer to the whole Pentateuch or to God’s teaching or to God’s guidance or the
word of God in its broadest sense. What is the result of meditating on the Torah?
a. Fruitfulness.
He is like a fruit tree that bears its fruit in its season. There are two traditions in use of
the imagery here.
i. First there is the obvious tradition of horticulture, a gardener or farmer. You
plant a fruit tree but it doesn’t bear fruit until it becomes mature. If a fruit tree
begins bearing fruit too early, the farmer will pick it off. It bears its fruit when it
is ready to bear fruit, when it’s mature enough to bear it. And secondly it bears
fruit at the right time of the year. Usually a fruit tree only bears fruit once a year.
So most of the year the fruit tree has no fruit. That is very important for this
psalm. You can’t look at tree and decide it’s a useless tree because it has no
fruit. A palm tree is unusual because it bears fruit twice a year.
ii. There is another level of imagery that is conventional, mythological, and
theological. In the ancient world, mythology had fruit trees in two places, either
in a temple of a god or up in heaven. There were all kinds of stories about a tree
of life. It produces the fruit of immortality. It is in the abode of the gods. So fruit
trees represent a holy place, a sanctuary, a temple. And that place gives you
access to the supernatural. So this imagery taken from pagan theology is being
switched up. In pagan theology human beings don’t have access to these fruit
trees that give life. But here in the psalm (v. 3), God’s people are God’s fruit
trees. We are planted in the temple of God, the house of God. And we bear life
giving fruit for the rest of the world. So the imagery used by the pagans to refer
to the gods is here used to refer to us. It is an amazing switch.
In this verse (v. 3) the righteous person is compared to a fruit tree. What is the point of
this comparison? In what way is the righteous, meditating person like a fruit tree? There
are three points of comparison.
i. Location. It is planted by God in his life-giving presence. In ancient iconography
there are two things that are in the presence of God. There is a life-giving spring
of water and a tree of life. You see this in Genesis 2. Here the person who
meditates on the Law of God is planted in God’s presence. Because he is planted
by steams of life-giving water, he becomes a tree of life. In earthly terms, the
place where the fountain of life was for Israel was at the temple in Jerusalem,
the place where God was present. It was the place where they had access to
God here on earth.
ii. Nourishment. The water that comes from God nourishes and gives life. And that
life comes through the torah. So life-giving water comes from God and is
brought to his people through the channel of the torah. And the torah is what
God’s people meditate on day and night. God’s word is the stream of water that
gives life.
iii. Growth. It is green all the time. The leaves never whither. It produces fruit
seasonally. Evergreen foliage does two things. First, it provides shelter for birds.
Second, and this is picked up in Rev., the leaves are for healing. In Rev. there is a
river that comes from God’s presence in his temple. Next to the river there are
trees planted that have leaves that bring healing to the nations.
34
So the person who delights in, meditates on, speaks God’s torah to himself
results in four things, three metaphorical and one literal. God’s torah irrigates
the person, produces fruit, and keeps the person’s leaves from withering. The
final result is that in whatever that person does he succeeds.
b. Success.
Two questions arise from this. What is the fruit that is produced? What is the success
that is being talked about? People who are into the prosperity gospel will say that
whatever that person does, he will prosper at it. They will say, If you do what is right and
good then God will prosper you. The prosperity they talk about will be money, sexual
fulfillment, business, earthly things.
Is this what this psalm is talking about? If we look only in this psalm, fruit and success
are left undefined. At the end of the psalm, it says the Lord knows the way of the
righteous. If he knows this, then he knows what success of the righteous is also. Since
this psalm leaves them undefined, how do you solve this problem? Remember that this
psalm introduces the whole Psalter. Therefore to get the answer to this question, you
should look at the rest of the psalms.
What is the fruit that comes from meditation on God’s torah? We’ll look at two passages
for specifics and one passage in general. First, let’s look at Ps. 92:12-15.
12
The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
15
to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
In Ps. 1 the tree is “planted by streams of water.” In Ps. 92 the tree is “planted in the
house of the Lord.” So what is the fruit of righteousness? It is the proclaiming of who
God is, confessing one’s faith in God, teaching others about God, and most importantly
praising God.
Let’s also look at Ps. 52:8-9.
8
But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9
I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.
35
What is the fruit that this person bears who is planted in the house of the Lord? The fruit
is his praise of God. [He confesses his trust in God’s steadfast love and thanks God for it.
He praises God’s good name to all the godly.]
So fruit is praising God and teaching by praising. That’s one way of taking it. There is
another way of taking it and that is that this psalm has been composed as an
introduction to the Psalter. And it tells you what to do with the psalms. If you take it as
an introduction to the psalms, then you see the psalms as meditations on God’s torah.
And what do the psalms produce? They produce lamenting, praising, and confessing. So
looking at it in this way gives us a more general answer: the fruit is what is given in the
psalms. Strangely, one of the fruits of meditation is laments. A student responded that
that is because of the relationship you have with God, that you feel comfortable enough
to lament to God and Dr. Kleinig agreed. The fruit then is not just what we call
prosperity, but that we see that God is also prospering us in adversity.
3. The characteristics of the wicked (vv. 4-5)

In contrast to those who follow the Lord’s instructions, the wicked lack true prosperity. Why
don’t’ they prosper? Why don’t they bear fruit? They don’t prosper and they are not fruitful
because they don’t meditate on God’s instruction. Therefore they are not irrigated by God and
they whither. Also they associate with their own kind. They draw their life not from God but
from each other. Because of these things they are unsuccessful.
Next there is a big surprise in telling what is unsuccessful about them and their way of life. It says
in v. 4 that the wicked are like chaff. Let’s meditate on the picture of chaff. In what way are the
wicked like chaff? The picture here is that wheat has been reaped and threshed and winnowing
has occurred. In winnowing the grain and chaff are separated. The grain falls back to the ground
and the chaff blows away. Who are represented by the grain? The righteous. Who is the chaff?
The wicked. As the wheat grows the seed and chaff are together. They can’t be separated until
the very end when they are ready to be harvested. So the wheat has been harvested, threshed,
and winnowed. In what way are the wicked like chaff at the winnowing? Like chaff is blown away,
so are the wicked. They are light weights. They have no value. They have no substance. Like chaff
they are useless. They’ve set out on their journey in life, going the way of the wicked. They take
a stand in the way they’ve chosen. They sit on what they believe to be solid ground to base their
lives on. [But the ground they’ve chosen to live on is rocking and infertile.] They are not deeply
rooted. The winds blow and they are easily knocked over. They whither and are of no eternal
value to God.
The character and fate of the wicked are revealed by the outcome of their lives. God’s judgment
has been against them all their lives but you can’t see it until the very end. The winnowing will
take place at the end. That is when they will be scattered by God’s wind of judgment. The word
translated as “wind” can mean several things. At the most obvious level it is air. And then there is
wind, which can mean breath. It is also God’s Spirit. God can express his Spirit in two ways. One
way is when he expresses his wrath and anger. So in this case, God expresses his Spirit in
judgment. Another way God expresses himself is through his creative, life-giving Spirit. In this
verse the wind of God’s judgment drives them away.
Now let’s look at the image of “standing.” In v.5 it says, “Therefore the wicked will not stand in
the judgment.” Notice that it says “the judgment.” This is a specific judgment. God’s final
36
judgment is viewed as a court scene. Let’s focus on the wicked in God’s court and the fact that
they will not be able to stand. In the ancient world like today a court was centered around a
judge or judges. Standing before the judge on the right side was the prosecutor with the
witnesses who testify against the defendant. On the left side was the defendant and his
advocate and his witnesses. In Israel the court was located at the city gate in the city square. The
judge(s) would be seated above everyone else. They were enthroned. The prosecutor and
advocate both stand before the judge. The defendant is seated on the ground. Now the fact that
the wicked will not stand refers to what? At the end of the trial the judge announces his verdict.
If the verdict is not guilty, the defendant stands up and goes free. If he is declared guilty, he
remains seated until punishment is administered. So saying they will not stand in the judgment
means they are guilty and will not be able to stand and go free.
That is the most obvious sense of “not stand” in this psalm. But there could be another level to
it. Think about it in very literal terms. The opposite of a person standing is a person lying down. If
you involuntarily go from a posture of standing to lying on the ground, you have taken a fall. It is
a picture of a downfall. In God’s judgment they will fall down.
There is third way of looking at the court scene. The prosecutor and advocate stand before God.
What do the wicked do? They accuse and condemn the defendant by ridiculing them. So if think
about it in that way, in what way will the wicked not stand in God’s judgment? They won’t be
given the opportunity to ridicule, belittle, accuse, and condemn the righteous. If you are
wicked, that is what you do. But in God’s court they won’t have the opportunity to do so. They
will fail in their attempt to triumph in court against the righteous. A student pointed out that this
ties back to the end of v. 1. In God’s court they will not be able to take the “seat of scoffers” in
judgment against the righteous. The Bible is full of these reversals. Generally speaking the
wicked rule the world. They sit on the judge’s seat and think highly of themselves. But in the
end, these big wigs turn out to be those who are condemned.
The second picture in v. 5 is “nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” What is the
picture here? What is the assembly of the righteous in ancient Israel? This refers to the people of
Israel assembled at the temple in God’s presence during the time of the morning and evening
sacrifices, especially at the great pilgrim festivals. Note that whenever someone comes into
God’s presence it is a time of judgment, either positively (justifying them) or negatively
(exposing and condemning them). Think about the layout of the temple. It had an outer court
and it had the area where the altar, holy place, and most holy place were. Where did the people
congregate? In the outer court. The outer court is where the righteous ones, the vindicated
ones, the justified ones assembled. There were 15 steps that went up to the Gate of the
Righteous. This connected the outer court to the sanctuary. It was called this because only
people who were righteous (ritually clean) could enter the sanctuary. So the ones who will be
able to stand in the assembly of the righteous are those who are ritually clean, justified, and
righteous. Those who fall under God’s judgment and condemnation are the wicked. So the
judgment at the temple everyday where only the righteous can approach God is a precursor to
the final judgment. “The judgment” then is a particular judgment. It is the judgment at the
temple each day which looks forward to the final judgment at the end. [The wicked cannot stand
with the righteous as they come into God’s holy presence.]
A student asked the question whether sinners and wicked were the same people. The answer is
yes. The terms have different nuances. They are wicked because they are sinners. A sinner is
37
someone who offends against God, who misses the mark God expects. And a sinner is
condemned and declared guilty by God. If a person is a sinner, that is, a person who is not
cleansed of his sin, what will the verdict be when they come into God’s presence? Guilty. Wicked
means they are condemned by God and they are condemned because they are sinners.
4. As if there are not enough funny twists to this amazing psalm, there is final twist in v. 6.
Remember that there are two clichés used in this psalm.
(1) The first is that the righteous know the way of the Lord. What is meant by the way of the
Lord? This is very rich.
.. First, it is the way they plan to travel. Their plan for their life.
.. Second, it is the way that they actually have travelled. If you think of your own life, you think
about where have I come from, where am I now, and where am I going? This is your actual life
journey, not what you planned to be your journey.
.. Third, the way of the righteous is the way of the Lord. It is the way they are given to travel by
God. It’s God’s map for their lives. This is what people tend to emphasize. It’s God’s Law. The
most common use of the way of the Lord is the way that God walks them. The way of the Lord is
justice and mercy. It’s steadfast love. It’s forgiveness. That’s the way God walks his people
through life. The way of the Lord is God’s concrete guidance.
The first cliché buster (v. 6a) is: the Lord knows the way of the righteous.
(2) The second cliché is that people who don’t walk in God’s way will perish. Rebellion against
God is suicidal. It is true. Doing this ruins your life. But there is a funny switcheroo here (v. 6b).
This psalm says something different. It says: the way of the wicked will perish. The way of the
wicked will disappear. From God’s point of view the way of the wicked was the way to nowhere.
So notice the reversal of expectation here.
What is implied in this psalm is that the righteous don’t know their own way. Their way is an
invisible way. The way that they travel appears to be the way they planned and the way they
actually travelled, but their way is actually the way God leads them on. It appears you are
travelling alone, but in reality God is walking with you. Sometimes he takes us kicking and
screaming. Sometimes he has to entice us. Sometimes you are separated from God and he has
to come and bring you back to himself.
If you think about your life leaving God out, it will make little or no sense. But when you think
about it in terms of God’s grace and mercy it will begin to make sense. We don’t know our way
but God does. Even though unseen, He leads us on that way. It’s a hidden journey, with an
unseen guide, with a hidden goal, and there is hidden success and hidden fruitfulness.
Sometimes something that appears to be fruit isn’t. And other times things that don’t seem
fruitful actually are. Sometimes what looks like success is failure and what looks like failure is
success.
Since all of this is hidden, the only way you know where you are going is to attend to the voice of
God, listening to his instructions step by step along the way. That’s why daily and nightly
meditation on God’s word is so important.
How does the Lord know the way of the righteous? This seems strange and out of sorts to us. So
much so that many translators try and rationalize it. They try and give what seems to be the
38
obvious sense. When they do this they get rid of difficult passages which are meant to stimulate
you. It’s meant to stop you in your tracks and make you think about it. For instance in this case
the NIV has: “the Lord watches over the way of the righteous.” It takes something that is
profound and turns it into a religious cliché. By doing this they make it out as if God is watching
from a distance and occasionally stepping in to get them out of trouble.
The Lord knows the way of the righteous because it is his way that he mapped out that they
might walk together. He is their unseen companion and guide. He knows them. He gives success
even when it seems like failure to us. He intimately knows them when they spend time
meditating on his word. That is his way of being intimate with his people.
Lastly, how does the way of the wicked perish? It is a road that is not based on reality. It is based
on illusion. It looks like a royal highway. It looks like a way to success but in fact it is a road that
leads to nowhere. We’ve already had a look at this.
Where does that leave us? There are two options. Either you end up nowhere or you go the way of the
righteous. Notice that one of the options is not that you are destroyed. That’s because if you are wicked
and are going the wrong way but then you meditate on the way of the Lord you can turn and go back to
the Lord. There is no inevitability about a person’s destruction. But it is inevitable that the way of the
wicked will be destroyed. This is an immensely profound meditation. We will take a break now and then
finish Ps. 1 and move on to the next psalm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WmWfXNCmqk&index=39&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
[The first part of the lecture is missing. Apparently the microphone was not turned on. It looks like Dr.
Kleinig was summarizing and wrapping up Ps. 1. When we join in, Dr. Kleinig is talking about how the
usage of “fruit” in the NT is affected by the use of fruit in the OT and how this has nothing to do with the
prosperity gospel.]

Finishing Up Ps. 1
Dr. Kleinig must have been talking about “fruit” in Ps. 1. And now talks about fruit in the NT. First he says
to get a concordance and look up fruit. You find that Paul uses “fruit” in a surprising way. Paul talks about
the fruit of the Spirit. What is the water that irrigates us through the word? It is the Holy Spirit who
comes through the word. And what is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience is the fruit of the
Spirit. In Phil. 1 Paul talks about the fruit of righteousness and that is giving praise and glory to God. In
Rom. 6 Paul talks about the fruit of holiness which is eternal life. There are a whole number of passages
which may not quote this psalm directly but they allude to it and you see its influence of the OT on the
NT. And everywhere you look in the NT where it talks about fruit, it does not lead to the prosperity
gospel.
39
One last question to consider concerning Ps. 1. This is the big picture. Why was Ps. 1 been placed first in
the Psalter? Dr. Kleinig believes it was composed quite deliberately to introduce the Psalter. Why? One
student said that the psalm says we should mediate on the word of God. That is true, but why is it an
introduction to the Psalter? How does this psalm help people use this book? Another student said, It
tells you what to do with the rest of the psalms. It tells you how to use the rest of the Psalter. This psalm
says that all of the other psalms are meditations on God’s word. And people who use them meditate on
the torah of God. And meditate day and night, in prosperity and disaster. They meditate on the torah of
God not just by praising God, but by lamenting and praying and teaching, etc. So this tells us something
about the origin of the Psalter. It was created by people meditating on God’s word. But more importantly
it tells the reader how to use the Psalter, to meditate on the torah of God.
The person of God is to meditate on the Torah of God in two senses. (1) First the Torah
(instruction/teaching) is the word of God. (2) It is also God’s guidance in our everyday experiences of life.
How do you become guided by God? In life you use your ears to listen to God speaking to you in the
Torah. And you use your eyes to see what God is doing in your life. Usually people see God working only
in certain events. In our modern times people only see God at work in miraculous interventions. God
does work through miraculous intervention, but does he only work through them? No. God is at work in
what part of a person’s journey? Every single step of the journey God is at work “torahing” us, teaching
us through his word and through our experiences. Where is God’s guidance and direction most clearly
seen? It’s not in spectacular events. They are very rare. The normal way that God guides and directs us is
to walk with us in the ordinary every day things, which is between disaster and miracle. In fact you will
see God’s working most clearly not in miracles but in disasters and troubles. He walks with us in through
the good times and bad times. So from a NT point of view, the way of the righteous is the way of the
Lord. What is the way of the Lord according Matthew, Mark, and Luke? It is a way that leads to the cross.
Jesus asks us to take up the cross and follow him. The way leads through death to life with God.
Psalm 2
Now we move on to Ps. 2, another introductory psalm. Some students have noted that the Hebrew for
Ps. 2 is very hard. The reason for this is that it is very old Hebrew. Scholars argue as to when the shift
took place of going from the old to the new. But most likely it occurred over a period of time. We see
that in our own language today. We’ve switched from “thee” and “thy” to “you” in English.
The Translation of Ps. 2
Dr. Kleinig displayed the psalm in Hebrew and then read through it in Hebrew and translated it to
English, explaining various things as he went through it. [I capture this in what follows.]
V.1
By the way the psalm begins we know it is a lament. “Why do the nations rage or act in an unsettled
way?” “And why do the peoples meditate emptiness?” There is a contrast between Ps. 1 and Ps. 2. In Ps.
1 they meditate on God’s Torah. In Ps. 2 the godless nations meditate on emptiness, vanity, delusion.
V. 2
“And why do the kings of the earth conspire together?” “And the princes and rulers take counsel
together?” Then there is a break in the line. It’s emphatic. It’s a half verse. “Against Yahweh and his
anointed one or his anointed king.”
V. 3
40
Now it goes to direct speech. This is what they say to each other. This is their decision. “Let us break
their chains, their fetters, apart and let us cast off their ropes.” Who is speaking here? It is probably a
court official who is reporting what the kings say to each other.
V. 4
“The one enthroned, the one seated on the heavens or over the heavens laughs.” “My Lord (plural
ending, thereby indicating Lord instead of lord) mocks them, scoffs at them, makes fun of them.”
V. 5
“Now or here and now he speaks to them in his wrath.” Literally this word is nose, nostrils. This
demonstrates a very interesting feature of Hebrew. There are very few abstract nouns. Most human
emotions are not described abstractly but concretely in connection with a part of the body that they are
manifested in. How do you know when someone is angry? Their nostrils flare; they go heated; the face
gets red. So heat and nostrils are terms for anger. This is not hidden anger but someone losing their
temper, expressed anger. “And in his indignation (heat) he confounds them or he dismays them.
V. 6
This verse tells us how God dismays them. God says, “I myself have installed my king on Zion (the holy
mountain where the temple and palace were in Jerusalem), the mountain of my holiness, the mountain
of my sanctuary (usually translated as “ the holy mountain” but it is not an adjective, it is a noun, “the
mountain of my sanctuary, of my holy place). Why is it the holy mountain? Because it has the sanctuary
of God on it. So God installs his king on his mountain sanctuary.
V. 7
Then there is a change of speaker. Now the king speaks. “Let me tell concerning or Let me speak about
the decree of Yahweh.” The word for decree is interesting. It means to carve in stone or cast in metal.
What is the difference between carving in stone and writing on a piece of slate? Writing on slate is
temporary. Something carved in stone is permanent. So a decree is a very strong word from God. “He
said to me (this is the decree), You are my Son, it is on this day (emphatic) I myself (emphatic) have
begotten you.” Begotten is the first stage of the birth process. It is the male side of the birth process. It is
the moment of conception from the male point of view. One translation has “fathered” which isn’t a bad
translation.
V. 8
“Ask of me or make a request of me (the grammar used here indicates purpose) so that I may give the
nations as your inheritance (As a farm is the farmer’s inheritance, so the nations will be the inheritance
of the king.) and as your possession the ends of the earth.” What is the picture here? God is offering the
king the whole world as his kingdom.
V. 9
“You will smash them or possibly shepherd them with an iron rod and like a piece of pottery you will
smash them.” This is the end of the decree of God. It is a declaration (you are my son today I fathered
you) and then there is a command to make a request (ask of me) and then there is a task God gives to
the king as his king (smash them).
V. 10
What comes next is in light of above. “And now you kings be sensible, take or receive instruction and
discipline you judges of the earth.” What follows are the instructions they should pay attention to. There
will be three imperatives.
V. 11
“Serve or worship Yahweh with fearfulness and rejoice with trembling.” Those are the first two
imperatives.
V. 12
41
“Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish with respect to the way, for in a little while his wrath is
kindled.” So his wrath is kindled for a little while or to a little degree. “Happy/blessed are all those who
take refuge in him.” Notice that this ends with two emphatic half verses.
The situation for the psalm is a king has died and there is an interim period that has taken place. There is
always some instability that takes place after the death of a king. The question is, who is going to watch
over the kingdom in the interim? Who is going to be the next king? There is jostling for power. What do
your enemies do? What do your vassals do? They try and break away while they can.
With this in mind Dr. Kleinig reads through the English version of the psalm. The plan of the nations is to
rebel against God and his king and break their fetters. How does God respond? He laughs at them and
pokes fun at them. He then speaks a word to them to frighten them. You would expect God to say
something like, I’m going to wipe you out. But his response is kind of strange. He says, I’ve installed my
king on Zion, the mountain of my sanctuary. The content of this angry speech is not angry. There is a
disconnect between the manner of speech and the content of the speech. Then the king speaks. He tells
what God gives him as his commission (vv. 7-9). He is God’s son. God promises to give him the nations as
his possession and he will break the nations to pieces like breaking pottery. Because God has set up his
king over the nations, the sensible course of action is laid out in vv. 10-12. You might expect that it would
tell the nations to end their rebellion and make a treaty. But instead it says they are to serve the Lord.
“Serve” is used in a double sense here. Serve him as you would serve a king but also serve him by
worshipping him. Then there is something else that is strange. Ending a rebellion and serving a king
you’d rather not serve would not make you happy. But here it says they should rejoice with trembling.
Then they are kiss the son to avert his anger and even take refuge in him. The son they are to kiss is the
anointed messiah, God’s son. The first two imperatives focus on God. The third one focuses on God’s
son. The last phrase is “take refuge in him.” Who is “him”? In the Psalms you normally take refuge in
God. But grammatically speaking, “him” refers to the son, the king. That’s funny advice to give to those
who rebel against the king. This is very profound stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVDnS8MFM-o&index=38&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Continuation of Ps. 2
Remarks about Imagery Assignment
Dr. Kleinig made some opening remarks about the class assignment concerning the imagery of Ps. 91.
Most of the students had difficulty in identifying the images. They/we tend to try and explain them and
explain them away into abstractions. We tend to go away from the picture presented and make it into an
idea. That is what Westerners do. That is what the Enlightenment brought us, to explain everything in
abstract terms and then explain it away. This affects us in our lives and it affects our study of the psalms.
42
It also has an effect on our understanding of the Christian faith. The Christian faith involves mystery. And
you can’t access mystery through abstraction. It comes best through imagery.
Let’s illustrate this. Take a look at Ps. 91. Let’s look at the first two verses. With whom or what is the Lord
compared to here? The danger is that you will go to the idea. What is the idea here? The idea is that God
offers protection or security. It starts out with “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.” What is
God compared to? A shelter. That is a start. What provides this shelter? A tent, a house, a palace or
fortress? We know it is a place to live in because of the word “dwells.” It is your place of residence. So a
person makes the place where he lives “in the shelter of the Most High.” So he lives in the palace of and
protection of the Most High. So that is the first picture that comes to our minds.
Now this picture is going morph as we go to the second part of v. 1. It says he “will abide in the shadow
of the Almighty.” What is God compared to here? Something that provides a shadow. And the word
“abide” has to do with staying overnight. Given what came in the first half of the verse, the shadow is
caused by the shelter of the Most High. Normally at what time of the day is a shadow cast? In the day
time. But here it talks about abiding, staying overnight. So it’s a funny picture, a shadow at night time. So
we ask ourselves, why would you need and what is the purpose of a shadow at night? From its use we
can see that it is not something to be taken literally. A student then mentioned the glory cloud. And Dr.
Kleinig confirmed that that is what we should do. We should go to other parts of the scripture to see
how the shadow image is used. That’s part of meditation. And it is a visual meditation where we see with
our imagination.
So in this first verse, God is compared to a building that provides a residence for the psalmist. And that
building provides a shadow for him at night which provides protection.
Then in v. 2 what is God compared to? A fortress. What is a fortress? A fortified stronghold. So this
residence is not only a residence, but a fortified residence. It is a safe place to live. So the house that
provides a shadow is a fortress. And as soon as we hear “fortress,” we think in military terms.
Before fortress there is the picture of “refuge.” What is a refuge? It is a place you can go for protection
when you life is threatened. It is a place where people go to escape the life-threatening danger. So when
an army comes in it not only fights other armies, but many times they rape and pillage. So what do the
people do? They leave their farms and go to a place of safety, a fortified place.
So can you see what we are looking for when we look for imagery? Sometimes the images that come to
mind are colored by our own experiences. So we must exercise discipline. The questions we need to ask
are: What is it? And how is it used here in this psalm?
So you start out with a picture but the psalmist doesn’t leave it there. Rather he develops it. He starts
with an image and he unfolds it by using other pictures. And you end up with a composite picture. One
of the reasons that poetry is inaccessible to people today is because people have no sense of imagery.
Similarly in the world of art, you tend to get either realism or abstractionism. People have a deficit of
imagination. That is rather astonishing given that our society has become increasingly visual.
[The audio cut out from 15:20 to 21:52.]
Back to Ps. 2
43
The audio picks back up with Dr. Kleinig reading and speaking about Ps. 2. The nations rage against God
(v. 1) because they hate God. They view him as a tyrant, a ruler who robs them of their freedom. And
they meditate on emptiness, on vanity. What they visualize is something that can’t be. It’s fantasy. Their
rebelling is an act of unreality.
The kings and rulers take their stand against Yahweh and his Anointed (v. 2). Let’s talk about the Hebrew
word for Anointed. In Greek it is Christos. It means to anoint with the most holy anointing oil that is kept
in the sanctuary. Therefore it is most holy. And anything that is most holy makes things holy. It was put
on the kings and priests when they were anointed.
Let’s talk about kings in Israel. In Israel the Lord is king. That was the basic confession of faith of Israel
and there was no king in Israel except the Lord. It is interesting that in the OT Israel’s kings are hardly
ever referred to as kings. It is very rare to refer to them as kings because kingship is many times tied to
idolatry and so they prefer not to use the term “king.” Israel’s king was to be God’s servant and
administrator. Most exactly, the king is the Lord’s messiah, the Lord’s anointed. And because he was
anointed with the most holy anointing oil, he was holy. So for instance, when David could have killed
Saul, he didn’t because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. Saul was holy. And since all holiness comes from
God, killing Saul would have desecrated God’s holiness and God’s wrath would have been unleashed
against him.
The Lord administers his rule over Israel and the nations through his messiah. The messiah is the Lord’s
anointed regent. A regent is someone who rules under a king and has royal power. He is accountable to
God. The king in Israel doesn’t make God’s laws. He administers them. He administers God’s
righteousness and justice over Israel. The rule of the messiah is over Israel but through the messiah God
will extend his rule to all nations. The picture in this psalm is that the nations are like provinces that have
rebelled against an emperor, the Lord, and they need to submit to him. They have tried to cast off the
rule of the Lord. What right does God have to rule the nations? He created them. He is their rightful king
and they have rejected him.
The Lord installs his king in a very significant location. He places his king on the holy mountain, on Mt.
Zion. To understand this you need to know the geography of Mt. Zion. On the top of the mountain was
the temple. What was next to temple on its right-hand side was the king’s palace. So the king was
installed literally at God’s right-hand. So God was enthroned in the Holy of Holies on the Ark of the
Covenant and then enthroned at his right-hand side was his deputy, the king of Israel. So the king
reigned in the presence of God. He reigned from the holy mountain. The king of Israel not only was
anointed with the most holy anointing oil, but God also located him on the holy mountain. Why is that
location significant? Who else besides the king are the enemies of Israel attacking if they attack Israel’s
king? They are attacking not only the king but also God. In doing so they desecrate God’s holiness and
therefore God’s wrath will burn against them.
This is very important not only for the OT but also for the NT. The basic confession we have as Christians
is that Jesus is the Christos, the Anointed One. So when we talk about Jesus as the Christ, you need to
have this whole picture in mind. Scholars talk about this as a concept. But this is more than a concept,
this is reality.
The nations can’t attack the Lord directly when he asserts his rule over them. So who do they attack? His
regent. They try and get at God by getting at his regent. Notice that there is a third line in v. 2. It is
44
emphatic; it breaks parallelism. Then in v.3 the nations say, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away
their cords from us.” Whose bonds and cords do they wish to burst and cast away? The bonds and cords
of God and his Messiah.
The One enthroned, the One seated in heaven laughs (v. 4a). You need to understand the imagery here.
God’s proper place of enthronement is over the heavens. If you think of the sky as a dome, that’s the
bottom of God’s throne. The fact that God is over heaven and earth means that God rules over heaven
and earth. But God in his grace chooses one place on earth to set up his earthly throne. And that place is
Mt. Zion. So there is an overlap between heaven and earth in one place. At this one place then God gives
people access to himself. At the temple where he is enthroned, God sees, hears, and acts here on earth.
You don’t have to go up to heaven to access God, instead you go to the temple where God has made
himself available. The One enthroned laughs. Why does he laugh? Because the plan of the nations is
futile. It’s like an ant attacking an elephant. The Lord pokes fun at them; he ridicules them (v. 4b).
Then Yahweh speaks angrily to them in order to frighten them (v. 5). He says, “I have installed my king on
Zion the mountain of my sanctuary, the mountain of my holiness” (v. 6)
Then the Lord’s messiah speaks. He says, “Let me tell of the decree or commission of Yahweh. He said to
me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father (v. 7). Ask of me so that I may give the nations as
your heritage.’” Israel is the king’s inheritance, his possession. God says to him, ask of me and I will
extend your rule to the nations. I will make “the ends of the earth your property (v. 8). You will crush
them with an iron scepter and smash them like a piece of pottery” (v. 9).
“Therefore you kings be sensible; take advice you judges” (v. 10). A judge is someone who administers
justice. The king is a judge. “Serve (worship) Yahweh with reverence and rejoice with trembling” (v. 11).
Rejoice? That doesn’t seem to make sense. They’ve rebelled against God. Shouldn’t they run away or
repent?
“Kiss the son (the king/messiah) lest he be angry (remember he administers God’s justice) and you
perish in your way. For his wrath can kindle quickly or suddenly or for a short time. Happy are all those
who take refuge in him.”
The Exegesis of Ps. 2

When you do an exegesis of a psalm, you should focus on four things. After you translate the psalm from
Hebrew, you should pin down the genre, the literary form of the psalm. This is the first thing you should
focus on.

1. The Genre of Ps. 2
The genre of the psalm is quite obviously a royal psalm. It is a royal psalm with an ultimatum to the
nations on the king’s accession to the throne. So what we have here is the old king has died. There is an
interim period when a decision is made on who will succeed the king. It is a period of uncertainty and
45
rebellion. But now there is the coronation of the new king. At the coronation or enthronement (the
setting) there is an ultimatum made to the nations who have rebelled.
You need to understand for a king to become a king in the ancient world three things had to happen.
1. First the king was anointed by a priest with the most holy anointing oil. There was no fixed
location. Before the old king died, he could anoint his successor. This would give stability. In this
psalm, we know that has already happened because the king is addressed as God’s anointed
one.
2. Then there was the coronation of the king. That usually occurred in the temple. Two important
things happened in the coronation.
>First the royal regalia or royal symbols would be given to the king. (1) One symbol was the
crown, a stylized halo. This meant you exercised not just human power, but also divine power.
For pagans it would mean that their kings were gods. For Israel it meant that the king represents
God in his office. (2) The second symbol given to the king was the royal scepter. The scepter
symbolized divine power, the power of God over Israel and the world. In Israel the scepter was
made of iron (the strongest substance) and had the star of David on top.
> [Dr. Kleinig never got to the second important thing that happened at a coronation.]
3. Then came the enthronement of the king at the royal palace. The king would be seated on his
throne in the throne room. As part of the enthronement ceremony, people would pay homage
to the king. This would include: the court officials, lesser officials, representatives of the nation,
and representatives from foreign nations who had treaties with them would come and pay
homage to the king.
Now back to the setting of the psalm. The ultimatum is given at either the coronation or enthronement
of the king. Scholars differ as to when this happened. Dr. Kleinig believes it fits better with the
enthronement than the coronation.
There are some interesting forms of speech used in this psalm.

 What word does psalm 2 start with? It starts with the word “why.” What kind of psalms start
with the word “why”? Laments. So verses 1-3 are a lament. But the complaint is kind of funny.
It’s a complaint against the nations and kings for rebelling but it is also mocking them.
 The complaint is followed by a divine oracle (vv. 4-6), as Yahweh speaks a word in response to
their rebellion.
 Next comes the king’s presentation of his divine commission to his courtiers (vv. 7-9). As part of
his enthronement ceremony, the king would be given his throne name, which is symbolic. As
part of the enthronement you get God’s standing orders for the king. The orders are read to the
king’s servants because they will help the king administer them.
o Within the divine commission is an adoption formula (v. 7): ““You are my Son; today I
have begotten you.” This is a stock form of speech. It is the formula by which the
adoption was made official. After these words are pronounced, there is a father/son
relationship in every way except biologically.
o Within the divine commission is the king’s offer of territory to a governor (v. 8). When a
king starts his reign, the question is: Who gets which job in his government? But in Israel
God is the King. So he offers to his messiah/king the nations.
o Then God promises victory and supremacy to his messiah/king (v.9).
 Then comes an ultimatum to the nations in the form of wisdom instruction (vv. 10-12b). It is
delivered by the psalmist to the nations, but couched in terms of a teacher teaching his students.
46
 And it ends with an ashre saying congratulation. [An ashre is a recital in the daily Jewish liturgy
of Bible verses.]
2. Literary Features of Ps. 2
There are a number of significant literary features here. You need to be sensitive to the Psalms as poetry.
The most obvious literary feature is that there are three reports of direct speech.
1. First there is of the direct speech of what the kings on earth said in rebellion against Yahweh (v.
3): “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
2. Then there is the direct speech of God about his messiah/king (v. 6): “As for me, I have set my
King on Zion, my holy hill.”
3. Lastly, you have the decree of God to his messiah/king (vv. 7b-9): I will tell of the decree: The
LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the
nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a
rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Within the psalm it changes who is speaking.

1. In vv. 1-6 someone is speaking. We are not sure who. It’s probably a court official, someone who
has a role in the enthronement ceremony. Whoever this speaker is, since there is a divine oracle
(a word from God), he must be a prophet of the Lord.
2. Then in vv. 7-9 the king speaks, recounting what Yahweh said to him.
3. Finally in vv. 10-12, the speaker changes back to the royal prophet.
When you read, notice any repetition. One of the devices used in poetry is repetition of words.
Sometimes in Hebrew the same word is repeated but it is used in different senses, building up a pattern
in the poem.
1. In Ps. 2 you get three references using the word “king” (vv. 2, 6, 10).
2. The word “earth” is used three times (vv. 2, 8, 10).
3. The word “nations” is used twice (vv. 1, 8).
4. The word “wrath” is used twice (vv. 5, 12).
3. The structure of Ps. 2
The psalm falls into three clear parts.

1. First there is a report on the Lord’s reaction to the rebellion of the nations against his messiah
and against him (vv. 1-6). There is a report of the nations rebelling against Yahweh’s newly
crowned king.
a. There is a complaint about the rebellion against the Lord and his messiah (vv. 1-3). The
complaint is made up of two things:
i. Their conspiracy against them (vv. 1-2)
ii. Their decision to reject his rule (v. 3).
b. Then there is God’s response to the complaint (vv. 4-6).
i. He expresses his anger and his wrath is against the nations (vv. 4-5).
ii. But his word of wrath (v. 6) is quite strange. He says he has installed his king on
his holy mountain.
2. The next section is God’s mandate to the Davidic king (vv. 7-9).
a. The king is going to tell what the Lord’s decree for him is (v. 7a).
47
b. Then comes the decree (vv. 7b-9).

i. He changes the status of the person just made king. He is now God’s adopted
son (v. 7b). He has access to God as his Father.
ii. The Lord offers to the king rule over the nations (vv. 8-9). But this offer is
conditional. The king must ask for it. It must come by prayer.
3. Then comes the ultimatum to the nations (vv. 10-12). In view of the facts of the first two
sections, this section tells what is the sensible thing the kings of the earth should do.
a. They should pay attention to the instruction of the prophet (v. 10).
b. The instruction includes three things. Serve the Lord, rejoice with trembling, and kiss the
king/son, submit to him (vv. 11-12a).
c. It ends with a congratulation to those who take refuge in the Lord and his king (v. 12b).
This outline gives you the way the psalm is structured and what it is meant to do, the function that it
performs. The psalm gives a report of the rebellion against God’s newly installed king, God’s mandate to
the king, and God’s ultimatum to the nations to submit to God and the king or else they will be in
trouble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seVjhvxqMWo&index=37&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Continuation of Ps. 2
The exegesis of Ps. 2
Dr. Kleinig read through the first three verses.
1. The psalm begins with a complaint made by the royal prophet to God about the rebellion of the
kings, the conspiracy of the nations (vv. 1-3).
a. For Israel, “nations” always means rebellious nations, pagan nations, nations that don’t
worship Yahweh or acknowledge him.
b. First it describes the attitude of the nations toward the new king. It is a mixture of rage
and a lot of huffing and puffing, empty threats. When someone is angry, he grabs at
anything.
c. What action do they take because of their rage? They can’t take it out on the Lord, so
they take it out on his messiah. Why are they angry? Because they don’t want to submit
to God’s Kingship, God’s rule. The action they take is to form an alliance against the Lord
and his anointed king. So they’ve conspired, made the decision to rebel, and organized,
but they haven’t attacked yet.
d. The decision they have made is to rebel against both the Lord and his king.
2. How does God respond to the complaint of this rebellion? (vv. 4-6)
a. The One enthroned in heaven laughs.
There is something that needs to be explained here. The higher we see someone the
48
more distant we feel are from us. People in the ancient world see it differently. As an
example, take yourself and an ant. The perspectives on what each of us can see are
different because of the height difference. But are you any farther from the ground than
the ant? No, we both stand on the ground. In fact you can see things the ant can’t see.
The ant can’t hide from you. In fact you are so big that the ant may not even see you.
Now this can be applied to us (with us in the role of the ant) and God. This is important
for the ascension of Jesus. There is a paradox here. The higher God is the closer he is to
us. That seems opposite to our modern way of thinking.
God is high above. He sees the whole picture. He sees and knows that their planned
rebellion will lead to nothing and is a waste of time. They think he can’t see what they
are doing, but it’s all in plain sight. He pokes fun at them. What is the reason for his
anger against them? Because of they are plotting and rebelling against him. Why does he
poke fun at them? Because it is so silly. It is such sheer folly that he has to laugh at it.
b. Then God speaks his word of wrath to frighten them. He says, “I myself have installed my
king on Zion, the mountain of my holiness, the mountain of my sanctuary.” So God’s
answer to their rebellion is the installation of his king where? On the holy mountain. To
understand this, you have to understand mountain symbolism in the ancient world.
What is so significant about mountains? They are the high places, the places where
heaven and earth meet and overlap. Symbolically God has installed his king on the
highest place on earth. But that mountain isn’t just any mountain. It is a holy mountain,
God’s own mountain. It is a sanctuary. Since it is a sanctuary there is no way for the
nations to attack it. God has placed his king in a safe place, in the most fortified place of
all.
c. That’s God’s answer in his wrath. Now then how does God administer his wrath? It’s
rather strange. If the nations attack his king at this holy place, they desecrate God’s
holiness and will receive the negative effects of doing so. But if they acknowledge the
king and come to the holy mountain they will have blessing.
The word of wrath that God speaks is paradoxical. It is a decree about the king. He
installs his king on his holy mountain in his holy place protected by God’s holiness as his
holy regent.
3. Then comes the proclamation of the king (vv. 7-9).

a. The king speaks of the commission he received from the Lord at his coronation. “Let me
tell of the decree of the Lord. He said to me or concerning me, ‘You are my son, today I
have become your father. Ask of me so that I may give the nations as your heritage, the
ends of the earth as your property. You will (or May you) crush them with an iron
scepter and smash them like a piece of pottery.”
What is meant by the decree or commission of the Lord? Once again the book by O. Keel
(The Symbolism of the Biblical World) will help us. Dr. Kleinig displayed a slide that
depicted an enthronement in Egypt. It showed the theological importance of the
coronation of pharaoh. It shows pharaoh (double crown of Egypt on his head, scepter in
his hand) kneeling. He is in the position of asking, the position of humility. It also shows
Amon, the king of the Egyptian gods, on a throne. Pharaoh does not face Amon and he
49
also does not face the goddess, the queen mother who is standing behind Amon
(backing him and blessing him). In the picture they are blessing and giving their power to
pharaoh (crown and scepter). Most significant in this picture is the decree or protocol of
the king. Egyptian scholars say that this decree has the divine titles given to the king,
which are the sun god’s commission to the king. So he is given these names and the
names are the tasks given to pharaoh that he is to do on behalf of the gods. The
commission is engraved on stone, which means that it lasts forever.
So the picture here in Ps. 2:7-9 is similar. We have God’s carved commission to the king.
It consists of two things: his sonship and his task.
First you have who the king is (v. 7b): “you are my son, today I have begotten you.” The
tile given here is that the king is God’s son. And God is his father. In this commission he
has officially become the adopted son of God. So sonship and kingship go together. It’s
the same with us. If we are sons of God then we too are royalty. We reign together with
The Son. The title of son was not given to David. It was given to Solomon and his
successors, the seed of David. And finally it was given to The Seed of David, Christ Jesus.
The kings then have the status as God’s only firstborn, begotten son. The firstborn son is
the heir of the king. He inherits the throne. That is the picture here.
So by adopting the king as his son, God gives him authority to act in his name. Also
because of his adoption, the king receives an inheritance, the kingdom of God.
b. Then God makes an offer to the king, to make the nations of this world his inheritance.
The whole world is God’s imperial estate which gives him the right to offer them to the
king. Israel is God’s kingdom proper and the nations are to be brought into God’s
kingdom.
4. What is the task the king is to do? He is to break and smash the nations (v. 9). Once again O.
Keel’s book will help us. From it we can see we have stock royal imagery. He has three pictures
from Egyptian iconography that are helpful.
a. First Dr. Kleinig displayed a picture of Amon, the chief Egyptian god, and of pharaoh with
a throne with a cobra on top (symbolizes exercising spiritual power, magic). In this
picture pharaoh smashes two pots. Those pieces of pottery represent the forces of chaos
in the cosmos – all evil cosmic powers. Amon, the sun god, ruled not only over humans
but over all things, including the evil powers. So the pots represent these evil powers
and politically they represent the nations who rebel against the sun god and his regent,
pharaoh.
b. That was one kind of smashing. Now we look at another picture which is very similar. In
this picture the focus is on the queen goddess, the spouse of the sun god. She has horns
with the sun between them, which symbolizes cosmic, divine power. She has a
commission in stone. She has a scepter with lotus. Lotus is the symbol of rebirth and life.
Pharaoh is also there with the double crown of Egypt. He holds a scepter in his hand and
he smashes a clay pot. This is the same symbolism as the first picture.
c. Archaeologists have found some interesting things that relate to the smashing of pots,
including the following two things. First of all, they found fragments of pottery in
connection to a palace with the names of Egypt’s enemies on them. So there was a pot;
it had the enemies of Egypt on it; and the pot had been smashed to pieces. Secondly,
50
there was a clay figurine which represented all of the enemies and it too had been
smashed to pieces.
So then going back to v. 9, what is the point of this rather gruesome imagery? The scepter is the
symbol of divine power that the king will use to defeat the enemies. And the enemies are all evil
powers. It’s cosmic more that political. (In the NT it is interesting what the scepter is that Jesus
wields against his enemies. It’s found in the book of Revelation. His tongue is a sharp two-edged
sword, which is the Word of God.)
God promises dominion and victory to his king. The kin will either shepherd them or smash them
with an iron scepter. God will give the king his power to rule on earth to defend people by
defeating evil powers. The basic target isn’t political enemies. It is theological or spiritual
enemies.
The imagery of smashing a pot indicates the political victory over the king’s enemies, which are
also God’s enemies. So v.9 is imagery of victory over evil powers.
5. Now the last part of the psalm (vv. 10-12). It begins with “therefore.” Whenever you see
“therefore,” you know that it always indicates a conclusion. Here it gives us the point of the
psalm. This part of the psalm is addressed to the rebellious kings. It is an ultimatum to them. In
light of all that precedes it, what is the sensible thing to do for the kings and nations? This is the
advice that is given. So in these verses, the court prophet takes on the role of the teacher of the
nations.
a. He advises the kings to “serve Yahweh with reverence.” The Hebrew word translated as
“serve” is ambiguous. It could refer to the action of a slave. So it could mean “become
slaves.” Or another meaning could be, “become subjects,” like people serving a king. A
third possibility is “worship,” perform divine service. The point of worship is not them
giving God something or doing work for God, but through their service they receive
God’s blessings. Which of these three senses is used here? Since it’s ambiguous, it’s
probably all three. But what is the primary sense? Worship is the dominant sense
because of what follows it: “Serve Yahweh with reverence.”
b. Next he says, “Rejoice with trembling.” Serve the Lord in order that you might rejoice. If
they participate in the divine service, in the liturgy, then they will rejoice. Why will they
be able to rejoice? Because in the divine service they will receive blessings. They are to
rejoice with trembling. You can tremble out of fear, but you can also tremble out of
excitement. There is a connection between reverence and trembling.
c. Next comes: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is
quickly kindled.” Kissing the Son shows their acceptance of him as king. Notice the third
line. That is unusual. That makes it stand out. The king is an agent of divine wrath.
d. So the nations are called to heed prudent instructions. They are given three commands:
serve, rejoice, kiss. Then there is a warning and the commendation. Let’s look at each of
the three commands.
e. First they are to serve Yahweh with reverent worship. The kings and the nations are to
join with Israel’s king in the service of God at the temple in Jerusalem. When Solomon
built the temple, he did so not just for Israel, but also for the nations.
f. Secondly, they are to rejoice with trembling. You can tremble in three ways: (1) with fear,
(2) with astonishment. Why astonishment? The nations would expect since they rebelled
that they would be punished but instead they are shown grace, they are able to worship
51
Yahweh. They are treated the same as the Israelites, the Lord’s people. Or they can
tremble (3) with excitement. Picture children excited at Christmas.
g. You might expect the psalm to end there. They’ve rebelled but now God tells them to
repent and serve him and receive blessings from him. It is better to be on God’s good
side and receive his favor rather than his wrath. But then comes something strange:
“Kiss the son lest he be angry” (v. 12). In the ancient world, who and how do you
normally kiss? You kiss on the cheek. Only husbands and wives kiss on the lips. What
kinds of people kiss each other on the cheek? First of all relatives, your family. And
second of all, people who you treat as if they were family. Another form of kissing is to
kiss the feet of someone. This is done as an act of submission. In doing so, one hands his
life over to the other person.
So the nations are to kiss the royal son. There are two possibilities here. Either they
accept him as God’s king, their superior, and they kiss his face as a mark of brotherhood
and peace. The emphasis for this is that they stand together as members of the royal
family. So the rebels accept the king and are granted royal status. Or they kiss the son’s
feet as a mark of submission and a petition for mercy.
Dr. Kleinig displayed a picture from Assyria. It shows the envoy of the Assyrian king. And
there are Persian nobles who come and bow, kneel, and prostrate themselves to the
envoy. They also kiss the feet of the envoy. They submit to the king.
So what kind of a kiss is used in v. 12? Is it kissing the feet in order to submit? Or is it
kissing the face to say we accept you and join with you? It could be both. Given the
context, it would seem like an act of submission but it is open ended. It could be taken
either way.
h. Then comes the warning. They are to do this in order to avoid not God’s wrath but the
Sons’ wrath. God’s judgment is administered by the king. The important thing is the king
and your relationship with him. So the king is the agent of both divine grace and divine
wrath. Therefore the destiny of the kings and the nations depends on their attitude to
the royal son. This ties in to the NT, and especially the Gospel of John, where it says our
salvation or damnation depends upon whether we have faith or not in Jesus. That is the
extension of this verse.
6. The psalm then concludes with a congratulation (v. 12b): “Blessed are those who take refuge in
him.” There is some ambiguity in this statement which causes us to ask several questions.
a. Who are the refugees who take refuge in him? Are they the Israelites? Are they the kings
of the nations? Are they the nations? The answer is, yes – all of them.
b. Whom do they take refuge in? Almost everywhere else in the Psalter, people take refuge
in the Lord. This is the only place where people seem to take refuge in the king. If you
know your psalms, this sticks out. Is it talking about taking refuge in God or in the king or
in God through the king? Most likely they should take refuge in God through his king.
c. How do they take refuge? In normal political terms, how does a rebellious people take
refuge in the king? They would come groveling and paying tribute to the king to get back
into the king’s favor. But there is no mention here of tribute. How did the Israelites take
refuge in God? The psalms tell us that people take refuge in God by coming to the
temple, approaching God through their sacrifices, and petitioning him. So based on this
the place where they take refuge in him is at the temple.
52
NT Application
Of all the psalms, this psalm is quoted or alluded to more frequently than any other psalm in the NT.
Why is it so important? Because it is Messianic. Both Jesus and the apostles see this psalm as being
prophetic. In the Class Notes provided by Dr. Kleinig, he gives many references to places in the NT where
this psalm is alluded to and applied to Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. The ascension of Jesus is his
coronation as King. This psalm was finally and fully fulfilled by the death, resurrection, and ascension of
Jesus. Jesus is God’s royal Son and heir. The whole book of Hebrews unpacks this psalm and is the
exegesis of this psalm.
Lastly, Christ rules now as King over the nations and he does this in a strange way. Take a look at Rev.
2:26-27. It picks up on certain aspects of this psalm.
26
The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over
the nations, 27 and he will rule[a] them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in
pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
Jesus is speaking here. He has been given authority over the nations and he is sharing that authority with
Christians, the Church. That’s amazing. We reign together with Jesus.
How does Jesus rule? What is the scepter that he wields and that we wield in our rule over the nations?
Look at Rev. 19:15.
13
He is clothed in a robe dipped in[a] blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of
God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on
white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and
he will rule[b] them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God
the Almighty.
He rules with the sword that comes out of his mouth. That is his scepter and it is the Word of God. Both
Jesus and the Church rule with the Word of God. And the Word includes both judgment and salvation,
Law and Gospel.
Psalms 1 and 2 Are an Introduction to the Whole Psalter
There is a verbal overlap between these two psalms.

 They do not have any kind of headings or title. That ties the two together. They tell us how the
Psalter is to be used. The Psalter is to be used to meditate on the Torah (instruction) of God (Ps.
1) and to take refuge in the Lord through his Messiah (Ps. 2).
 Meditate. There are two senses of meditate. Lovers meditate on what they love. Haters meditate
on what they hate. It occupies their whole being.
 Notice the bracketing of the two psalms together by the congratulations (“blessed”).
Blessed is the man who meditates on the Law of God (Ps. 1:1-2).
Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Ps. 2:12).
 Two senses to sitting and being enthroned. Fools sit in the seat of scoffers. This ultimately leads
to the kings who are enthroned and conspire against God. They mock and they scoff. And then
there is the enthronement of God (he sits in the heavens over all).
53
 There is the unusual combination of perish and way. The way of the wicked will perish (Ps. 1).
The kings are warned that if they do not turn from their rebellion and embrace the son, they will
perish in their way (Ps. 2).
The two psalms are brought together at the beginning of the Psalter to show us how to use the Psalter.
Psalms Lecture 12 (Length: 1:05:09):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY7kEXDoMoE&index=36&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Individual Laments
[See pages 23 of the Class Notes -
Introduction to Laments
One of the most important categories of psalms is the laments. The lament is by far the most common
type of psalm.
A typical situation where a lament might be used is this:

 One of God’s people or a group of God’s people or the whole nation of Israel experiences some
kind of trouble. The trouble could be sickness or injustice or economic or social stress. Another
type of trouble is if a person sinned and experienced the consequences of their sin.
 Whatever the trouble is, the person or people who experience the trouble can do nothing to
help themselves.
 So they go to the temple in Jerusalem and make an appeal to God for help.
o If they’ve experienced something like sickness or depression, they appeal to God’s grace
and generosity.
o If they’ve experienced injustice, they appeal to God’s righteousness and justice.
o If they’ve sinned and they know God is angry with them because of their sin, they
appeal to God’s mercy and ask for forgiveness.
o If they feel as if God has abandoned them and not provided for them (for instance they
have economic problems because their crops have failed), they appeal to God’s
faithfulness and reliability in the face of his apparent indifference to them. They appeal
to God to stick by his promise to care for them.
The appeal to God generally takes a fairly stock form. There are usually 6 elements that you will find
across the range of laments.
1. The first element, and this is the most striking feature, is the frequent naming of God. We tend
to overlook it since we are used to it, but the use of the holy name Yahweh is most striking. So it
begins with God being addressed by his most holy name. This would be used even more often
except some psalms were used devotionally at home and in these psalms the name ‘Yahweh’ is
replaced by the more generic term ‘God.’ [The holy name of God was only used at the temple. It
was not used at home in order that his name not be misused.] Think about it in this way. There is
a big difference if someone addresses you by saying, Hey you, than if they say, Hey John. In some
54
countries the use of the personal name is not striking. But in other countries it is much more
important to use a person’s proper name only in an appropriate way.
2. This is followed usually, although it doesn’t always occur in this order, by the complaint or the
lament. This usually has three elements to it. (1) First there is some kind of confession to God
about the trouble. You dump on God. You tell him what’s happening. The psalms do it in very
general terms so that they can be used in almost all situations. You can use the psalm and put
your own content and situation into the psalm. (2) That is followed by a complaint about your
enemies and the pain they’ve caused you. This isn’t always the case, but many times someone
has done you wrong, who has sinned against you by breaking one of the commandments from
the second table. (3) Then comes one of the most surprising features to modern sensibilities and
that is the complaint against God for his apparent indifference or wrath or inactivity or rejection.
The complaint against God doesn’t say that God caused the trouble, but that he hasn’t done
anything about to fix it. It says God has promised to hear the prayers of his people, to bring
justice to those treated unjustly, to help those who are in trouble and God hasn’t done anything.
This is the most common religious experience that God’s people have in all times and in all
places.
3. Many times the complaint comes with a confession of faith. The confession of faith serves two
functions. Either it looks back to the complaint and says, Look God I’ve relied on you, you are my
refuge and fortress. It gives the reason for the lament. It says, God I believe you are this but I’m
experiencing that. So in these cases the confession of faith is the foundation of the lament. But
in many cases it is the foundation for the request for help that follows.
4. If the psalmist has experience injustice or if he has confessed his sin and the results of his sin,
then will come a confession of innocence or guilt. He will ask for justice when he confesses his
innocence. He will ask for forgiveness when he confesses his sin and guilt. This element doesn’t
always occur. In fact there are only seven penitential psalms where there is a plea for
forgiveness.
5. Then comes a prayer to God for help in trouble. Most people might have expected that this
prayer for help might be the main part of the psalm or the first part of the psalm, but it comes
second to last. There are three kinds of prayers.
(1) The most important one and obviously the most common are pleas for intervention and help
in trouble. It’s an admission to God that you’re in trouble and you need his help. Sometimes this
is a single petition and other times it could be a whole heap of petitions. There are two other
kinds of prayers.
(2) One of them makes good sense to us and that is intercession for God’s people. It may be a
request for God to help all of the righteous.
(3) The third type of prayer many people find most offensive and that is the prayer against the
enemy. This type of prayer is not put in an imperative form (command) but more in the form of a
wish, the way that the person would like God to deal with his enemies. Usually the request is to
deal with the enemies in the same way that the enemies dealt with him. You might think of it as
a recommendation for sentencing to the judge. There is one psalm in particular that consists
almost entirely as a prayer against the enemy.
This type of prayer serves a very important function. In it the psalmist wishes that God would
come and smite the wicked. And immediately we question whether it right for God’s people to
think that way. Our first thought is, “This isn’t right. As a Christian I’m supposed to love my
enemies and forgive my enemies.” In this request we are asking for payback. We’ve been hurt.
That’s how we feel and we want justice. And if justice is to be carried out, then God must do
something about evil and the evildoer.
55
These prayers against the enemy do something that is very helpful and practical. These prayers
appeal to God, they hand over vengeance to God. In the prayer you hand over the problem and
the right to take revenge to God. Once you hand it over to God, then you can’t take it back, you
can’t take vengeance yourself. You put everything in his hands. And since it’s in wish form and
not in imperative form, it’s up to God whether he deals with them in the way you’ve
recommended or not. What does this do with your feelings of being hurt and the feelings that
you’ve been dealt with unjustly and your anger? It gets them out and it gets rid of them. For
pastors this is very important because pastors and Christians tend to face a lot of unjust
antagonism and they need to know how to deal with injustice, so that they don’t reciprocate.
When you’ve been treated unjustly, you can easily get into a negative cycle. There has been a lot
of work done on abuse in our society. There is a pattern established. People who are abused end
up abusing others. And the abuse they hand out is disproportionate to the abuse they received.
They’ve been abused a little so then they abuse more. And the abuse never reaches backwards,
it always goes forward to a new generation. So for instance, a parent abuses his child. What
happens when that child grows up and becomes a parent? He abuses children too. Sexually
abused people become sexual abusers. That is where you can see it most clearly. People who
have been bullied become bullies. If we look closely at our own inner circles, most of us can see
this at work. What God wants to do is to break that cycle of abuse.
So this is one of the most important gifts that God gives to his people and the Church in dealing
with abuse. So what looks to be most offensive and unchristian is in fact one of the great gifts
that our Lord has given us.
6. You might expect the laments to end there. You’ve asked God for help and you wait for him to do
it. But then there is something that happens that is unexpected. Almost every single lament
psalm ends with an act of praise or a promise of praise. The psalmist might start praising God in
advance in anticipation of God righting the injustice. How or why can you praise God in advance?
If you call on God by name, if you claim God’s promises, if you go to the temple in Jerusalem and
make your case with God, what can you be sure of? That he is going to do something. And it’s as
if he has already done it. So you can start praising already before the event. So trouble teaches
you to praise not only when things are good but to praise when things are still bad.
It can also work in a second way. It can be a vow of praise. It is a promise that when God acts on
your prayers you will praise God. This is done by coming back to the temple and offering a thank
offering and thank God formally in the presence of the congregation for his deliverance of you.
You will pay the choir to sing a song of thanksgiving, you will offer a thank offering, and you will
have a meal of thanksgiving together with your family and friends in which you thank God for
answering your prayer.
Any questions? Some might say that it looks like this is a way of imposing our will on God or a way of
manipulating God. How do we respond? That’s the way it looks from our human point of view. If you
help me then I will praise you. That is the way that some critique it. But is that in fact the case here? Is
there an “if” here? No. What is presupposed here? Turn it around. What does God want from you more
than anything else? Thanksgiving and praise. Now you have to be careful when you talk about praise. We
get this wrong. We see praise as being addressed to the person. So if that were the case, after God
answers our prayer, we would flatter God and tell him how great and wonderful he is. God doesn’t need
56
our praises. Who needs our praises about God? The people around us. What is the best way that reveals
his goodness and grace to those around us? Through us. By us telling others how gracious God has been
to us. We bear witness to him to others. In doing so, we confess our faith. The base Hebrew word that is
translated as praise or thanksgiving means confessing, confessing God’s goodness to other people.
As Lutherans we are a confessional church. We confess three realities. (1) We confess our sins. (2) We
confess our faith. (3) And we confess God’s goodness in thanksgiving and praise. We confess God to the
world. Remember what Jesus said, If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my father in
heaven. We will come back to this again later.
Pagan gods revealed themselves to their people through statues. How does God reveal his goodness to
his people and to the world? Through human beings. We are like walking, talking statues. How then do
we as “living statues” advertise God, name God, reveal God, disclose God’s character to the world? We
tell people. Our whole life tells people. We confess the name of the Lord and we confess the goodness of
the Lord. We confess the gifts we’ve received from the Lord. So this psalm ties in to this confessional
element.
How does this tie in to Scripture which says that it’s in times of trouble that we develop character and
perseverance when we put up with our lot in life? [Apparently the student is trying to reconcile
lamenting to God about a bad situation and asking for relief versus accepting it and persevering, which
produces character.] Perseverance is not just putting up with your lot. It’s not tolerating trouble but
bearing it, willingly taking it up. Let’s take a look at the passage where Paul talks about this. Turn to Rom.
5:1-5. After reading the first two verses, Dr. Kleinig made some comments. We’ve been justified by faith,
therefore the result of justification is that we have peace with God, we have a good conscience (present
tense). If we have peace with God, a good conscience, then what do we have with God in worship?
Access to God’s grace. So Paul says three things. We have been justified (past tense). What we have now
is peace with God and grace (present tense). And what do we look forward to (future)? The hope of
sharing in the glory of God.
Then they read verses 3-5. How do we know that what we hope for is not just wishful thinking? We have
assurance from God. How do we experience this assurance? Through suffering. And what do our
sufferings do? Sufferings produce perseverance. It is in our sufferings that we experience the grace of
God. When we persevere we hang in there, we carry on in the face of trouble. And perseverance
produces what? Character. The Greek behind that word means that it carries God’s approval. We and our
faith are tested by it. Through this process we become settled. We are no longer up and down. We
become steady in all the things that God approves of. How does God test us so that we discover what
God approves of? It’s through suffering. What then does character produce? Hope. You experience God’s
reliability. You experience peace and grace from God and that produces hope. So no matter how bad
things get you know that God will make things better. The normal human way of looking at it is to be
pessimistic, to expect things to get worse. This is the opposite of the way Christians think. How do we
know that hope will not disappoint us? Because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit. So in all of this we come to experience the love of God.
When do you experience your wife’s love or the love of a friend the most obviously? It is in the midst of
suffering. That person sticks by you no matter what. He doesn’t love you just when things are good but
loves you when you are depressed and miserable and sick. When you can’t give anything, your spouse
sticks by you.
57
Another question arose. A student asked how one could trust God and yet complain about his
indifference? You can’t just look at this theoretically. You have to look at it practically. It’s actually pretty
simple. We tend to over complicate things. On the one hand we have God’s promises. God says, “Call
upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you will glorify me.” The Lord promises to hear the
prayers of the righteous. The Lord is gracious and merciful. These are God’s promises and they are the
confession of faith of the people of God. That is one side of the Christian – his faith. The other side for
the Christian is his experience. Do we always experience the truth of God’s promises? Sometimes yes,
but not always. If we always did, we would never use these laments. We all face troubles and sometimes
those troubles last for long periods of time. What happens when you are terminally sick? What do you
do? You ask God for deliverance. You ask God for healing. And what happens? Sometimes nothing. What
do you do then? That is where those complaint laments kick in. When we lament and complain, we do
so because we trust in God, not because we don’t trust him. So praying these laments does not show
little faith. It shows great faith.
This is one of biggest problems Dr. Kleinig has run into with people. If someone is sick with cancer,
someone comes along and tells that person, “If you had enough faith you would be healed.” The
indignation that God is not healing this person is not a mark of little faith but of big faith. This person
knows what God is like and knows what God is capable of, so he expects a miracle. He believes God can
and will do it.
Let’s get back to lament psalms.

Individual laments can be divided into two classes.
1. Individual complaints that:
first of all formally lodge a complaint with God on his failure to keep his promises
and then formally appeal for his grace and help.
So they appeal to God’s grace in the face of his apparent wrath.
They experience wrath and they react to it by going back to God’s promises and claim his grace.
Those types of complaints are usually marked by the questions: Why? How long? When?
2. Individual petitions that:
describe the trouble
and then appeal to God to rectify it.
So they appeal for help in the face of trouble.
What gives God’s people the right to complain to God and to expect him to listen? We gladly take his
promises but we have a hard time with life experiences, which are contrary to his promises. To find out
the answer, we will take a look at Ex. 34:5-7. In these verses God sanctions his people to use his name. In
this passage certainly God is preaching his name and describing his character. But there is also a practical
purpose for it. To get the context, you need to read Ex. 32, 33, and 34. Moses is on the top of Mt. Sinai.
The Israelites are on the bottom of the mountain, making the golden calf. Moses makes a series of four
intercessions to God to spare his people. And before the fourth intercession, in which he asks God to
forgive his idolatrous people, the people who have broken the first commandment and broken the
covenant, Moses asked God to reveal his glory. If a pagan asked this, he would expect to have a vision
where his god revealed his face. And then he could make a statue of the god so that he could access his
god, the glory of the god. But it works differently for the one, true God.
Now when Moses asks to see God’s glory, God says, No, you can’t see my face. I’m going to show you
something else. And what God does is parade his name in front of Moses. God puts Moses in a cave and
shields Moses before he passes by the cave. Let’s read Ex. 33:19-20.
58
19
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my
name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on
whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and
live.”
Instead of showing his face, God is going to parade his goodness. And how does he parade his goodness?
He does it by proclaiming his name. If God’s back is his goodness and mercy and compassion, what is his
face? It’s the same thing, but even more of it. There is powerful imagery being used here. If I am
favorably disposed toward you, I turn my face to you. If I reject you, I turn my back to you. But here God
shows his back, which is goodness, and gives Moses access to himself and his goodness through his
name.
This is what God promised to do and now let’s go to the next chapter where this actually happens. Turn
to Ex. 34:5-7.
5
The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the
LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love
for thousands,[a] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the
guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third
and the fourth generation.”
There is an odd idiom used here. It is only here that this idiom is used for what God does. Ordinarily
human beings call on and proclaim the name of God. This is the only place in the OT where God
proclaims his name to his people. He preaches himself; he preaches his name to his people. He invokes
his name to Moses. He introduces himself by name to Moses. What is the name that he gives to Moses?
Yahweh, Yahweh (the LORD, the LORD). And what is God like? He is gracious, merciful, and
compassionate. Take notice of these words. You will see them used all the time in the psalms. The word
translated as “steadfast love” has to do with generosity. “Loving kindness” was the old translation. It’s
not what you are obligated to do. It’s when you go beyond what is obligated. Ps. 25 is an exegesis on
God’s grace, mercy, compassion, and generosity. Another attribute of God used here is “faithfulness.” He
is reliable. He abounds in loving kindness and faithfulness.
If God is gracious and abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness, does it mean that God never gets
angry? No. The reason God gets angry is because he cannot tolerate sin. He is righteous. [He is just so he
must] deal with sin. But notice that God’s wrath against iniquity is limited. His punishment of sin will only
go at the most three or four generations. On the other hand, how far does his loving kindness and mercy
go? It goes thousands of generations, which is a way of saying forever. So his blessing is eternal and his
wrath is temporary and limited.
In these verses in Ex. 34, God is giving prayer as a great gift to his people. How is prayer to begin? It
begins with our use of God’s holy name – Yahweh (the LORD). What does that do? It gives us access to
God and his grace and steadfast love and faithfulness. Pagans access their god and its gifts through an
idol. But God’s people don’t use an idol to access God, they use his holy name. And that name is
powerful, because through that name you have access to God’s grace, kindness, and compassion. So
what God is doing here? He is instituting, establishing, sanctioning the prayers of his people. The whole
of the Psalter is what? Prayer. The Psalter takes this declaration by God in Ex. 34:5-7 and it cashes it in. It
does it in praise, as God’s people tell each other and anyone else who will listen about this gracious God.
God is praised for being gracious and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness and God is thanked for
showing his grace, love and faithfulness to his people. It also confesses and teaches that he is this way.
God has encouraged his people to use his name in prayer; he’s commanded them to do so. So as you
59
read the psalms watch for its use of the holy name of Yahweh. Wherever his name is referred to or used,
it ties back to this Ex. 34 passage. And whenever the psalms speak of God’s steadfast love and
faithfulness, it ties back to his holy name. If you go through all of the psalms and look for his name and
look for his steadfast love and faithfulness you find that nearly every psalm refers to them and therefore
they all tie back to Ex. 34:5-7.
[Back to the class notes, pages 23-24.]
So in Ex. 34 God authorizes his people to make appeals through his holy name and it reveals his gracious
disposition towards them. Think about this in common sense terms. If Dr. Kleinig comes to you and
introduces himself not as Dr. Kleinig or Mr. Kleinig but as John, what is he doing? He is giving you access
to himself in a personal way, not just in a professional way. That is what God does here. He gives them
his personal name. This shows that he is favorably disposed to them and this gives them access to his
grace. And his name is to be used to access him in prayer.
Then based on Ex. 22:22-24 afflicted people are authorized to appeal to God for justice and deliverance
from their enemies. Then in Ex. 22:25-27 poor people who do not have economic security could appeal
to God for charity and help. And based on Ex. 34:6-7, which we have been talking about, people in
trouble could appeal to Yahweh for help and sinners could appeal to him for pardon and mercy. So on
the basis of verse 7, people who have sinned could come to God, confess their sins, and expect to
receive what? Forgiveness.
One last thing for today. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he had a prayer of dedication (1 Kings
8:28-53, 59f (cf. 2 Chr. 6:19-40; 7:12-16). Surprisingly in that prayer he didn’t ask God to make it a place
of sacrifice, but to establish it as a place of prayer. So first and foremost the temple is a place of prayer
for Israel. The sacrifices are the bridge between heaven and earth. In the sacrifices God comes down to
meet with his people on earth. Because he is present with his people in this way and at this time, the
people can pray to him for help at the altar. This gives them access to God. And what is the means by
which they access God? Prayer. And how do they access God in prayer? Through his name. When you
have his name, you have access. When you don’t have his name, you don’t have access.
That goes all the way through the NT. Modern Christians and theologians don’t take much notice of the
importance of God naming himself (baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Or take for
instance the High Priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17. Most modern translations don’t have Jesus saying,
“I have revealed your name to them.” Instead they put, “I have revealed you to them.” There is a big
difference between the two. Jesus reveals God’s name, which is Father. In the Lord’s prayer we pray
“hallowed be thy name.” And we begin the prayer with “Our Father.”
Take the creeds. They tell us how we can name God. We say we believe in God. Now that could be any
God, but who do we say we believe in? God the Father almighty and Jesus, the Christ, his only begotten
Son, our Lord (all names except the title of Christ), and in the Holy Spirit. God’s name is Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. What can we do with and through his name? What does his name give us? It gives us access
to God in worship and prayer. So for Christians what takes place of the idol that pagans use? The holy,
proper name of God. Not titles but the proper name of God. There is power in the name of God and
pastors do everything in the name of Jesus, in the name of the triune God. Spiritual results can only
occur when that name is used.
[Back to the class notes where Dr. Kleinig continues on p. 24 at 4b.]
60
At the dedication of the temple Solomon prayed to Yahweh (1 King 8:28-53, 59f). By Yahweh’s
acceptance of Solomon’s prayer, he establishes the temple in Jerusalem as the place where the Israelites
can use God’s name to access all of the blessings of God (grace, mercy, faithfulness, loving kindness,
etc.). It is similar in the NT. God gives us his holy name to give us access to his blessings and similarly he
gives us a place, like the temple in the OT, where we can use that name. Where is that place? Here is a
hint. It is not just one location. The location is the Church. And the reason it is the Church is because it
proclaims Jesus. Jesus is the new temple of the living God. Jesus is the place where we can access God.
This occurs in three ways: (1) Jesus himself is the temple. (2) The Church is the body of Christ. (3) Each of
us is a part of the temple because Jesus is in us. That is why we end our prayers in the name of Jesus.
The purpose of the laments is to appeal to God for help like subjects of a king appeal to their king. The
basic picture that you have behind the whole Psalter is first that there is a king. That king has a palace.
What is the palace? The temple. The King makes himself available to his citizens. And this is most
remarkable. Most kings in the ancient world might make themselves available to their citizens once or
twice a year. But God the King makes himself available to his people every morning and every evening at
the temple. Every day he holds an audience with his people. In doing so, they can approach him and talk
to him and ask him for things and thank him for things. They have access to God. That is the picture that
lies behind all of these psalms and most particularly the psalms of lament.
When God’s people make their appeals to God, they do it in a way that is acceptable to God and
therefore are sure to gain a favorable response. Why can they be sure of this? Why is it that if they make
their appeals to God at this place, and in this way, using these psalms, that they can expect to receive his
grace and mercy? Because God has promised it and he himself has instituted it. He has not only given
them the place and time for them to call on him, but he has also given them the words to use. The
Psalms are not just human words. They are divinely inspired words. Just as Jesus has given us the words
of the Lord’s Prayer, so God gave his OT people divinely instituted and inspired prayers to use in the
Psalter so that they can access him at the temple.
Since the psalms are meant to cover all situations, they use conventional language and are often general
and formulaic. So instead of speaking specifically about an enemy or troubles, they generally do so in a
way that fits all situations possible. [End of lecture 12]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG3FU4W0c0w&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=35
Individual Lament – Psalm 13

[See pages 25 of the Class Notes -
Psalm 13 Read Through and Words Explained
[There was no audio for the first 16 minutes. I could see that Dr. Kleinig first displayed Psalm 13 in
Hebrew. It looks like he read through the Hebrew and probably translated and minimally explained
61
certain words and phrases as he went through it. This took about 10 minutes. Then he displayed the
psalm in English. Dr. Kleinig is reading through the psalm and explaining the structure as he goes. When
the audio returns, Dr. Kleinig is explaining verse 3. ]
[See page 25 of the class notes which gives the structure of psalm 13. This is what Dr. Kleinig is going
through and explaining. Vv. 1-2 give a four-fold complaint against God for (1) forgetting the psalmist, (2)
disfavoring the psalmist, (3) the unbearable suffering the psalmist is going through, and (4) the
ascendancy of the psalmist’s enemies over him. Then comes the plea to God (vv. 3-4)]
V. 3a
Verse 3 begins with “look.” The psalmist is saying, “Yahweh, take notice.” Sometimes someone might say
to you, Pay attention to me; Listen to what I’m saying; Attend to me. The Hebrew word means “look with
acceptance.” That is followed by a request for Yahweh to answer the psalmist. The psalmist is looking for
a favorable response from the Lord.
Vv. 3b-4
Then comes the “lighting up of the eyes.” The picture here is that the soul of a person is like a lamp. If
the soul is strong then there is light in the eyes. But if a person is dying, the light goes out of their eyes. A
person’s vitality can be seen in the brightness of their eyes. [In terms of this psalm, if the Lord does not
answer him favorably he is in danger of dying.]
Then comes three reasons for God to answer his petitions (vv. 3b-4).
1. First he asks God to hear his prayer so that his death will be prevented. The assumption is that a
dead believer is of no use to God. So God has an interest in keeping the psalmist alive.
2. Secondly, God has a vested interest in preventing the triumph of the enemy over the psalmist.
Why is this? Because the psalmist and God are connected. He believes in God. If the enemy
triumphs, he triumphs not only over the psalmist but also over God.
3. The third reason is most telling and most important. Here he asks God to prevent the rejoicing of
the enemies at the downfall of the psalmist despite his trust in God. The attack of the enemy is
not just on the psalmist but also on his faith in God. That’s the point of attack. The enemy
doesn’t just want to destroy the psalmist. He wants to destroy his faith in God.
So God has a vested interest in keeping the psalmist alive, in not allowing the enemy to prevail, and in
vindicating his faith in God’s steadfast love.
Vv. 5-6
Then comes the vow to praise. It’s a vow of rejoicing with a song of thanksgiving. He says he will rejoice,
be jubilant. And how will he do that? By singing a song of thanksgiving. So this gives us the reason for the
psalm. He has written the psalm because Yahweh has dealt well with him or it is for the time when he
will deal well with him.
Dr. Kleinig is using Ps. 13 as a model to teach the class about the structure of a lament psalm.
Exegesis of Psalm 13
[See page 26 of the Course Notes.]
1. The psalm begins with a superscription, a heading. This psalm is for the choirmaster. This psalm
comes from the choir book of the temple.
62
Secondly, it’s not a psalm that is meant to be said. It’s a psalm that is meant to be sung
accompanied by a stringed instrument. The Hebrew word behind this means “to pluck the string
of a lyre.”
The psalm belongs to David who is the royal leader of petition and praise. So it’s connected to
David and his institution of the choir in the temple at Jerusalem.
2. The first section (Ps. 13:1-2) has the invocation and complaint. The translation is:
How long O Lord will you forget me completely?

How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I pain in my soul, sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be high over me?
We always like to pay attention in each section of where you begin and where you end. Here it
begins with God, speaks of trouble, and ends with the enemy. It begins with God and ends with
enemy.
The psalm begins with the invocation of the holy name, Yahweh (or LORD). His name reminds us
of his gracious and merciful presence with his people. Therefore when his holy name is used by
the psalmist, it is an appeal for God’s gracious presence and help. The person in trouble comes
to the temple and addresses God in prayer.
What is the situation of the psalmist? Notice that it is very general. There are three or four
things that we can say about the psalmist’s situation.
a. The psalmist has been going through a long period of constant, intolerable pain. So it’s
physical trouble. But it is also trouble of the heart, which means it is also emotional and
mental too.
b. The psalmist faces the prospect of death if the situation continues.
c. The psalmist is experiencing God’s apparent disfavor, God’s indifference.
d. The psalmist faces the prospects of his enemy (later foes) getting the better of him.
Who is the enemy? Who are the foes? You will notice this again and again in the psalms. The
enemy is unnamed. He is a victim of an enemy but the enemy is unnamed. Why is he unnamed?
It is done that way so that anyone praying the psalm can insert the name of their enemy in. That
way it can fit any situation.
In the NT the enemy is named. He is the evil one. In the OT the enemy is not named. It is only
with the coming and naming of Christ that the Satan, the devil is named. A student asked if
naming the evil one gives him power? Dr. Kleinig’s response was to ask, Does naming a disease
give it power? The answer is no. Rather, knowing the disease helps you deal with it (provided
there is a treatment for it).
There has been a long debate amongst scholars as to who are enemies in the psalms. There have
been many proposals as to who they are. It could refer to:
 Personal/psychological enemies – people that have it in for us. In our society this might
be the first enemy we think of.
63
 If you think of David [who authored many of the psalms] it could be political enemies,
both internal and external.
 Social or class enemies. The enemy might be a rich person who holds a lot of power.
 A legal enemy. The person who takes me to court, accuses me falsely, and wins against
me. This person uses the legal system to exploit me.
 Unbelievers. I am faithful to God. Those who don’t have it out for me.
 There is a specific group of people who in Hebrew are called workers of iniquity. Iniquity
has the sense of mischief. It has the idea of sorcery and magic behind it. In an Aboriginal
society this would be the first enemy they think of.
 Death itself and all of the powers of the underworld, the powers of darkness.
 Demons, unclean spirits.
Which enemy is it in this psalm? We don’t know. It’s open ended. It has a wide range of
possibilities. It is unhelpful to try and pin it down to a specific enemy as some scholars do. They
try and pin down the exact historical situation of the psalm, but that has been left vague on
purpose. It fits any situation. It is useful for all kinds of situations by all kinds of people.
What is the content of the complaint?

 It starts out with: “How long O Lord will you forget me completely?” “Forgetting” and
“remembering” in the Bible are not just mental lapses and recollections. The idea is to
forget or remember to do something. It’s not just mental but also physical. We in our
day psychologize and abstract things enormously. For instance, if I forget my wife’s
birthday, it doesn’t only mean that I mentally forgot it. It also means that I didn’t do
anything to celebrate it. So forgetting has to do with forgetting to do, forgetting to act.
It’s the same way with remembering. It says again and again in the OT that God
remembered his people. When God remembers his people he doesn’t just think about
them. He acts for them. So when he remembered Noah, he rescued him from all of the
water. When he remembered David, he delivered David. So when Jesus says, “Do this in
remembrance of me,” it doesn’t mean to just think about me. It means to do something
in remembering him. [We remember Jesus by doing, by eating and drinking his holy
body and blood.] As an example, think about your wedding anniversary. You remember
your anniversary not just by thinking about it, but by taking your wife out to dinner. How
do the Israelites remember God? By going to the temple in Jerusalem. By offering
sacrifices. By praying to him. By praising him. It is remembering by doing.
So when the psalmist speaks of the Lord forgetting him, he is complaining about the
Lord’s lack of activity or action in helping him. He has “forgotten” to act. He’s done
nothing. He has sat back and done nothing. He has displayed indifference toward his
people.
 Then comes, “How long will you hide your face from me?” Body imagery is terribly
important in the OT. For instance, instead of speaking about anger, it speaks about the
nostrils being flared up. Instead of speaking about the soul of the person, it speaks
about the throat. Instead of speaking about emotions, it speaks about the heart. When
it speaks about compassion, it speaks about the belly or womb.
Think about body language. There are four different pictures concerning the face. (1)
First there is lifting up your face and dropping your face. In the Aaronic blessing it says,
64
“The Lord lift up his countenance upon you.” What does that mean? It means he looks at
you. So lifting up the face is deliberately looking at someone and engaging with them.
What then does it mean to drop your face? If someone is coming in your direction, you
ignore them. You deliberately look down and don’t look at them.
(2) Even stronger is hiding your face. It’s not to the point of turning your back on
someone and rejecting them. But it’s where you purposely don’t react to someone. If
you were to physically cover your face with your hands, the person can’t see how you
are reacting to them. You accomplish the same thing when you purposely don’t react
positively or negatively toward someone. You hide your reaction toward them. It’s not
an absolute rejection, but you can’t read that person’s face. You can’t tell how they feel
about you.
(3) If a person smiles at you, what do you know? You know they like you and accept you.
If God does this, he is favorably disposed toward you. (4) If a person frowns at you, what
do you know? You know the person is not happy with you and does not accept you or
the idea you are expressing or pushing.
So the picture here is God hiding his feelings toward the psalmist. He does this by hiding
his face, being indifferent toward him. God has “forgotten” the psalmist because he has
failed to be merciful and to respond to his cry for help.
 The psalmist has experienced God’s disfavor. This is what we just talked about. When
God turns his face toward you, he shows that he accepts you and is giving you access to
himself and his grace.
God’s face runs all the way through the psalms. It would be interesting to use a
concordance and see every time “face” is used in the psalms and how important it is. By
the way if a pagan person talked about the “face” of Baal or Asherah, he would be
talking about a statue of them.
So when God hides his face, he is purposely not showing his favor toward his people,
which means he is showing disfavor them. And if it is taken one step further, the turning
of the back toward them shows outright rejection.
God’s face is life-giving. So if he hides his face or turns his face away from people, what
happens? The same thing happens if the sun stops shining. When the sun stops shining
things will die. When God stops shining on us, we are threatened with death.
[Running out of class time.]

 The psalm continues in verse 2: “How long will I pain in my soul, sorrow in my heart
daily?” The psalmist is experiencing pain and heartache. He is brooding over his
troubles.
 The last “how long” question is: “How long will my enemy be high over me?” The enemy
has triumphed and put him down to the ground and towers over him.
65
Next time we will finish Ps. 13 and do Ps. 57.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16-3c4HX8UQ&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=46
Individual Lament – Psalm 13 continued

[See page 27 of the Class Notes -
Exegesis of Psalm 13 Continued
They began by singing a hymn which was based on Ps. 57, the psalm that will be discussed later in during
this class period.
[Dr. Kleinig’s microphone was not working. Therefore the beginning of the lecture was picked up only by
a remote microphone.]
Dr. Kleinig read through his translation of Ps. 13. First he read through verses 1 and 2:
How long O Lord will you forget me completely?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I pain in my soul, sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be high over me?
Then he continued with verses 3 and 4:

Look, answer me, O LORD, my God;
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.
And my enemy will say, I defeated him.
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
And then verses 5 and 6:

Even though I trusted in your loving kindness,
My heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
I will sing about the LORD,
Because he has treated me well.
[The microphone is now fixed.]
3. Picks up with the Petitions for Help (v. 3)
In the previous lecture Dr. Kleinig had gone over the lament (vv. 1-2). He now picks up with verse
3. The first word is a very strong, emphatic imperative: Look or Consider or Take notice of me.
This is noticing with favor. It’s a plea for consideration and acceptance or to show some concern
for me. Then he asks the Lord to answer his prayer, respond to his lament. It’s not just a request
to answer my prayer. It’s a request for God to answer me, to respond to me, to respond to my
situation. It’s a plea for a favorable word from God.
66
Normally when the Israelites went to the temple they received the Aaronic benediction. A part
of it says, the Lord make his face shine upon you. The phrase in v. 3, Give light to my eyes or
Make my eyes shine, is the reversal of this. As we said before, there is a lot of use of body
imagery and body symbolism in Hebrew. There are very few abstractions in Hebrew. There are
lots of idioms that have to do with the face and particularly the eyes as the most significant and
telling part of the face. If you want to see the state of a person look into their eyes. (This will be
very important for those going into pastoral care. Not only listen to what people say, but look
into their eyes. The eyes display the state of the person. They are a window into their soul. And
very often what people say and what they show will be at odds with each other.)
The idea here is that the more healthy and vital a person is, the brighter their eyes are. If you are
sick, your eyes grow dull. If you’ve ever seen a person die, it’s very tangible. The light goes out of
their eyes. We see eyes as windows into someone. In the ancient world they saw eyes as lamps
shining out. So there is a plea in this psalm for full revitalization of full health. The person is sick
or threatened by death. So there is a plea to be revitalized.
4. Reasons for the petitions (vv. 3c-5a)

a. The opposite of eyes being lightened is death. As we said in the last lecture, God has an
interest in keeping people alive. So if God does not act for the psalmist, the psalmist will
die.
b. If God does not intervene as a response to the psalmist, then the enemy will win the
victory. The enemy will defeat the psalmist. So in this respect too, it is against God’s
interests to allow the enemy to win. The psalmist belongs to God and so a loss by him is
by extension a loss by God.
c. The psalmist trusted in God’s steadfast love. So an attack on the psalmist is an attack on
his faith in God’s loving kindness. If the foes succeed in their attack on his faith, they will
rejoice in his downfall. In a sense it would be a victory not only over the psalmist but
also over God himself.
If you think of spiritual warfare in the NT, what is Satan’s basic attack on every believer?
He wants to destroy each believer’s faith. There are two basic and fundamental attacks,
an attack on faith and an attack on love. To understand what is happening to you, you
have to understand that this is Satan’s basic tactic.
5. The psalm concludes with a vow of praise (vv. 5b-6)
This is praise that anticipates deliverance. It is praise in advance. Usually you praise God post
event, after he has intervened.
The psalmist says, “My heart will rejoice in your deliverance. I will sing about the LORD because
he has treated me well.” There is a change from a sorrowful heart earlier in the psalm to a joyful
heart.
There is a promise of a thank offering after deliverance. The normal sequence is this: in the
lament the psalmist promises that if God answers his prayers then he will return to the temple
and present a thank offering. As part of that thank offering there will be a song of thanksgiving in
which a musician praises God on behalf of the psalmist. And there will also be a thanksgiving
67
meal in which the psalmist invites his family and friends to rejoice with him and to bear witness
to God’s deliverance.
The cause and content of the psalm is God’s generosity because God has treated him well.
“Treated him well” is a very clumsy translation of a Hebrew word for which we have no
equivalent English word. To understand what this word means you need to go to a place like
New Guinea where you have the so-called big man culture. In such a culture there are no
institutional leaders. How do you become a big man, an important man in that society? For us
we become important by accumulating assets and wealth. And with wealth comes power. And
with power comes status. And that means you can make demands on people. So basically for us,
power has to do with possessions.
In tribal societies like New Guinea things work differently. How do I become a big man with
prestige in that society? I work hard, have a lot of pigs, and grow a lot of food stuff. And then I
hold a sing-sing, where I invite all the people of my tribe and I provide a feast for them. To
provide this feast, I kill all my pigs. Now remember, in this society pigs are your most valuable
asset. Instead of keeping them for yourself or continuing to acquire more and more pigs, you
BBQ them and give them to people to eat. Eating meat in that society is very rare. And this is
true with other things as well. The more you accumulate, the more you give away. Why do they
do this? By doing this you gain favor with the people and you put those people under obligation.
They become indebted to you. In that society there is no way they can pay you back in kind. So
instead they give you respect and honor. They look up to you and call you the big man of the
tribe. They speak well of you and increase your glory and honor by their loyalty to you and by
treating you with respect. So what you gain is what is most valuable of all, their respect and
loyalty.
So the Hebrew word used here (translated as “treated me well”) is used in this kind of context.
New Guinea is a payback society. So if someone does you wrong, you pay them back for it with a
double measure. That’s the negative side. We don’t see the positive side. What we’ve been
talking about is the positive side, which is that you don’t invest in property and possessions but
in people’s loyalty. That is what the word here at the end of the psalm is. Sometimes, depending
on the context, this word could be translated as “avenge a person” or “reward a person.” It’s not
reward in terms of services rendered but reward in order to obtain loyalty. It’s a different kind of
reward system.
One last thing. What is it that God, a God of grace and mercy, wants most from Israel? Their
praise and thanksgiving. Does he require that this praise be addressed directly to him? No. Praise
of God is primarily addressed to other people. Praise is not direct to him in the form of flattery. It
is directed towards others. You tell other people how wonderful he is. So God’s people, to use a
modern phrase, advertise his grace and mercy to each other and the world. When they do this
they give him a good name; they glorify his name. They make his name known and magnify it.
So the picture here is of God as the benefactor of the psalmist. There was something like this in
Roman society where you have patrons and clients. (By the way if you can study up on this it will
be helpful in understanding the NT early church.) The patron is the big man. The client is the
person who is indebted to the big man. There are quite a few places in the NT where it pictures
God as the big man and Christians as the clients who depend on him for charity, grace, and
mercy. This describes a system of patronage which still survives in different parts of the world.
68
What is the client’s appropriate response to the grace of the benefactor? What shall I offer to
the Lord for all of his benefits to me? (Ps. 116:12) Praise and thanksgiving. This ends the
discussion on Ps. 13
Ps. 57 – A Lament Psalm

Dr. Kleinig said he had passed out a handout on the function of vows in the OT. It provides background
material for Ps. 57. We do not have access to that handout.
Dr. Kleinig displayed Ps. 57 in Hebrew. He began reading through the Hebrew, translating to English as he
went.
The heading states that this is a psalm of David as he fled from Saul in a cave.
v.1
A request for God to be merciful. The Hebrew word for soul relates to throat. So the psalmist is saying he
has taken refuge in God through his speaking. Notice the change in the tense of the verbs. I have taken
refuge. I am taking refuge. I will take refuge.
The word for destruction is a very general term. It refers to any kind of disaster.
v.2
If you think in terms of a pantheon of gods, the most high god is the chief god, the supreme god. [Here
God is said to be above all other so-called gods. The psalmist cries out to him.]
The same verb is used in this verse that we looked at in Ps. 13:6. It means he treats me well or he
rewards me or he avenges me. One of the duties of the patron or big man is to protect his followers.
v. 3
The basic sense here is “May he reach from heaven.” The Hebrew term behind it means to stretch out
your hand. As usual Hebrew is very concrete. It also means “to send.” Think of the gesture for sending
someone. You say, Go, and point to where you want them to go. You stretch your hand out. So you can
reach out to help or you can reach out to send.
He reaches out in order to save or rescue me. When he saves me, he rebukes the one who hounds me.
The Hebrew word behind hounds me first of all means to pant, like a dog panting after it has been
running after some prey to kill it.
This is followed by another use of the verb to send. Here he sends his loving-kindness and faithfulness.
He sends them in order to save me.
v. 4-10
69
After speaking of being in the midst of fiery/devouring lions, people whose teeth are spears and arrows
and whose tongues are swords (v. 4), it has a strange jump in the next verse. It suddenly talks about God
being high over the heavens and the earth (v. 5). Then in v. 6 it goes back to the lions. They have trapped
me in a net and brought me low. In v. 7 there is another shift. Twice the psalmist says, My heart is ready.
His heart is ready to sing and give thanks to God to the nations for his steadfast love and faithfulness.
v. 11
This verse repeats v. 5.
This is a rather puzzling psalm because on the face of it, it seems rather disjointed. Notice the structural
element of repetition in verses 5 and 11.
Dr. Kleinig then displayed and read through his English translation of Ps. 57 with a few comments along
the way.
V. 1
Have mercy on me O God, O God have mercy on me. (Notice the hinge function of “O God.”)
In you my soul takes refuge (or has taken refuge).
Under the shadow of your wings I take refuge
until disaster passes me.
(When you hear “wings” you think of a bird. But everywhere in the ancient world the sun is symbolized
with the picture of a circle with two wings. In what way is the sun like a bird with wings? It flies across
the sky. In doing so, it creates warmth and gives shelter and life and protection to everything under it.
That is a stock picture for the sun.)
(Notice that it is nighttime (v.4), but you act like it is daytime.)
V. 2
I called to God Most High,
to God who deals well with me.
V. 3
May he reach (or send) from heaven to save me;
Challenging (or rebuking) the one who hounds me.
May God send out his loving-kindness and his faithfulness.
(They are his two soldiers he sends to rescue the psalmist.)
V. 4
My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie in the midst of those who devour the sons of Adam,
(Devour has the idea not only of eating, but of fire – flames that devour.)
(Notice that we use sons of Adam rather than sons of man because this is speaking of all of humanity.)
whose teeth are spears and arrows,

and whose tongue is a sharp sword.
70
V. 5
Be high O God above the heavens!
Be high with your glory over all the earth!
V. 6
[As Dr. Kleinig read through the rest of his English translation, the audio went out for the last minute and
a half of this session.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUrlEkGynss&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=37
[There are two lecture 16’s on Youtube. Lecture 15 and one of the lecture 16’s are the same.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES-IYc3Zxbg&index=33&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
[There are two lecture 16’s on Youtube. Lecture 15 and one of the lecture 16’s are the same.]


[The audio did not work for the first minute and a half. We pick up with Dr. Kleinig talking about the
genre of the psalm.]
Genre of Ps. 57
This is an individual lament. In it the psalmist, rather than complaining, makes a petition to God.
Who is the speaker in this psalm? [I believe Dr. Kleinig just spoke about this in the initial part of the
lecture that we could not hear because it seems as if at this point he is just quickly summarizing here.]
According the Class Notes there are three possibilities:
1. A king. He bases this off of verses 5 and 11 referencing theophany (your glory) and verse 9,
which references the peoples and nations.
2. An accused person who appeals to God for justice.
3. A singer. This is based on verses 7-9 where it references singing and musical instruments.
He also says this is a morning psalm, which again I believe he described before the audio was fixed.
Literary Features of Ps. 57
71
There are some interesting literary features which stand out as you read the psalm. (See page 30 of the
Class Notes.)
1. First there is a refrain used in verses 5 and 11.
2. Repetition of certain key words.
a. The word “soul” is used three times in verses 1, 4, and 6.
b. The word “glory” is used in verses 5, 8, and 11. It is used in two different senses: God’s
glory and the psalmist’s glory.
c. The words “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” are used twice in verses 3 and 10.
d. Words referring to music are used twice. In verse 7 it has “sing and make melody” and in
verse 9 it speaks of “sing praises”.
3. There are some double duty pivot words. These words can be used with what precedes it or
what follows it.
a. The word “God” in verses 1 and 7.
b. The words “my glory” in verse 8.
c. The words “my Lord” in verse 11.
4. Anacrusis words. These are words that, instead of repeating them, are understood.
a. “Be high” (Be exalted) covers both halves of the verse (vv. 5, 11).
b. The Hebrew word “gadol,” which means “great.” [He did not explain this.]
Structure of Ps. 57
The structure of Ps. 57 is very interesting and very telling.

1. First there is the heading. It gives some detail which is unusual.
2. 57:1-5 Plea for mercy or grace.
a. 57:1 Petition for mercy.
b. 57:2-3 Wish for divine intervention.
c. 57:4 The report (the lament) on the threat from man-eating lions, the one that hounds
him.
d. 57:5 Petition for God to show himself in his glory. It is a petition for cosmic theophany.
Theophany is God’s visible appearance on earth. It’s a plea for God to appear over
heaven and earth.
3. 57:6-11 Promise for thanksgiving, which takes a very strange form. It’s not your usual vow of
thanksgiving.
a. 57:6 It begins with a report on the fate of the man-eating lions. Notice that the lament is
cut in two by the acclamation in v. 5. There is a report of the man-eating lions in v. 4 and
then there is the report of the fate of the man-eating lions in v. 6.
b. 57:7-8 Decision to awaken dawn with song.
c. 57:9-10 A vow to thank God internationally, among the nations.
d. 57:11 Petition for cosmic theophany.
Introduction to the Exegesis
To understand this psalm, you’ve got to get the basic imagery. And it’s complicated because it operates
at least 3 levels.
1. The most literal level of the imagery is the dawn of a new day. The sun rises at dawn and shines
upon the earth for its people and animals. So every new day, the sun awakens the earth in the
morning. It shines and it wakes. The sun shines light and it chases away darkness. It always has
this double effect. It lightens but also destroys darkness. This is very important for the whole OT,
72
especially when it talks about theophany. Whenever God appears, his presence has two opposite
effects. On the one hand it saves, but on the other hand it destroys.
2. The second level picks up on and uses the literal level. It uses this idea of the double effect. This
level is the picture of God’s theophany, his appearance here on earth. God comes in like the sun,
ushering in a new day, a new age. In this case God comes and his glory shines and saves the
psalmist. At some point God will reveal his glory to the whole earth, but here God reveals his
glory to the psalmist. His theophany has two effects. On the one hand it reveals his loving-
kindness and faithfulness to the psalmist. But it also issues a rebuke to the one who attacks the
psalmist. So God is pictured as coming and saving the psalmist from the literal nightmare that he
is having. We’ve all been in bed where we’ve dreamed we were surround by monsters and we’re
unable to escape them. Here there initially is one enemy, someone who hounds him. He is
pictured as a man-eating lion.
3. Then we have the third level of imagery, which is much more complex and very profound. The
psalmist prays for three things. First he prays that God comes in theophany and saves him from
his enemy (personal theophany). Secondly, he prays that God may appear in theophany over the
whole earth (cosmic theophany). Thirdly is the theophany in the psalmist’s heart. So it’s not just
a theophany to him but a theophany in him. So the picture here is the Lord shining with his
glory. That glory awakens the heart of the psalmist and then the psalmist with his musical song
of the heart sings the glory into itself. There is a double awakening. It’s circular. And then that
glory is revealed in song to the nations.
The second level, that of God’s appearance having two effects, is the main picture. It recalls the sun
dawning at the beginning of a new day and it leads to the third level, the theophany in the psalmist’s
heart.
Exegesis of Ps. 57
Title
First comes the title of the psalm. It is a Miktam, which probably means it was a psalm that was written
down and placed in the sanctuary as a votive offering [vow] to God. That means the psalm is offered to
God and placed in his presence. So the psalm wasn’t just sung for God to hear, but it was placed there
for God to see. Within the title it also says, Do not destroy. That means that the psalmist (in this case
David) wants this psalm placed before the Lord as a votive offering forever. It also mentions the situation
that David was in. His life was threatened as he ran from the pursuit of king Saul. So the psalm is to be
used during any life threatening situation.
[See page 31 of the Class Notes]
Ps. 57:1-5 – Plea for Mercy
1. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, [or Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to
me,]
For in you my soul takes refuge; [or has taken refuge;]
and in the shadow of your wings I take refuge, [or I will take refuge,]
until the disaster passes by.
2. I call to God most high,
to God who deals with me.
3. May he reach from heaven to save me;
73
challenging [rebuking] the one who hounds me.

May God send his loving-kindness and his faithfulness.
4. My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie in the midst of those who devour, the sons of Adam,
whose teeth are spears and arrows,
and whose tongue is a sharp sword.
5. Be high, O God, above the heavens!
Be high with your glory over all the earth.
V.1 – Petition addressed to God
The psalm begins with a petition to God for his mercy. The situation of the psalmist is that he is
threatened by destruction by those who hound him, or more accurately, by one being that hounds him
(see v. 3 where it is singular). In the face of the threat, he takes refuge under God’s wings. There are
three levels here of symbolism. (1) The most literal level is where chicks taking refuge under the wings of
the mother hen for protection, warmth, and nurture. (2) That same image is used of the cherubim in the
Holy of Holies. Remember the Holy of Holies? In it you have the ark of the covenant, which is covered by
the Mercy Seat, and over the Mercy Seat you have the cherubim that form the sides and back of the
throne of God. So the wings you take refuge under here are the wings of the cherubim, angel wings.
They act like body guards. Behind this, which is not so obvious to us, is the picture of the sun with wings,
the protecting, nurturing, life-giving wings of the sun. (3) So what happens here is that psalmist appeals
to God for grace. He doesn’t appeal for justice; he’s not claiming his rights. He is like a needy subject
appealing to the king for grace and mercy.
Vv. 2-3 – The Wish of the Psalmist, the Assurance of God’s Intervention
Notice that these are not imperatives. It expresses what the psalmist would like from God. In v. 1, Have
mercy on me, is an imperative. So you might expect him to say next, Reach out and save me. But instead
he makes his request in wish form. He leaves room for God’s discretion.
Notice also that this is not addressed to God as v. 1 was, but to a human audience. God is spoken of in
the third person. He says, May God ..., instead of saying, May you ... . It is a wish for God’s intervention
spoken to himself and a human audience.
In v. 2 God is called Most High, the most high or chief God. This title was taken from the Canaanites who
called their god El the most high god of their pantheon. God appropriates the titles for other gods for
himself. Why use Most High in this context? Why is he addressed this way? Because he is over
everything. It is cosmic. He is not just Lord over me personally or over Israel or even the earth. He is Lord
over the entire cosmos.
God is confessed here as the one who avenges those who seek justice from him. He intervenes to
challenge and save the psalmist from the one who hounds him. Notice the singular there (v. 3). Notice
the shift from enemies to enemy, from foes to foe. Sometimes this doesn’t come through to well when it
is translated. He intervenes by sending his loving-kindness and his truth as body guards. It’s like a sheriff
sending a posse to save someone in desperate trouble.
V.4 – The Psalmist Evaluates His Threat
74
The evaluation of the threat is part of the complaint. In doing so, the psalmist is speaking to himself. The
psalmist sees himself as someone who lies down to sleep among man-eating lions. The picture here is
one of nightmare. I’m lying in bed, I’m surrounded by lions, and I can’t do anything about it. These lions
are not ordinary lions, but flaming lions that threaten to devour me. So the psalmist pictures his enemies
as lions.
Once again we have stock imagery that was common in the ancient world. And sometimes imagery can
be used in many ways. But the starting point is to always start most concretely as possible. In ancient
Israel and the Middle East, what was characteristic of the lion in terms of the animal kingdom? He was
the king of the beasts. The beasts are wild animals. So he is not the king of the domesticated animals.
The ox is the king of the domesticated animals. The king of the flock is the ram. If you have sheep and
goats together, the king over them is the billy goat.
(1) In any case, the lion is always a symbol of kingship. And for Israel, being king over the beasts is being
king over the non-Jews, the nations. (2) Lions are also predators. Within the beasts there is a class of
them that are predators. They prey upon other animals. They prey upon their own kind.
In Israel God is the King over the nations and the devil is the predator looking for someone to devour. In
this psalm the lion is pictured as a predator, as the king of the predators.
When you consider the symbolism of the ancient world, sometimes you will get a lion standing upon its
back legs, raised up with its claws out and sometimes the mouth is open with the tongue coming out as
sword. And the teeth are depicted as knives or spears with arrows coming out of its mouth. Whenever
you have this picture, you are not depicting a normal lion, but demonic powers. So v. 4 depicts the
enemy as demonic.
V5. Petition for God’s Theophany addressed to God
The pivotal part of the psalm is the antiphon, “Be high, O God, above the heavens, be high with your
glory over all the earth.” This can function in one of two ways. First it can be a prayer. But it could also
function as an acclamation, which was used as a kind of war cry in ancient Israel.
It is a petition for God’s theophany. But it is not a request for God’s theophany only to the psalmist, it’s a
request for God’s theophany to the whole cosmos. God’s theophany always has two sides to it. It brings
the judgment of the wicked and the vindication of the righteous. So God is pictured here as the sun with
his radiance filling heaven and earth. And since God’s presence fills heaven and earth, heaven and earth
becomes the temple of God. God is present in the heavenly temple. He is present in the earthly temple
in Jerusalem but that is hidden from his people. The prayer here is that instead of that little building
being the temple of God the whole cosmos will be his temple.
Ps. 57:6-11 Promise of Thanksgiving
[See page 32 of the Class Notes]
It starts out in a strange way. It’s kind of like a lament but it’s actually a confession of faith.
V. 6 Reflection on the Downfall of the Enemies
75
6. They have set a net for my steps;

My soul is bent low.
They have dug a pit for me; [lament]
they have fallen into it.
This is a theme that runs all the way through the OT, about the nature of evil and evildoers. How does
God deal with evil? We might think that he has to smite it, but he doesn’t have to. He lets it loose on
itself. Evil is self-destructive. Evildoers destroy themselves. The pit you dig for others you fall into
yourself. The net you lay to trap others instead traps you. This is not karma, a cosmic principle which is
essential to Hinduism and Buddhism. This is God’s judgment; this is the way that God deals with evil. He
uses evil paradoxically to undo and destroy itself.
V.7-11 Translation and Overview of vv. 7-11
7. My heart is ready, O God,

my heart is ready.
Let me sing, let my heart make music.
8. Awake my glory, awake,
With harp and lyre let me wake the dawn.
9. I give thanks about you among the nations my God,
I make music about you among the peoples.
10. For your loving-kindness is great in the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
11. Be high, O God, above the heavens,
Be high with your glory over all the earth.
This is a complex picture. It’s nighttime. To be very literal, the psalmist has just awakened from a terrible
nightmare, a demonic attack in the middle of the night. It’s dark. The sun has not risen. He gets up and
takes his stringed instrument and sings a song of praise to usher in the morning. More importantly, he
sings God’s glory into his heart. It begins the dawning of a new day in his heart. And he sings this new
dawning to the nations. When you see this, the rest will fall into place.
Vv. 7-8 Song to Awaken the Dawn
Take note (and the Scriptures are full of them) of the reversal of expectations. You have an image that is
turned on its head. You get a cliché that is turned around. Usually dawn awakens a person. In those days
you didn’t have alarm clocks or automatic coffee machines that wake you up with the smell of coffee.
Normally the sunshine wakes you up. But here this is turned around. Instead of the sun waking up the
psalmist, the psalmist wakes up the dawn. This is the basic vocation of all Christians and pastors. That is,
to live in the darkness and to usher in the light of a new day.
The belief that God will rescue the psalmist leads to a song of praise even before the rescue. So instead
of praising God after the rescue, after the nightmare is over, he praises him in the middle of the
nightmare.
The psalmist awakens three things with his song.

1. First he awakens his own heart. The song of praise awakens his heart. He sings about the glory of
God. God’s glory is in heaven, but when he sings it shines into his heart. So as he glorifies God,
76
he is glorified. So “awake my glory” means awake my heart with the glory of God that shines in
my heart.
2. Then there is the awakening of the harp and the lyre, getting them out and ready to play.
3. Thirdly, there is the dawning of a new day. Not just for the psalmist but for all the nations of the
earth. In this new day God comes in his glory, not primarily to judge, but to save with his mercy
and loving-kindness and steadfast love.
So we have the picture of dawn. It’s a dawning of a new day and there are four different dimensions to
it.
1. First there is a liturgical dimension. The psalmist begins the new day with morning prayer and
praise. And the time for this is before dawn. So you usher in a new day liturgically with a song of
praise before the dawn.
2. Secondly, the dawn is understood in musical terms. A person’s musical instruments are silent and
they become active. Dawn is the time when the music is activated and the song is sung. The
morning psalm is played on a lap harp or lyre before the new day dawns.
3. The third level is the devotional level. The singing this song of grace is the dawning of the glory
of God, of his radiance and presence, in the heart of the psalmist, which becomes a temple of
God. Think about God’s glory being in the Holy of Holies. With the singing of this song, the heart
becomes the place of God’s glory and presence. The body of the psalmist then becomes a
temple of the living God.
4. Finally there is the eschatological/cosmic picture of the dawning of a new day. This is God’s
theophany and final victory over all the powers of darkness.
So you have three basic images here.

1. First there is the sun. When it dawns it dispels night.
2. Second is light in general overcoming darkness.
3. Third is God’s glory overcoming the cosmic powers of darkness.
[see page 33 of the class notes.]
In v. 8 the psalmist calls upon his “glory” to “wake up,” that is, to overcome the powers of darkness. This
use of “wake up” was used as a battle cry in Israel. It is the cry of a leader to his troops to prepare for
battle. So here this battle cry is spoken to God to awake to battle with cosmic powers and to display his
radiance.
The singer calls upon his own glory to wake up and overcome the powers of darkness in himself. But the
singer’s glory is not really his glory, but the glory of God in his heart. And God’s glory is manifested in the
psalmist by the singing of this psalm. So there is a kind of circuit here. The song evokes the glory and the
glory is the content of the song. So what this describes is the experience of theophany within his heart.
There are four levels to the awakening of dawn by the awakened singer with his song.
1. There is the awakening of a new day, the literal new day.
2. There is the awakening of the sleeping harp and lyre.
3. There is the awakening of the heart as the temple of God.
4. And there is the awakening of God for his theophany.
VV. 9-11 The Vow of Thanksgiving
77
It may be more of an act of thanksgiving than a vow of thanksgiving. This vow of thanksgiving is actually
the beginning of thanksgiving. So it functions in those two ways. Here we have praise before the rescue
instead of praise after the rescue. And the psalmist promises to praise God not just to himself or to his
family or to Israel but internationally, to the nations. Why does the psalmist praise God to the nations?
There are two reasons for it.
1. God’s loving kindness and his faithfulness is not just to the psalmist or to the nation of Israel but
it is offered and available and wants to be given by God to all the nations of the earth. So God’s
self disclosure will benefit all the nations.
2. The theophany is not just personal, it’s cosmic. The theophany is over heaven and earth.
So in this psalm, the psalmist proclaims God’s glory and his grace to the nations in a song of praise.
The song of thanksgiving is an anticipation of the universal theophany of God as King of the cosmos. Can
you see the stupendous claim here? The psalmist is saying, What’s happening to me this morning as I
wake up from this nightmare in the darkness is the beginning of something cosmic in its significance. Or
turn it the other way around. What happens to me now anticipates what will happen finally.
In verse 11 you get the same petition as you had in v. 6 and it can be taken in two ways.
1. It’s a petition for God to be high. And to be high means to triumph over.
2. Or it could be a kind of acclamation. God, you are high over heaven and earth.
Lastly, parts of this psalm are used in a different way in corporate, national lament in Ps. 108:1-5, which
has to do with Israel and Israel’s enemies. But there it is taken in a completely different direction.
Liturgical and Theological Use of This Psalm
Sadly this psalm is not very well known in our modern church. It’s not used very much. In contrast, it was
one of the favorite psalms in the Jewish tradition and in the classical Christian tradition. And most
appropriately, it’s traditionally set as part of the introit for Ash Wednesday in which we prepare for Good
Friday and the cosmic victory of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
It is a reading on St. Mark’s Day in the three year lectionary. They symbol for Mark is the lion. The whole
of Mark’s gospel has to do with spiritual warfare, the battle between Christ and the demons and Christ’s
paradoxical victory on the cross over all evil powers. So it is a most appropriate psalm for St. Mark.
There are three very important applications traditionally.

1. It’s used devotionally as one of the classic morning prayers.
2. It’s part of the meditation on the dawn of the day in our hearts as temples by the visitation of
Christ, the morning star. Every person in the ancient world would know that dawn was coming
close, not just by the light in the east, but by the fact that the morning star shines most brightly
just before the dawn and the sunrise. So you have the picture of Jesus as the Morning Star which
uses the imagery of this psalm. It’s very important in the book of Revelation.
3. [By the appearance of Christ, the hearts of the faithful became his temple and are glorified by
him.]
It’s used in spiritual warfare. Peter in his first letter speaks about being sober and vigilant (vigilant =
“awake” as in this psalm). Why? Because your adversary, the devil, is a roaring lion seeking someone to
devour. That is an application of this psalm in many ways. How does Jesus deal with Satan and the evil
spirits, the unclean spirits? He deals with them by rebuking them. He uses his word to send them
78
packing. In spiritual warfare we are rescued by Christ. He fights for us and delivers us. We have victory
over the powers of darkness by taking refuge in the Lord. This happens in two ways, by praying and by
praising him. There are three basic weapons in spiritual warfare: the name of the Lord, prayer, and
praise. Luther says the devil and the evil spirits cannot bear the name of God, cannot tolerate the
exercise of faith in prayer, and cannot tolerate the praise of God. So this psalm is a classic psalm because
it has all of the most important elements used in spiritual warfare.
Lastly, whether you realize it or not, this psalm is a set part of our liturgy in the Sanctus. The Sanctus
originates in the book of Isaiah. It’s a proclamation: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts, the whole earth is
full of your glory. As Christians we say, heaven and earth are full of your glory. We speak of cosmic
theophany and where do we get an anticipation of a cosmic theophany and a beginning of the heavenly
song of praise? We get this in the Lord’s Supper. So this idea of theophany is borrowed from this psalm
and a number of other places in the OT and is used in the Sanctus in the Communion liturgy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPkz8X-dI3I&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=32
[See page 41 in the Class Notes]

Individual Lament – Psalm 22

Translation
Dr. Kleinig read through his translation of the psalm. [His translation is very similar to the ESV, so I copied
the ESV and then made changes for his translation.]
Psalm 22
For the director of the choir, to the doe of morning [that is probably the musical setting],
belonging to David.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you far from saving me, the words of my groaning?
2
O my God, I call by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but without relief.
3
Yet you are enthroned, as the holy One,
the praises of Israel.
4
In you our fathers [ancestors] trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5
To you they cried for help and they were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6
But I am a maggot and not a man,
scorned by humanity and despised by the people.
79
7
All who see me, mock at me;
they curl their lips; they wag their heads;
8
“He rolled it over to Yahweh; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, since he delights in him!”
9
Yet you cut me from the womb;
entrusting me to the breasts of my mother.
10
Upon you I was cast from the womb,
from the womb of my mother you have been my God.
11
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is no one to help.
12
Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me;
13
they open their mouths against me,
like a lion that tears its prey and roars.
14
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted away within my inners;
15
my strength is dried up like a piece of pottery,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you have put me like a pot in the dust of death.
16
Truly dogs surround me;
a company of evildoers move around me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17
I can count all my bones—
they look, they stare at me;
18
they divide my clothes among them,
and cast lots for my cloak.
19
But you, O Yahweh, do not be far away!
O you my strength, come quickly to help me!
20
Deliver my soul [throat] from the sword,
my precious life from the hand of the dog!
21
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
And answer me from the horns of wild oxen!
22
I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23
All you who fear Yahweh, praise him!
All you seed of Jacob, glorify him,
and revere him, all you seed of Israel!
80
24
For he has not despised or borne
the affliction of the afflicted one,
and has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him for help.
25
From you is [or will be] my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you, I will fulfill my vows
(Now come a number of imperfects or jussives (Dr. Kleinig sees them as jussives, meaning may
or let) or it can also be future tense (a promise). Many translations see it as a promise, but he
doesn’t think it makes as good sense as it does if they are jussives and therefore invitations. So
we have a series of invitations here.)
26
Let the poor eat and be satisfied;
let those who seek him praise Yahweh!
May your heart always have life! (That is their word of praise.)
27
Let all the ends of the earth remember
and return to Yahweh.
Let all the families of the nations
perform prostration before him.
28
For kingship belongs to Yahweh,
and he is the ruler over the nations.
29
Let all the fat ones of the earth eat and perform prostration;
let all who go down to the dust bow down before him,
each one who has not kept his soul alive. (or who cannot keep his soul alive.)
30
Posterity shall serve him;
Let their seed (posterity, future generations) serve him;
31
let it be told about the Lord to the coming generation so that they may proclaim his (Yahweh)
vindication to a people yet unborn, (or so that they may proclaim his (the afflicted one’s)
righteousness)
that he has done it.
Genre
[See page 42 of Class notes.]
It is quite obviously an individual lament and complaint, at least that’s how it starts. But there are three
features that don’t fit the normal individual lament pattern. Now if you are going to understand any
piece of art, whether it is music or poetry or drama, you need to understand the form that is employed
and what is expected for that form. The particular force of a piece of art depends upon how it departs
from the expected pattern. So here we want to look of the unexpected, unusual features.
1. Normally in an individual lament you would expect God dealing with an individual in the past.
But here the focus is on God dealing with Israel. That should give us a signal that this person is
not just a private person, but it is someone who occupies a national office.
2. Instead of having a call to a thanksgiving offering and thanksgiving meal, which normally
happens when God hears the prayer of the lament, and you fulfill your vow and you invite your
81
family and friends to share in a thank offering meal, instead of having a vow of thanksgiving you
have a vow of praise. Remember that praise is always not the act of an individual person
thanking God for what God has done for him, rather praise is a declaration to each other of who
God is and what he has done for the nation. The focus of praise is national rather than personal.
3. And most stunningly, you get these amazing invitations to a holy meal, which is part of the divine
service. This is not a little thanksgiving meal, but an amazing banquet to which all people, living
and dead and future generations are invited to participate, a meal of praise.
Even before the NT this psalm was understood in the Jewish tradition as prophetic in the sense that it
doesn’t describe anything that has happened in the past in Israel or that could happen in the present in
Israel, but it was a prophecy of what would happen sometime in the future. And since it is a Davidic
psalm, there was always the question, Is this psalm speaking about the end times? And the Jewish
tradition is that the “person” lamenting here is Israel, who, even though God punished her for her
idolatry, would be vindicated on the Last Day. (Think of it in terms of the theology of Daniel.) So this is
thought of as a prophetic psalm that points forward to what God will do for his people in the age to
come.
The question was asked by a student whether this psalm was viewed as a Messianic psalm? Dr. Kleinig
said it was difficult to trace because this psalm was viewed as a “Christian psalm”. There were two basic
OT texts for Christians. They were Is. 53 and Ps. 22. And a third one was Ps. 110. They were the
foundational texts for Christian teaching of Jesus the Messiah. To counter the Christian view that Ps. 22
spoke of Jesus they had to give a non-Messianic interpretation to it. So they say that Is. 53 doesn’t speak
of the Messiah who is to come, but it speaks about Israel. That’s how Jewish scholars understand it to
the present day. And likewise they understand this psalm in the same way. But there is some dispute
because it doesn’t fit Israel. That interpretation is a little forced. As pastors you need to understand and
respect that tradition.
Literary Features
There are a number of interesting literary features in this psalm.

1. First of all there is inclusion used in this psalm. This is what is called bracketing. Inclusion works
on the repetition of words and phrases, which mark off sections. Inclusion has less to do with
content and ideas but it has to do with what you hear. It is an oral device and it is a classical
preacher’s communication device. So for example, I start a paragraph with a sentence and then I
wrap it up by basically repeating what I said at the beginning. Since its being spoken to you, you
can’t see the paragraphs. So the paragraphing device used by the speaker is to repeat words or
phrases, which is called inclusion. Classically, music works this way too. So the words used in this
psalm to bracket off sections are:
a. “Be far” in 1, 11, 19. It introduces and concludes the first section and it concludes the
second section.
b. “Answer” in 2 and 21 introduces the lament and closes off the lament.
c. “My God” in 1 and 2 introduces the first part of the lament and in 10 closes the first part
of the lament.
d. “Deliver” in 11 opens the second part of the lament and in 21 closes the third part of the
lament.
e. “Hide” in 24 and 31???? [in the class notes but not mentioned by Dr. Kleinig.]
f. “Seed” in 24 and 31 brackets the last section.
82
2. Then there is framing, which is similar to inclusion but yet different. In framing words are
repeated in the opening of new sections. Here it signals the beginning of a new part of the
speech, a new part of what is being spoken. In the Class Notes he listed the phrases “they
surround me” in vv. 12 and 16 and “in the assembly” in vv. 22 and 25 as phrases used to provide
frames.
3. Then there is the repetition of key words. These are words that recur several times and quite
often have slightly different shades of meaning. Included in the Class Notes are: “praise” (in 3,
22, 23, 25, 26), “trust” (in 3, 4, 9), “despise” (in 6, 17), “womb” (in 9, 10), “fear” (in 23, 25).
Structure
To make sense of a psalm you have to see the way that it is structured. One of the questions you ask
when you want to work out the structure of the psalm is, Who is addressed? Who speaks to whom
about what? The other question is, What topic is being talked about? So you are looking for a change of
who is addressed or a change of topic.
So for instance, I can say to Sam, Did you have a good night last night? Or I can speak about Sam and say,
Sam looks very miserable this morning, can you tell me what’s wrong with him? I can talk to him or I can
talk about him. Those are two different modes of address. And there are times when you even talk to
yourself. When changes in address occur, they mark important points of transition, especially in psalms.
Also what you say to a person can differ. I can ask a question. I can make a remark. Different forms of
speech have different functions. This is important not only for exegesis of psalms but for exegesis in
general and for preaching and teaching because in preaching and teaching you want to do something,
you want to achieve something.
Let’s take a look at this psalm by asking, who the psalmist is speaking to and about what?
 In vv. 1 and 2 the psalmist is speaking to God about the reason for his abandonment of the
psalmist. And it is a complaint, why have you forsaken me? The question “why?” is used in
laments.
 V. 3 begins with “but” or “yet”, so the topic changes. In vv. 3-5 the psalmist still speaks to God
but he talks about God’s deliverance of his ancestors in the past. This is a confession of faith to
God.
 In vv. 6-8 there is a change of focus. He is no longer speaking to God. There is no clear audience
here. It is a complaint that the psalmist is being mocked by people. He laments his situation.
 Then in vv. 9-11 God is addressed again for his past provision to him (9-10). And that culminates
in the first petition (11).
Look for the expected. So far we have:

lament (1-2),
confession of faith (3-5),
lament (6-8),
confession of faith (9-10),
petition (11)
In a psalm of lament, what would you expect after the petition? A vow of praise. But instead we
encounter the unexpected. Next come more laments.
 In vv. 12-13 there is a lament about the menace of wild animals.
83
 In vv. 14-15 there is a lament that God has buried him in the dust of death.
 In vv. 16-18 there is a lament about the hunters with the dogs.
 The laments then culminate in 5 petitions that go back to the situation described in the laments.
There are 5 petitions that he be rescued from those hunting him.
 In vv. 19-21 there is a petition.
Notice how this steps out.

 It starts out with a complaint/lament (1-2) and a confession of faith (3-5).
 Then there is a lament (6-8), confession of faith (9-10) and one petition (11).
 Then we go back to a lament again (12-13), which is followed by more laments (14-15, 16-18),
before it culminates with the five petitions (19-31).
The farther it goes the more the psalm expands out structurally. Each step adds another element to it.
This is very persuasive speech. It’s brilliant rhetoric in terms of communication.
In vv. 1-11 we were talking about changes of address. In part 2 there are 4 different changes of address.
[Vv. 12-18 there is no clear audience. Vv. 19-21 is a petition to God to save him.] V. 22 is addressed to
God and is a vow or promise of praise. Then the congregation is addressed in 23-24 about the praise. It’s
a call to praise. Then God is addressed in 25 with a promise of votive offering, which includes praise and
a praise meal. V. 26 is ambiguous as to who is addressed. It speaks of the guests to the banquet.
Based upon looking at the changes of address and topics we get this basic structure (see below). There
are five parts to this psalm. You have the step up of the first three parts of the laments (1-5, 6-11, 12-21).
And then you have the double vow of praise at the end (22-24, 25-31). There is a two stage promise to
praise after a three stage lament.
a. First lament (1-5).

 (1-2) Complaint about the remoteness of God.
 (3-5) Confession of faith in God as Israel’s deliver and who is the one who hears Israel’s prayer.
The irony is: You heard their prayer but you are not hearing mine. This is a classical lament. What
God does and promises to do vs. what the psalmist is actually experiencing.
b. Second lament (6-11).
 (6-8) Laments the mockery of him by humanity. It’s like God’s abandonment of him leaves an
empty space which is filled by these nations of mockers.
 (9-10) Confession of faith of how God once provided for him. So the contrast here is not what
God has done for my ancestors vs. me, but what God once did for me vs. his lack of doing for me
now.
 (11) That then culminates in a petition for God to end his remoteness. Now this is a bit
unexpected. It would have been expected that he petition for the end of the mockery. But it goes
back to the beginning and ties back to the first lament.
c. Third lament (12-21).
The third lament has two stages.
 (12-15) Stage 1 is the lament of the wild animals and of God himself.
 (16-18) Stage 2 is the lament about evil people with their dogs.
84
 (19-21) Then there is the prayer, the invocation with five petitions to God for help.
d. Vows of praise (22-31).
 (22-24) In the first vow there is the promise of praise, a great act of praise in the liturgical
assembly with the invitation for the whole assembly to join with him in praising God. It’s
encouragement to praise God not thank God. It’s not about what God has done. It’s about what
God is like. He hears the cry of the afflicted and delivers them.
 (25-31) The second vow is a promise of a votive offering. The offering is not only one of praise
but of a sacred banquet, a holy meal at the temple. Then comes an invitation for people to
participate in this meal that is hosted by the psalmist in the presence of God.
Exegesis
Dr. Kleinig begins by reading through his translation of vv. 1-5.
(He pointed out that v. 3 is the foundational text for charismatic worship, which is focused on praise
singing. And it’s based on a mistranslation of this verse. The mistranslation is: You are enthroned upon
the praises of Israel. This is the key text upon which this form of worship is based and it has swept across
Christendom. Their basic premise is that God is enthroned or present in the praises of his people. So for
them praise singing is kind of sacramental. But it’s not sacramental where God comes to us, it’s the
means by which we are the ladder from earth into heaven. You are filled with the Spirit and the Spirit
produces praises and the Spirit lifts up your spirit, leaving your body behind, so that you stand before the
heavenly throne and present your offerings to God in heaven. It’s a reversed Jacob’s ladder. This is a
foundational text for that whole theology. It is very hard to combat because it connects with people’s
powerful experiences. What’s interesting about it is that there is very little room for Jesus. It’s primarily
the Spirit and the Father. It’s unmediated access to God. There is no need for an incarnation here except
to deliver the Holy Spirit but once you have the Spirit then the incarnation loses its significance.)
a. (1-5) The psalmist’s first lament at his abandonment by God
Now let’s look at the exegesis of verses 1-5. The psalm begins with a lament about God’s remoteness, his
abandonment by God. He’s not just distant and uninterested. He’s abandoned, forsaken the person to
whom he had committed himself. This then is not the picture of say a husband who is remote to his wife,
preoccupied and not listening, rather he deliberately walks out on his wife. It pictures a deliberate
remoteness on the part of God.
At the beginning of the psalm God is not addressed as Yahweh but as “my God.”This is not a name. It
comes from the term used to describe the head of the Canaanite pantheon. It refers to the high god in
Canaanite theology. This is not a name but a generic way of speaking about the high god. It has an
impersonal sense to it. So here the psalmist does not address Yahweh in a personal way but in a general
way as “my God.” Yet it is still “my” God and not just “God.” It’s not so clear in English but anyone that
speaks Hebrew would be struck by it.
The picture here used by the psalmist is one of a roaring lion, not a lion who roars to warn people but a
lion who is wounded and can’t move and roars with pain and agony.
The complaint has to do with the question about and reason for abandonment. This is very important in
caring for people spiritually. At times you realize that God has a good reason for turning his back on you.
85
If you’ve done wrong and sinned against him then it’s understandable and you know why God has
abandoned you. But where does the question “Why have you abandoned me?” arise? What situation is
this question asked? It’s asked by someone who is suffering and being attacked undeservedly and maybe
even threatened with death that they do not deserve, someone who is experiencing injustice even
though they are innocent. So what is assumed here is innocence. The psalmist wants to know the reason
God has abandoned him because once you know why then you know what to do, how to react.
Notice the extent of the abandonment. First it’s talked about in spatial terms. He is far from the psalmist.
Now the teaching of the OT is that God is closest with his people precisely in what situation? In their
troubles. He joins them in their troubles. But in this situation God has deliberately disconnected himself
from the trouble of the psalmist. Secondly, the extent of the abandonment is told in temporal terms. The
abandonment is not just part of the time, but all day and all night. Despite appeals for help God remains
silent.
The psalmist’s disappointment in God is fueled or accentuated by his faith in God. The fact that God’s
treatment of him contradicts his treatment of the people of Israel in the past. They trusted in the
Yahweh and they cried for help. And whenever they cried for help, God he saved them. There is a deep
disappointment here and anger against God because he has not only abandoned him but has refused to
answer his cry for help. If God normally did this you could more easily accept it. But if in the past God
always answers prayer and now you are the only one that God hasn’t heard, it only accentuates the
suffering.
The praise of his ancestors was that God was a holy God. Their praise was that God was enthroned as the
Holy One. God was the object of Israel’s praises, that in hearing their prayers and in delivering them God
demonstrated his holiness and he acted in holiness. He acted in holiness by dealing with sin and impurity
in an appropriate way, but also by saving his holy people. Since he is holy, he shares his holiness with his
people and his holiness protects them against their enemies and all evil. That’s the story of Israel’s
praise. It’s the fact that he is a holy God who protects and saves them from evil.
The question arises then in the mind of the psalmist, Have I misplaced my trust in God? And to make
matters worse, that is the message he is getting from everyone around him. They say, You trusted in God.
See what happens when you do that. You’re an idiot for doing so.
b. (6-11) The second lament – his humiliation by people. (Dr. Kleinig read through these verses.)
The basic suffering here is not physical but social and psychological suffering. The picture that the
psalmist has of himself is that he is something unclean and loathsome like a maggot. People don’t want
to have anything to do with him. The basic suffering comes from public disgrace and scorn. This scorn
comes to him in three forms.
1) First there is verbal ridicule.
2) Second they make contemptuous faces at him.
3) Third, they wag their heads at him.
We understand the first two. We see people ridiculed every day. We see people make faces at other
people all the time. But wagging of heads is more culturally specific. It’s not nodding your head. It’s
moving your head side to side. The gesture we might use is holding your hands up and moving your head
back. It’s a gesture of recoil. It’s a gesture that says you don’t want to have anything to do with them.
The thought was that if you have anything to do with this person it will be bad luck. It has a kind of
86
supernatural dimension to it. You wag your head or recoil at someone who is demonic or who practices
sorcery.
The focus of their ridicule is interesting. They take the psalmist’s own words and they throw them back in
his face. And they seek to destroy not his public reputation but they mock his faith in God. The cliché the
psalmist uses over and over again is to commit things to the Lord and he will help you. So they take
those words of the psalmist and thrown them back in his face in mockery to him. They say, If the Lord
delights in those who trust in him, then trust in him. But you are suffering, so that means that God
doesn’t delight in you. It also means you don’t trust in God. They mock the psalmist’s faith.
A student asked who was despising him? It’s hard to pin down. Humanity rejects him and the people
despise him. All who see him mock him. They say, If Yahweh delights in him, let him deliver him. Or if the
psalmist really delights in God, then let God deliver him. It’s rather mysterious. As his enemies, the
people are not named.
This culminates in two things. First is a confession of faith. God is pictured here as a midwife who either
delivers the psalmist as a baby from his mother’s womb or the doctor who performs the caesarian on
the mother to deliver him. And the psalmist hasn’t only been delivered by God at birth, but he has
always relied on God throughout his whole life. So emphasis here is on God’s commitment to the
psalmist from birth.
Secondly, it culminates in a petition for help. There is no human help, so the only hope for help is for God
to help him in this desperate situation. Note that initially there is no plea for deliverance. He pleas that
God would end his remoteness. It’s a request that God start listening to him. That’s a minimal request.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1up2A07svs&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=31


Exegesis (continued)
c. (12-21) The psalmist’s third lament at the menace of his enemies.
Iconography
We now come to a very puzzling feature which goes beyond a social/political situation and is quite
frankly demonic. Dr. Kleinig then read through his translation of verses 12-21. Before we get to the
exegesis of these verses, Dr. Kleinig went over some iconography of the ancient world. This is taken from
Keel’s book.
87
We begin with dogs. Universally in the ancient world and to the present day among Arabs and people in
the Middle East, dogs are viewed as the most unclean of all animals. If an Arab calls you a dog it is a
double insult. You are most dirty of all dirty creatures. And secondly, dogs hump anything, so the term
“dog” is symbolic for someone who engages in sodomy, anal intercourse. Dogs were the most unclean
and therefore symbolized demonic powers. [In this psalm it is said that dogs surround me.]
We also have a reference in this psalm to a lion and bulls. Dr. Kleinig displayed a picture that was
Assyrian/Babylonian iconography. [You couldn’t see it on Youtube, so we have to go off of what he said
about it.] It has a being with wings. That represents a supernatural creature, a heavenly being. It shows a
king with his regalia. He has in his hands two lions. The lions have open, gaping mouths. The lions are
positioned to attack him. He doesn’t defeat them, rather he controls them by holding them in his hands.
The picture here is the Babylonian king at his coronation in a deified state and therefore he has divine
power to control demonic powers or cosmic evil powers. He doesn’t eliminate it; he controls it.
Next we have another picture which is interesting because it picks up something we noticed in Ps. 57. In
this picture we have a king but in this case instead of having wings he has a crown, which is another
symbol of supernatural status. The crown is a form of a halo which signifies divine status and divine
power. The picture shows some funny composite creatures that have wings. Therefore they are
supernatural. If you take just the bottom part of their bodies they could be lions or they could be bulls.
The top part of them indicates that they are lions. The emphasis is on their gaping mouths and the
swords that come out from their mouths. What does the king do to these demonic lion creatures? He
holds them by the throat. What does that mean? He has their lives in his hands. He can destroy them if
he wants to.
In a third picture we have something similar, yet it’s even a funnier kind of creature. There is another
king in this picture. There is creature that has wings. There is another creature that does not have wings.
So there are two kinds of powers here – supernatural and natural evil powers. What’s funny here are two
horns. It’s hard to say if they are lions or bulls. The horns may indicate a bull. Or they might be composite
creatures. In any case they represent some kind of evil powers that the king controls.
Dr. Kleinig next showed another picture. This one is about Assyrian/Babylonian theology. We believe it
shows Marduk, the head of the Babylonian gods. He has wings. There are some faces which are difficult
to determine if they are bulls or lions. He holds them with his fingertips. Also in the picture is a female
god. So together Marduk and his consort exercise power over demonic powers. So the good gods have
control over the bad gods.
Next is a more complex picture. It shows some animals. The hooves and faces look like oxen but the
body is like that of a lion. It depicts a mountain that leads from earth to heaven. There is a symbol for the
sun. The sun represents order, light, cosmic order.
In another drawing there are two composite creatures. These are more bull-like creatures. There is a
figure which may be a king or a god, it is unclear. Whatever it is, it is controlling these bull-like creatures.
In one part of the picture the king/god is dressed. In another part he is undressed. He is standing under
the sun with his hands raised. He is using the power of the sun to banish the demonic creatures.
There was a question about bulls. The symbol for Baal, the Canaanite god, was a bull. You can have wild
bulls or tame bulls. Wild bulls represent evil. Tame bulls represent a king. It’s the same with a lion. It can
be either a king or demonic.
88
The reason for showing these pictures is not to say that they have a direct influence on this psalm but to
help us understand the stock imagery of the ancient world which is used in this psalm and in the OT.
With this background info. we look at the Exegesis of Ps. 22:12-21
What kind of enemies is the suffering person threatened by? There are two different kinds of enemies.
There are the lions/bulls and there are the hunters with the dogs. These are things you might have
nightmares about. Since God has removed himself from the psalmist’s life, what is it that fills the empty
space? Demons come in and attack. They are represented by wild bulls, attacking, roaring lions that are
menacing, seeking to tear a person apart.
There are four pictures of the state of the psalmist under attack by the lion/bulls.
1. The psalmist is like water poured out on the ground. Water in a pot stays together, but water
poured on the ground dissipates, it disintegrates.
2. He is like a disjointed skeleton. Bones represent what is most stable in a person. Here the bones
are out of joint. They are not stable at all.
3. He is like melted wax. You have something that was once solid but now has become fluid and
weak.
4. Lastly he is like something dried up. He’s like a pot that has been placed on an open fire. It’s
broken and the pieces of the pot are in the ashes.
At the end of v. 15 there is a devastating half verse. In it the psalmist accuses God of putting him, who is
like a broken pot, into the fire and the ashes of death. It’s as if God himself is the cause of the trouble.
God has broken him like a broken pot and then buried the pieces along with the ashes in the rubbish
dump. He has been put in the rubbish dump not by his enemies, but by God.
The second part of the lament (16-18) has to do with a terrible attack by evil-doers. The picture is this.
You have a pack of hunters who are using half tamed dogs to hunt down an animal. They have spears
and dogs. The dogs have cornered the animal. But instead of the dogs killing it, they play with it, like a
cat plays with a mouse. They torment the animal before they kill it. This is how the psalmist feels he’s
being treated.
And if this isn’t bad enough, the hunters have pinned down his hands and feet down to the ground. You
normally use your hands to protect yourself and you use your feet to run away from trouble. But with
them being pierced he can’t protect himself or run away. There is no way to escape.
So the picture here is unclean dogs, which are stock images for demons. The person is attacked by
hunters and their dogs. He has wounded hands and feet. He cannot defend himself or escape. The evil-
doers and their dogs surround him and deliberately torture him. They stare at and gloat at the hapless
victim. Earlier the enemies verbally scorned him. Now they visually scorn him and threaten him.
And even though they haven’t killed him yet, they act as if he is already dead. They strip his clothes off
him and divide them up amongst themselves. Usually they don’t do that until after the victim is dead.
This is terrible imagery. And it doesn’t make any sense if you take it literally. It’s like the imagery of a
nightmare.
89
This then culminates in five petitions for deliverance (vv. 19-21).

1. First there is the repetition of the plea for Yahweh to end his remoteness.
It then hits each of the menacing powers in reverse order.
2. He asks for deliverance from the sword of the hunters.
3. He asks for deliverance of his life from the menacing dogs.
4. He then asks to be saved from the mouth of the lion.
5. And then he asks to be saved from the horns of the wild ox.
You have four images there of him asking for deliverance from imminent death.
d. (22-31) The psalmist’s vow of praise
Dr. Kleinig read through his translation of these verses.
Background info for understanding these verses.
We have here a vow of praise that goes beyond anything that is normal. It’s a total anomaly. There is a
lot of terminology here which is liturgical and many modern translations don’t get the terms right.
1. First there is the “assembly”(v. 22, 25). It’s not just an assembly of any people. It’s people
assembled at the temple in Jerusalem to participate in the divine service.
2. Next it has, they will “serve” (v. 22, ESV has praise) the Lord. The nation as a whole serves the
Lord by offering a burnt offering. Individuals serve the Lord by offering a peace offering, which
then leads to a sacred meal. So since the emphasis here is on a meal, all the nations of the earth
are called to present a peace offering as a praise offering to God.
3. Then there is “praise” (vv. 23, 25, 26). Every morning and every evening there is a burnt offering
and that burnt offering is accompanied by a song of praise. The choir leader leads the praise. But
the choir leader is a stand in for the king, who leads the nation in praising God.
4. Then there is bowing down in “prostration” (v. 27). Most modern translations use the horrible
English word “worship” for it. Most people understand it only in mental or psychological terms.
In prostration there are three stages: (1) you bow, (2) you kneel, and (3) you put your face on the
ground. To “worship” is to perform prostration. There are two words that the NIV and others
translate as “worship.” One word is “serve” God, which in the OT always has to do with offering
sacrifices. The second word normally translated as “worship” is “prostration.”
5. Lastly there is the eating of a holy meal.
To understand this, you need to understand the geography of the temple. Dr. Kleinig displayed the layout
of the temple. The burnt offering is burnt on the altar. As it is burnt, the Levitical choir stands before it on
a platform which is at the top of 15 steps, singing the song of praise. At the beginning and ending of the
song of praise the whole congregation and the choir perform prostration. So there is a connection
between three things liturgically: serving the Lord with a burnt offering, the song of praise in the
presence of the Lord by the Levitical choir, and the whole congregation prostrating themselves in the
presence of God, who is at the altar and meets with them at the altar. So in this psalm in these verses we
have an allusion to that picture.
Lastly is the eating of a holy meal. Something like this would only occur on national occasions like the
coronation of a king or the dedication of the temple where the king would invite the whole nation to
90
participate in a holy meal. He would provide all the food where it would be offered as a peace offering to
the Lord and they would join him in eating a holy meal in the presence of the Lord.
Exegesis of vv. 22-31
There is a sudden jump with the promise of praise by the psalmist. The topic of praise is not thanksgiving
for what God has done or given, but it is praise of the name of Yahweh (v. 22). The name of Yahweh
refers to who God is. The location of praise is the liturgical assembly. And the whole assembly of God’s
people is regarded as family.
He invites the whole congregation to join in the song of praise. There are two groups that he addresses
(v. 23): the God-fearers and the Israelites. The Israelites are the descendants of Israel/Jacob. The God-
fearers are those people who live in the land who are not of Jewish descent, but they fear Yahweh and
participate in the worship of Israel. In later times they were called the proselytes (see Acts).
Now the content of the song of praise is astonishing. The content of the song of praise is the fact that
Yahweh has heard this person’s prayer for help and delivered him when he cried for help (. 24). Can you
see that this is rather strange? I cry to God for help and he delivers me. Who should praise God? Me.
What is implied here is that the deliverance of this one person is of benefit not just to this person but to
the nation and to the whole of humanity. All of humanity benefits from God’s answer to this one
person’s plea and his deliverance of this one person from the affliction that he endures.
So he vows to praise the Lord and then there is a promise of votive offerings. A votive offering is not an
offering that you are required to give but one that you vow to give. So for example you say, God if you
hear my prayer, if you heal my wife’s cancer, then I will take this action or that action. A votive offering is
an offering that is given as a result of a vow you make. What does the psalmist promise to do when God
answers his prayer? He promises to invite the whole of humanity to be part of a huge banquet of praise.
Normally speaking, what you vow to give is a peace offering or a grain offering. You present an animal or
flour and olive oil to the Lord. A small portion of that is burnt on the altar, some amount is given to the
priests as part of their salary, and the rest of it is sanctified and becomes part of a sacrificial meal.
There are seven classes of people that are invited as this person’s guest in this huge holy meal.
1. First of all there is the poor (v.26). These are people that don’t own land and therefore are
completely dependent on God for their day to day existence. In the ancient world if you didn’t
own land you were economically vulnerable. Since they didn’t own land, they consequently
didn’t have animals or grain that they could bring as offerings. The only way that poor people
could participate in the sacrificial worship was if someone else invited them as their guest. And
that’s what the Israelites were called to do. They were to invite the poor to the banquet.
2. The second group is those who seek the Lord (v. 26). These are the normal people who come to
worship God at the temple.
3. The third group is people from the ends of the earth (v. 27). The focus here is on non-Jews from
every geographical location. They are to remember God and to turn to God.
4. The fourth group complements the third group. All of the families or ethnic groups (v. 27) are to
prostrate themselves before the Lord.
91
5. (The first two were Israelites. The second two were Gentiles.) The focus shifts now to two
different economic groups. First there are the fat ones, the affluent ones (v. 29).
6. Opposite the fat ones are those who go down to the dust (v. 29). They are the dying and dead
ones. In times of drought and famine, those who have no weight to them are very vulnerable.
7. Lastly, all coming generations are invited (v. 30). So it’s not just inviting everyone from all classes,
from all of Israel, and from all countries to the banquet, but it’s also inviting everyone in all
future generations to this great banquet of praise.
They all participate in the divine service in a number of ways.

1. First of all there is the eating of the holy meal (v. 26). That is the left over, sanctified wheat, wine,
and meat. Since it has been offered to God it is now holy.
2. Secondly, they are to praise the Lord (v. 26) as recipients to his toast of life. Usually in the ancient
world you toast the host of the meal. You say to him, May you live forever. That was the stock
toast for the host. Who is going to be toasted by all of the participants in this holy meal? God is
because he is the host of this meal. He is toasted as the life-giving, life-sustaining host.
3. Thirdly, the non-Israelites remember God not because of his covenant with them but as their
Creator. And so they repent, they return to their Creator. Repentance in the OT is liturgical. You
turn from not worshipping God to worshipping him.
4. Fourthly, they perform prostration before God. They give him homage not just as the king of
Israel, but as the king of the nations. Kingship over the whole earth belongs to Yahweh. This is a
meal that celebrates the kingdom of God. It’s a royal meal that celebrates God’s kingship over
the nations.
5. They serve God by participating in the divine service and they proclaim him as their Lord not
only to the present generation but to all future generations.
The basic question is who is the speaker in this psalm?

1. First of all he is a God forsaken person. He is a person who has been abandoned by God in
possibly a way that no person has ever experienced. That’s because God has not just abandoned
him but God has abandoned him and given him over to evil powers. God has laid him in the dust
of death. God himself has abandoned him and buried him in the rubbish pit.
2. Secondly, this speaker is an afflicted person whose prayer for help was heard by God, vindicating
him.
3. Thirdly, this person is a royal figure. He is not just an ordinary person but a person who occupies
a public position. The only position that fits this picture in ancient Israel is the king. He’s not only
the head of the nation but he is also the singer of praise through the choir. He is both king and
praise singer.
4. Lastly, this figure is a royal host. He hosts a sacred meal to celebrate his vindication, God’s
vindication of him, God’s justification of him with an international, trans-temple set of guests. He
hosts not only all of Israel but since he is king of all nations, he hosts people from all nations and
all classes, rich and poor, dead and alive, and all future generations.
Given these facts, a student pointed out that this could not be the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel
does not fit into this picture. If that were the case, the speaker would be inviting himself to his own
meal. There is only one figure that fits this description. In fact Jesus names the speaker as he suffers on
the cross. This is the psalm that he prayed on the cross. In the story of the crucifixion of Jesus you get
four very significant references to this psalm. One is that there is an indication in Matthew and Mark that
this is the psalm that Jesus prays. In fact in those two Gospels the phrase “My God, My God, why have
you forsaken me” is the only word that Jesus speaks on the cross. The implication is that Jesus not only
92
spoke the first verse, but that he spoke the whole psalm. So with this psalm Jesus identifies himself as
the psalm’s speaker. He fulfills this psalm and he fulfills it as he hangs on the cross. The crucifixion story
also references the insults of the people. Their insults exactly mirror what’s in the psalm. The leaders
mock Jesus as in the psalm. And there is the division of the Jesus’ clothes by lot as in the psalm.
Jesus also said, “It is finished.” He completed this psalm. Notice that this phrase is a passive. In a divine
passive, it is God who is taking action. So not only did Jesus finish it, but so also did God. The history of
God’s people has reached it telos, its goal with the death of Jesus.
Now one last passage. Go to Heb. 2:11-12 where Ps. 22:22 is quoted.
11
For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not
ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
“He who sanctifies” is Jesus and “those who are sanctified” are Christians. Both he and they have one
origin, they have one Father. Because of this he calls them his brothers. And then he leads his brothers in
praising the name of his and their heavenly Father. So the writer of Hebrews sees Jesus not only as the
speaker in the first part of the psalm but also in the second part of the psalm. Jesus is the praise leader
in the Eucharistic celebration. So we don’t have to go in praise from earth up to heaven to stand in the
presence of God. Through the incarnation, the death, the resurrection of Jesus heaven comes down to
earth for us and in the great Eucharistic meal, which reaches across time and space and across the whole
of humanity, we all participate in a great Eucharistic banquet in which heaven comes down to earth for
us. This banquet celebrates the justification of Jesus and our justification. This banquet is the meal of
repentance, the meal for our return to God.
So from the early church onwards, the first part of Ps. 22 was used to teach the significance of Jesus’
death and that his death was not just physical but was also spiritual, that he was damned to hell by God
so that God would not have to forsake us. The second part of the psalm was always connected with the
Divine Service, the Eucharist, which is the Great Banquet to which all humanity supernaturally is invited.
And that’s about the only possible meal that could fit this psalm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDfS5dMYtK4&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=48
Psalm 25
[I do not see psalm 25 in the Class Notes. It may be that Ps. 25 was part of a class assignment on
determining the structure of a psalm.]
Structure and Features of Ps. 25
93
There are many allusions to Ex. 34 in Ps. 25 such as God proclaiming his name. This psalm is almost a
direct application of Ex. 34. It is also one of the penitential psalms, one of the psalms where the people
of God come to him and ask him to forgive them of their sins. So there is a confession of sins in this
psalm. We will see the opposite of that later today when we look at a psalm where the psalmist
confesses his innocence. In both cases the psalmist comes to God and submits to God’s judgment.
There are number of very interesting features about this psalm.

1. First of all the psalm is a broken acrostic. An acrostic is where you go through the letters of the
alphabet. There are a number of acrostics in the OT. It is a fairly common device, coming from
the wisdom school, the education tradition of the OT. The basic element of teaching is learning
the alphabet. What does the alphabet symbolize? The wholeness of something. So if you have a
psalm of praise that is an acrostic, then you are talking about total praise. There is a lovely
acrostic that praises the good woman at the end of Proverbs, which means that she is the
woman’s woman. It is the epitome of something. So this acrostic psalm will epitomize something
and summarize something. It tries to say all that needs to be said about a particular topic. But it
is a broken acrostic. Whether it’s deliberate or not, nobody knows. But given the fact that is
broken, it means that it is not complete.
2. The thing that stands out is the last verse. It doesn’t fit in any form or fashion whatsoever and it
changes the topic. It sticks out like a sore thumb and shifts the focus from the individual to the
corporate dimension. So whereas the first part of the psalm deals with the sinful king, the sinful
person asking for forgiveness, the last verse makes the individual penitential psalm into a
corporate penitential psalm. So the “I” of the person speaking shifts to the “I” of the nation, the
“I” of the church. No one knows if this last verse was added later or if it was original. But what is
important is that it sticks out from the rest.
3. The third feature is the very interesting arrangement. In vv. 1-7 God is addressed. Then in vv. 8-
10 there is instruction about God: Good and upright is the Lord. If you stop there, you would say
that this is praise. It goes from prayer to God to speaking about God. It sounds like praise or
confession of faith, but if you go a little further you can see that it is really teaching.
Now, what is very interesting in the Psalms is how these three things function very, very closely
and similarly together. This is very significant theologically and practically. Praise, confession of
faith, and teaching all work together. Praise is not addressed to God but is spoken about God.
How do you confess faith in God? By praising God. How do you teach about God best? By
praising God. This is deeply significant and something we have lost a sense of ever sense the
enlightenment.
So you have God addressed (1-7), instruction/teaching about God (8-10), and then you have one
verse in which God is addressed (11): “For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is
great.” “For your name’s sake” is an echo of Ex. 34 where God proclaims himself, where God
proclaims his name. He doesn’t show Moses his face, rather he gives Moses his name. So v. 11 is
a direct allusion to it. V. 11 stands on its own and then comes another typical piece of instruction
(12-15). These verses fit in perfectly with the book of Proverbs. The teacher asks a question and
the students respond with the answer. This is the definition of a God-fearing person. V. 16 then
stands on its own. It is a transition to a series of petitions (17-21). It then ends with a final
petition to God (v. 22).
If you look at this psalm closely, can you see what is happening, broadly speaking? Verses 1-7 are
framed by verses 16-22 and verses 8-10 are framed by verses 12-15. Seeing these literary
94
features is one thing, but they are done for a purpose. We have to be able to see why they were
done in this way. And we have to see what they do. By doing this, it puts the focus on v. 11. It is
the pivot of the psalm. The structure is a concentric structure, the center of which is v. 11. V. 11
is the key verse. Everything hinges on this verse. It leads up to v. 11 and then comes out of it.
4. Lastly you get additional framing. This framing involves inclusion. Scholars talk a lot about
inclusions and chiasms and they have become very vague terms. Inclusion is a bracketing, a
technical term for some verbal repetition. Inclusion is something that can be heard with your
ears. Notice the words that are repeated in vv. 1-7 and vv. 16-22: my enemies, shame, hoping
[?]. This verbal repetition frames what is between it.
There is similar framing with repeated words in vv. 8-10 and vv. 12-15: the way, covenant, teach,
instruct. So if you are talking about inclusion and chiasms, you have to have some verbal
overlaps between sections. You have to remember why this is so. This text is primarily a text that
would have been heard. The people weren’t reading it themselves, they were hearing it read to
them.
So the outer frame (vv. 1-3 and vv. 19-22) has to do with a prayer for deliverance from shaming.
And another frame (vv. 4-7 and vv. 16-18) has to do with prayers for forgiveness of sin and
deliverance from the consequences of sin.
(Dr. Kleinig went into an aside about shaming)
(A little aside here. “Let me not be put to shame” has to do with public shaming. We can’t
explore it in-depth, so I will give you a little teaser instead. The Psalms talk more about shame
than they do guilt. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of cultures: shame cultures and guilt
cultures. Guilt cultures are refined shame cultures. What is the difference between them? In a
shame culture the important thing is not in what is right and wrong internally, but what people
think of you. It has to do with your face. We call it saving face. In this culture your reputation is
everything. Japan has a shame culture. So if someone in that culture is shamed publically they
have no alternative except to commit suicide. We have a hard time understanding that.
On the other hand, guilt cultures are individualistic, whereas shame cultures are communal in
their orientation. It has to do with getting rid of your shame. In pastoring people, it’s far more
difficult in dealing with shamed people than it is with guilty people.
Dr. Kleinig’s hunch is that in Australia [and maybe other western cultures] they are shifting from
a guilt culture to a shame culture. If that is the case, the only way we will have to re-evangelize
the generation below the age of 30 is in terms, not of guilt, but in terms of shame and
deliverance from shame. This is a big topic that will probably be very important. And we have
much to learn from the third world and those cultures because they have a very sophisticated
understanding of not only the way that shame works but also of the way you deal with shame.
The Bible speaks evenly about shame and about guilt. A concordance about shame and dealing
with shame will show you this. Dr. Kleinig read through a few verses from Ps. 25 that talk about
shame. The enemy is the one who shames you publically, and therefore triumphs over you and
destroys you.
95
How do people most obviously shame each other? What is the basic weapon that is used to
shame each other? The tongue. We use words to shame each other. The OT and the NT are
obsessed with words. Words can be constructive and used to build each other up and honor
people. And words can be destructive and used to tear each other down and to shame people.
The worst shaming is public shaming.
What is interesting here in this psalm is the connection between shaming and sin and dealing
with shame at its root, which deals with forgiveness first of all, which covers the shame before
God. And once shame before God is covered by forgiveness then there is the possibility of
dealing with its psychological and social consequences. Dr. Kleinig underscored the importance
of them, as future pastors and church workers, looking closely at this business of shame. We
don’t have a vocabulary to deal with it but all of us have experienced it and see it around us all
the time. He said in every class that he has taught that he has seen both shaming and honoring
happening. One of the greatest things you can do to damage someone else is to shame them
and shame them publically. When a pastor uses his office to publically shame someone, it is,
from a human point of view, unforgiveable. A lot of the problems we have in our families,
marriages, congregations have to do with people being shamed and we don’t even see it.
A student brought up that shaming can occur outside public view, on a one on one basis. And Dr.
Kleing said that’s true and when it happens it affects a person’s public standing. It works in many
different ways. The closer a person is to you the deeper they can shame you. So who can shame
a person the most? A spouse. Who would be next after a spouse? The children. The deepest
wounds in marriage have to do with shaming. Every person knows that if they really want to
demolish their spouse all they have to do is put him/her down publically before others.)
One More Point – Exegesis is the Art of Seeing
Recently Dr. Kleinig had been reading a biography about a great German exegete whose name is Adolf
Schlutter (sp.?). He was a scholar that did his work in the early 1900’s. Much of what is best in NT
scholarship finds its stimulus from him. He was very pious and scholarly. He never founded a school, so
he is not well known. He said the art of exegesis is seeing. It’s as simple as that. As Dr. Kleinig read the
biography, it struck him that that is exactly what he is trying to do in leading the class through the
psalms. It’s not so much trying to get us to think about what is being said in the Psalms but to see what is
being said. The problem is that you can’t give anyone a technique for seeing. You learn to see by doing it.
And the only way you can do it for someone else is by demonstrating it to them. This scholar said that all
of his writing, all of his teaching, all of his preaching was to lend his eyes to the people so that they could
see as he sees. And it’s not even that. He did it so that they could see as God sees. It’s learning to see
what God is saying. We’ve all had that moment when we don’t see what someone is saying to us and
then all of a sudden it makes sense and we say, Ah ha, now I see! Exegesis is the art of seeing and in
most cases it’s seeing what is most obviously there.
However, what makes it not so obvious is when you are jumping across languages and cultures. We are
dealing with texts that were written 2500 to 3000 years ago. They had a different language system and a
different culture. So what Dr. Kleinig has tried to do for himself is to train his eye to see the way a
Hebrew person who lived back in that day would see. One of the good things about that O. Keel book is
that it gets us out of the way we see, which is very narrow. What the enlightenment did was teach us to
only think in terms of black and white rather than across the full spectrum of color. It reduces everything
from multi-dimensions to one dimension. Ok, let’s move on to a new psalm, Ps. 26.
96
Psalm 26 – Individual Lament

[See page 35 of the class notes.]
Dr. Kleinig displayed the psalm in the Hebrew language.
Judging
Speaking of seeing, here is an exercise in seeing. If you hear the word “judge,” what do you see right
away? You see a person who is dressed in a gown and who stands before everyone in a courtroom. And
what is he or she doing? He/she is pronouncing a sentence on someone. So is judging a good thing or a
bad thing? Our immediate reaction is negative. With a jury system, the jury decides if a person is guilty
or innocent. The judge doesn’t do that. All that the judge does is punish the wrong doer. So for us,
judgment and punishment are very close together. Why is that? Why do we say, don’t judge me. Why do
we not like judgmental people? Because we see judging as bad. This is what we’ve been taught. This is
our culture. It’s closely related to our jury system. In this system the judge doesn’t investigate to see if
the accusation is true or not. He doesn’t analyze all the facts. Even if there is no jury and the judge
decides innocence or guilt, he only looks at the facts that are presented and judges based on them.
So Ps. 26 starts out with “Judge me Yahweh.” What is our immediate reaction? It’s negative. That’s why
modern translators don’t translate this word as “judge.” People in the ancient world had a completely
different picture of a judge (shaphat). In Israel a judge was a tribal chief or an elder of a community. On a
national level the judge was the king. That’s the picture they would should see for a judge.
So for instance in the book of Judges, none of them, except for maybe one or two of the judges, worked
in what we would call the judicial system. They were more like sheriffs. They helped people out when
they were in trouble. The Hebrew word that is translated as “judge” means basically to right something
that is wrong. So judging is fixing a bad thing up. So how does a king judge when an enemy comes and
occupies part of the territory he rules over? He drives them out. How does a king judge when there are
some people who are exploiting others economically? He shuts down those who are exploiting others.
He rights a wrong.
The aim of a judicial system is to fix things up. It’s not primarily to punish people. In the ancient world
there was no prison system, no punitive system. Our prison system is only about 150 years old; it’s
relatively new. So our culture is different than almost all of the prior cultures.
Another important Hebrew word is “mishpat.” It means judgment, but it can have a wide range of
meaning. It can mean place of judgment. It can be the act of judgment. It can also be the precedent set
by judgment. But in many case it means something like custom or ordinance. So a mishpat is the right
way of doing something. It is making right what is wrong.
If I’m guilty and I’m judged that means the aim of the judgment is restitution and correction. If I’ve done
something wrong and I go to God asking him to judge me, I’m asking God to fix what I’ve broken. The
focus is not so much on the person who did wrong but on fixing what was done wrong. It may involve
punishment but in a different sense than what we think. It may involve restitution, which is me paying to
97
restore what I’ve taken. It’s justice in a more positive sense. So even for a person who has done wrong to
come to God and say judge me, it’s basically understood positively because it means fixing up the mess
I’ve gotten myself into.
If I’m innocent and I go to God and ask him to judge me, it means I want him to investigate the matter
and find out how I’ve been wronged, find out the truth, and then deal appropriately with the wrong
that’s been done and vindicate me, fix the damage that has caused me so much hurt.
From this whole discussion we can see what is involved when we ask God to judge us. And this whole
psalm has to do with submitting to the judgment of God.
Dr. Kleinig then read the Hebrew and translated it on the fly, line by line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXW-T8-C9V0&index=49&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Psalm 26 – Individual Lament (continued)

[Go to page 35 of the class notes.]
Dr. Kleinig read through his translation of Ps. 26. Here is his translation.
Ps. 26
1. Judge me O Yahweh,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in Yahweh without wavering.
2. Test me O Yahweh, and try me,
refine my kidneys (mind) and my heart.
3. For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk about in your faithfulness.
4. I do not sit with idolaters,
nor do I consort with the deceitful (dissembling people)
5. I hate the company of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
6. I hereby wash my hands in innocence,
So that I may go around your altar O Yahweh,
7. singing a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wonderful deeds.
8. O Yahweh I love the house where you reside,
the place where your glory dwells.
9. Do not take away my soul with sinners,
nor my life with murderers,
10. in whose hands are depravity,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
11. But I will walk in my integrity;
98
redeem me and be gracious to me.

12. My foot stands on level ground,
in the great assembly I will bless Yahweh.
We come here to the last class of individual laments that we are going to look at.
1. First there are straightforward laments that petition for help. You are in trouble. It doesn’t
matter what kind of trouble you are in. You ask for help.
2. A subclass of laments has to do with complaining to God. Those kind of psalms are marked by
the questions, Why?, How long? When?
3. Then there are penitential psalms. We had a look at Ps. 51. And we also looked at Ps. 25, which
you did for homework.
4. Now we have psalms of innocence. These are psalms where a person comes before God and
claims to be innocent and pleads for God’s justice, his judgment.
You have three different kinds of confessions in these individual laments.

1. In the first two kinds of laments (petition for help and complaining) you have confessions of faith
in God.
2. Penitential psalms also have confessions of faith but they also have confessions of sins.
3. And in the fourth kind, you have confessions of innocence.
These psalms of innocence have quite unnecessarily caused difficulty for protestants and Lutherans.
They ask, how could anyone come before God and claim to be innocent? By this question we show that
we do not understand what the doctrine of justification is all about, which is that I can in fact stand
before God and say, I am righteous, which means I am innocent. That is not our main point here but it is
important to know.
Genre
Features of Ps. 26
1. There is some debate about the genre of this psalm. It obviously an individual lament in
character but there is no description of trouble. Usually laments say that something is wrong. In
this psalm we assume that this person is facing false accusations. In place of a description of
trouble you get a confession of innocence. So this is not your typical lament.
2. Prayer for purification. Who is the person speaking here? There are various opinions, but
basically it boils down to two main points of view. The first is that the person speaking here is
probably a priest or a Levite (musician). And this psalm is prayed before they begin their service
at the temple. There are a number of things that point to this. (1) First there is the going around
the altar. There is only one occasion where laypeople go around the altar and that’s for the Feast
of Tabernacles. Normally it’s only priests or Levites that have access to the altar of burnt offering.
(2) Then there is the washing of hands and feet. If you go to the legislation in Exodus, before the
priest entered the Holy Place or accessed the altar, he had to wash his hands because he was
going to handle holy things and his feet because he was going to stand on holy ground. So this
ritual purification fits this psalm. (3) The song of thanksgiving is sung only by the choir. So that
points in the direction of a musician. However there are other pointers here that make this more
general. The psalm is called a psalm of David, so that points to a king who represents the whole
99
nation.
The second possibility is that this may have originally been a priest’s prayer but then it may have
become a prayer that is prayed by someone making a pilgrimage to temple for one of the great
festivals, probably the Feast of Tabernacles where laypeople actually go around the altar. So in
this case it would be a prayer for purification before going around the altar. Evidence in this
direction is as follows. (1) There is some connection between vv. 4-6, where the psalmist
disassociates himself from evildoers, with the entrance liturgies of Ps. 15 and Ps. 24. In the
entrance liturgy before people come into the temple they put themselves under scrutiny. The
priests asked the question, Who may stand on the hill of the Lord? Then the priest asks them if
they’ve kept each of the Ten Commandments. If the people say they haven’t broken them, then
they can go in. It’s a bit like our confession of sin and absolution at the beginning of the service.
In the confession we place ourselves under scrutiny. (2) There is imagery in this psalm of a
journey. It mentions “walking” and “going around the altar.” It also mentions standing “on level
ground in the great assembly.” All of these things seem to point to the Feast of Tabernacles. (3)
There are also some literary features that point to a pilgrim at the temple. First there is the
inclusion, the bracketing, such as: “walking in integrity” (vv. 1, 11). Then there are two
imperative petitions in vv. 1 and 2 and two petitions in v. 11, along with the negative petitions in
vv. 9-10. So that too is a kind of bracketing. (4) Vv. 4-5 are arranged in a chiasm with the usage of
the word “sit.”
Literary Features
1. What strikes you when you first hear the psalm are the personal common singular pronouns (me, I,
my). They occur 24 times. And there are 6 masculine singular pronouns for God (you, your). There is
an interaction between “me” and “you.”
2. There is something I will call to your attention that occurs far more often than people know.
Frequently in the ancient world, the OT, and the psalms, people give body inventories (lists of parts
of the body). Different parts of your body symbolize certain things. Notice the sequence used in this
psalm. First it mentions the kidneys (v.2 mind = kidneys). They were considered the most secret,
hidden part of your body, hidden in your back. Then comes the heart (v. 2). Then you get the eyes (v.
3). Then you get the hands (v. 6). And lastly you get the foot (v. 12). The movement is from inside to
outside and these five body parts cover the whole body, the whole person. And secondly, the
movement is from thought to action. It moves from thinking, feeling, and desiring to what you do,
the way you live. That’s very significant given the content of the psalm, which has to do with
purification. Purification is from inside outwards.
Structure: Loose Chiastic Pattern
1. Vv. 1-3 begin with a petition for judgment by God with an assertion of integrity (not of innocence
but of integrity). It is followed by a petition for purification with a confession of dependence
upon God’s loving kindness and mercy, once again going back to Ex. 34. [This begins the outer
ring of the chiastic structure.]
2. Then there is a strange twist. The psalmist dissociates himself from the wicked (vv. 4-5). There is
a deliberate act of separation from idolaters and a renunciation of any association from the
100
wicked. Who are the wicked? The ones whom God condemns in his court of law. [This begin the
second ring of the chiastic structure.]
3. In vv. 6-8 you get the performance of purification, which leads in a very strange direction. First
there is the washing of hands for admission to the sanctuary in order to perform the song of
thanksgiving in the Holy Place. And then as part of that purification, there is a declaration of
love. Not love for the Lord but love for the Lord’s house. This is unique in the OT. What does it
have to do with purity and purification and integrity? Very odd, strange, unexpected. [This is the
center of the chiastic structure.]
4. Then in contrast to the dissociation from the wicked (vv. 4-5), you get the plea for deliverance
from death with the wicked and sinners (vv. 9-10). He wants to be rescued from the fate of
sinners, those who have blood on their hands, and rescued from the fate of those who are
involved with depravity and bribery. That’s probably bribery of judges in order to get a false
verdict. [This ends the second ring.]
5. Then comes the petition for redemption (vv. 11-12). First of all there is a promise for integrity in
conduct. He is saying, Just as I have lived with integrity in my journey through life, so I promise to
continue to walk with integrity. Now integrity has much to do with having a good conscience.
That would be the closest we would have to express this in terms we would understand. That is
followed by a vow to bless the Lord. [This is the end of ring one.]
Exegesis
Let’s go through this section by section.
1. (1-3) Dr. Kleinig read through the first three verses.
1. Judge me O Yahweh,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in Yahweh without wavering.
2. Test me O Yahweh, and try me,
refine my kidneys (mind) and my heart.
3. For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk about in your faithfulness.
The psalm begins with a petition for judgment and purification. So the focus is on God’s purifying
judgment. He judges a person in order to purify them. When he does so, he deals with any evil
that is in them or from which they’ve suffered.
There is the petition for judgment, for vindication, that the psalmist is pleasing in God’s eyes,
that he is doing God’s will. Let’s focus on that. What is it that God wants from his people more
than anything else? One student said love, but this is not a reference to love. There is something
that precedes love. It’s the same whether it’s OT or NT. This is something that all pastors should
know. When people come to them as pastors and ask, What does God want of me?, they need
to provide a clear answer. The answer is God wants them to have faith in him, to trust in him
without wavering. Everything else comes after that.
Because we live in a different time and culture, we have a hard time seeing what is being said
101
here. Anyone in ancient Israel, who heard these verses and who knew anything about pagan
rituals and worship, would immediately have the following picture. A pagan person would bring
an animal to a priest. The priest would slaughter the animal, open the animal up, and inspect the
kidneys and liver. He would look at the liver in order to tell the future of that person. They
believed that through the liver and kidneys the gods showed their will. How does the god feel
towards me? Look at the liver and kidneys. What does the god want from me? Look at the liver
and kidneys. This is a form of augury. Looking at the stars was another form. The most common
form of augury was looking at the liver and kidneys. We know this because the most common
text that archaeologists have found in the ancient world are either liver shaped clay tablets or
kidney shaped clay tablets, which taught the priests how to read the liver and kidneys. So it was
very common to kill an animal to discover the will of the god.
Now in this psalm this is turned around. He is saying to the Lord, open me up before your eyes in
order to do what? It’s not for me to discover God’s will but for God to see whether I have done
his will. That person doesn’t need to know what God’s will is. God has already revealed it [he
wants us to put our trust in him]. He wants God to look at his life and see if he is in sync with
God’s will. This topic of divination is difficult to explain and hard for us to understand because we
are not familiar with it. It’s divination and it’s very complex. There are remnants of divination in
the occult to this very day. It’s still common in India and in many of the Buddhist countries.
Notice the contrast here in the psalm when it’s compared to pagan divination.
The reason why the psalmist is so confident in the outcome of God’s judgment is that he has
done what God desires of him. What is it that God desires of him? What has he done without
wavering? He trusted in the Lord without wavering. He has kept before his eyes as he walked
through life Yahweh’s loving kindness, Yahweh’s faithfulness. Because he trusts Yahweh, he has
integrity, he has a good conscience. To put it in terms that we understand, his integrity is not that
he has never done anything wrong, but that he has a clear conscience before God and that God
is pleased with him.
He asks God to refine his kidneys and his heart. Most modern translations don’t translate it as
“kidneys” because it’s inexplicable for modern people. You have to see this in ancient terms.
Your kidneys were viewed by the ancients as the most hidden, secret part of you. In modern
terms, it is your unconscious or subconscious mind, your hidden self. The heart for the ancients
was not the seat of your emotions as it is for us. It was the seat of the conscious mind, which
does include emotion, but it’s more than that. So he is asking God to refine his conscious and
unconscious self.
The kidneys were not believed to be the seat of thought, that’s the heart, you think with your
heart. Your desires and passions come from your liver and kidneys. (By the way do you know
what the priests had to do with the liver and kidneys of the animal sacrifices? They had to burn
them on the altar so they couldn’t be used for augury, which was the main part of the pagan
practice.)
So we have here a picture of God as a metal worker and silversmith. There are three things
referred to here that a metal worker would do in the ancient world. (1) He would test metal. If
you took a gold ring to a metal worker in the ancient world to sell it to him, he wouldn’t just
weigh it. He would test it, he would assay it. What did that mean? He would exam the degree of
purity of it. So first of all the psalmist asked God to test him to see what is clean and unclean,
102
what is pure and impure about him. (2) Secondly, he asked God to prove or try him. To prove is
to say how pure the metal is, 80%, 90%, etc. (3) Thirdly, he asked that God refine him. That has
to do with the removal of impurity. So he asks God to remove any impurities in him.
2. (4-5) In this section the psalmist dissociates himself from evildoers. It’s a bit like in Baptism and
confirmation when we ask, do you renounce the devil and all his works and ways? This is a
similar function.
4. I do not sit with idolaters,

nor do I consort with the deceitful (dissembling people)
5. I hate the company of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
Notice the verbs here. Sit means to live with under the same roof. Consort means to visit a
person. Notice the strong word hate, which is contrasted with love later on in v. 8.
So the psalmist dissociates himself not so much from people who commit crimes, wicked people
in that sense, but from people who commit the worst crime of all which is the crime against the
first commandment. So he dissociates himself from open or secret idolaters, those who pretend
to worship Yahweh but either openly or secretly worship false gods. More generally the psalmist
dissociates himself from the wicked whom God condemns for evil doing. If a wicked person
comes into God’s presence at the temple, they will come under God’s judgment until they’ve
dealt with their wickedness.
3. (6-8) Enactment of purification, the center of the psalm.
6. I hereby wash my hands in innocence,

So that I may go around your altar O Yahweh,
7. singing a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wonderful deeds.
8. O Yahweh I love the house where you reside,
the place where your glory dwells.
Visualize the Temple
Before we have a look at this, you need to envisage the location of this. We always want to try
and see what is being said in the psalm as concretely as possible. Dr. Kleinig displayed a slide of
the temple. Normally people come into the temple in the eastern gate (on right side of the
diagram), which is called the Gate of Righteousness. Only those who are righteous, ritually pure
can enter the temple. The court they enter is a place of ritual purity. The space where the altar,
Holy Place, and Most Holy Place are located (in the next section on the left or west) is holy
ground. If someone who was unclean, wicked, unrighteous comes from the courtyard into the
holy ground, what would happen? They would fall under God’s judgment because their impurity
desecrates his holiness and therefore they bring negative judgment on themselves. God’s
holiness exposes impurity and eradicates it.
So before someone can enter the holy ground they need to be cleansed. The normal activity for
cleansing was washing. You would wash your hands if you were going to be handling holy things.
103
If you’ve broken any of the Ten Commandments, it probably involves your hands in one way or
another. So you wash them to remove any impurity. Priests not only had to wash their hands to
handle the most holy things, but they also had to wash their feet. Why? To purify them so that
they could walk on most holy ground. So washing took place before anyone entered the holy
space.
Inside the holy space was the altar for burnt offering and the Holy Place and Most Holy Place. In
this part of the psalm it mentions the altar and the holy house of the Lord.
Exegesis of 6-8
Dr. Kleinig read through vv. 6-8. Since the psalmist loves that holy space, he will make sure he is
clean and not desecrate it or bring shame upon God. Normally speaking the Levitical choir would
stand in front of the altar facing the people. The people would not normally enter into holy
space. Only once a year would they do that and that was during the Feast of Tabernacles when
they would make a procession around the altar. You need to keep this picture in mind for this
section of the psalm.
These verses speak of going up to and around the altar. There are two performative utterances in
which something is not just said but is done by being said. The first one is the act of purification.
“I hereby wash my hands in innocence.” It has a double sense to it. It is saying, I am innocent and
I wash my hands in order to be innocent. Then there is the declaration of love. You would expect
it to be love for the Lord, but instead it is love for the Lord’s house. And that is connected to
serving the Lord with clean hands.
The act of purification involved the washing of hands in order to approach the most holy altar
safely in a state of ritual purity to bring the offerings and to receive the holy meat and holy food
to be eaten from the offerings [the priests do this]. [If this is a layperson, he would be purified in
order to approach the altar during the Feast of Tabernacles.]
The person who is purified in the psalm is purified in order to participate in the thanksgiving. So
this could be a choir member who takes his spot among the choir to sing the song of
thanksgiving as part of the daily service or it is the pilgrims that come for the festival who then
go around the altar and sing the songs of thanksgiving as they go in procession around the altar.
What they do in this song of thanksgiving is recount the wonderful deeds of the Lord.
One thing that Dr. Kleinig focused on was the very strange declaration of love for the house of
the Lord. You would have expected a declaration of love for God. There are a number of psalms,
including Ps. 116 which we will look at next, that say, I love you Lord. God has said, You shall love
Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all
your strength. But here the focus is on the house of the Lord. Why the house of the Lord? If you
look elsewhere in the psalms, you will find that there is one place on earth that God loves more
than all other places. What is it? It is the city of Jerusalem, his holy hill, his holy house [which is
in Jerusalem on the holy hill]. God loves that place. Why does he love that place? Because that is
where he meets his people and shares his love with them. To use a crude analogy, it’s like God’s
bedroom. So here the psalmist says that he loves the house of the Lord. The Hebrew word used
to describe God’s house means “safe place.” Why is it that people don’t want to go to church?
Why do people stay away from God instinctively? They have a bad conscience so they stay away
104
to avoid trouble. Unclean people and holy God do not mix. It’s bad news for the sinner. That
would make it a scary place. But for God’s people it’s not scary, it’s a safe place. At this place God
provides safe access to himself, safe contact with himself.
The Holy of Holies is the dwelling place of God’s glory. God’s glory is his manifest gracious
presence. It is the place where God resides, the place where he gives access to himself in a
visible form. When you go there you can say, I met with the Lord.
The temple is the place for the revelation of God’s glory in the divine service. So what happens
every morning and evening is that God, who hides in the Holy of Holies, reveals his glory through
the fire and smoke from the altar in the morning and evening service, so that you get a
theophany, the revelation of God’s glory.
Now what is the connection between the purifying of the hands and the declaration of love for
God’s house? People trust in Yahweh, which gives them a good conscience. What does that then
lead to? It leads them to come to his house where God gives them access to himself and his love.
So why does he love God’s house? Because that’s the place where he receives what? It’s the
place where he receives God’s love and has access God’s presence.
One of the most wonderful Christian virtues, which is prized by orthodox Christians more than
anyone else, is love for the Lord’s house. Unfortunately you don’t see that much today, that
people love the Lord’s house. More often people are critical of the church instead of having love
for the church, the place of God’s glory.
4. (9-10) This is followed by a series of petitions, both negative and positive [about the wicked,
which forms a bracket with vv. 4-5]. It is a prayer for deliverance.
9. Do not take away my soul with sinners,

nor my life with murderers (men of blood),
10. in whose hands are depravity,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
We have here a plea for the deliverance of the psalmist by God from death with the sinners.
Let’s think through this again. If a wicked person comes into God’s presence, what’s going to
happen to them? God’s negative judgment is going to come upon them. The penalty of them
coming into God’s holy presence is death. The sentence of death comes upon anyone who
desecrates God’s holiness.
So we have three different groups of people who are touched on here. (1) First it speaks of men
of blood. These are people who have blood on their hands. They are guilty of capital crimes.
However, that is extended in the OT to people who are guilty of injustice, that use the court
system in order to take and diminish other people’s lives. It also mentions two other groups, two
different kinds of sinners. (2) There are people who are guilty of depravity. The term used could
refer to murder or gross sexual morality. (3) Lastly, there are people who take bribes. What is so
terrible about bribery? It is an abuse of a position of authority. Yes, and what is the purpose of
doing so? Think of it in terms of Israel. Justice belongs to God. You bribe a judge in Israel in order
105
that God’s judgment is perverted. You are mocking God. You pay the judge off so that the guilty
will be declared innocent and the innocent declared guilty. That is a terrible atrocity.
5. (11-12) Then finally you get the plea for redemption with vows of integrity and blessing.
11. But I will [continue to] walk in my integrity;

Redeem me and be gracious to me.
12. My foot stands on level ground,
in the great assembly I will bless Yahweh.
He starts out in v. 11 by saying, I walked in integrity and from now on I will continue to walk in
integrity for the rest of my life. In other words, I will continue to trust in you O Lord. I will always
have your loving kindness before me and I will always walk in your faithfulness. I will trust in your
promises and I will walk faithfully with you in my journey through life.
So there is a commitment made to God to live with integrity in the future. Then there is an
appeal to God’s grace. Why God’s grace? Because it’s for redemption from the threat of the
death sentence. The sinner who comes before God receives the death sentence. This is a plea for
redemption from it.
Then there is the statement that the psalmist stands on level ground. This is an obvious
reference to standing in the courtyard of the temple. It was paved, level surface. Before God
there is no crooked ground in his presence. If you think about this in terms of a journey through
life, there are number of ways of walking. What would be the opposite of walking or standing on
level ground? You stand on uneven ground, rocky ground, slippery ground. So the psalmist’s
journey through life will be straight and level, trusting in God. There won’t be anything crooked
or slippery about it.
It is standing before God on level ground. It’s only before God that we can stand on level ground.
Elsewhere there is always uneven ground and stones will trip us up.
We will finish up this psalm next time. Dr. Kleinig had given them a handout on individual
thanksgiving and he asked them to ready it before next time. We do not have that handout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkSp_pWevp8&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug&index=50
Psalm 26 – Finish up
Final Remarks About Ps. 26.
This is a psalm in which a person comes to God and submits to God’s judgment. The contrast, as said
earlier, is between this and an animal offered for divination to the gods to determine the will of the gods.
106
In Israel there was no question about the Israelites knowing the will of God. That’s because he told them.
They had the Torah and they had prophets. So they didn’t need diviners, they didn’t need fortune telling
because they had the instruction of God through Moses and they had the word of God through the
prophets. If God wanted them to know something he told them through the priests who taught the
Torah of God or through the prophets who would let them know what the will of God was for particular
circumstances.
So the question was not what the will of God was, but rather were they in line with the will of God?
That’s what this person does. He comes to God, puts himself under God’s eye, and he asks God to
examine him and scrutinize him from the inside out to discover to what extent he is in line with God. If
you like, integrity is being in line with God’s will. And God’s basic will, fundamentally, is that they trust in
him.
This is a psalm that any Israelite could use. It’s like the hymns we use. Most people don’t care who wrote
the hymns but what’s most important is that we can use them in the context our lives.
The Closing of Psalm 26 – Vv. 11-12
It has a rather unusual closing for a lament. Usually a lament ends with a vow of thanksgiving and praise.
But this psalm uses two alternatives to that. First the psalmist says, “I will walk in my integrity.” This
person vows to keep on living with integrity, for the whole of his journey through life. Secondly, apart
from the plea to redeem him, he refers to his standing before God as standing on level ground and he
vows to stand in the assembly of God’s people and bless Yahweh.
Dr. Kleinig said he had given the class a handout on the language of praise in the OT. He said it is very
interesting to study various languages. Some languages have a very small vocabulary of some things but
have a very deep vocabulary of other things. For instance Aboriginal languages have very specific words
that we don’t have in English to describe the fauna and flora of Australia. That’s because it is very
important for them to distinguish between them carefully.
The Hebrew language has a very small vocabulary in most areas but there are two areas in which there is
a very careful vocabulary. First there is the vocabulary for evil. They have many fine distinctions that are
not possible in English. We unpacked a few of them in Ps. 51. Second, they have a very detailed
vocabulary for goodness and particularly for praise that we don’t have in English despite the huge
vocabulary of English. The handout covers a lot of this vocabulary. [We don’t have that handout.]
The Meaning of “Bless”
In this case we are interested in what is meant by the word “bless.” He says, “In the great assembly I will
bless Yahweh.” The great assembly is the assembly of God’s people for the great pilgrim festivals. So he is
saying, I am going to join in the great assembly and from within it, I am going to bless the Lord. Quite
literally what the person is going to do is join in with the assembly and say, “The Lord is blessed” or
“Blessed are you O Lord.” He and they are going to say this either to or about the Lord. We see this in the
Song of Zechariah.
What is meant by “bless”?

1. First of all, God can bless. When he blesses people, he gives something to them. Blessing is God’s
power. All blessing belongs to God. He gives his life-giving power and by giving his blessing he
107
gives life and sustains life to his creation. As an example, in Genesis 1 God blesses three things.
Who does he bless? (1) He blesses people. (2) He blesses animals. (3) And very strangely he
blesses the seventh day. This is odd. When God blesses he gives life-power. So by blessing
animals, it means they have the power to reproduce. If he blesses human beings, it means they
have the power to reproduce. But then there is the odd usage of blessing a day. If you are a
Hebrew and you hear this, it will strike you right away as being odd. What does it mean that God
blesses a day? It is the means by which God gives life and life-power. On this day he shares his
life-power with us. There is much we miss out on and can learn from Sabbath theology.
2. Human beings can bless too. And they do it in two basic ways. First, human beings can bless
God. Now quite obviously if I say, “Blessed are you O God, king of the universe,” I am not giving
life-power to God. What am I saying? It’s praise. I am acknowledging that God is the giver of
blessing. This is a kind of praise. This is the way a Jewish person begins his prayers. It is usually
followed then by petitions. The Jewish person keeps his eyes and ears open during the day to
see and acknowledge the blessings God has given him.
Secondly, I could bless you. For instance, I could say, “Blessed are you Sam, for you have a
wonderful wife and children.” What am I saying? I am acknowledging that God has blessed him,
that he is the recipient of God’s blessing. Now in our Communion liturgy there is the phrase that
works both ways. We sing, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This is being
spoken about Jesus and can be taken in two ways. And it is meant to be taken in two ways. What
does it mean when we say that? He comes to us in the name of the Lord as the receiver of the
Father’s blessing and as the giver of the Father’s blessing. This is a way of acknowledging him as
both God and man. The way that “blessed” is used there is ambiguous. It can and does mean
that he is a recipient of God’s blessing as a human being and that he is the giver of God’s blessing
as God.
3. Priests can also bless people. They give the Aaronic benediction at the end of each divine
service. They say, “The Lord bless you and keep you.” How then do priests bless? They mediate
God’s blessing. They are not the source of blessing. They take God’s blessing and pass it on to
people. It’s possible for lay people to mediate God’s blessing too. Anyone in authority can bless
those under them. For instance, fathers bless their children, leaders bless the people they serve.
They mediate God’s blessing. They use the name of God to bless people.
The Promise to Bless God in Ps. 26
In what sense then does the psalmist promise to bless the Lord? He will say with the people, “Blessed
are you O Lord.” Or the singers will sing this and the people will say, Amen. In doing so they are
acknowledging God as the giver of blessing.
Liturgical and Devotional Use of Ps. 26
This psalm is set to be used in Series A on Pentecost 15. In the Gospel reading for that day Jesus tells his
disciples to take up their cross, deny themselves, and follow him. And the Epistle reading for that day is
Paul’s call for us to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. Dr. Kleinig asked the question, Do you
see how this psalm fits in? It was assumed that they did. He did not elaborate. [We learned that the
psalm was about placing ourselves under God’s scrutiny to see if we were in line with God’s will and his
will is that we trust in him. When we bear our crosses (Mt. 16:21-26), do we continue to do God’s will?
Do we continue to trust in the Lord? In the Epistle lesson (Rom. 12:1-8) Paul speaks of discerning God’s
will and doing “what is good and acceptable and perfect.” In our lives do we line up with God’s will?]
108
Since ancient times this psalm has been used by priests and pastors to prepare themselves for the Divine
Service. So pastors say this psalm in the vestry as part of their preparation to lead the worship service.
And it can be used by any lay person to prepare themselves for the Divine Service.
This psalm gives us a little theology of worship, preparing us for Holy Communion. In Holy Communion
we bring and offer ourselves to God. There is a lovely little story told by the church fathers. A rich man
came to baby Jesus and offered him a palace to stay in and many expensive gifts, but Jesus told him he
didn’t need them. So the rich man asked Jesus what he could give him? Jesus told the man to give him
his sins. That’s basically Ps. 51, a heart broken and contrite heart. In Holy Communion we offer our sins
to Jesus and we receive his holiness. And we approach the altar of the Lord with a song of thanksgiving,
a thank offering. So the offering we can give is the offering of sins and the offering of thanksgiving for the
gifts our Lord gives us in Holy Communion.
Ps. 116 – An Individual Thanksgiving

Introduction to Psalms of Thanksgiving
We’ve been looking at individual laments, a whole spectrum of them. There are many more of them and
many nuances that you need to keep your eyes open for. The next class of psalms that we want to take a
look at are psalms of individual thanksgiving. And to make sense of them you need to see that they are
the flip side of the individual laments. The classic pattern of individual laments is:
1. You come to God with your trouble.
2. And ask for help.
3. Then you promise when God answers your prayers to offer a thank offering.
Let’s assume I have a terrible cancer. I pray to God for help and promise when he heals me to offer him a
thank offering. What am I bound to do when I am healed? I am bound to come to the temple in
Jerusalem to present my thank offering to the Lord. I have to fulfill my promise. The thank offering
consists of three main things. Dr. Kleinig provided details in a handout which we do not have.
1. You presented an offering to God, an animal with some flour or bread and some wine. There will
be a reference to the wine in this psalm when it speaks of the cup of thanksgiving.
2. You invite a number of guests to help you eat the animal. Say your offering is a sheep. A thank
offering has to be eaten on the day it is presented and you can’t eat it all by yourself, so you
invite a bunch of people to help you eat the holy meat of that sheep. They are your guests who
are going to eat the holy meal with you. That is a thanksgiving banquet for the healing God
provided.
3. The time when the offerings were made was in between the morning (9AM) and evening (3PM)
sacrifices. From around 10AM to 2PM families and individuals could bring their offerings to the
Lord.
4. The distinctive feature of this sacrifice is that you would pay one of the Levitical singers to sing a
song of thanksgiving like Ps. 116. He would sing it for you on your behalf. The psalm of
thanksgiving would be addressed both to God and more importantly to the people.
The psalm of thanksgiving usually consisted of two parts:

1. First there is a recollection of the trouble a person was in.
109
2. And then thanksgiving for rescue from the trouble.
The psalm of thanksgiving is very important for the NT because the Eucharist is our offering of
thanksgiving.
An Introductory Reading of Ps. 116
Let’s take a look at Ps. 116. Dr. Kleinig read through the Hebrew and translated and explained various
things as he went.
I love Yahweh, because he has heard (and continues to hear)

my voice and my cry for mercy.
2
Because he extended (stretched) his ear to me,
and in my days I cried to him.
3
The cords of death entangled me;
the pangs of Sheol found me (or reached me);
distress and agony I found.
4
But on the name of the LORD I cried:
“Please Yahweh, deliver my life!”
5
Gracious is Yahweh, and righteous;
and our God is compassionate.
6
The guardian of simple (silly, gullible) people ;
I was brought low, and Yahweh came to my rescue. [This is the trouble.]
7
Return my soul to your place of rest;
because the LORD has dealt well with me.
8
For you have rescued my soul (throat) from death,
and my eyes from weeping,
and my feet from stumbling;
9
So I will walk about in the presence of Yahweh, [walk in and out-context royal court. Avg.
in the lands of the living. people have access to a king. Here he will
have access to Yahweh as a courtier.]
10
I believed, even though I said (or because I said):
“I am brought very low (humbled)”;
11
I said in my recklessness (hastiness),
“Every human being is a liar (or deceiver).”
12
What shall I return (or pay back) to Yahweh
for all his benefits to me?
13
The cup of salvation I will lift up
as I call on the name of Yahweh,
14
My vows to Yahweh I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
110
15
Precious in the eyes of Yahweh
is the death belonging to his saints. [those who receive God’s lavish generosity, his
giving that is beyond any obligation.]
16
Please Yahweh, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your servant girl.
You have loosed my bonds (my chains, my cords of death).
17
To you I offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and on the name of Yahweh I call.
18
My vows to Yahweh I hereby fulfill
in the presence of all his people,
19
in the courts of the house of Yahweh,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise Yahweh! (Hallelu-yah!)
Overview of Ps. 116
This is typical of many psalms. If you look at it without any knowledge of what’s going on, it contains a
lot of disjointed bits and pieces. These bits and pieces only make sense if you understand that this is part
of a liturgical enactment, something that happens when a person comes and offers a thank offering to
Yahweh. This psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving that is sung when a person presents a thank offering to
Yahweh.
It begins with a declaration of love. Because he’s heard my cry for help, I’m going to keep on crying out
to him as long as I live. I recall what happened and lament the danger and distress I was in. Then I report
on how God rescued me. Therefore I made a decision to serve the Lord in life.
Then comes the second part of the psalm (vv. 10-19). It somewhat parallels the first part (vv. 1-9). I made
a confession of faith in Yahweh and a confession of disappointment with human beings. I ask myself
what can I give to Yahweh to show my gratitude? I will do three things in fulfillment of my vow. (1) I will
offer a drink offering (the cup of salvation). (2) I will submit and dedicate myself to Yahweh, for the
people who receive his generosity are precious to him. I declare I am gladly Yahweh’s servant because he
saved me. (3) I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
As he summarized the psalm above, Dr. Kleinig read through his translation of Ps. 116. Here is his official
translation.
[First part of the Psalm.]
I love Yahweh, because Yahweh has heard

my voice and my plea for mercy (or grace).
2
Because he stretched out his ear to me,
I will call on him in my days. [This section is a
3
The ropes of death were round me; recollection of what happened and the
the distress of Sheol had reached me; lament.]
I found anguish and sorrow.
4
So I called on the name of Yahweh:
“Please Yahweh, rescue my soul, my life!”
111
5
Yahweh is merciful (or gracious), and righteous; [This section is
and our God is compassionate. a report of the rescue.]
6
Yahweh is the bodyguard of those who are immature (ignorant, gullible, stupid, silly);
I was powerless but he saved me.
7
Return O my soul to your place of rest (the temple); [The report of the decision begins here.]
for Yahweh has been good to you.
8
Since you Yahweh have retrieved my soul (throat, life) from death,
and my eyes from crying,
and my feet from stumbling,
9
I will walk about in the presence of Yahweh, [decision to serve the Lord.]
in the regions (or lands) of life.
[Second part of the psalm]

10
I believed (or trusted), even when I said: [Confession of faith in Yahweh]
“I am very wretched (or low or depressed)”;
11
I said in my haste, [Confession of disappointment in people]
“Every human being is a liar (you can’t trust anyone).”
12
What shall I return to Yahweh [Question]
for all his good acts to me?
13
I hereby lift up the cup of salvation [Answer 1-Drink offering]
14
I fulfill by vows to Yahweh
before all his people (or I will tell it to all his people).
15
Costly (Precious) in the eyes of Yahweh
is the death of those who have received his generosity.
16
Truly O Yahweh, I am your servant; [Answer 2-self dedication]
I am your servant, the son of your maid.
You have loosed my chains.
17
I hereby offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving [Answer 3-Sacrifice of thanksgiving]
as I call on the name of Yahweh.
18
I fulfill my vows to Yahweh
before all his people,
19
in the center of Jerusalem.
Praise Yahweh!
Notice the reference to “the courts of the house of Yahweh.” Where is this happening? Dr. Kleinig put a
diagram of the temple and appeared to point to the outer court and then to the court where the altar
for burnt offering was located. Part of this would happen in the outer court and part would happen
before the altar.
Genre of Ps. 116
112
It is a classical, individual psalm of thanksgiving. Notice also that there is a fragment of a hymn in vv. 5-
6a. And then v. 15 is a proverbial saying.
Literary Features of Ps. 116
There are three outstanding literary features that are above all the others:
1. First of all there is repetition. The phrase “I will call on Yahweh” is repeated three times (4b, 13b,
17b). The act of fulfilling his promised vows is in both v. 14 and v. 18. The phrase “Please
Yahweh” is used in v. 4 and v. 16. And lastly, in this psalm, which is about calling on the name of
Yahweh, the name Yahweh is used 14 times.
2. There is a parallel between v. 1 and v. 10, between “I love” and “I believe.” There is a reciprocal
relationship here. Because I love, I believe. And because I believe, I love. [This divides the psalm
into two parallel parts, vv. 1-9 and vv. 10-19.]
3. At the end of the psalm there is the addition of “Hallelujah.”
One of the key terms used in this psalm is the idiom “to call on the name of Yahweh.” Remember that
when God appeared to Moses after Moses asked God to show him his glory, God didn’t show him his
glory. Instead he showed him his back side. And when he did, Yahweh “called on the name of Yahweh,”
that is, he proclaimed his name.
What does it mean when human beings call on the name of Yahweh? The literal sense is to cry out using
the name Yahweh. Dr. Kleinig then demonstrated different ways of calling out Chris’ name.
1. “Chris, can you staple those papers for me during the break?”
2. I say to Greg, “Chris is a great guy.”
3. I tell someone, “Chris is not studying for the ministry.”
These are three different ways in which the name Chris was used. The first way was to address Chris. The
second was to praise Chris. The third usage was to tell others about Chris. All of them are calling on the
name of Chris. How would Chris call on his own name to me if I had never met him before? He would
introduce himself by saying, “Hi, my name is Chris.” This idiom is very important for understanding
worship in both the OT and NT.
So the literal sense is to cry out the name of Yahweh, to address him by name, to speak about Yahweh by
name, or to use the name of Yahweh in some way. It is used in three basic ways in the psalms in the OT.
(The first and third ways are important for this psalm.)
1. You can call on the name of Yahweh by petitioning him. You can say, Yahweh help me. So you call
on the name of the Lord in prayer.
2. You can call on the name of Yahweh by speaking about Yahweh. You use his name to praise him
and proclaim what he has done. So when you can call on the name of Yahweh in this way, you
are using praise or proclamation to tell others about him.
3. You can call on the name of Yahweh to address him, not in prayer but in thanksgiving.
So the whole of our worship services is calling on the name of the Lord. It’s not just that we begin the
service in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and end it with his name, but we enact his name
all the way through the entire service. Throughout the whole service we call on the name of the Lord in
113
various ways. We use the name to bless. We use the name to preach. We use the name to pray. We use
the name to praise and to give thanks.
The word “LORD” is used in the OT to refer to Yahweh. In the NT the word “Lord” is used primarily to
refer to Jesus. The basic Christian confession of faith is, Jesus is Lord. [The video ended abruptly. I don’t
know if Dr. Kleinig covered anything else or just took a break.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3_K1cIT49w&index=51&list=UUyiTNJIOxZ5fnRq_lwXi9Ug
Psalm 116 (continued)

There are three parts to it.

1. (1-9) First there is the report of rescue from death.
It is broken down as follows:
(1-2) A declaration of love for the Lord.
(3-4) The report of the cry for help to the Lord.
(5-6) The report of the deliverance with words of praise.
(7-9) The decision to go to the temple as his place of rest.
What is unique about this thank offering is that the person not only comes and brings a thank
offering on one occasion. But in presenting the thank offering, the psalmist permanently
dedicates himself to serve the Lord.
2. (10-19) The second part is the payment of vows with a votive offering of thanks. This is
basically the rite of thanksgiving and it basically has four parts to it.
(10-11) There is the declaration of confidence in the Lord, a confession of faith in the Lord. Think
about this. You’ve been brought up to think that God hears your prayers. But you don’t really
believe it. You get into trouble. You have nowhere else to turn, so you pull out the parachute and
cry out to God for help. Then what happens? God actually hears your prayer and rescues you. He
honors your little faith, your desperate faith. You’ve turned to him as the last resort. What does
that do to your faith? It strengthens your faith in God and it strengthens your love for God.
Then come three parts to the rite of thanksgiving:
(12-14) First of all there is the drink offering.
(15-16) Then there is the act of commitment to the Lord.
(17-19a) Then there is presentation of the song of thanksgiving to the Lord.
3. (19b) The psalm ends with a call to all of the congregation to praise the Lord. This is the word
Hallelujah. Hallelujah is not addressed to the Lord. There is a silly song in the song book called
Sing Hallelujahs to the Lord. Why is this silly? Hallelujah is not addressed to the Lord but is
spoken about the Lord. It means: You people praise the Lord. Praises are not addressed primarily
to the Lord but to other people about the Lord. Hallelujah is an invitation to others to join you in
praising the Lord.
114
Exegesis of Ps. 116
Dr. Kleinig read through the first part of his translation of the psalm, vv. 1-9.
Dr. Kleinig made special mention of Yahweh stretching out his ear to the psalmist. This is a funny idiom
because normally you stretch your arm out to someone. The picture here is that God is so eager to hear
that he puts his ear right up to your mouth so that he can hear even the slightest whisper.
1. The first part of this psalm is a report of rescue from certain death (1-9). It’s general so it could be
talking about any life threatening situation.
a. (1-2) It begins with a declaration of love for Yahweh.
1 I love Yahweh, because Yahweh has heard

my voice and my plea for mercy (or grace).
2
Because he stretched out his ear to me,
I will call on him in my days.
Love for Yahweh is the basis for everything that follows. As a result of what he has experienced,
he can say to Yahweh, I love you. Now, that is not just an expression of what he feels, but it’s an
act of commitment to Yahweh. What he is saying is, You have done this for me, therefore I love
Yahweh.
The reason for his love is very interesting. You would expect that he loves Yahweh because
Yahweh had rescued him. But the focus is not on the rescue. The focus is on what happened
before the rescue. He loves Yahweh because he is such a close, attentive listener. The picture
here is that the cry from the psalmist was so faint that Yahweh had to put his ear (stretch out his
ear) right up to the mouth of the psalmist to hear him. Now if God is an attentive listener, what is
the obvious thing to do for the rest of your life? Cry out to him. He’ll hear you. Cry out to him not
just when you are in trouble or occasionally, but all the time, for your whole life long. And use
every possible way to cry out to him. Call on him in petition. Call on him by telling others about
him. Call on him in thanksgiving. You can be sure that he will be listening and hear you. This
focus on Yahweh’s eagerness to listen is most unexpected.
(A little aside. In terms of marriage, what is the most important thing you need to do as a
husband or wife? To listen. Loving and listening goes hand in hand.)
b. (3-4) Then comes the cry for help.
3
The ropes of death were round me;
the distress of Sheol had reached me;
I found anguish and sorrow.
4
So I called on the name of Yahweh:
“Please Yahweh, rescue my soul, my life!”
The psalmist gives a brief summary of the trouble he was in. Again notice that it is general in
115
nature. What is important is that already in this life, death had reached out and taken the person
captive.
Now you need to see that there is a big difference between the way that we understand death
and the way that many people in other cultures and particularly in the ancient world see death.
For us, we see ourselves as alive until our heart stops beating or until we stop breathing. In the
ancient world they saw it as human beings being caught between life and death at every
moment. As soon as you start living, you start dying. So the picture here is that already in this
life, the underworld, death, reaches out to take living creatures and bring them down to the
underworld. So there is a tussle going on between God, who is the life-giver, and death, which is
the life-taker. So rescue from death is not just rescue from dying at the end. It is a rescue from
cords of death now. And the focus now is not just on physical dying. It’s on anguish and sorrow,
both physical and emotional/psychological.
We can relate to this. Go anywhere into our communities and you will see lots of zombies
around, people who are dead long before they die. We live in a society where many people are
basically emotionally dead because of the hurt they’ve suffered.
So the psalmist is trapped by death, so much so that he has a foretaste of death in the anguish
that he suffered and in the pain that he suffered of what it will be like in the underworld.
So he calls on Yahweh to deliver his “throat.” It is difficult to translate this Hebrew word. It has to
do with one’s life/breath. His request is simple, Yahweh, keep me breathing.
c. (5-6) The report of the deliverance with words of praise.
5
Yahweh is merciful (or gracious), and righteous;
and our God is compassionate.
6
Yahweh is the bodyguard of those who are immature (ignorant, gullible, stupid, silly);
I was powerless but he saved me.
The situation was that because of his recklessness, his stupidity, not deliberate sin just gullibility
– because of this his whole life had been diminished, like a candle that had almost been snuffed
out. The picture here then is of something big becoming small, something powerful becoming
powerless. The psalmist had become helpless.
There is a quotation of a hymnic fragment here (5-6a), which is the basis for the prayer for
deliverance (6b). What was it that inspired the psalmist in his desperation to call out to Yahweh
for deliverance? He remembered this little hymn fragment. He remembered that Yahweh was
gracious and righteous and compassionate. Since God is compassionate, therefore I can cry out
to him for grace. So this hymnic fragment is the foundation for the cry for help.
He is rescued from death by Yahweh who is the bodyguard of the “idiots,” the spiritual idiots, the
people who are blind and stupid. Its similar today in our society. People don’t necessarily
deliberately reject God, but are just spiritually stupid. They don’t see what is obvious. People are
very clever but when it comes to spiritual things they are just basically dumb. But notice that
Yahweh has a special interest in those who are stupid. He isn’t only interested in the wise.
116
d. (7-9) The report of the decision to return to the temple as his place of rest.
7
Return O my soul to your place of rest (the temple);
for Yahweh has been good to you.
8
Since you Yahweh have retrieved my soul (throat, life) from death,
and my eyes from crying,
and my feet from stumbling,
9
I will walk about in the presence of Yahweh,
in the regions (or lands) of life.
When he made his lament the psalmist vowed to offer a thank offering when God heard his
prayer. But the psalmist has decided to do more than what he originally vowed. He is going to
dedicate himself to Yahweh. Since Yahweh is such a good listener, he will call on the name of
Yahweh for the rest of his life and serve him.
Notice here that the temple is regarded as a place of rest. There is a whole wonderful theology
of rest in the OT. Remember that God created the world in six days and he rested on the seventh
day. And on Mt. Sinai, as part of his covenant with Israel, he established the seventh day as their
time of rest. The Sabbath is the time of rest. Then he brought the people into the promised land
and he gave them rest in the land as they settled there. And he established the temple in
Jerusalem as his place of rest, the place where he rests on earth. And he also established the
temple as the place of rest for his people. So God not only provides a time of rest but also a
place for rest, which is the temple in Jerusalem. So the people then rest with God by
participating in the divine service.
So the psalmist decides that he will return to God’s place of rest, which is also the place of rest
for his soul, the place where his soul resides. The home for his soul is no longer at his farm but at
Yahweh’s house. Why? Because Yahweh is his on-going benefactor. If Yahweh is generous and is
the patron, the obvious thing to do is not to try and make it by yourself, but to allow Yahweh to
take care of you, to receive the gifts that he so generously heaps on you.
This first section then ends with the psalmist’s decision to dedicate himself to Yahweh’s service.
He dedicates himself because God has rescued his throat from death, his eyes from crying, and
his feet from stumbling. Because God has rescued his throat, he will use his throat to call on
Yahweh. Because God has rescued his eyes, his eyes now belong to Yahweh. Because God has
rescued his feet, his feet now belong to Yahweh. So he dedicates his throat, eyes, and feet
(himself) to Yahweh. He saved him from death, so now he belongs to Yahweh.
In v. 9 there is a focus on the feet. Since his feet belong to Yahweh, he is going to walk in and out
of God’s presence. He is going to live in God’s presence and serve him, not just occasionally but
constantly for the rest of his life.
2. The second part of Psalm 116 (10-19).
117
Dr. Kleinig read through the text of Ps. 116:10-19 and pointed out a couple of things as he read through
it.
 The psalmist’s faith didn’t start when God rescued him. His faith was already there before the
trouble. The deliverance has confirmed his faith.
 Lifting up the cup of salvation is a performative utterance. This cup is not just a normal cup, but
is a big bowl, which is far bigger than our chalices.
 He declares himself to be the servant of Yahweh; he offers himself to be Yahweh’s servant.
 Notice the pattern: vow and drink offering, vow and thank offering.
The second part of the psalm is his payment of his vows to Yahweh (10-19).
a. (10-11) Begins with a declaration of confidence or faith in Yahweh.
10
I believed (or trusted), even when I said:
“I am very wretched (or low or depressed)”;
11
I said in my haste,
“Every human being is a liar (you can’t trust anyone).”
The phrase “I believed” is the counterpart to “I love Yahweh” in v. 1. He makes it clear that
before his troubles started, before he was disillusioned by all human beings, he had faith in
Yahweh, he had confidence in him.
b. (12-14) The presentation of the drink offering as a votive offering.
12
What shall I return to Yahweh [Question]
for all his good acts to me?
13
I hereby lift up the cup of salvation [Answer 1-Drink offering]
14
I fulfill by vows to Yahweh
before all his people (or I will tell it to all his people).
Then comes the rhetorical question: Since God listens to me, since has heard my prayer, since he
has delivered me from death, what is my response to God? This question is answered in three
great acts, three offerings to Yahweh.
(1) Answer #1. He presents a drink offering.

People brought peace offerings to Yahweh. In this offering part of it was burned on the altar but
most of it was eaten as a holy meal in Yahweh’s presence at the temple. As part of that offering,
people not only presented an animal, but they also presented loaves of bread and wine. There
was a prescribed amount of wine that had to be offered to God on the altar.
There is a custom that lies behind this use of wine that we no longer observe in the West, but
you will still find it being observed in some cultures. At the beginning of a meal the host of the
meal will lift up the cup and present a toast. For pagan people, say for Hindus, they would
present the toast to whatever god they were serving. There are few Christian circles where the
host would toast the Lord. But for pagans, the people would then pour out part of the wine on
the altar. They would offer the wine to their god.
118
The custom in the OT was slightly different. Only a small amount of the wine was poured out on
the altar in a rite of thanksgiving. The rest of the wine was drunk by all the guests. So they
poured out a little bit of the wine, dedicating it to Yahweh and making the rest of it holy. And
then the people drank the holy wine.
So the rite of thanksgiving began with the presentation of a drink offering of very good, high
quality wine. The drink offering was presented as part of the thank offering (see Num. 15:1-5).
Quite often in the drink offering the cup would be called the cup of rejoicing, so that you could
rejoice in the Lord and his gifts. So why here is it called the cup of salvation? Because Yahweh
had delivered and saved the psalmist from certain death. Paul talks about the cup of blessing
with which we bless in the Lord’s Supper. It is closely aligned to this.
So it’s like the person who brings the offering toasts Yahweh with the words of vv. 13-14. And
then after the “toast,” as we said earlier, a small portion would be given to the priests to be
poured out on the altar and the rest would be drunk by the psalmist and his guests.
c. (15-16) The rite of self-dedication.
15 Costly (Precious) in the eyes of Yahweh

is the death of those who have received his generosity.
16 Truly O Yahweh, I am your servant; [Answer 2-self dedication]
I am your servant, the son of your maid.
You have loosed my chains.
(2) Answer #2 – Self Dedication

What we see in v. 15 is most unusual. It is only found in this psalm. At the beginning of the psalm
he promised to serve Yahweh as long as he lives, so this is an extra-ordinary thank offering
because it’s going to be life-long thanksgiving.
In v. 9 he announced his decision to go to the temple and walk in Yahweh’s presence, serving him
during his life. Now in v. 16 he enacts that decision. There are three things here that are
significant about this section.
(1) First there is a strange twist. What is funny about the statement made in v. 15 that the death
of God’s people is precious to him? The normal cliché is not that the death of God’s people is
precious but the life of God’s people is precious. This is the only place in scripture where this
cliché is turned on its head. What does this statement mean? Yahweh is saying that he has
invested so much in this person that his death will cost Yahweh more than he is prepared to pay.
God doesn’t want dead people, he wants living people. Therefore he redeemed the psalmist
from death.
(2) Quite often we don’t really understand what’s going on in the psalms. In this case the
psalmist says, “I am your servant.” When we hear this, we understand it to be a statement of
information about the psalmist. But there is much more to this idiom. Dr. Kleinig gave an
example. He said, If I come to Greg and say to him, I am your father, what am I saying? (Dr.
119
Kleinig is not Greg’s father.) Is that just giving information? As information it’s not true. But I
could still say it to him. If I did, what am I saying? What am I doing? I am saying I am adopting
him and through these words I became his father. It is the formula of adoption. Another
example, if I say to a woman, I am your man and you are my woman. It is not just a statement of
information. By saying this, I am marrying this woman. [These kinds of statements are called
performative utterances. Saying the words performs and enacts an action: adoption, marriage,
etc.] In this situation the psalmist says, I am your servant/worker. It is an offering of dedication
and service of the psalmist to Yahweh.
There are three reasons given why the psalmist dedicates himself to serving Yahweh. By the way,
servant doesn’t mean slave, it means worker. (1) The first reason is that this person has been a
recipient of Yahweh’s gratitude, underserved favor, loving kindness. He is precious to the Lord.
So he is saying, I want to work for you because you have been so good to me and by dedicating
myself to your service, I acknowledge that. (2) Secondly, he says his mother was a servant of
Yahweh. In the ancient world, servants belonged to the master and mistress of the house. And
the children of the servants didn’t just belong to the servants but also to their masters. So he is
saying, Since my mother belonged to and worked for you, I also want to work for you and offer
myself in service for you. (3) The third reason is because God has delivered this person from
death [he loosed his chains]. If God delivers you from death, then your life belongs to God. It’s
not your life anymore.
d. (17-19) The presentation of the thank offering.
17
I hereby offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving [Answer 3-Sacrifice of thanksgiving]
as I call on the name of Yahweh.
18
I fulfill my vows to Yahweh
before all his people,
19
in the center of Jerusalem.
Praise Yahweh!
Answer #3 – Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

We’ve already spoken about this in some length. This is the formula for the presentation of an
animal for the thank offering. He says, I hereby offer this animal as a sacrifice of thanksgiving and
call on the name of Yahweh. And the offering of the animals was accompanied by a song of
thanksgiving to Yahweh for his deliverance. So you presented the animal and then the song of
thanksgiving was sung. In doing so, you don’t just thank Yahweh, but you also tell everyone else
how good Yahweh is and what he has done. By doing this, the psalmist fulfills the vows he’s
made.
One last feature of this psalm. This psalm belongs to a cluster of psalms, psalms 113-118. These
psalms are called the Egyptian Hallel. They are a group of Hallelujah psalms. Hallelujah is a call to
praise and it’s a call to communal praise. When I sing it, I am saying, You people join with me in
praising Yahweh. And praise of Yahweh is not normally praise addressed to Yahweh but it is
spoken about Yahweh together with people and it is spoken out into the world. By doing this,
you make Yahweh known to the world.
Secondly, in the call Hallelu-jah, what does ‘jah’ stand for? It is an abbreviation for Yahweh. So
120
Hallelujah means praise Yahweh. It is interesting in the Psalter where there is the first Hallelujah.
It comes at the end of Ps. 104 where you get the prayer where God will destroy the wicked and
all wickedness in his creation. So Hallelujah is a call to praise for God’s victory over the powers of
evil and darkness and chaos. So it is a victory cry. And we have that in our liturgy. We have the
three-fold Hallelujah after the Epistle reading. The epistles tell us about the death and
resurrection of Jesus and the victory he has won over sin and death and Satan and all evil
powers. What is the appropriate response to this Good News? The call to praise, Hallelujah, is an
acknowledgment of his victory. Why do we call on all people to praise God? Because what God
has done benefits everyone. So the individual thanksgiving then culminates in the corporate call
to praise. You thank someone for what they give you, but you praise God for what he is.
So what is significant about this group of psalms (Pss. 113-118) is that these psalms have great
significance liturgically for the people of God and Jews to the present day. This is the festive
Psalter. Pss. 113-118 are sung at all of the great pilgrim festivals: Passover, Pentecost, and
Tabernacles. It is this Psalter (Pss. 113-118) that Jesus would have sung with his disciples at the
Last Supper. Matthew talked about them singing a hymn of praise at the Last Supper. So when
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, it culminated in the singing of these psalms. And Ps. 116 is
right in the middle of it.
Liturgical and Theological Use of Ps. 116
Understandingly then, this psalm is used liturgically and quite rightly as our offertory. The offertory is
that part of the service where we bring our offering to the Lord. And we don’t just present our money to
the Lord and our prayers to the Lord, but we present thanksgiving and we present ourselves. So the
offertory is the giving of ourselves and our thanks to God for all of his gifts to us.
In this psalm we have a theology of thanksgiving which is terribly important for our Christian faith. A
funny thing is that there is no word for “thank you” in Aboriginal languages and that is true for most
cultures. In fact even in the OT, despite its vocabulary, “thank you” is never used. This is new in the NT.
Why? There is a focus on two things in the NT. (1) One is God’s grace, which is shown by the fact that he
sent his Son and that his Son suffered and died for us. And the grace of God is given most clearly to us in
Holy Communion where Jesus offers his body and blood to us to save us from death. What is the only
appropriate response to such grace? What is the only response if you have received sheer, unmerited
favor? Thanksgiving. So from the beginning the Lord’s Supper was surrounded with thanksgiving,
thanksgiving before the words of institution, thanksgiving in connection with the words of institution,
thanksgiving after the reception of the Sacrament. When Jesus took the bread and wine, he gave thanks.
So within this psalm we have a whole Eucharistic theology. God has redeemed us from death in Christ
and we now present ourselves in Holy Communion. We bring ourselves, we bring our empty hands, we
bring our bodies to God in thanksgiving. We serve God in Holy Communion by thanksgiving. We don’t
have anywhere near enough thanksgiving in our Holy Communion services. One of the greatest
abominations around modern Lutheran Communion practices is to say the words of institution without
any thanksgiving. How can we celebrate the Sacrament by just saying the words of institution without
thanksgiving? It gives the wrong message. It looks like we are enacting ritual magic. This is a eucharistic
psalm. And ever since the early church this psalm of thanksgiving has been used with the Lord’s Supper,
a meal of thanksgiving. Because it is a meal of grace, it has to be a meal of thanksgiving. Dr. Kleinig
pleaded with his students who will be pastors to increase their thanksgiving in the Lord’s Supper. And he
121
made this point. The best way to make God known to the world is with thanksgiving. It is unambiguous.
It cuts through all the barriers that stand between God and people. [(2) Dr. Kleinig never gave the second
thing focused on in the NT.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_9YduJjXxw&list=PL32Gjc1uEM1BHBGFpPGy2-
DFQtA0huXB7&index=2&t=0s
Psalm 90 – A National Lament

[Dr. Kleinig began this class by saying the first task in the class was to finish the exegesis of Ps. 90. So that
means one of the lectures is missing. What then did we miss? We missed the translation, the genre, the
literary features, the structure, and the exegesis of Ps. 90:1-11. I will supply these based on the Class
Notes.]
Genre of Ps. 90 (taken from p. 80 Class Notes)
This is a national lament used on a fast day. But there have been some changes from a traditional
national lament. These changes have been influenced by the wisdom tradition.
 It uses some hymnic material (vv. 1-2, 4). But it uses it for reflection rather than a complaint.
 It’s not a lament because of a national catastrophe as most national laments are. Rather it
laments the condition of fallen humanity.
 Instead of a confession of sins and plea for forgiveness, it acknowledges God’s judgment for their
sin (vv. 7-9).
 Instead of a vow of thanksgiving at the temple, there is a petition for lifelong rejoicing as the
consequence of God’s intervention.
Literary Features of Ps. 90 (taken from p. 81 Class Notes)
The use of the word translated as ‘turn’ or ‘return’ in vv. 3 and 13.
 God ‘returns’ people back to dust.
 God calls upon people to ‘return.’ This could have three meanings. (1) Return to die/dust/grave
(Gen 3:19; Ps 9:18; 104:29; 146:4). (2) Return to repent (Ps. 51:13). (3) Return to Yahweh (Eccl.
12:7 - at death your spirit returns to Yahweh). Which one is meant in this case?
 The psalmist asks Yahweh to return, that is, to turn from his anger and show a gracious face once
more.
The word ‘Lord’ is used to bracket the entire psalm (vv. 1, 17).
Key words are repeated:

 ‘Day/days’ in vv. 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15.
 ‘Year/years in vv. 4, 9, 10, 15.
 ‘Morning’ in vv. 5, 6, 14.
122
 ‘Wrath’ in vv. 9, 11.

 ‘Fury’ in vv. 7, 11.
 ‘Your servants’ in vv. 13, 16.
 ‘Finish’ in vv. 7, 9.
 ‘Vanish’ in vv. 5, 6.
The repetition of keywords is used as bracketing:

 V. 8 is bracketed by vv. 7 and 9 (‘finish’).
 V. 10 is bracketed by vv. 9 and 11 (‘fury’).
 V. 11 is bracketed by vv. 10 and 12 (‘days’).
 Vv. 13-14 is bracketed by vv. 12 and 15 (‘days’).
 Vv. 14-15 is bracketed by vv. 13 and 16-17 (‘your servants’).
The use of catch words to link verses:

 Vv. 1 and 2 are linked by ‘you’
 Vv. 5 and 6 are linked by ‘morning’ and ‘vanish’
 Vv. 11 and 12 are linked by ‘know/make known’
 Vv. 14 and 15 are linked by ‘rejoice’ and ‘days’
 Vv. 15 and 16 are linked by ‘see/be seen’
Structure of Ps. 90 (taken from p. 82 of Class Notes)
1. Heading
2. (1-2) Acknowledgment of the eternal Lord as Israel’s enduring refuge.
3. (3-6) Reflection on God’s curtailment of human life.
a. (3) God’s conversion of humans back into dust.
b. (4) God’s evaluation of human time.
c. (5-6) God’s arrangement of human transience.
4. (7-11) Complaint at Israel’s experience of God’s wrath.
a. (7) Their destruction by God’s wrath.
b. (8) God’s exposure of their sin.
c. (9) The passing of their days under God’s wrath.
d. (10) The resultant life-long experience of trouble.
e. (11) Their ignorance of God’s wrath and their religious duties.
5. (12-17) Israel’s petitions for God’s grace in the face of his wrath.
a. (12) Instruction by God on self-evaluation for the getting of wisdom.
b. (13) Conversion of God in his treatment of them.
c. (14) God’s satisfaction of them with his gladdening kindness.
d. (15) God’s gift of joy to fill their whole life cycle with rejoicing.
e. (16) Revelation of God’s hidden work to them and the resultant glorification of their
children.
f. (17) Consolidation by God of their work.
Exegesis of Ps. 90 (Vv. 1-11 taken from pp. 82-84 of Class Notes. The rest is taken from the lecture video.)
1. Heading (taken from p. 82 of Class Notes)
123
“A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.”
Ps. 90 is ascribed to Moses who had a ‘spirit of wisdom’ and passed it down to Joshua in Deut.
34:9.
Ps. 90 is called ‘A Prayer of Moses.’ Several times, by prayer, Moses interceded for Israel. A prime
example of this is found in Ex. 32-34. When Israel made the golden calf, Moses interceded with
God for Israel’s survival. See especially Ex. 32:7-14 where Yahweh pointed out to Moses how
quickly Israel turned aside from the way that Yahweh had commanded them by making a god
out a golden calf and offering sacrifices to it. God called them a stiff-necked people and
threatened to let his wrath consume them (32:7-10). Moses then pleaded with Yahweh to turn
from his burning wrath and not bring disaster on his people. He appealed to God’s reputation
among the nations, for he would be seen as a God who brought Israel out of Egypt for the
purpose of killing them. And he appealed to God’s promises to the patriarchs to multiply the
number of their descendants and give them the land of Canaan as an inheritance. The result of
Moses’ intercession was that Yahweh relented from bring total disaster upon his people (Ex.
32:11-14).
Ps. 89 ended Book 3 of the Psalter. That book ended with the psalmist lamenting the failure of
the monarchy. Yahweh had given Israel his steadfast love and faithfulness as well as his
everlasting covenant with David. He promised to establish the offspring of David forever. But
when Israel forsook Yahweh’s Law he punished them for their sin. So he removed their kings and
sent the nation into exile. Yet he promised not to remove his steadfast love from them or violate
his covenant with David. This then is the basis for Israel’s future – God’s mercy. Even though the
monarchy has failed, they can still count on Yahweh.
Since this is a psalm of Moses, it probably originally pertained to Israel’s 40 years in the desert.
There they experienced God’s wrath for their lack of trust, disobedience, and idolatry. Moses,
the great intercessor, interceded to ensure Israel’s survival. Now Israel finds themselves in a
similar situation. They have not trusted Yahweh. They have willfully disobeyed Yahweh. They
have worshipped other gods. By doing these things they have kindled Yahweh’s wrath. And the
future looks bleak. But Israel should not give up. Even though they experience God’s wrath, they
should appeal to Yahweh’s mercy and grace, for Yahweh has promised never to remove them
from his people.
Therefore Ps. 90 introduces the last two books of the Psalter which praise God’s mercy and
rejoice in it as the basis for Israel’s future.
2. (1-2) Acknowledgment of Yahweh as Israel’s safe place. (Taken from pp. 82-83 of Class Notes.)
Lord, you have been our safe place

from generation to generation.
2
Before the mountains were born,
or you had brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
The psalmist invokes God as the lord and master of the world. When God created the world
(Gen. 1), the mountains were born. With his powerful Word, God created the earth (Gen. 1).
124
When God “gave birth” to the world, he put the seas in their place and gave them boundaries
(Job 38:8). As the Creator he is far above us. He transcends human time (“generation to
generation” and “everlasting to everlasting”) and world history.
And this great Creator and Sustainer of life is Israel’s dwelling/safe place. Heaven is God’s eternal
refuge (Deut 26:15; Jer 25:30; 2 Chron 30:27). On earth God’s dwelling/safe place is his temple
(26:8; 2 Chron 36:14). And it is at the temple where Yahweh makes himself available as Israel’s
refuge, as their safe place, as a place where they can dwell securely (Ps 71:3; 90:1; 91:9).
3. (3-6) Reflection on God’s curtailment of human life. (Taken from p. 83 of Class Notes.)
3
You turn people back to dust
and say, “Return, you sons of Adam!”
4
For a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when it is past,
like a watch in the night.
5
You sweep them away (as with a flood); they are like a dream in the morning,
they pass on like fresh grass:
6
in the morning it flourishes and is refreshed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
This same God who created the world by his powerful Word puts people to death by that same
powerful Word. He created them from dust and he turns them back into dust. His call to all
children of Adam to “return” is also a call to repent. He wants all people to “turn” away from
their sins and “turn” back to him.
God’s perspective on human history differs from how humans experience it. For God a thousand
years are like a single day or like a watch at night (3 hours). In the big picture it is a tiny part of
the whole. For us humans, history might seem like a series of unrelated events. But God sees the
entirety of our lives and those events fit together. He sees our lives here on earth as a time of
dying. The fact that we will face death is like being swept away in a flood. We are helpless to
avoid it. It is as inevitable as our falling asleep at night. To God we are like grass. In the morning
we flourish but by night we fade and wither. A single hot day is enough to kill it. And so our time
of living on this earth comes and goes quickly. Death quickly puts an end to our short lives.
4. (7-11) Complaint at God’s wrath. (Taken from pp. 83-84 of Class Notes.)
7
Truly we come to an end in your anger;
and we are dismayed by your fury.
8
You have set our iniquities before us,
our secret sins in the light of your face.
9
Truly our days pass under your wrath;
we finish our years like a sigh.
10
The days of our years maybe seventy years,
or perhaps eighty if we are strong;
yet their span is only toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we pass away.
125
11
Who knows the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
The focus now changes from the whole human race to “we” and “us” who are God’s servants,
those who work for and with him. God’s wrath is the cause of the shortness of our lives and
mortality. Our days are brought to an end by God’s anger. We are helpless when facing his fury.
God’s wrath is a result of God dealing with our sin. He does not and cannot turn a blind eye
towards it. He deals with it by placing it in the light of his face. He shines a light on it so that we
and he can see it. The light of God’s face is usually gracious, but because of our sin he now
displays wrath. His wrath burns up and destroys our sin.
----------------------------- Back to video lecture. We start at the beginning of a new session. ---------------------
This psalm is used particularly at funerals and at the beginning of a new year. Dr. Kleinig read through the
Ps. 90. Here is his translation.
Lord, you have been our safe place

from generation to generation.
2
Before the mountains were born,
or you had brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3
You turn people back to dust
and say, “Return, you sons of Adam!”
4
For a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when it is past,
like a watch in the night.
5
You sweep them away (as with a flood); they are like a dream in the morning,
they pass on like fresh grass:
6
in the morning it flourishes and is refreshed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7
Truly we come to an end in your anger;
and we are dismayed by your fury.
8
You have set our iniquities before us,
our secret sins in the light of your face.
9
Truly our days pass under your wrath;
we finish our years like a sigh.
10
The days of our years maybe seventy years,
or perhaps eighty if we are strong;
yet their span is only toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we pass away.
11
Who knows the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
126
12
So teach us to number our days
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13
Turn, O Yahweh! How long?
Have compassion on your servants!
14
Satisfy us in the morning with your kindness,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15
Make us as glad as many days as you have afflicted us,
and as many years as we have seen evil.
16
Let your work (activity, doing) be visible (seen) by your servants,
and your majesty to their children (or upon their children).
17
Let the sweetness (or favor) of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish for us the work of our hands;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
Before we go to the details notice all of the time references: days, mornings, years. The years of trouble
and affliction are changed into years of joy and rejoicing. Also notice the sequence. Satisfy us with your
loving kindness, mercy, grace which leads to rejoicing, which then leads the people to seeing the Lord’s
doing, the Lord’s activity. God is at work everywhere. The problem is that we don’t see him. So the
psalmist asks that God’s work be visible to his servants. And what is God doing? He is honoring his
people, his servants, making them his royal coworkers. That’s the picture here. When a person became a
courtier working for a king, the idea was that some of the majesty of the king, the aura of the king, came
upon him. They are no long just ordinary human beings. People view them differently now. His servants
work with him and not just for him. He honors them by overshadowing them with his majesty. Then
comes an unexpected twist, the sweetness of Yahweh upon them. How is that revealed? By the fact that
our work is established and lasts. Why does it last? Because our work is connected to God’s work. If we
just do our work, it passes with us. But if by God’s grace we work with God as his courtiers, his
coworkers, his royal servants, then the work we do succeeds. And the accent here with work has to do
with rejoicing. What is the work we are called to do? To give thanksgiving and praise and rejoicing.
So on the one hand, mortality turns our whole life into a dirge. It devalues our life. It’s a life of mourning.
But then you have the transformation. Our life of mourning is changed into a life of thanksgiving and
praise. That gives us the big picture of this part of the psalm (12-17).
Exegesis of Ps. 90 continues (from the video)
5. (12-17) There are six petitions here for God’s grace in the face of God’s wrath.
Only God knows the extent of his wrath. In the light of that, our hope does not lie within
ourselves. We can’t straighten out our own lives. Our hope is in God’s turning – turning from his
wrath to his grace, turning from negative judgment to salvation.
(1) So the first petition is for God’s help in gaining wisdom by auditing where we are in our life
span. This audit reveals that we all will die. Normally speaking at the best we can expect 70
years. 80 years would be a bonus. Everything beyond that is sheer grace and favor. That is what
we can expect. Our time is limited, so use the time you have wisely.
(2) The second petition is: “Turn O Yahweh! How long?” With that question, we recognize it as a
127
lament. How long will we continue to experience God’s wrath? How long will God’s death
sentence hang over us? The possibility of a reprieve is God’s pity and compassion on us, turning
the death sentence into a life sentence.
Jewish exegetes see this as a plea for the coming of the Messiah and a turning of the old age into
the new age. It is asking God how long before he intervenes not just in my life, but in the life of
Israel and the life of all humanity. How long before the age of wrath and judgment leads to the
age of joy and rejoicing, the age of the Messiah.
(3) The third petition focuses on satisfaction. Satisfaction is a very physical word in Hebrew. It has
to do with eating and drinking. It’s not only getting enough food, getting a full stomach so that
you are satisfied, but that you also enjoy the food. That then is used metaphorically for
satisfaction and enjoyment in life. It’s not just having the necessities of life, but enjoying life.
The plea is for God to satisfy us in the morning with his steadfast love so that we can rejoice and
be glad all our days. Let’s talk about “in the morning.” It provides us with a very rich picture. First
on the most literal level, what happens in the morning? The sun rises and replaces darkness with
light. It’s a brand new day. Most people don’t enjoy the darkness with all its unknowns. They
enjoy the day because the light has revealed what could not be seen. Which morning is it talking
about? It could be talking about the morning each of us experience each day. And we want each
day to be a day of our lives in which there is rejoicing rather than days of darkness and
lamentation. But notice that it is plural (us, we). It is the morning of all of us. It’s eschatological.
It is speaking of a new day, a new time when from that point on we will have rejoicing and
gladness for the whole of our day. In the OT again and again it speaks of the Day of the Lord. It
will be a new day when things change. It will be a new era. It will be an era of rejoicing. In it we
will rejoice not in what we do, but we will rejoice in God’s gifts.
A student commented that that day is the Eighth Day. This is a new day. What day is that for
Christians? It is Easter. Since Christ’s resurrection on Easter, it is a time of rejoicing. So in that
sense it’s now. But it’s also a plea for the Last Day when Christ comes again. For the believer this
day is a day which is based on God’s mercy, grace, and compassion.
(4) The fourth petition says, make us glad, give us rejoicing for as many days as you have afflicted
us and as many years as we have seen evil. There are two ways of taking this. One way might be
this. I’ve had trouble in my life for 30 years. Now for 30 years I will have rejoicing. But that is not
what he is getting at. He is saying, all of our lives have been nothing but trouble, but from this
point forward may all of our lives will be filled with rejoicing. It’s the turning of the negative into
positive. So it is a plea to replace the age of disaster with the age of rejoicing.
(5) The fifth petition is a plea for theophany. We talked about theophany in connection with Ps.
57. Theophany is the visible appearance of God here on earth. The prayer here is for the work of
God to be seen, revealed, disclosed to his servants. Notice that it is not to all people yet, as it
was in Ps. 57. This is just to his servants. And not only to them, but upon them and their
children. And God’s work is not just disclosed to them but also through them and their children.
So it is theophany on the people of God, to the people of God, and through the people of God. It
is a plea that God would reveal his saving work to his royal courtiers and his royal splendor
128
to/on/through their descendants and out into the world.
(6) Then comes the last petition. It is a plea to God to have favor on his people, to be sweet to
his people, to be gracious to his people. And to do it in a very special way. The favor of God is
shown so that they see his work and that they can not only work for God but also work with
God. And if they work with him, their work is eternal. Their deeds will be established, which
means that they will last forever. In the book of Revelation there is a wonderful blessing: Blessed
are the dead who die in the Lord, says the Spirit, blessed indeed, for their works shall follow
them. Their works will be eternal instead of simply temporary. The temporary works fall under
God’s judgment and they do not last because they are out of alignment with his work and will.
One other thing about the favor or sweetness of the Lord being upon us and the work of our
hands being established. The NT, and Luther picks up on this, says we need to distinguish two
things. (1) The first is God’s favor on us and his pleasure with us and his acceptance of us. (2) And
the second is his favor on our works and his acceptance of our works. (1) How do we know that
God is pleased with us? It is because of Jesus and our faith in him and that’s what justification is
all about. We are pleasing and acceptable to God because of Jesus. (2) But the NT also talks
about us doing God pleasing work and presenting God pleasing offerings. How do you know that
your works are pleasing to God? Our works don’t justify. We know they are pleasing if they are in
keeping with his will, his word, and his law, the Ten Commandments. So for Luther, the Ten
Commandments are important because they show us what is God pleasing work, which is the
work that is not just temporary but eternal.
Liturgical and Theological Use of Ps. 90
Let’s turn to 2 Peter 3:8. Here Peter connects Ps. 90 to the Day of the Lord, the end of the world. Jesus
had promised that he would come back and sort everything out. But despite of this, Jesus has not come
back. Peter writes as to why this is the case. So let’s read 2 Pet. 3:1-8. After v. 8 it refers to God’s
patience, wanting everyone to repent. The main point that Peter makes is that God’s time is different
than our time. Peter exegetes this psalm eschatologically. The Day of the Lord is the new age, the new
eon, the day of redemption.
A second allusion to this psalm is in Eph. 5:15-16. Let’s read that and start at v. 13, which has a reference
to light and the resurrection, and read through to v. 17. This is introduced in v. 11 where it speaks about
not getting involved with the unfruitful works of darkness but instead exposing them. The focus here is
on Christ who it the dawn of a new day, the Light, that we are living in the new age and we are the
children of the Light. We have been raised together with Jesus and we now live as children of Light and
therefore we work and walk as children of Light and we make the most of our time, we count our days.
We make the most of every opportunity that Christ gives us for service.
A third allusion to this psalm is in Rom. 6:23, where Paul summarizes the whole two chapters before it
when he says: the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life. “The wages of sin is
death” corresponds to the first half of this psalm. “But the free gift of God is eternal life” corresponds to
the second half of this psalm.
Less directly Paul alludes to this psalm in his discussion on God’s revelation of his wrath. He says God’s
wrath is revealed not just on people for particular sins or “bad” people, but his wrath is revealed to both
Jews and Gentiles, to all the descendants of Adam, to all of humanity. And he does this in their mortality.
129
All people die. But paradoxically he reveals his wrath in order to reveal his grace. It is a theme in the OT
that God judges in order to save. He exposes sin in order to free people from sin. He gives us the Law in
order to proclaim and enact the Gospel. That is a strange way of working and Luther more than anyone
else picks up on this and comes back to it again and again and says how counter intuitive it is and how
wonderful it is and what a cause of joy and rejoicing it is.
Next I would like to remind you that according to the Jewish tradition, not just the Christian tradition,
those six petitions were understood already before the time of Jesus by Jewish rabbis, and by one Jewish
tradition to the present day, as prayers for the messianic age, the age when wrath will be replaced by
grace. The age of wrath will usher in and lead to the age of grace. The age of mourning will lead to the
age of rejoicing. The age of affliction will lead to the age of splendor. The age of judgment will lead to the
age of approval.
The Jewish tradition doesn’t explore, but the Christian tradition of exegesis does, that the work we do
here in time will not be established in time but will be established in eternity. When you get the Last
Judgment there are two aspects to it. And you need to know this in your dogmatics and modern
dogmatics has lost sight of this. There are two aspects to our judgment. Not only are we judged but our
works are judged. (1) Now the judgment of us depends entirely on our faith in Christ. That’s justification
by grace. (2) But the judgment of our works is God’s judgment and assessment of the things we do to get
rid of those things which do not line up to God’s will. He judges our works in order to purify them and to
establish what is good for all eternity. So the cup of cold water that you give to a person is not a
temporary act but an eternal act. Knowing this helps us make sense of a lot of passages that otherwise
give us difficulty, particularly if we only emphasize the understanding of judgment as judgment of us as
people. (1) Whether I am saved or condemned depends on my faith in Christ. It has nothing to do with
works. (2) But there is also God’s judgment of our works. And that is good! On the one hand, I don’t
want to carry around all the mess I’ve made into eternity. On the other hand, I don’t want everything I
do together with the Lord to have no eternal significance.
Dr. Kleinig said he didn’t know of any modern dogmatics that even touches on God’s judgment of our
works. There are blind spots that develop at particular times in church history. This is a current blind spot
and it is one that Lutherans and Protestants are particularly prone to. You will find it but in a confused
and distorted way in Catholic circles.
Notice that traditionally this psalm has been used at the end of the church year, the end of an old year
and the beginning of a new year – old age/new age.
There is an excellent paraphrase of this psalm in a hymn by Isaac Watts: O God our help in ages past, our
hope for years to come. It’s a magnificent hymn. Unfortunately the paraphrase doesn’t touch upon the
second half of the psalm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb3GbBwqJmI&list=PL32Gjc1uEM1BHBGFpPGy2-
DFQtA0huXB7&index=24
Psalm 118 – A Psalm of Royal/National Thanksgiving
130

Before we go through psalm 118, just a few things. This is a psalm of national thanksgiving, actually it’s a
royal thanksgiving. As we go through it you have to envisage the following scenario. An enemy has
attacked Israel with its armies. The king has led the armies of God, which is the army of Israel, out
against the enemies of God. Defeat stared them in the face. They were in an impossible situation. But
remarkably God gave them the victory in the face of immanent disaster. And the victory turned out to be
an overwhelming victory. God vindicated the king and his army. And now there is a day of national
thanksgiving. There is a great procession that comes through Jerusalem. The procession is led by the
army followed by the king. And at the end comes the Levites choir. And in between the king and choir
are the people. They all process through Jerusalem up to the temple to give thanks to God for giving the
victory to his king. God has given the victory therefore credit belongs to God and thanksgiving is given to
God in the temple.
Dr. Kleinig said he could not go through all of the Hebrew text because there wasn’t enough time. So he
would pick certain things to explain. But in the end he pretty much ended up going through the whole
psalm anyway. He read through the Hebrew and explained as he went. Here is the ESV version of Ps. 118
with Dr. Kleinig’s comments embedded.
118 Oh give thanks (or confess or praise) to (concerning or about) the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2
Let Israel ([emphatic] indeed or truly) say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3
(Surely or indeed) Let the house of Aaron say, [house of Aaron=the priests]
“(Truly) His steadfast love endures forever.”
4
(Truly or indeed) Let those who fear the LORD say,
“(Surely) His steadfast love endures forever.”
[Why is there this thanksgiving? This question is answered by a report of what happened as
spoken by the king who represented the whole nation. “I” here is the king speaking for the whole
nation.]
5
Out of my distress I called on the LORD (Yah); [Yah is an ancient abbreviation for Yahweh.
People used Yah to prevent themselves from
over using the holy name. So you have a name
like Eli-jah. Eli = My God. Yah=Yahweh.
“From distress” means being constricted in a
narrow place.
the LORD (Yah) answered me and set me free (or in a broad, spacious place). [The thought is
I was hemmed in on all sides and when Yahweh
answered my prayer he brought me into a wide
open place.]
6
The LORD (Yah) is on my side (or is for me); I will not fear.
What can man (or humanity) do to me?
131
7
The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8
It is better (good) to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man (humanity or a human being). [This is a comparison.]
9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes. [princes equate to aristocracy who were trained as
professional soldiers, the officer corp., in the
standing army.]
[Now comes the report of what happened.]

10
All nations surrounded me; [From a human point of view it is an exaggeration.
but if you look at it messianically, it makes sense.]
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
11
They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; [This is every general’s nightmare.]
in the name of the LORD (truly) I cut them off!
12
They surrounded me like bees;
they went out (or were extinguished) like a fire among thorns; [Some thorns have oil in
them that burn. They burn up very quickly.]
in the name of the LORD (truly) I cut them off!
13
I was pushed hard,[a] so that I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
[Now the psalmist gives the credit for victory to Yahweh.]

14
The LORD (Yah) is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation (or for me victory).
15
Glad songs (or Listen, shouting) of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous (or vindicated ones):
“The right hand of the LORD does valiantly (or powerfully), [a raised fist is a victory
gesture. It is Yahweh’s right hand that is
is raised. He won the victory.]
16
the right hand of the LORD exalts (or is lifted high),
the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!”
[Next the king speaks.]

17
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD (Yah). [The deeds are Yahweh’s victory in the
face of certain disaster, impossible odds.]
18
The LORD (Yah) has disciplined (or instructed) me severely, [Coaching by doing,
doing something with someone else.
Encourage to do right. Punish when done
wrong. He taught me a hard lesson.]
but he has not given me over to death. [Hard lesson=his last resort should have been his
132
first resort. He should have called on Yahweh

before the battle. He was really defeated but God
turned defeat into victory.
[Now comes the second part of the psalm. To understand the second part, you have to envisage
there is a procession coming right into the temple. The procession is poised right at the entrance
to the sanctuary. Imagine a procession going through Jerusalem from the South, up the Holy
Way, which leads to the temple. And the first part of the procession processed into the outer court
of the temple. Then the procession stops just before the steps which lead up into the inner court.
The king is at the head of the procession. And he is confronted by the gatekeeper. A gatekeeper is
a priest whose job is to make sure that no one who is ritually unclean or unrighteous enters the
holy ground. We have here what is called an entrance liturgy, a scrutiny to make sure that no
person who is unqualified enters. What is the purpose of this entrance liturgy? If someone who is
unclean or unrighteous comes into this holy place what’s going to happen to them? They will
come under God’s judgment rather than receiving his vindication and blessing. That’s because
they would desecrate God’s holiness and that has consequences for them. So this scrutiny occurs
for their benefit.
That is what’s going on here. And what happens here in this part of the psalm is a dialog between
the king who leads the procession and the gatekeeper. Unless you see this, the following verses
are an utter jumble and you won’t make sense of it. You won’t’ be able to tell who is speaking
and about what. ]
19
Open to me the gates of righteousness, [The gate leading from the outer court to the holy
ground of the inner court is called the Gates of
Righteousness. It is also called the Gate of Yahweh.
Through it you have access to Yahweh. The place
of access is the Altar. It is the door into Yahweh’s
Yahweh’s house and his house is the entire inner
court.]
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD (Yah).
20
This is the gate of the LORD; [This is the reply of the gatekeeper.]
(only) the righteous shall enter through it.
21
I thank you that you have answered me [Then the king replies.]
and have become my salvation. [Yahweh is his salvation, his victory. This is an
echo of the Song of Sea. We will look at it shortly.
How is this a response to the gatekeeper? One thing
that is repeated again and again in the Psalms is that
God only hears the prayers of the righteous. The
king says, I’ve come to give thanks to God because
he has answered my request. What does that prove?
If God only hears the prayers of the righteous and
God heard and answered his prayer, then he must be
righteous and therefore he can enter and give
133
thanksgiving to Yahweh.]
22
The stone that the builders rejected [Then comes an enigmatic proverb given by the
gatekeeper.]
has become the cornerstone (or head of the corner).[b] [Probably not capstone because it
was invented later. With stone it is hard to cut it at
exactly a 90 degree angle. The cornerstone is the
most important stone in the building. It has to be
exactly square because it is used to align the walls.
So there is a riddle here. There was a stone that was
not square so the builders rejected it. Not only can it
not be used as the cornerstone, it can’t be used any-

where in the building. So a stone that could not be
used anywhere has now become the cornerstone.
This refers to the king. So what we need to think
about is, who or what is this stone? Obviously in the
NT it is Christ.]
23
This is the LORD's doing; [Then the king answers. Yahweh has done some-
thing that is a miracle in the eyes of the king, the
army, and the people.]
it is marvelous (or a miracle) in our eyes.
24
This is the day that the LORD has made; [The priest replies. Yahweh has established this day
of victory. This day belongs to Yahweh because it is
the day of his victory. In the NT the Day of the

Lord is the day of resurrection, the day of victory.
let us rejoice and be glad in it (him or it or both).
25
(emphatic: Please!) Save us, we pray, O LORD! [He has saved us and we pray that he will
O LORD, we pray, give us success! continue saving us in the future. This is the prayer
of the king with the army.]
26
Blessed is he who comes (or enters) in the name of the LORD! [Blessed can be one of two
things. Either this person is the recipient of God’s
blessing or he is the one who brings God’s blessing.
Which one is it here? Both. Where does he enter?

He enters into the temple. This is a part of our
Communion liturgy where it applies to Jesus as he
comes to us in Holy Communion.]
We bless you from the house of the LORD. [The priests bless the king and the people.
God has blessed the king and the army. They come
as bearers of God’s blessing and now the priests
bless the people. The priests bring the blessing from
134
God in the Holy of Holies to the people as they

come into the temple. They come in as people who
have been blessed and they will go out as people
who have been blessed.]
27
The LORD is God, [God (El) was the name used by the Canaanites to
refer to the chief god of their pantheon. So here it
it says that Yahweh is the chief God of all gods.
and he has made his light to shine upon us. [This is the king and army speaking here.
God shining his light on them is a reference to the
Aaronic blessing: “and make his face shine on you.”
How has God’s face shone on the king and his

army? By giving them the victory.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, [This is the priests talking to the king and army and
(or Bind your procession with branches) all of Israel. This is important for the NT and for the
up to the horns of the altar! Jewish tradition. What is happening here is that the
king, army, and people are not bringing weapons
into the sanctuary. They are holding palm branches.
In the Jewish tradition palm branches are always
connected with victory and celebrating victory. So
they come bearing palm branches and they go on a
procession. The people process to the altar and
when they reach the altar they touch the horns of the
altar. This is as close as lay people ever come to the

altar. Normally only the priests on duty can touch
altar. When the lay person touched the horns with
palm branch, they made a connection with the altar.
By doing that, they receive blessing from God.
Does this bring to mind anything from the NT? Yes,
Palm Sunday. The people waved the palm branches

at Jesus and laid the palm branches before Jesus as
processed into the city. The palm branches weren’t
brought to the altar but to Christ.
Processions like this happen at two times. First it

happens when there are celebrations of victory like
this. Secondly it happens on the Feast of Taber-
nacles. At the time of Christ this psalm was used for
the Feast of Tabernacles.]
135
28
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you. [Extol = be high, the opposite of being low. It’s a
form of praise: Yahweh is high. Other ways to
praise are: Yahweh is great or Yahweh is good.
What are you saying if you say Yahweh is high?
This is probably understood as the superlative
degree: Yahweh is the highest, which means there’s
no one higher than him. He rules over all. He cares
for all. So that’s what it means to extol Yahweh. He
is the highest in goodness, power, everything.
Others may be good but he’s the best.
29
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for (or surely) his steadfast love endures forever!
Translation of Ps. 118

Now Dr. Kleinig goes back through the psalm using his translation, explaining its structure and flow.
[Go to page 65 of the class notes under Structure.]
Vv. 1-4 Call to congregational thanksgiving by the choir

The first four verses of the psalm is the call of all the people of Israel and in the post-exilic period it
includes all of the God-fearing people among the nations to join in this victory procession to give thanks
to Yahweh at the temple.
118 Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good;

truly his loving kindness is forever!
2
Yes, let Israel say,
“Truly His loving kindness is forever.”
3
Yes, let the house of Aaron say,
“Truly, His loving kindness is forever.”
4
Yes, let those who fear Yahweh say,
It starts out with a general statement to give thanks to Yahweh because he is good, loving, and
kind. Then it focuses on Israel, the lay people acknowledging Yahweh’s loving kindness. Then it
moves on to the priesthood. Thirdly, it speaks of those who fear Yahweh. Those who fear
Yahweh probably includes those people called “the strangers.” These were non-Jews who lived
in the land and had resident alien status. In the post-exilic period this referred to the proselytes or
God-fearing pagans. In the book of Acts it talks about the God-fearers. These were Gentiles who
had not been circumcised but shared the faith of Israel. These God-fearers then formed the bulk
of those who became Christians in the early church. That’s the invitation to join the procession
and the thanksgiving.
Vv. 5-13 Report of reliance on the Lord in battle by the king at the temple
136
Then comes the report from the king speaking on behalf of the whole army of Israel about what
had happened.
5
Out of my distress I called, Yah;
Yah answered me by putting me in a spacious place.
6
With Yahweh beside me (for me, on behalf of me) I am not afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
7
With Yahweh beside me as my helper (as my ally);
I can look down on those who hate me.
8
It is better to take refuge in Yahweh
than to trust in any human being.
9
than to trust in princes.
10
All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of Yah I truly warded them off!
11
They surrounded me, yes they surrounded me;
with the name of yahweh I truly warded them off!
12
they were extinguished like a fire of thorns;
with the name Yahweh I truly warded them off!
13
I was pushed hard, to falling,
but Yahweh helped me.
v.5: The king says in his distress that he called out, “Yah.” In NT terms it would be like calling
out, “Jesus.”
v.7: To look down on someone means I occupy the superior position, the high ground rather than
being overwhelmed.
v. 9: “Princes” has the idea of armies and professional soldiers behind it.
Question about Yah. Is it meant to convey a sense of familiarity similar to when we say “dad”?
Yes, the term is less formal than Yahweh because it wasn’t just used at the temple (like Yahweh
was). It could be used at home also so it does have a more personal feel to it.
Vv. 14-18 Report of triumph in battle by the king/leader at the temple
In his translation Dr. Kleinig has kept “Yah” (unlike most translations which replace it with “the
LORD” as they also do with Yahweh).
14
Yah is my strength (or my strong place) and my song (or my music);
he has won me the victory.
15
Listen! The shout of victory
in the tents of the righteous:
137
“The right hand of Yahweh has done a valiant deed,

16
the right hand of Yahweh is raised up high,
the right hand of Yahweh has done a valiant deed!”
17
I will not die, but I will live,
to recount the deeds of Yah.
18
Yah has taught me a hard lesson,
but he has not given me over to death.
The victory cry (15b-16) comes out from the army. In it they recognize that they did not win the
victory but that God rescued them in an amazing, miraculous way. Because he did this, they
shout that he is the victor.
Then comes the confession of the king (17-18). V. 17 was Luther’s favorite passage.
In v. 18 the king says he was taken to the point of death but God rescued him at that very point.
That was the hard lesson.
Vv. 19-28 Dialogue between king and the priest before entry into the
temple
19
Open to me the gates of righteousness, [King]
so that I may enter them
to thank Yah.
20
This is the gate of Yahweh; [Gatekeeper]
the righteous may enter through it (or in it).
21
I thank you for answering me [King]
and winning me a victory.
22
The stone that the builders rejected [Priest]
has become the chief cornerstone (or the head of the corner).
23
This comes from Yahweh; [King speaking for all the people]
it is something marvelous in our eyes.
24
This is the day that Yahweh has made (or on which Yahweh has acted); [Priest]
let us rejoice and be glad in him.
25
We beseech you Yahweh, please save us! [King and people]
We beseech you Yahweh, give us success!
26
Blessed is he who enters in the name of Yahweh! [Priest]
We bless you from the house of Yahweh.
27
Yahweh is God, [King]
he has shone on us.
Bind the festal procession with branches, [Invitation from the priest to the
to the horns of the altar! procession.]
138
28
Since you are my God, I thank you; [King as he enters the holy ground]
I exalt you O my God.
In v. 26 who is the one who comes and enters in the name of Yahweh? The king. He is coming and
entering into God’s holy temple.
V. 29 Final call to thanksgiving

29
Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; [Hard to say who is speaking here.
truly his loving kindness is forever! Probably the king.]
Tying back to the beginning is the invitation to give thanks to Yahweh. Notice in v. 29 that the audience is
not named. Who is to give thanks? It’s open ended. Everyone should give thanks. Why? Because
everyone has benefitted from the victory that God has won through his king. The surprise of the victory
was that God first brought the king into death before delivering him from death. Now if we go to the NT,
God doesn’t just bring Jesus to the point of death but he brings him right through death to victory.
Who is speaking here in this last verse? Most likely the king and that would make sense. In Israel, the
king was not only the head of the army but also the head of the choir. In this situation you have both the
army and the choir in procession. We think the king headed up the procession in front of the army.
We’re not sure if the choir came next after the army or if they were actually in front of the army.
Following the choir and army would be the people. We can’t prove this order.
So the king leads the procession into the temple where he meets a group of priests who represent
Yahweh. They encounter the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper and priests admit the king and people into the
temple through the gate into God’s presence.
This is a processional psalm, hence it’s used on Palm Sunday when Jesus processed through the city of
Jerusalem using the Holy Way to the temple. And that’s when he cleansed the temple. And that is
important to connect to this because by doing so he is opening the gates to include the Gentiles in the
worship of Israel.
Next time we will go through the exegesis of this psalm in the first period and then the second period we
will begin Ps. 95.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x20V3FwIz2A&list=PL32Gjc1uEM1BHBGFpPGy2-
Psalm 118 Continued

139
Opening Remarks about Ps. 118

This is a very important psalm Christologically. It is quoted and alluded to frequently in the NT. Dr. Kleinig
began by reading through his translation of Ps. 118. (See previous session for his translation.) Dr. Kleining
pointed out that he quite deliberately throughout his translation left in and distinguished between Yah
and Yahweh. We will now take a closer look at the psalm.
Genre of Psalm 118

This is a psalm of national thanksgiving which corresponds to the individual thanksgiving. In individual
thanksgiving, a person was in trouble, he laments and calls out to God for help, and he promises to
praise God after he is delivered. This is repeated on a national scale. The situation for this psalm is an
amazing and miraculous victory by the army of Israel led by the king of Israel. The army was surrounded
with no possibility of escape. And then Yahweh miraculously delivered them. This is something that
happened very rarely.
Secondly this is a processional psalm for a victory celebration. The king and army come into the temple
with the choir and the congregation followed in a great procession. These victory celebrations are briefly
described in the book of Chronicles. 2Chr. 10:20 is one such occasion. So you have a victory and then a
national day of thanksgiving to celebrate the victory, the triumph of God.
Besides this occasional use, this psalm was also used on the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of
Tabernacles occurred in the fall. It was a harvest festival at the end of the agricultural year. At this festival
the Israelites acclaimed and celebrated Yahweh as their King. And he was not just their King but the
cosmic King. So the emphasis then was not on Yahweh’s victory over political enemies but over all forces
of darkness and chaos in the cosmos. So there was a shift from the national political to the cosmic
celebration of Yahweh.
Thirdly, this psalm is included in the very famous Egyptian Hallel, the series of Hallelujah psalms from
113 to 118. This is the last one in that series. “Hallelujah” is the victory cry, the call for victory celebration
to praise God for his defeat of the enemies of God. Originally this Egyptian Hallel (about Israel going out
of Egypt) was probably extended to be used in the Passover celebration and then from there to
Pentecost. So the Hallel psalms were used for the three great pilgrim festivals. A pilgrim festival was the
occasion three times a year when the head of every household was obligated to go on a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem to present the annual offerings, to receive blessing, and to petition God for help for the
ensuing months and the rest of the year. These psalms are the climax of the pilgrim festivals. To this day,
this psalm is probably the best known of all psalms liturgically for any orthodox, pious Jew.
Lastly, it was used as a messianic psalm already before the coming of Christ. The reason for this is that
one of the titles that is used by the Rabbis for the Messiah is “the One who is to come,” the coming One.
That title is taken from this psalm. In the NT the disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus, “Are you the one
who is to come or do we look for another?” So John’s disciples were asking Jesus if he was the Messiah.

140
If you understand the liturgical setting then the structure is clear. If you don’t see it, then it is a bit
puzzling. It looks like a jumble without any connections. But once you see that it is a victory celebration,
a liturgical setting, a procession into the temple then it makes perfect sense.
(1-4) The psalm begins with a call to the whole congregation to join the choir in giving thanks to Yahweh.
(5-13) Then you have a report by the king of his reliance on Yahweh in battle in the face of impossible
odds. It begins at the end of the battle with Yahweh’s answer to the king’s prayer, Yahweh’s deliverance
of him. And then it goes back and gives a detailed report of what happened. First there is the confession
of confidence, faith in the Lord. And then you have the accent on the use of the Lord’s name, the holy
name Yahweh, as a weapon in the face of attack. The other weapons were of no use. The weapon that
turned the battle was the use of the holy name.
(14-18) Then comes the report of the victory by the king at the temple.
(19-28) Then we have the dialog between the king and the priest about the king’s entry into the temple.
The king, representing the whole procession, makes a request to enter the temple in order to perform
the rite of thanksgiving. The gatekeeper responds to the king. Now the position of gatekeeper ranked
third in the hierarchy of the priests. First there was the high priest and then there was his deputy. The
third person was the gatekeeper, the person responsible for screening people as they came into the
sanctuary.
(29) It ends with the final call to thanksgiving.
Exegesis of Ps. 118

(1-4) The call to thanksgiving.
118 Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good;

truly his loving kindness is forever!
2
Yes, let Israel say,
3
Yes, let the house of Aaron say,
“Truly, His loving kindness is forever.”
4
Yes, let those who fear Yahweh say,
Yahweh is usually translated as “the LORD.” In NT the LORD is Jesus. The basic confession of faith in the
NT is: Jesus is Lord. This is saying that Jesus is Yahweh.
V. 1
The choir is making this call to thanksgiving. The verb translated as “give thanks” means more than giving
thanks. First of all it means to acknowledge somebody or something. So it also means to acknowledge or
141
confess. Secondly, it means to give thanks about someone. Thirdly, it also has the idea of praising. For us
thanksgiving is always addressed to a person but it can also be about a person.
If you go to the data in Chronicles you will find out that the thanksgiving refrain was the basic song of
praise sung by the Levitical choir each morning and each evening as the burnt offering was smoked up to
God at the temple in Jerusalem. So every morning and every evening the choir would address the
congregation and sing, O give thanks to Yahweh for he is good and his loving kindness is forever. It was
not addressed to Yahweh. It was spoken about Yahweh. It’s preaching to the congregation and it’s an
invitation to the congregation to join in thanking and praising Yahweh. But it was also an invitation for
the congregation to receive God’s goodness, to receive God’s loving kindness and to pray for God to
show them mercy and to pray for God to deal well with them.
When it says, “give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,” the word “for” could also be translated as “truly
indeed he is good.” It gives both the reason for praise and the content of praise.
What is the function of this call to thanksgiving? It’s to proclaim the Lord’s goodness and kindness to the
congregation. And by invoking the holy name of Yahweh they have access to God’s goodness and to
God’s kindness.
V. 2-4
There are three groups of people that are invited to join the choir and the king, who is the head of choir,
in thanking God. First there is the house of Israel, the whole community. Secondly, there is the house of
Aaron, the priests. Thirdly, there are the God-fearers. That includes the resident aliens in the land, those
who are not descendants of Israel.
(5-13) The report by the king of his reliance on God
5
Out of my distress I called, Yah;
Yah answered me by putting me in a spacious place.
6
With Yahweh beside me (for me, on behalf of me) I am not afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
7
With Yahweh beside me as my helper (as my ally);
I can look down on those who hate me.
8
than to trust in any human being.
9
than to trust in princes.
10
All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of Yah I truly warded them off!
11
They surrounded me, yes they surrounded me;
with the name of Yahweh I truly warded them off!
12
142
they were extinguished like a fire of thorns;

with the name Yahweh I truly warded them off!
13
I was pushed hard, to falling,
but Yahweh helped me.
A few comments as Dr. Kleinig read through the verses.
As we’ve said, Yah is an abbreviation for Yahweh. In his distress he called out a single syllable, Yah. Then
notice the contrast. To be in distress is to be backed into a corner, into a narrow, confining space. To be in
anguish is to be enclosed, claustrophobically. So Yah took him and his army from this narrow hemmed in
place to an open, spacious place.
The word translated as helper is a military term that means ally. Your helper in battle is your ally. He
fights with you and for you against the enemy. With Yahweh as his helper it’s like his enemies have fallen
down and he is looking down at them. That’s the position of victory. They are down of the ground either
dead or begging for mercy.
“All the nations surrounded me.” Notice the extravagant language – “all nations.” The term is not just a
political term but a theological term. It refers to all of the pagan nations, the godless nations. They are
not just the enemies of Israel, but also the enemies of God.
Notice the repetition of “with the name Yahweh I truly warded them off.” Also repeated is “they
surrounded me.”
So here we have a report by the king of the victory Yahweh won for him. He received the victory because
he relied on Yahweh and used the name of Yahweh as his weapon.
V. 5
It begins with a summary of the Lord’s answer to his cry for help. As a last resort, as a kind of parachute,
he addresses God or confesses God by saying, “Yah.” The picture here is an army that is surrounded on
all sides with no place of refuge. Normally if the opposing army is getting the better of you, you look for a
place of refuge. Let’s say you are fighting on flat ground and you are losing. You would look for a hill
where it is easier to defend yourself. Or in the ancient world you would retreat into a fortified city or
castle. In this case there was no place of refuge except the Lord. This is interesting. Instead of bringing
them into a narrow safe place, he brings them into an open field where they have no more enemies. So
it’s not just safety but it is complete victory with no threats any more.
Vv. 6-9
Here we have the report of the king’s confidence in the Lord, his confession of faith in Yahweh. And the
language used here is the language of astonishment at what happens. The decisive thing was the
intervention of Yahweh in the battle, of him standing with the king as his ally in the battle. Because the
Lord was present with him, the king had nothing to be afraid of. But from a human point of view he had
everything to be afraid of. His confession is that even though he faced impossible odds, there was the
certainty of triumph and victory because the best place of refuge you can take is in the Lord. He is better
to have on your side than any human being. He is better than any country’s battle champion and he’s
better than any of the crack troops, the princes.
143
Vv. 10-13
Then in practical terms you have the importance of what happened when he used the Lord’s name.
Remember it was just one syllable – Yah. And the use of that holy name defeated all of the armies of the
nations. Israel’s army was surrounded by the enemy like a swarm of bees. He used the Lord’s name both
in prayer and as a battle cry. You saw where this happened in the story of Gideon. The picture here is
that it wasn’t just one attack but it was many and each time he warded them off by using the holy name.
And when he did the nations were extinguished like a fire of thorns. Thorns on fire flare up and just as
quickly the flame goes out.
This culminates in v. 13 with the report of the Lord’s help. The picture here is one of a city under siege.
What would happen is that the army laying siege to the city would try and knock down the wall. That
picture is applied to the king and army. They are attacked and it appears that they are ready to topple
over. But instead there is a buttress on the other side of the wall, which not only prevented it from
falling, but also made sure that the enemies fell instead. The Lord then is the victorious ally who turned
the battle and gave Israel’s army the victory.
(14-19) The report by the king of his triumph in battle
14
Yah is my strength (or my strong place) and my song (or my music);
he has won me the victory.
15
Listen! The shout of victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of Yahweh has done a valiant deed,
16
the right hand of Yahweh is raised up high,
the right hand of Yahweh has done a valiant deed!”
17
I will not die, but I will live,
to recount the deeds of Yah.
18
Yah has taught me a hard lesson,
but he has not given me over to death.
In his report of the victory, the king doesn’t boast in his victory or the army’s victory. Instead he praises
Yahweh since it was he who won the victory. And this echoes the song of Moses at the Red Sea. It
celebrated when Israel crossed the Red Sea and Yahweh single handedly defeated Pharaoh and his
armies. So this is like another exodus. Read Ex. 15:1-3. V.2 is the echo. It says there that Yahweh is a man
of war; he is a Goliath, a champion, a crack soldier, who single handedly can turn the battle. The victory
song recognizes Yahweh as their strength, the source of their power. It was pointed out that Isaiah also
uses this language.
The remarkable thing about the victory at the Red Sea is that even though the 12 tribes of Israel were
the 12 armies of Israel they were a strange army. What was odd about them? They didn’t do any fighting
against the Egyptians. Their whole purpose as an army was to stand still and see the victory of God.
Israel’s role in “spiritual” or “theological” warfare was to witness the victory of God and therefore to
testify to the fact that the Lord alone won the victory against pharaoh and his armies. Ps. 46 basically
144
says this. It says, Be still, which means drop your hands, drop your weapons, do nothing, rely on me and
you will know that I am God.
So in this victory in Ps. 118, there is an identification with Israel at the Red Sea. So the king and his
armies are compared to Moses and Israel at the Red Sea. And the enemies of the king and the army are
compared to pharaoh and his armies who are drowned in the Red Sea and swallowed up by the
underworld. The emphasis in this psalm is on proclaiming Yahweh as the Victor. That is the reason for
this psalm of thanksgiving.
The army of Israel is referred to as the righteous. There is a word in Hebrew that means to be right in a
court of law. So this is a kind of court scene where God has vindicated the righteous and shown that they
are righteous by giving them the victory. He has demonstrated that they are righteous because he has
heard their prayer. In a similar way God the Father vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead for our
justification. And he justifies us through Jesus by giving Jesus the victory.
God has vindicated Israel. His right hand has given them the victory. When speaking of God’s right hand
giving the victory, it speaks of a stupendous victory. It’s like an athlete, who has won, jumps up in the air
with a clenched fist when he has won a great victory. So the army acclaims Yahweh as the Victor in
battle. If Yahweh is the Victor they need to celebrate at his temple. They need to go back to him at his
residence and praise him and thank him for giving them the victory. And that goes back to the second
part of the psalm.
A student asked the question: It’s obvious this is talking about victory, yet why is it translated in my Bible
as “salvation”? It’s because many modern translations want to get away from imagery and instead
express ideas. This is an example of the old saying “Translator traitor.” Dr. Kleinig then went on to explain
the Hebrew terms for salvation. The bottom line is that we lose a lot because it causes us to move away
from victory to what we get from that victory (salvation). That may be a kind of pietest translation.
Then comes the purpose of the king’s deliverance from death in vv. 17-18. A couple of questions arise.
Why didn’t God protect the king from the enemies so that he was never brought to battle, let alone to
the dire situation he was in? Secondly, Why was it that the Lord didn’t rescue and intervene at the
beginning of the battle? Why did he wait until the climax of the battle? One reason was to test the king’s
reliance on God’s name. Another reason is so that the king would praise God, would declare the mighty
deeds of God. Yahweh intervened at the last second so that he would learn to rely on Yahweh and so
that he would praise Yahweh for his miraculous deliverance.
The king said, “I will not die, but I will live, to recount the deeds of Yah.” Now that became Luther’s
motto after one occasion when he got sick and was on the verge of dying. He experienced miraculous
healing and asked the question, why didn’t God take me? Because he intervened, the rest of my life I will
praise God.
The Lord teaches two lessons here. First of all, he teaches the use of and power of his name. And he
teaches that you should rely on the Lord in big and small things. And by doing it in this way, he makes it
clear that the victory is 100% God’s doing. The victory belongs exclusively and entirely to Yahweh, just as
the Easter victory has nothing to do with any human being and has everything to do with the Lord.
145

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycM-RlSEjxQ&list=PL32Gjc1uEM1BHBGFpPGy2-
Exegesis of Psalm 118 Continued

(19-29) Dialog between the victorious king and the priest who guarded the gate before entry into the
sanctuary for thanksgiving
19
Open to me the gates of righteousness, [King]
so that I may enter them
to thank Yah.
20
This is the gate of Yahweh; [Gatekeeper]
the righteous may enter through it (or in it).
21
I thank you for answering me [King]
and winning me a victory.
22
The stone that the builders rejected [Priest]
has become the chief cornerstone (or the head of the corner).
23
This comes from Yahweh; [King speaking for all the people]
it is something marvelous in our eyes.
24
This is the day that Yahweh has made (or on which Yahweh has acted); [Priest]
let us rejoice and be glad in him.
25
We beseech you Yahweh, please save us! [King and people]
We beseech you Yahweh, give us success!
26
Blessed is he who enters in the name of Yahweh! [Priest]
We bless you from the house of Yahweh.
27
Yahweh is God, [King]
he has shone on us.
Bind the festal procession with branches, [Invitation from the priest to the
to the horns of the altar! procession.]
28
Since you are my God, I thank you; [King as he enters the holy ground]
I exalt you O my God.
29
Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; [Hard to say who is speaking here.
truly his loving kindness is forever! Probably the king.]
Dr. Kleing read verses 19 and 20 and then displayed a diagram of the temple so that he could show the
Gate of Yahweh. People have come in procession up the Holy Way, the main street of Jerusalem, into the
146
temple. They’ve entered the outer court and have come up to the 15 steps that lead to the sanctuary.
The gate where those 15 steps are is called the Gate of Righteousness or the Gate of Yahweh. Once they
enter that gate they will process up to and around the altar.
So we have here a request by the king (v. 19) that the procession be allowed to enter the sanctuary. It is
a request for them to enter and stand on holy ground. For a person to stand on holy ground they need to
be in a state of ritual purity. This is the reason a gatekeeper is posted, to only allow the righteous to
enter. The reason they want to enter is to give thanks formally and directly to Yahweh in his very
presence at the altar.
The priest responds to their request (v. 20). He tells them, This is Yahweh’s gate. He sets the terms and
he says that only the righteous may enter. So the gatekeepers scrutinize the people before they are
allowed to enter the inner court. Let’s look at Ps. 24:3-6. This is an entrance liturgy. This was part of the
regular service at the temple.
The next exchange occurs in vv. 21-22. The king’s response to the statement that only the righteous may
enter is to thank God for answering his prayer (v. 21). What is the connection between only the righteous
may enter and God answering the king’s prayer? In the Psalms and in the OT it says that God only hears
the prayers of righteous. So if God answers your prayer what does that mean about you? It means that
you are righteous. So God’s answer to his prayer demonstrates that they are righteous. The victory then
is God’s vindication of the king and his army. Because he has done this for them, they come to give
thanksgiving to him.
Then comes a kind of strange riddle from the priest (v. 22): The stone the builders have rejected has
become the chief of the corner. We’ve talked about this some already. You have a stone that is so
misshapen that the builders determine it can’t be used in the building and so they reject it. It can’t even
be fitted somewhere in the wall where it doesn’t matter, let alone as part of the foundation or the
cornerstone. So what looks like a useless stone has become the key stone in building a house. What
house is being built? It could be the house of Israel, the community of Israel or, as the NT takes it, the
new temple of God.
The victorious king is the stone that looked like it was useless, but has become the key cornerstone. And
he now leads the congregation in thanksgiving to God. The king is the leader of the community in prayer
and praise and thanksgiving. In the NT who is the stone that the builders rejected that became the
foundation stone for the new temple of God? Jesus. Jesus uses this for himself as a prophecy of his death
and resurrection. The builders rejected Jesus and crucified him. But then he became the foundation
stone for the new community of God’s people, the new temple of God.
Then comes the statement of the king’s amazement (v. 23) that God would choose him who was rejected
to be the head of the corner. The king is the head of the congregation in a similar way as a cornerstone is
the head of the building. This has happened as a result of Yahweh taking action. In the eyes of the king
and people this is a marvelous miracle.
Then comes the response of the priest (v. 24). “This is the day that Yahweh has acted; let us be glad and
rejoice in it.” This is the day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord in the OT is the day in which God would
intervene to judge his enemies and to vindicate his people. The prophets spoke of the coming Day of the
147
Lord. In this case it is speaking of the day of victory which Yahweh won, vindicating his people. From this
you get the NT theology of the Lord’s day. Which day is this? It is the day of resurrection. The Day of the
Lord is the day of Christ’s death and resurrection taken together. Those three days are seen as one day.
Because that first Easter was on Sunday, every Sunday is the Day of the Lord in which we celebrate the
resurrection of our Lord. And then that anticipates the final Day of the Lord when God will judge all of his
enemies and vindicate the righteous.
The king and people are amazed at the miraculous way the Lord works. And they recognize the Lord as
the marvelous builder of the community, how he brought the community out of death into life. The
priest encourages them to join with the priests in rejoicing in the Lord. It is his day of triumph. Rejoice in
what he has done. This is the Easter psalm by the way. It is sung every Easter, which makes good sense.
The next exchange is a prayer which is the most fundamental prayer in Jewish tradition (v. 25). It is
emphatic, Please save us! In Aramaic this is, Hosanna! It is a plea in Hebrew to give us the victory, save
us. In Aramaic it becomes an acclamation meaning, Victory! Or Salvation! So when we say in the liturgy,
Hosanna in the highest, it’s not a prayer anymore but it is an acclamation of victory. Jesus was victorious
and he comes to us in the Sacrament as the Victor bringing the spoils of his victory to share with us.
This psalm went from a psalm sung at a great victory to a psalm sung at the Feast of Tabernacles. In
Israel the harvest begins in late spring, early summer. And then you have the dry months which
culminate in the vintage festival. So once the grapes have been brought in the farmers were concerned
with rain. They begin a new agricultural cycle. So in the Jewish tradition when they pray, Give us success
or Give us prosperity (see v. 25), they are thinking of their work. So in terms of agriculture, success or
prosperity would refer to having enough rain and a good harvest. They are asking that God bless them.
Then comes a strange response to this prayer for victory and success: Blessed is he who enters in the
name of Yahweh! (v. 26). This refers to the king. As Yahweh’s representative he is both blessed and the
bringer of blessing. The priest then pronounces a benediction upon the king: We bless you from the
house of Yahweh.
So what we have here is the king leading the people praying for future deliverance, future victory, future
blessing, future success. As we said already, this prayer for victory, in Jewish tradition, became a victory
cry. It’s like, Hallelujah. Hallelujah is a call to celebrate the victory. And you celebrate it by saying,
Hosanna!
In his blessing of the king, the gatekeeper says the king “has come in the name of Yahweh” (v. 26). If you
come in someone’s name that means that you represent them. The king represented God in battle and
now he comes as God’s representative to the temple to celebrate the Lord’s victory.
The king is then acknowledged as the recipient of Yahweh’s blessing and he is the bearer of God’s
blessing. By the way, there are only two places in the psalms where human beings are acknowledged as
being blessed. One is in Ps. 2 and the other is here. The irony is that ultimately it refers to Christ. He was
the recipient of the Lord’s blessing and he brings the Lord’s blessing.
Then both the king and people are blessed by the priest as they enter the temple (v. 26). What does that
mean? It means they go out from their celebration carrying the Lord’s blessing into their daily lives. They
148
come into God’s presence in order to thank God but they also receive blessing and leave as bearers of his
blessing.
We’ll take the last three verses all together (vv. 27-29). The king then says, “Yahweh is God, he has shone
on us”(v. 27). The last part of that is an echo of the Aaronic benediction. That echo continues as the
priests say, “We bless you from the house of Yahweh.” In the Aaronic benediction the priest says,
“Yahweh bless you and keep you. Yahweh make his face shine on you.” The verb for shone and shine is
the same. The priest continues, “Bind the festal procession with branches, to the horns of the altar!”
(v.27)
And the concluding act of thanksgiving is by the king (v. 28). He thanks God for the victory and says he
will raise God up as high as possible. Then comes the final invitation for everyone in Israel to thank God
(v. 29).
The king, together with the people, confesses their faith in Yahweh as God (v. 27). They are confessing
that he is the one and only God and he is the giver of light. Light is considered in two ways: (1) First as
the giver of victory and blessing. Yahweh is like the sun. The sun does two things when it rises. 1) It
dispels the darkness, the forces of chaos, and 2) it also brings life to creation. In the same way, Yahweh
has shone on Israel by (1) giving them the victory and (2) by giving them life-giving blessing.
The gatekeeper then invites the procession to go around the altar (v. 27b). To invite the people to go
around the altar was something that is normally impossible for any layperson. What happens is this. The
people who are in procession are carrying palm branches. Palm branches were symbols of victory. They
come up to the steps, go up the steps into the inner court, go around the altar, touch the four horns of
the altar with their palm branch and then go back out.
Now what is unusual about that? It is lay people entering holy ground and coming as close to altar as
they could. Only the priest on duty was allowed to touch the altar. Even the Levites weren’t allowed to
touch the altar. Why do they touch the horns of the altar with their palm branches? What’s the point of
it? To become holy. Holiness is communicated by contact with what is most holy. And by receiving
holiness they also received God’s blessing. Holiness and blessing go together. So they come in order to
receive blessing.
The altar was the place where God met with his people. For pagan people an idol was the means by
which they could access their god. So if you want help from a god, you went to the idol and touched the
idol, you kissed the feet of the idol, you put offerings in front of the idol. You can see that in Buddhist
and Hindu temples to this day. Israel had no idol. Where and how did God meet with his people?
According to Exodus and Leviticus the meeting place for God and his people was at the altar. To come
before Yahweh then means you come stand in front of the altar. To prostrate yourself before Yahweh
means you prostrate yourself before the altar. The altar is the point of meeting between Yahweh and his
people.
At the Feast of Tabernacles the people processed around the altar each day for 7 days. On the 8 th day the
people go around the altar 7 times with their palm branches. They don’t just touch the altar with their
palm branches but they beat them until the leaves fall off.
The altar then is the goal of the procession. Not only so they can bring thanksgiving to Yahweh, but then
also in turn so they can receive future blessing from Yahweh.
149
The king then responds to the permission granted by the priest with the formal enactment of
thanksgiving (v. 28) by saying: “Since you are my God, I thank you; I exalt you O my God.” When this is
said about Yahweh, it is raising God high, it is extolling Yahweh, it is saying he is the highest of all powers
in the universe.
The psalm then ends with the call to thanksgiving (v. 29). We are not sure who says this. It could be the
gatekeeper or the choir. It repeats v. 1. It connects the thanksgiving that was sung every day at the
morning and evening sacrifices with the thanksgiving by the king and his army for victory.
Now the NT Divine Service is sometimes called the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. It is a
fulfillment of this psalm. And this psalm lies behind that name.
The Liturgical and Theological Use of Psalm 118
As we said earlier, this psalm is the last psalm in the Egyptian Hallel (Pss. 113-118). By NT times to the
present day it came to be used by the Jews in the three great pilgrim festivals. If you go the synagogues
there is a special emphasis on the line “blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh.” For them that
is an acclamation not of the Messiah that has come but of the Messiah who is still to come.
By the time that the NT came there was a shift from Hebrew to Aramaic in common usage. The prayer,
give us the victory, save us, became Hosanna, the acclamation of God as the Victor. Matthew makes a
interesting point. He says at the climax of the celebration of the Feast of Passover that Jesus had with his
disciples that they sang a hymn and then went out to Gethsemane. The hymn they would have sung was
this series of psalms (Pss. 113-118). So Jesus and his disciples sang these psalms just before his arrest,
trial, death, and resurrection. By doing so he fulfills it and appropriates it for himself. [By these means he
will win the victory.]
It is interesting that the crowds, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, used this psalm. We call that day Palm
Sunday. Palms are usually used to celebrate victory. This was a victory celebration before the victory or in
anticipation of the victory. Let’s read Mt. 21:8-9. This is the acclamation of the crowd as Jesus enters
Jerusalem. Note what was added to Ps. 118. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” comes
from Ps. 118. “Hosanna to the Son of David” means the victory has been won by the Son of David. What
the crowds are doing is acclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. Secondly, they also add, “Hosanna in the
highest.” What does “in the highest” mean? It means heaven, all the company of heaven. So this is not
just an earthly victory but a cosmic victory. And angels and human beings together acclaim Jesus as the
Victor as he enters Jerusalem.
Jesus uses this psalm when he laments over Jerusalem. He says they’ve rejected the prophets and he
would like to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks but they are not willing. Then he says, “You will not
see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’”. So Jesus uses and applies
this passage to himself.
We are running out of time so we can’t look at all of the references in the NT where it speaks of Jesus
being the stone that was rejected but had become the cornerstone. So we’ll just skim over them. First it
was used by Jesus in the parable of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard sends his servants to collect
150
the rent but the tenants kill them. So he sends his son and they kill him too. This was a parable Jesus
spoke against the priests and leaders of Israel. In speaking against them, he quotes this psalm meaning
they have rejected him as worthless but he will become the cornerstone, the most important stone in
the building, the stone on which all the other stones depends on.
And then Peter uses this same passage to preach Jesus in Acts 4:11. And then Peter uses this passage as
the centerpiece in his first letter. Ch. 2 is built around this picture. The Christian community is a new
priesthood, a holy temple. Christians are living stones that are built around Christ, the cornerstone. So
this community has become the new temple of the living God.
Paul also alludes to Jesus being the cornerstone of the church in 1 Cor. 3 and in Eph. 2.
Now liturgically from very early times, from the time of the Didache (90-100AD), the phrase “blessed is
he who come in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest” was part of the Communion liturgy. It is
one of the oldest attested parts of the Communion service. So right from the beginning it was applied to
Holy Communion. What is the theology here? Just as the king came as the victor to the temple at
Jerusalem and just as Jesus entered Jerusalem to win the victory, so Jesus enters Holy Communion. He
comes to his people to bring them blessing, to bring them the spoils of his great victory over Satan and
all the powers of darkness. So we have a connection between Jesus who came 2000 years ago and Jesus
who comes now in Holy Communion and Jesus who will come again at the end of the world. We have an
echo of that in our Communion Service when the Maranatha prayer, which is modeled after this, is
prayed: Amen! Even so come Lord Jesus! When we pray it, we are saying, Come now and come again at
the end of the world.
In the lectionary this psalm is used quite obviously on two occasions, Palm Sunday and most importantly
Easter Sunday. It’s use on Easter Sunday is one of the oldest attested parts of the liturgy that we have.
I would like to call attention to a very good paraphrase to the second part of this psalm by Isaac Watts, a
great English hymn writer. Hymn 502 in the ALH – “This is the day the Lord hath made.”
The Reading and Application of Ps. 118
Now we’ll do something a little bit different. Dr. Kleinig gave them a handout. It is included as part of the
Class Notes, page 71. We took a look at how Ps. 118 was read and applied over time. This psalm is a
good example of how the application of a part of the Bible changes with different circumstances. We
take a quick look at how this psalm has been applied through history.
1. The first and most obvious way that this psalm was used was after a victory in battle. It would
have been used this way in the pre-exilic period when there were still kings and the monarchy. It
became a part of the regular victory celebration of the kings.
2. The second way in which it was used was that it became a part of the normal liturgy for the
Feast of Tabernacles before exile. It was used on a day of annual thanksgiving. So it went from a
day of thanksgiving for a particular occasion to a national day of thanksgiving on the Feast of
Tabernacles for the Lord’s victory over the powers of evil, all the powers of darkness. So when
prayed at that Feast, it became a prayer for God’s victory against future enemies and for God’s
blessing.
3. The third level of reading comes when it is brought together into a collection with other psalms,
which today are Pss. 113-118. It was brought into Israel’s hymnbook. It then became a part of
151
the liturgy for the three great festivals: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. They celebrated
God’s deliverance, God’s blessing, and God’s victory. [In it Israel thanked God for past victories
and prayed to God for the future victory of God’s people won by the Messiah who brought with
him God’s blessing.]
4. The fourth level reading we’ve touched on already. This psalm was used by the crowd of people
for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He is acclaimed to be the one they were looking
for, the one who was to come. As he came into Jerusalem they welcomed him as the Messiah.
They then expected him to deliver them from their enemies. But they missed the part where the
Messiah was to be rejected before he became the cornerstone.
5. The fifth use of this psalm was that it was used by Jesus and the apostles as a Christological
reading. Jesus used it to preach himself. Jesus used it in particular to preach his rejection by the
very people who should have accepted him. The priests and leaders of Israel rejected Jesus and
had him put to death. But then God stepped in and vindicated Jesus as the promised Messiah.
Jesus then became the foundation stone or cornerstone of the church as the new temple of God.
So Jesus used it to explain the rejection of the temple and the establishment of a new temple
with him as the cornerstone.
6. The sixth level of reading came at the beginning of the church. This psalm wasn’t used just one
day a year on Easter Sunday, it became a part of the Communion liturgy. This is the sacramental
level. In the Communion Service we celebrate and give thanksgiving to God for the victory that
he accomplishes through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That is where the term
Eucharist comes from. In this service Jesus is acclaimed as the One who comes to us in the Lord’s
Supper, as the One who has been blessed by God and is the bringer of blessing to us. We come
to receive heavenly blessing from him.
7. The seventh level of reading is that it is used personally for devotions. Luther used it this way
and loved this psalm. He applied this psalm to himself devotionally.
If you are going to understand the psalms and the OT you need to see the history of interpretation, what
lies behind it and in front of it. So behind this psalm lies a victory celebration and in front of it lies a
whole history of liturgical use in the temple and to the present day in the church. And most importantly,
in this case, as the last of the Hallel psalms, it points eschatologically to the great Day of the Lord.
Next class we will be looking at a hymn of praise, another processional psalm, Psalm 95. After that we
will take a look at Ps. 96. [At the end of the Class Notes, it also has Ps. 110, which is representative of the
Royal Psalms.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Unfortunately this was the last session recorded, so we don’t get to see the end of this class. I will use
the Class Notes to provide Pss. 95, 96, and 110.]
Psalm 95 – A Hymn of Praise

[Go to pages 89-94 of the class notes.]
Here is Psalm 95 (ESV)
152
95 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
8
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9
when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
11
Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Text and Translation

V. 1
“come” – is used here as a technical term for going on procession into the temple at Jerusalem as in Ps
122:1 (see Ps 46:8; 66:5, 16; Isa 2:2-3).
“make a joyful noise” - is used for loud verbal cries of acclamation, as with a war cry or the greeting of a
king by his people.
V.2
“come into his presence” - is a rather rare idiom for visiting the Lord’s temple and approaching him there
(see Micah 6:6).
“as we shout aloud to him with music” – an alternate translation. V. 2a provides the circumstances under
which they find themselves shouting out loud and acclaiming Yahweh with music.
V. 3
“great God”, “great King” - ‘great’ was used for El the head of the Canaanite pantheon. ‘Great king’ was
used for the Assyrian emperor as the ruler of other vassal kings (see 2 Kgs 18:28).
V. 6
153
“bow down” - is probably used as a technical term for entry into the sanctuary area via the inner gate at
the temple (see Ps 5:7; 40:7; 42:2; 65:2; 66:13; 71:16; 86:9; 100:2, 4; 118:19, 20, 26).
V.7
“if you hear his voice” (ESV) – Dr. Kleinig says it should not be translated “if,” but as an exclamation to
introduce a wish: “O that you hear his voice!”
V. 9
“when” – could also be translated as “so that” or “with the result that.”
“though” – should be translated as “even though” or “yet.”
V. 11
“Therefore” – could also be translated “As a result.”
“They” – in the LXX it has “that generation.”
Genre and Setting

This is a hymn of praise with some modifications to the usual pattern. Verses 1a and 6a are calls to praise
Yahweh. They are followed by pleas and invitations to join and participate in worship. The psalm ends
with a passage of instruction in vv. 8-11 with God as the teacher.
The psalm was obviously used for worship at the temple. It was associated with the ritual prostration
(“let us worship and bow down”) of the congregation which, according to 2 Chron 29:27-29, occurred
during the presentation of the public burnt offering each morning and evening. As the choir sings this
psalm, they invite the people to join in by coming into his presence (v. 2, or “walking” into the temple)
and by entering his sanctuary to worship and bow down (v. 6). This points to this psalm being used in
processions. Also the call to jubilation and acclamation in vv. 1-2 indicates its use in one of the great
pilgrim festivals, probably the Feast of Tabernacles. This is brought out also by the mention of Yahweh’s
kingship (v. 3), the wilderness period (vv. 8-10) where they stayed in booths, and the gift of rest (v. 11).
Literary Features
Verses 8-11 are a divine oracle, God speaking directly.
The repetition of chain words in the same or the following verse: ‘Acclaim’ in 1,2; ‘Great’ in 3; and
‘Made’ 5,6. These words are repeated in order to further expand what is being said.
Certain key words are repeated: ‘Face/presence’ in 2,6; ‘Hand’ in 4,5,7; ‘Enter’ in 6,11; ‘People’ in 7,10;
and ‘Heart’ in 8,10.
Verses 4-5 have a chiastic structure.

4
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5
The sea is his, for he made it,
154
and his hands formed the dry land.
The psalm is built around the sequence of two imperatives in 1 and 6 followed by a positive and negative
exhortation in 7 and 8.
Structure
[See pages 90-91 of the class notes.]
a. Invitation to Approach the Lord: 1-5

• Call to congregational acclamation in approaching the Lord (1-2)
• Acknowledgment of the Lord as King of the Universe (3-5)
b. Invitation to Entry into the Lord's Presence: 6-7

• Call to congregational prostration before the Lord (6)
• Confession: Lord as their God and themselves as his flock (7a)
• Appeal for listening to his voice (7b)
c. God's Warning about the Consequence of Refusal to Listen: 8-11

• Hard-heartedness like Israel at Meribah (8-9)
• Their exclusion from God's rest (10-11)
Exegesis
a. Call for Acclamation of the Lord: 1-5
The psalm begins with a command by the choir to the congregation for involvement in a procession into
the temple at one of the three great festivals. How did this occur? The choir sang a song of 'thanksgiving'
accompanied by instrumental 'music'. The congregation was urged to join in the praise of the choir by
shouts of acclamation to the Lord. Together they 'approached' his presence in the temple.
The procession acclaimed the Lord as 'the rock of their security/deliverance' (see Ps 89:26 and the rock
on which the altar was built). What does it mean that he was their rock? As the cosmic rock he provided
stability and safety for them (Ps 18:2; 31:2; 62:2, 6-7; 71:3) against the powers of chaos (Ps 28:1; 42:9).
With him they were safe from their enemies (Ps 18:31-32, 46-48; 27:5; 92:15; 144:1). They could rely on
him as their redeemer (Ps 19:15; 78:35). From him as their rock they received life-giving water to drink
(see Exod 17:6; Num 20:9-11; Deut 8:15; Neh 9:15; Ps 78:15-16,20; 105:41; 114:8; Isa 48:21). To call him
their rock then is to praise and confess that they rely and trust in him for stability, safety, and life.
Both the reason for and content of their praise is given in 3-5.
 The Lord is the supreme God and 'emperor' (see Ps 47:3; 48:2) of all other 'supernatural beings'
(see Ps 29:1-2; 96:4; 97:7, 9).
 Vertically, he controlled the whole world from the depths of the earth where the ghosts of the
dead and demons were held to reside, to the peaks of the mountains where the 'gods' were
believed to live and exercise their rule.
 Horizontally, he possessed both the sea and the dry land as his domain, since he created both.
This meant that God's people were safe in Zion from the threat of ghosts and pagan gods, demons and
chaotic cosmic powers.
155
b. Call for Prostration in the Sanctuary: 6-7
The psalm continues with the second command to the congregation. They are invited to enter the
sanctuary with the choir. There they are urged to bow, kneel and prostrate themselves in homage before
the Lord, their 'maker' (see Ps 149:2 and Keel, 308-11).
In v. 7 the psalm recalls the so-called covenant formula by which God commits himself to Israel and it as
his people. The full formula is: ‘I will be your God, and you will be my people’ (Lev 26:12; Jer 7:23; 11:4;
Ezek 34:30; see also Gen 17:8; Exod 6:7; 29:45; Lev 26:45; Deut 29:13; 2 Sam 7:24; Jer 24:7; 31:33;
32:38; Ezek 11:20; 34:24; 37:23,27). It resembles the formula for adoption (see 2 Sam 7:14) and formula
for marriage (see Hos 2:23). By this formula of self-commitment the Lord offered himself to his people in
their worship and made himself available to them as their God (Exod 29:45; Lev 26:45; Ezek 37:27).
By their act of prostration in his 'presence' they acknowledged two things. The Lord was present with
them as their God. They were his people who depended on him and owed their exclusive allegiance to
him.
Their relationship with the Lord was envisaged in pastoral terms. He provided a 'grazing place' (Ps 74:1;
79:13; 100:3; Jer 23:1; Ezek 34:3) for them in the land with the temple. As his 'flock' (Ps 77:20; 78:52;
80:2) they belonged to him and were cared for by him there.
By their prostration they therefore placed themselves in the 'hands' of the God who had created the
earth (5) and controlled the underworld (4).
After the call to prostration comes an admonition of the choir to the congregation (7b). It was not
enough for them just to praise the Lord and pay homage to him at the temple. God had called them
there to 'listen' to his 'voice' as he spoke to them on the 'Today' of the festival (see Deut 4:40; 5:1-2; 6:6;
29:10,12-15; 30:11,15,18) and so revealed himself and his ways to them. Their 'seeing' of God's deeds
(verse 9) must lead to their 'hearing' of his word.
c. God's Warning about the Consequence of Disobedience: 8-11
In vv. 8-11 God himself addressed the congregation through the choir which prophesied for him (see 1
Chron 25:1, 2, 3). He warned them against 'hardening their hearts' (see Exod 7:3; Prov 28:14) by refusing
to 'listen' to him. He reminded them of the incident at Meribah/Massah as found in Exod 17:1-7 (see also
Deut 33:8 and the mention of Massah in Deut 6:16; 9:22 and Meribah in Num 20:2-13; Ps 81:7). There
the Israelites who lacked water 'challenged' (merībāh comes from rīb) Moses by demanding water (Exod
17:2) and 'tested' (massāh comes from nissāh) him by questioning whether the Lord was really present
with them (Exod 17:7). In answer to their challenge God gave them water from a rock which Moses had
struck with his rod (Exod 17:5-6). This incident reveals the hardheartedness of his people who had seen
his salvation and yet refused to believe in him. They 'tested' God (see Deut 6:16; Num 14:22; Ps 78:18,
41, 56; 106:14) and demanded 'proof' (bāchan; see Mal 3:15) of his presence. In this they reversed roles,
since God normally 'tested' and 'proved' human hearts (see Ps 26:2). Their testing of the Lord, which
culminated in their reaction to the report of the spies about the promised land, led to God's oath that he
would not let that generation enter the land (Num 14:20-23,28-35). For forty years he showed his
'disgust' (see Ezek 6:9; 29:43; 36:31; Job 10:1) at the hard-hearted determination of his people to go
156
their own way and their refusal to acknowledge his 'ways', even though they had experienced his 'work'
(see Ps 44:1; 77:12; 143:5).
The warning of God is a kind of riddle for the people as they ‘enter’ the sanctuary (note the recurrence
of ‘enter’ in 6 and 11). Just as the Lord had refused to let those who had experienced his presence with
them in the exodus to enter the land and find a 'resting place' (Deut 12:9; see also 3:20; 12:10) there, so
those who were about to enter the temple would not enter 'God's rest', if they did not listen to God's
voice and walk in his ways. The temple was 'the resting place' for the Lord and his ark (Ps 132:8; 1 Chron
6:31; 28:2; Isa 66:1) where he gave 'rest' to his people (Ps 116:7; 1 Kgs 8:56; 1 Chron 23:25). That rest
involved protection, security, leisure and peace. Whereas elsewhere in the OT God promised to give his
people rest from their enemies in the land (Deut 12:10; Josh 23:1; 2 Sam 7:1,11; 1 Chron 22:9),here he
gives them rest from their own disobedient hearts, since they themselves are their own worst enemies
and the cause of their disaster. By listening to the Lord's voice they submitted with their hearts to their
ruler and entered his rest.
Liturgical and Theological Use

Liturgical use
This psalm is used by Jews in the synagogue as an invitatory at the service for the commencement of the
Sabbath. Ps 95:1-7 is used as a call to worship in Matins and at the beginning of many Protestant
services.
Ps 95:6-11 is set as a reading for 20 Pentecost C with the teaching on discipleship in Luke 17:1-10.
Theological Use
It is quoted in Hebrews 3:7 - 4:13 which is a sermon on this text. God provides access to his eternal
Sabbath rest through worship in his house. Those who listen to the Gospel and believe in it with their
hearts enter God's rest and cease from their labour. They may, however, still miss out on the eternal
enjoyment of that rest through their disobedience and apostasy.
In Psalm 95 we have a short theology of worship. In the divine service we enter the Lord's presence and
acknowledge his gracious sovereignty. Since God's presence and his ways are revealed to us through his
word, we assemble to listen to his voice as he addresses us. By faith in his word we enter the eternal
Sabbath rest of God in the heavenly sanctuary (see Rev 14:13). Our worship is therefore a matter of
resting with God and letting him speak to us.
Psalm 96 – A Hymn of Praise

157
96 Oh sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
8
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;[a]
tremble before him, all the earth!
10
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
11
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13
before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
[Since there was no video for this psalm, I copied the following from the Class Notes.]

[See page 95-96 of the class notes.]
V. 1
Instead of translating as “Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!” it would be
more accurate to use “about” or “concerning” instead of “to.” So it would be “Oh sing about/concerning
the LORD a new song; sing about/concerning the LORD, all the earth!”.
V. 2
Similarly in v. 2 “Sing to the LORD” would be rendered “Sing about/concerning the LORD”.
158
To 'bless' the Lord's 'name' (cf. Ps 100:4; 103:1; 145:1,21) means to acknowledge him by his name as the
giver of blessing by saying: bārūch (Ps 66:8#20; 68:26#35; 135:19-20#21).
V. 2 and/or V. 3
[Not sure if this applies to “tell” in v.2 or “declare” in v. 3 or both.] The verb bissar which is translated as
euaggelizō in the LXX is used in the following ways in the OT:
 Secularly for the report by a herald of a battle's outcome (1 Sam 4:17; 31:9; 2 Sam 1:20; 4:10;
18:19,20,26; 1 Chron 10:9)
 Theologically for the report of the Lord's victory over his enemies to Zion (Isa 40:9; 41:27; 52:7;
60:6; 61:1; Neh 1:15)
 Liturgically for the praise of the Lord's victory in individual thanksgiving (Ps 40:9) and corporate
praise (Ps 96:2; Isa 60:6).
Vv. 4 and 5
The plural noun ‘ĕlīlīm is used as a contemptuous term for pagan deities (translated as “gods”). It comes
from a verb that means to ‘be weak’, ‘feeble,’ ‘ineffectual’ and ‘worthless.’ It can also be construed as a
diminutive form of ‘ēl, god, with the sense of ‘godling’ or ‘would-be god.’ So “all gods” could be rendered
as “all would-be gods.”
V. 6
The two pairs of words in v. 6 [“splendor and majesty” and “strength and beauty”] are cases of
hendiadys in which the second word qualifies the first. Behind them both lies the imagery of royal dress
which indicated three things in the ancient world
• The king's position
• The king's powers
• The king's status
The Lord is said to be clothed with ‘authority’ ( hōd) and ‘splendid attire’ (hādār) as marks of his position
(Ps 104:1; cf. 93:1; 110:3). He bestows them on human beings (Ps 8:5), the king (Ps 21:5; 45:3) and his
people (Ps 96:6; cf. 90:16; 149:9). In that case we could translate the phrase hōd wĕhādār as ‘invested
authority’ or ‘majesty with high honour.’ The ‘headdress’ (pĕ’ēr) of people indicated their ‘honourable
status’ (tiph’ereth) in the ancient world. The Lord who had high status (Ps 71:8; Isa 61:9; 1 Chron
29:11,13), shared it with Israel (Deut 26:19; Ps 89:17; cf. Ps 149:4; Isa 44:23) and Zion (Isa 52:1; Jer 33:9;
cf. Isa 60:21; 61:3). In that case we could translate the phrase: ōz wĕtiph’ereth as 'invested power' or
'power with status.'
Vv. 7 and 8
The form hābū is the plural imperative from root yāhab [translated as “ascribe”].
The phrase kābōd wĕōz means 'powerful glory.'
V.9
The phrase bĕhadrath qōdesh in 9 [“splendor of holiness”], found here and in Ps 29:2; 1 Chron 16:29 (cf.
2 Chron 20:21; Ps 110:3) can be construed and translated as follows
• ‘In the beauty of holiness,’ ie the state of the sanctified worshipper
• ‘In holy attire,’ ie the clothing of the priests and levitical singers (cf. 2 Chron 5:12)
• ‘At the manifestation of holiness,’ ie the theophany of the Lord at the temple (see the use of
hdrt in Ugaritic in this sense)
159
• ‘In the splendour of the sanctuary,’ ie the location for prostration (see the LXX which reads ‘in
the court’)
• ‘In his holy spendour/attire', ie the royal majesty of the Lord.
Of those, the last two are most likely.
While chīl is used literally for the labour pain of a woman giving birth to a child, it is used metaphorically
in v. 9 for the trembling of the earth at the appearance of the heavenly king.
V. 10
The sense and function of the phrase YHWH mālāk in 10 has been the subject of much debate, since
Mowinckel, drawing on accounts of royal enthronements in 2 Sam 5:10; 1 Kgs 1:11,13,18; and 2 Kgs 9:13,
used it to argue for the use of this psalm in an enthronement festival for the Lord.
• Does it mean: ‘YHWH has become king’ (the assumption of kingship), or ‘YHWH is king’ (the
state of kingship), or ‘YHWH reigns as king’ (ongoing eternal kingship). The latter is most likely in
view of the reference to creation in v. 5.
• Did it originally function as the formula of investiture at the Lord's enthronement, or a cry of
acclamation with an act of homage to the Lord, or a declaration of fidelity by his subjects, or as a
proclamation of kingship? Whatever its origin, it functions as formal proclamation in Ps 93:1;
96:10; 97:1; and 99:1 (see M Z Brettler, God is King (Sheffield: JSOT, 1989), 141-158).
While the MT construes tikkūn in 10 as the 2 fs imp. Niphal of kūn, the LXX construes it as tikkēn, ie the 3
ms pf. Piel of tākan: 'he has established/regulated' (cf Ps 75:4).
V. 13
The phrase ki bā’ can be construed in a number of ways.
• Ki can mean either ‘when’ or ‘because.’
• Bā’ can be taken as a perfect (‘he has come’ or ‘he came’) or as a participle with a present
sense (‘he comes’ or ‘he is coming’) or a future sense (‘he will come’). The present or future
sense fits best in the light of the following imperfect.
Genre and Setting
a. Psalm 96 is an imperative hymn of praise.

(1) It belongs to the so-called enthronement psalms: 47, 93, 96-99.
(2) Scholars deduce from Zech 14:16-17 that it and all these psalms were
originally used at the autumn festival (Tabernacles)
• In the annual enactment of the Lord's enthronement (Mowinckel)?
• In the renewal of the Sinai covenant with a re-enacted theophany (Weiser)?
• In the annual royal celebration of the election of David and Zion (Kraus)?
• In the annual celebration of the Lord's kingship (most present scholars)
b. The LXX ascribes this psalm to David and adds that it was used ‘when the temple was built after the
captivity.’
c. Most of this psalm is found combined with Ps 105:1-15 and 106:47-48 in 1

Chron 16:8-36.
160
(1) It is presented as an example of the praise which David had appointed to be sung by the
levitical choir morning and evening in Jerusalem.
(2) It indicates that the psalm was used to accompany the daily burnt offering at the temple (cf.
the reference to the cereal offering and prostration in 8).
Literary Features
[See page 97 and 98 of the class notes.]
Notice the use of three-step parallelism.

 In vv. 1-2a is the repetition of “Sing to the Lord.”
 In vv. 2b-3 is the progression from “his victory” to “his glory” to “his miracles.”
 In vv. 7-8a is the repetition of “Ascribe to the Lord.”
 In vv. 8b-9 is the progression from “in his courts” to “to the Lord” to “at his presence.”
 In v. 10 is the progression from “reigning” to “being established” to “executing justice.”
 In vv. 11-12a is the progression from “heaven and earth” to “sea” to “arable land.”
The following inclusion is used:

 All the earth in vv. 1 and 9
 World/arable land in vv. 10 and 13
 Peoples in vv. 10 and 13
Key words used in the psalm are:

 The earth in vv. 1, 9, 11, and 13
 All in vv. 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 12
 Peoples in vv. 3, 5, 7, 10, and 13
 His name in vv. 2 and 8
 Glory in vv. 3 and 7
 Heavens in vv. 5 and 11
 Power in vv. 6 and 7
Structure

a. Proclamation of the Lord's Victory: 1-9
• Call for the earth to sing a new song of victory (1-3)
• Reason for the new song (4-6)
> The Lord's triumph over all other gods
> Gift of divine honours and powers from the Lord
• Call for all peoples to worship the Lord at the temple (7-9)
> by acknowledging him for their status and power
> by presenting an offering and performing prostration before him
b. Announcement and Celebration of the Lord's Advent: 10-13
• Commission of all peoples as heralds of the Lord's rule
• Summons to the whole natural world to rejoice in the Lord
• Celebration of the Lord's coming in judgment
161
Exegesis
a. Proclamation of the Lord's Victory: 1-9
The psalm begins with the call by the choir to sing ‘a new song.’ This does not just refer to a new
composition but to a new act of the Lord which evokes new praise and so extends the repertoire of
praise at the temple. Hence in some laments a person promised to sing a new song, when the Lord
rescued him from the realm of death (Ps 40:4) or gave him a victory (Ps 144:9-10). So the congregation
was at times called to sing a new song in response to the Lord's mighty deeds (Ps 33:3; 98:1; 149:1) or in
anticipation of them (Isa 42:10). In this psalm the new song not only recalls the Lord's deeds in creating
the heavens and in dispossessing the gods of the nations, but also announces his advent as judge of the
whole world.
This new song was to be sung daily by a global choir to an international audience. It was not just sung
occasionally but daily at the temple (v. 2). By it the choir did not just call the Israelite congregation with
all its families but also the whole earth with all families from the nations (v. 7) to join in with it. Note that
at the festivals representatives of each ‘family’ were present at the temple. These families, in turn, were
called to address this song to the ‘nations’ (Ps 18:49) and ‘all peoples’ (Ps 9:10; 57:9; 105:1; Isa 12:4).
The nature of this song is described by the three imperatives in vv. 2-3. (1) The peoples were to ‘bless’
the Lord's name (Ps 72:19; 100:4; 103:1; 113:2; 145:1, 21) by acknowledging the Lord's name as the
source of blessing. (2a) They were to act as heralds to the nations by ‘telling the good news’ of the Lord's
victory over all their ‘so-called gods’ (V.2b). (3) They were to proclaim the Lord's ‘glory,’ his character and
gracious presence (see Ps 26:8; 29:9; 63:2; 102:16), as well as his ‘miracles’(v. 3) (see Isa 9:1; 26:7; 75:1;
78:4) on the international stage (cf. the connection between the presence of the Lord's glory in the
temple and its manifestation through praise in 2 Chron 5:11-14).
Just as the heavens ‘declared the Lord's glorious presence’ in their midst by the operation of the sun (Ps
19:1-7), so the congregation was called to declare his glorious presence in their midst by this song.
The first reason for the new song was that the Lord had proved himself to be ‘greater,’ more ‘praise-
worthy’ (Ps 18:3; 48:1; 113:3; 145:3) and more ‘wonderful’ (Ps 47:2; 66:3,5; 68:35; 76:7, 12; 89:7) than
all other gods (v. 4). By his miraculous deeds (v. 3) he had won a great victory over them (v. 2). He had
shown that they were ‘weaklings’(v. 5) (Lev 19:4; 26:1; Isa 2:8,18,20; 10:10,11; 19:1-3; 31:7; Ezek 50:13).
He had been able to overpower them, because he had made the heavens which were their special
domain and sphere of power (v. 5). It is not certain whether ‘the miraculous deeds’ (v. 3) refers to the
Lord's work in creation or the exodus or in some other event of Israel's history such as the return from
exile.
The second reason for the new song was that the Lord had made himself and his powers available to the
peoples of the earth in his sanctuary. The Lord was present with his ‘glory’ (v. 3a) in the sanctuary of the
temple and revealed it to his people through his name (vv. 2, 8; see Ps 66:2; 72:19; 79:9). There, like a
king with his courtiers, he shared his ‘royal authority’ (Ps 21:5; 90:16; 149:9), his ‘power’ (Ps 29:11; 63:2;
68:35; 84:5; 86:16; 105:4) and his ‘status’ (Ps 89:17) with his people. None of these could, however, be
had apart from his presence, since they were all derived and delegated powers dependent on contact
with him.
162
Since the Lord was present with his ‘glory’ and ‘power’ in the temple for all the families of the peoples (v.
7a), they were called to praise the Lord together with Israel and, by implication with the borrowing of vv.
7-8 from Ps 29:1-2, with the Lord's heavenly courtiers. First, they were to ‘ascribe glory and power to the
Lord’ (v. 7, cf. Deut 32:3) by acknowledging the Lord's ‘glory’ and ‘power’ (v. 7b) at the temple (v. 8b) and
to proclaim ‘his name’ (v. 8a) as the means by which he manifested his glory and power (cf. Ps 29:9 and
the use of doxology in the NT and the early church). Secondly, like vassals who brought tribute to their
overlord and paid homage to him at his palace (Ps 72:10-11; cf. 1 Chron 18:2,6), they were to bring a
‘grain offering’ to the Lord in his courts (v. 8b) and prostrate themselves before him (v. 9a) (see the
mention of grain offering from the Gentiles in Isa 19:21; Mal 1:11).
The earth itself was called to join its inhabitants in paying homage to the Lord (v. 9b). Those psalms
which depicted the Lord's theophany on earth described its impact on the natural world by comparing it
to the 'writhing' and 'trembling' of a woman in labour (Ps 29:8,9; 77:16; 97:4; 114:7; Hab 3:10). In this
psalm the earth is called to tremble with excitement and joy (cf. v.11) in the presence of the Lord
because of what was happening to it (v. 9b). In this way it too joined with Israel and all peoples in singing
the new song to the Lord (see the elaboration of this idea in 11-12).
b. Announcement and Celebration of the Lord's Advent: 10-13
In v. 10 the peoples of the earth are commissioned to act as heralds of the Lord to the nations. As a
result of the Lord's victory over the gods (vv. 4-5) they could now announce his reign as king (v. 10a). His
rule extended over all the ‘habitable world’ (tēbēl) and its peoples (v. 10b). The ‘ecological’ order of the
world, which had been established at creation (Ps 104:5) but had been disrupted by injustice (Ps 82:5),
was about to be restored by the heavenly King in an act of re-creation (v. 10b, cf. 93:1). As the divine king
of the whole world he would 'establish justice' by ruling 'fairly' and redressing the wrongs suffered by all
peoples (v, 10b-c, see God’s judgment in Ps 54:1; 72:2; 135:14; cf. Gen 30:6; Deut 32:36; Jer 5:28; 21:12;
22:16). The use of the imperfect tenses in v. 10 b-c indicates that the restoration of order and justice
would either occur in the future or else begin already in the present.
With performative jussives which parallel the commands of the Lord in creation (cf. Gen 1:3,6,9,11,14-
15,24), the natural world is summoned and empowered to announce and celebrate the Lord's advent
(vv. 11-12, cf. Ps 69:34; 98:7-8; Isa 42:10-11; 44:23; 49:13; 55:12). First, the heavens are called to ‘rejoice’
(v. 11a, Isa 44:23; 49:13). Secondly, the earth is called to ‘dance with joy’ (v. 11a, Ps 69:34; Isa 44:23;
49:13; cf. 42:10-11). Thirdly, the sea and its contents are called to ‘thunder (v. 11b, Ps 98:7; cf. Ps 69:34;
Isa 42:10). Fourthly, all the arable land and everything on it are called to ‘exult’ (v. 12a). By its summons
in this song of victory the congregation evokes and produces an appropriate form of praise from each of
these.
The announcement of the Lord's victory results in the celebration of his advent in v. 13. The trees of the
forest would greet their king with cries of joy (v. 12a, Isa 44:23; 55:12; cf. Ps 29:5, 8-9; 148:9). As the
species which contained the largest living creatures growing on the earth, the trees would welcome his
coming to judge the earth. Since the trees of the forest also traditionally symbolized the various classes
of people in the wisdom tradition (1 Kgs 4:33; cf. Isa 10:18-19,33-34; 29:17; 32:15,19; Ezek 17:1-24; 31:2-
18), 12b may refer to the jubilation of both botanical and human life.
They would greet their king as he ‘came’ to them (v. 13 a-b, Ps 98:9). The verb bā’ was used for the
coming of the Lord in a theophany to his people (Exod 19:9, 20; Deut 32:2; Isa 30:27; 35:4; 40:10; Zech
163
14:5) and for his coming to meet with his people at the temple (Ps 24:7, 9; 50:3; 68:17; Zech 2:14; Mal
3:1, 2). Here (v. 13 a-b) it is used in both these senses, since the coming of the Lord to his people in their
worship anticipates his final theophany to the whole cosmos.
The divine king comes to the earth to ‘judge’ it (v. 13b). The psalm reflects the pattern of events in the
ancient world, when a new king assumed the throne. After conquering his enemies, he would set his
kingdom in order. The verb ‘judge’ here is used in the sense of ‘righting what was wrong’ and ‘ruling
justly’ (see Ps 9:7-8; 67:4; 75:2; 82:8). As king of the world his rule would be marked by ‘righteousness’
and ‘faithfulness’ (v. 13 c-d) rather than ‘injustice’ and ‘dishonesty.’
This new song to the Lord not only praises the Lord for what he had done in creation and in Israel's
history, but also announces his present and future rule over the whole earth.
This psalm is set to be read

 Partly, 1-2 and 11-13, on Christmas Eve with Luke 2:1-14
 Entirely for the first service on Christmas Day with Luke 2:1-14
 Entirely for Pentecost 22 A with Matt 22:15-21 and its discussion of paying taxes and giving God
what belongs to him
There are a number of clear allusions to this psalm in the NT.

(1) The new song of the redeemed with the heavenly host in Rev 5:9 and 14:3 is the fulfilment of 96:1.
(2) The proclamation by the angel of the eternal gospel in Rev 14:6-7 with its call to the nations to give
God glory and make prostration before him is the fulfillment of 96:2-3, 7-9.
(3) The announcement of God's reign as king of the world in Rev 19:6 recalls Ps 96:10.
(4) The call for the heavens to rejoice in God's triumph over Satan in Rev 12:12 recalls Ps 96:11.
(5) The reference to Jesus as judge of the world in Acts 17:31 and Rev 19:10 recalls Ps 96:10,13.
Psalm 110 – A Royal Psalm

A Psalm of David.
110 The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2
The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
164
Rule in the midst of your enemies!

3
Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,[a]
in holy garments;[b]
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.[c]
4
The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
5
The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6
He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs[d]
over the wide earth.
7
He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.
a. The imperative redāh (rule) in v. 2 states the result of the previous action.
b. Verse 3 is the most obscure text in the whole Psalter which consists in its present form of a series of
phrases with no verbs.
 V. 3a - Instead of ‘ammekā nedābōth, 'your people/army (is) voluntary offering/ willingness', the
LXX reads ‘immekā nedībōth, 'with you is princely rank / the nobility.'
 V. 3c - -While the MT reads behadrē qōdesh 'with holy attire/regalia' or ‘in the splendour of
holiness’, some other manuscripts read beharrē qōdesh 'on the holy mountains' (cf. Ps 87:1).
 V. 3d - -Mishchār is a unique word that is equivalent to shachar, ‘dawn’.
 V. 3e - Instead of following the tradition of the MT which reads yalduthekā, 'your youth/your
young men', the LXX, influenced by Ps 2:7, points yelidtīkā, 'I have begotten you', and so takes
the latter part of 3 as another oracle of the Lord.
c. The final yodh with dibrathī and malkī in v. 4 are cases of the old Hebrew construct case ending.
d. There is some uncertainty as to whether God or the king is the subject of the verbs in 5-7. There are
three possibilities for interpretation:
 While God is the subject of vv. 5-6, the king could be the subject of v. 7. In that case yārīm should
be repointed as yārūm, ‘(his) head will be high’.
 The king could be the subject of all this section. In that case ‘lord’ in v. 5 refers to the king as in v.
1 and so should be repointed as ‘adōni.
165
 While God is the subject of v. 5a and v. 7b, the king could be the subject of vv. 5b-7a. In that case
yārīm would not have to be repointed as yārūm (see Ps 3:4 and 27:6). This option seems most
likely, despite the shift from speaking to the king in v. 5a to speaking about the king in the third
person in vv. 5b-7a. Such shifts are not unusual in visionary prophecy (see Gen 49:8-9; Num
24:5-7; Mic 3:1-4).
e. Some versions read gēbāyōth, 'valleys', rather than gewiyyōth, 'bodies/corpses' in v. 6.
f. While most translators take r’ōsh in v. 6 as a collective plural, ''heads”, the use of the same term in v. 7
indicates that a single person is mentioned, 'the head of the great land/chief land/wide earth'.
Royal Psalms
a. See chapter 10 in Bullock, Encountering the Book of the Psalms, 177-86.
b. Since the following psalms are clearly used on royal occasions during the monarchy, they were
obviously composed for the Davidic kings in Israel. They presuppose a theology of kingship and were
included in the Psalter in the post-exilic period because they were regarded as prophetic and Messianic.
 Psalm 2: anointing or coronation of a king
 Psalm 18: royal thanksgiving for victory in battle (cf. 2 Sam 22)
 Psalm 20: Intercession of a king and blessing of him before battle
 Psalm 21: Thanksgiving for past victories of the king and confidence in future victories by the
Lord through the king
 Psalm 45: royal wedding
 Psalm 72: prayer for the king as the administrator of God's justice and righteousness
 Psalm 89: lament for the lack of a king on David's throne
 Psalm 101: king's pledge of loyalty and integrity before God
 Psalm 110: enthronement of a king
 Psalm 132: prayer for God's blessing of the king and God's promise of blessing for Zion
 Psalm 144: prayer for the security of the king and the nation
c. The king is also mentioned in parts of other psalms, such as 28:8; 61:5-6; 63:11; 78:70-72; and 84:9. So
it is possible that these and other psalms were also originally used by or for the king.
Genre and Setting
It is a royal psalm (see Ps 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 132, 138, 144) that is:
 A visionary prophecy by court prophet (see 2 Sam 24:11; 1 Chron 21:9; 25:5; 2 Chron 29:25;
35:15)
 Addressed by prophet to his royal master
The occasion is the enthronement of the king. See the following:

 Mention of throne with footstool (v. 1)
166
 Mention of sceptre (v. 2)

 Mention of royal robes (v. 3)
It is a Messianic psalm. When this psalm was sung by the royal choir as the mouthpiece of David and his
successors, it became a psalm of David about his messianic heir. This is how it functions canonically and
how it was regarded by Jesus (Matt 22:44) and Peter (Acts 2:34).
Literary Features
It contains Divine oracles addressed to the king in v. 1 b-d and v. 4c-d.
It contains a montage of images associated with royalty in antiquity:

 King seated on throne next to God
 Depiction of enemies on the footstool of the throne
 Gift of sceptre by God to his king as instrument of divine power used to smash the heads of
enemies
 Nobility as willing allies of king in battle
 Identification of the king with the morning star
 Life-giving power of the king compared to dew
 God as the king's bodyguard in battle
 The piling up of corpses after battle by the victorious king
 The exaltation of the king by God to a position of honour
It has patterns of contrasts in the psalm:

 The king's feet in v. 1 and his head in v. 7
 The king as the poet's lord in v. 1 and Yahweh as the king's Lord in v. 5
 The right hand of the Lord in v. 1 and the right hand of the king in v. 5
 The king's day of valour in v. 3 and the Lord's day of wrath in v. 5
It has chainlike linkage of verses by repetition of words:

 YHWH in v. 1 and v. 2 (cf v. 4)
 ‘Your enemies’ in v. 1 and v. 2
 The preposition ‘al in v. 4, v. 5,v. 6 and v. 7
 ‘King’ in v. 4 and v. 5
 ‘Smash’ in v. 5 and v. 6
 ‘Head’ in v. 6 and v. 7
Structure
a. The Enthronement of the King: 1-3

• The Divine Oracle (1)
The enthronement of the king by divine decree
The Lord's subjugation of enemies through the king
167
• The Vision of the King's Power.

The king's sceptre as the instrument of divine power (2)
The people's support of the epoch making king (3)
b. The Ordination of the King : 4-7

• The Divine Oath (4)
The unchangeability of the oath
The king's ordination to the royal priesthood by divine decree
• The Vision of the King's Triumph.
His protection by the Lord (5a)
His conquest of kings (5b-6)
His drink from the river (7a)
His exaltation by the Lord (7b)
Exegesis
a. The King's Enthronement by God’s Decree: V. 1
The royal prophet announces the Lord's decree to the king. He describes it as an ‘oracle’, a whispered
word of prophecy from the Lord. He acknowledges the king as his 'lord' and ‘master’.
By this decree the Lord enthrones the king at his right hand (see Keel, 263-64). In royal protocol the
person enthroned at the king's right hand was either second in rank or co-regent with him (Ps 80:17; see
Ps 45:9; 1 Kgs 2:19). Spatially, the king lived and was enthroned in his palace which lay on the right side
of the temple. By this decree he is therefore installed as the Lord's deputy and co-regent.
The Lord enthroned him as his deputy, so that through the king he could subdue the king's enemies.
Traditionally, the king's enemies were God's enemies who were allied with the powers of chaos and
disrupted the divinely instituted moral order. The king's mandate to subdue his enemies was traditionally
symbolised by the picture of them on the footstool of his throne (see Keel, 253-56). The Lord here
promises to subdue the king's enemies for him rather than the king doing this for the Lord (see Ps 81:14;
1 Chron 17:10).
b. The Vision of the King's Power in the Explanation of the Oracle: Vv. 2-3
The vision first explains the sceptre/mace received by the king at his coronation (see Keel, 291-97, 299).
The sceptre was the symbol and instrument of divinely given power exercised by the king (see Ps 2:9;
Num 24:17). The Lord however is envisaged as the one who wields the power through the king from his
temple/palace in Zion. As the Lord's agent the king will be able to 'rule', even though he is surrounded by
enemies. The term for rule rādāh, which is used transitively for treading down people, is used
intransitively for a farmer or landowner treading on his land and keeping it in good order. Here and
elsewhere it implies the stewardship of creation, the maintenance of righteousness and the
establishment of peace rather than the domination of creation, the exploitation of others and the violent
exercise of power (Ps 72:8; see Gen 1:26,28; Num 24:19; 1 Kgs 4:24).
168
This vision is followed by a montage of cryptic images of the king's priestly rule. First, the people who
make up the tribal militia give their willing support to the king in battle. Secondly, dressed in holy robes
which indicate his sanctity as king, he emerges like the morning star (see Num 24:11) from the womb of
twilight to usher in a new day (see Luke 1:78; Rev 22:16; note that some interpreters take this phrase as
a reference to his supernatural origin and nature). Thirdly, by virtue of his youth, the king brings life-
giving, rejuvenating 'dew' to his people and the land.
 Literally, tāl was the term for the fine overnight drizzle in early spring which produced most of
the annual precipitation and so ensured a good harvest (see Ps 72:6 and 2 Sam 23:4 for the
comparison of the king's rule with rainfall on the land).
 " Mythologically, Dew was the life-sustaining daughter of Baal in Ugarit, while honey-dew
(ambrosia) was elsewhere regarded as the divine food for immortality (see Isa 26:19 with its
reference to heavenly dew which gives life to the dead).
 " Theologically, dew was used as an image for God's lifegiving blessing of the land (see Gen
27:28, 39; Deut 33:13; Zech 8:12).
c. The Ordination of the King by Divine Oath: V. 4
The position of the king did not just depend on the Lord's decree but also on his oath. Since there is no
one higher than God, his promise is his oath. Since it is an oath, the Lord will not and cannot change it
under any circumstances.
The oath confers perpetual priestly status to the king. As the King of Jerusalem, he was not just the legal
successor of Melchizedek, but was also a priest-king like him (see Gen 14:18-20). His priesthood
therefore differed from the priesthood of Aaron and his successors. As far as we can gather from other
data the king was ordained with the holy oil to perform the following sacral functions.
 Like Melchizedek he acknowledged that the people were blessed by God (see 2 Sam 6:18; 1 Kgs
8:14-21, 55-61).
 He interceded for them (see 2 Sam 24:17; 1 Kgs 8:22-54; 2 Chron 14:11; 20:5-12).
 He presented sacrifices on behalf of the nation and the land (see 2 Sam 6:13,17; 24:21,25; 1 Kgs
8:62-63; 9:25; 2 Chron 8:12).
 Through the levitical choir he led the people in praise (1 Chron 16:7-41; 25:1-6; 2 Chron 8:14; see
2 Sam 6:14; 1 Chron 15:27).
He therefore acted as leader of the congregation. As indicated by the name Melchizedek, ‘The King is
Righteousness', he administered the Lord's righteousness through his patronage of public worship and
involvement in it (see 2 Sam 23:3-4; Ps 72:1-2).
d. The Vision of the King's Triumph: Vv. 5-7
Verses 5-7 show how the priest-king administers the Lord's righteousness. First, the royal prophet
addresses the king directly (5a). He had earlier called the king his 'lord' but now calls Yahweh his Lord in
order to emphasize the king's dependence on his divine overlord. Since the king has priestly status, he
not only has access to the Lord at the temple but also has his personal support. The king who was
enthroned at the Lord's right hand had the Lord at his right hand as a champion in battle (see Ps 16:8;
121:5; Isa 63:12) and as a defender in a court of law (see Ps 109:31).
169
Secondly, the prophet shows how the priest-king acts as the agent of the Lord's wrath (see Ps 2:11). On
'the day of his wrath' the Lord judged the wicked and established justice on earth (see Job 20:28; Isa
13:13; Lam 1:12; 2:1). On that day the king would 'crush' (see Ps 18:38; Num 24:17; Judg 5:26) the
wicked kings with his sceptre and pile up corpses in order to establish international justice for the
oppressed on earth (see Ps 72:2). He would also crush the 'head', ‘chief’ or ‘leader’, of the 'wide
land / whole earth' (‘eretz rabbāh). The term 'wide land' only occurs here. If it is taken as the counterpart
of 'the wide abyss' (tehōm rabbāh), as in Amos 7:4; Gen 7:11; Isa 51:10; and Ps 36:6, its head must be
the world ruler with cosmic powers and so identical with the leader in Hab 3:13-14.
Thirdly, in v. 7a the prophet describes the king drinking from a creek by the way. This has been
interpreted in three main ways. As a reference to the rite of drinking from the Gihon Spring as part of the
coronation ceremony (see 1 Kgs 1:38-40). As a reference to the spring of life flowing from the holy
mountain or divine sanctuary (see Ps 36:8; 46:5; 87:7; Gen 2:10-12; Ezek 47:1-12; Joel 4:18; Zech 14:8;
see also Keel, 138-40). As a reference to the role of the king in taming and using the waters of chaos, so
that they do not flood the earth but provide water in the dry season (see the work of the divine king in
opening up springs in Ps 74:15; Prov 3:20).
Lastly, as a result of his victory over the 'head' of the wide earth, the Lord raises him high. The Lord
honours him by raising his head (see Ps 3:3; 27:6). The Lord makes him 'head' of the wide earth (see Ps
18:43; 118:22; 1 Chron 16:7).
a. It is set for the Feast of the Ascension which celebrates the kingship of Jesus and his reign with his
heavenly Father.
b. The New Testament quotes and alludes to it more than any other psalm. Jesus quoted Ps 110:1 on two
different occasions. In argument with the Pharisees he used it to show that the Messiah would not just
be David's son, his descendant, but God's Son and David's Lord (Matt 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43).
And at his trial Jesus claimed to fulfill that psalm when he announced that, after his crucifixion, he would
be seated at God's right hand (Luke 22:61), and that his opponents would eventually see him seated
there (Matt 26:64; Mark 14:62).
The apostles used 110:1 to preach that after his resurrection he was enthroned as the Christ and High
Priest at God's right hand in the heavenly realm (Mark 16:19; Acts 2:34-35; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3,13:12:2).
There he exercises his divine rule over the whole cosmos for the benefit of the church (Eph 1:20-23).
There he works with his Father in putting all enemies under his feet (1 Cor 15:25; Heb 10:12-13).
The writer of Hebrews used 110:4 to explain the nature and work of Jesus as our great high priest in the
heavenly sanctuary (Heb 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:1-20,28).
Peter may allude to both 110:1 and 7 when he speaks in Acts 5:31 of God exalting Jesus at his right hand
as Leader and Saviour.
c. This psalm is paraphrased in hymns 110 and 115.
--------------------------------------------This ends the class on Psalms --------------------------------------------------
170

Pslec

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Pslec

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Notes from Dr.

John Kleinig’s Lectures on the Book of Psalms

Psalms Lecture 1 (Length: 51:12): https://www.youtube.com/watch?

The class begins.

Introductory statement on Psalms in worship.

[Discussion on course tests, vocabulary, etc. – what is expected of the students.]

The text book for the class is Encountering the Psalms.

Imagination vs. Abstraction

The Use of Imagery in the Psalms

92 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

and your faithfulness by night,

Psalms Lecture 2 (Length: 45:50):

Let’s refresh our memory by reading through Ps. 92 again.

Images for the Psalmist

Verses 1-4 – picture of the psalmist

Verse 10 – pictures of the psalmist

Verse 11 – picture of the psalmist

Images for God

Verse 4 – picture of God

Verse 5 – picture of God

Verse 8 – picture of God

Verse 13 – picture of God

Verse 15 – picture of God

Images for the Wicked

Verse 7 – picture of the wicked

Verse 11 – picture of enemies

Verses 9-11 – a surprising sequence of pictures for the enemies

Images for the Righteous

Verses 12-15 – two pictures of the righteous

Psalms Lecture 3 (Length: 50:18):

Summary of the Imagery in Ps. 92

There are four tracks that run through Ps. 92.

 The main focus is on the psalmist.

The Use of Structure in the Psalms

How many couplets are in each unit?

 Vv. 12-15: 4 couplets.

General Instructions on the Critical Analysis of Structure

1. There is what it says.

Psalms Lecture 4 (Length: 48:59):

Dr. Kleinig’s Translation of Ps. 6:

1. Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your wrath,

3. My soul is utterly terror struck.

6. I am weary with my groaning;

Let’s look at the outline of the structure for Ps. 6.

Psalms Lecture 5 (Length: 45:07):

[See pages 9-10 of the Class Notes -

3. There would be a petition for help.

5. Corresponding to this on a national level is a psalm of communal thanksgiving. If you have a

Analyzing a psalm by using its origin, content, and purpose

[See pages 9-10 of the Class Notes -

Patterns and Breaking the Pattern

Psalms Lecture 6 (Length: 50:03):

The Arrangement of the Psalter

Some of the most important collections are:

Features of the Psalter

Psalms Lecture 7 (Length: 32:49):

[See pages 13-17 of the Class Notes -

Two Introductory Psalms

Notice the connectives which show the structure of the argument.

Dr. Kleinig then read through Ps. 1 from beginning to end.

[See pages 13-17 of the Class Notes -

The Imagery of Ps. 1

The wicked are like windblown chaff.