The Book of Psalms
How to Read the Bible Series Week 13: The Book of Psalms The book of Psalms is the largest collection of poetry in the Bible. There are 150 poems broken up into five sections. The first two sections explore the complicated story of David and his royal family. The third section focuses on the tragedy of Israel’s exile and the downfall of David’s royal line. And the fourth and fifth sections rekindle the hope for the Messiah, a new temple, and God’s Kingdom on the other side of exile. Then the book ends with a five-part conclusion, praising God for his faithfulness. Each poem has been expertly crafted and intentionally placed within the book to create a storyline from the book’s beginning to its end. At the beginning of Psalms, there’s a short introduction, Psalms 1 and 2, which lays out the main themes of the entire book by reviewing the biblical storyline—God’s original intent for humanity, humanity’s disobedience, and God’s promise of a future human, the seed of the woman, who will come and defeat evil and restore the world. Psalms is an invitation to a literary temple where you can meet with God and hear the entire biblical storyline retold in poetic form. The poems have been designed for a lifetime of slow rereading and reflection—these prayers and laments and songs of praise are meant to become ours. They’re poems for exiles who are learning to live by God’s wisdom and seek God’s justice in the world as they hope for the coming Messiah and the Kingdom of God. In today’s video, we’ll explore the design, shape, and main themes of this marvelous book, which was crafted to be read from beginning to end. Read and Reflect Psalms 1 Psalms 2 Psalms 13 Psalms 23 Psalms 150 3 Things you need to know!
Metaphor in Biblical Poetry
Metaphor in Biblical Poetry Week 12: Poetic Metaphor Metaphor is our fundamental way of thinking and perceiving the world. We use conceptual categories based on familiar experience to describe unfamiliar and complex realities. They provide the framework for how our minds make sense of the world around us, and they govern all of our thinking and language. Every culture has its own way of developing metaphors and imagery unique to their history and experience. Similarly, biblical poetry draws on a core cultural understanding of the world from which the poets develop images and metaphors. Basic conceptual metaphors are not the unique possession of a poet, but rather of the poet’s culture. And the creative poet will adapt these basic metaphors in unexpected directions, creating new ways of conceiving reality. The rich metaphors in biblical poetry are rooted in images from earlier biblical narratives. That’s how metaphors work in the Bible. You need the narratives to understand the poetic images, and the images reveal deeper meaning in those narratives. The best way to become familiar with the basic conceptual metaphors used in the Bible is to meditate on the Torah (i.e. the first five books of the Bible). The Torah provides the basic conceptual world in which biblical imagery makes sense, especially Genesis 1-11. For example:1. The ideal state is a mountain, garden temple (Genesis 1:8-10; Exodus 15:13, 17; Joel 2:1-3; Psalm 48:1-3).2. Danger and death are found in the chaotic waters, but safety and life are found in the the river of Eden (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 18; Psalm 69; Isaiah 17:12-15).3. The ideal state of shalom, or peace, is humanity living among the animals (Genesis 1:28-30; Deuteronomy 32:20-24; Hosea 2:18-19; Isaiah 11:6-9).4. God’s ideal for creation is found in the garden of Eden (Psalm 1:1-3; Psalm 92:11-15; Jeremiah 17:5-8; John 4:13-14).5. Covenant and marriage are ways that God talks about his relationship to his people (Jeremiah 2:2; Hosea 2:2-5, 8; Hosea 3:1-5; Revelation 21:1-3). Understanding how metaphors are used in the Bible is an essential tool for reading biblical poetry. Any time someone references one thing to describe another thing, they are using metaphorical thinking whether they realize it or not. Metaphors are everywhere in the Bible and in our everyday speech. In today’s video, we’ll explore this crucial aspect of biblical language. Read and Reflect Joel 2:1-3 Isaiah 17:12-14 Hosea 2:18-19 Psalms 92:11-15 Revelation 21:1-3 Why is it so hard to trust in Jesus?
The Art of Biblical Poetry
The Art of Biblical Poetry Got a question? For anyone interested, there is a new tool available called: Bible.ai – It’s in the early stages of development but it gives relatively good answers. Before trying it out, read the about page: https://bible.ai/about to get a better understanding of how it works. Always fact check it! Week 11: The Art of Biblical Poetry Thirty percent of the Bible is made up of ancient poetry. That’s a lot! Poetry is everywhere in the Bible, and some biblical books are entirely poetry. Most of the Hebrew prophets wrote masterful poems, and the majority of God’s speech in the Bible is represented as poetry. It’s also very common in biblical narrative for the story to pause while a character breaks out in poetic song. Nearly all human cultures with a common literature have ways of separating functional, utilitarian language from intentional, expressive, and artistic language, namely, poetry. And all cultures develop unique patterns of poetic speech or conventions for how poetic speech works. For example, metered rhyme is a feature of classic Western poetry: Roses are red, violets are blue,Sugar is sweet, and so are you. And a haiku, a traditional Japanese style of poetry, uses specific line length and syllable structure—three poetic lines and the numbered syllable pattern: 5-7-5. An old silent pond…A frog jumps into the pond,splash! Silence again.– Matsuo Bashō The Ancient Israelite poetry found in the Bible doesn’t fit any kind of master system like meter (though some think so). However, the Israelites were aware of a certain kind of speech that was poetic, dense, and distinct from normal speech. They even have vocabulary for it. “Song” (Hebrew, shir / shirah)Exodus 15:1: “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song…” “Psalm” (Hebrew, mizmor)Psalm 3: “A mizmor of David.” “Lament” (Hebrew, qinah)2 Samuel 1:17: “David lamented this qinah over Saul and Jonathan.” These compositions show a unique, cultural form of Hebrew poetry, not a formal system but a series of characteristics. Rhythm: Hebrew poetry is shaped into a line-rhythm or verse. It is not metrical (based on syllable counts); rather, it’s a form of free verse poetry. Terseness: Hebrew poetry is concise, using as few words as possible to communicate as much as possible. Parallelism: This refers to the correspondence and relationship of one verse or line to another. Poetry is a rich and artistic form of human communication, but it is often the most difficult to read. In today’s video, we’ll explore the unique characteristics of biblical poetry, so you can discover its beauty and power for yourself! Read and Reflect Exodus 15:1-21 Psalm 51 Isaiah 11:1-5
Parables
Parables – How to Read the Bible Week 10: Parables Jesus was a master teacher. Some of his most well-known teachings are told in short stories called parables. The four Gospel accounts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—tell the “good news” that God’s Kingdom has arrived on Earth through Jesus. Jesus himself announced the Kingdom of God through his famous teaching called the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). This same sermon is preached “on the plain” in Luke chapter 6. Jesus also brought God’s Kingdom into reality through his healings, miracles, and the creation of a renewed family of Israel. One of the most common ways that Jesus communicated was through stories, or in Greek, parabole. Parables can often be seen as illustrations or explanations relating to morality or religious truth. This assumes that there is a basic abstract idea that the parables help to illuminate, but this doesn’t capture how and why Jesus used parables. Parables are more than short stories. The parables are beautiful and entertaining, but they are often cryptic. How can we read parables in a way that leads to understanding? That’s what today’s video is all about. You’ll be introduced to key concepts and passages that will guide your own exploration of the parables of Jesus. Read and Reflect Matthew 18:25-35 Luke 10:25-37 Luke 15 Watch and Consider
The Gospel
The Gospel Week 9: The Gospel Devotional Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—known as the Gospel accounts—contain some of the most familiar stories in the Bible. The Gospel narratives are carefully designed theological biographies of Jesus that focus on his announcement of the Gospel, that is, the “good news” of his royal arrival. They are based on the eyewitness testimonies of the apostles. However, they are not merely historical records. These accounts are designed to advance a claim that will challenge the reader’s thinking and behavior. The Gospel narratives have two main goals:1. To faithfully represent the story of Jesus—that the crucified and risen Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of Israel and the true King of the world.2. To persuade the reader to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and become his disciple. The four authors frame Jesus’ story in a unique way for distinct purposes. Each author has carefully edited, arranged, and designed the core stories about Jesus to emphasize unique facets of Jesus’ character. So what do each of the accounts emphasize? Matthew portrays Jesus as a greater-than-Moses figure who fulfills the promises of the ancient Scriptures and whose resurrection has enthroned him as the King of Heaven and Earth. Mark emphasizes the mystery and misunderstanding caused by Jesus’ announcement of the Kingdom of God. He shows Jesus as the unexpected Messiah and highlights the paradox of how the exalted Messiah can only be recognized in the humbled, crucified Jesus. Luke highlights how Jesus brings the Gospel to the nations. He shows that Jesus is empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the Old Testament promise that God’s salvation would reach beyond Israel to include all nations. John introduces Jesus as Israel’s God become human, presenting signs that demonstrate the truth of his messianic claim and his offer of eternal life for any that will trust in him. The Gospel authors deeply believed that Jesus rose after death and fulfilled the ancient story told in the Hebrew Scriptures. And they proclaimed that joining in this belief and following his teachings would change our lives forever! The Gospel accounts are persuasive texts that invite the reader to consider their own relationship to Jesus the Messiah. The Gospel narratives offer the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings, but how often do we really take in their literary artistry from beginning to end? How can we reconcile the fact that there are four accounts with differing stories? Today’s video is all about learning to understand and respond to these unique books! Read and Reflect John 20:31 Luke 2:1-21 Matthew 4:23-24 Mark 15:21-47 Mark 16:1-8
Design Patterns in Biblical Narrative
Design Patterns in Biblical Narrative Week 8: Designs in Biblical Narrative Devotional Design patterns are one of the key ways the biblical authors have unified the storyline of the Bible. Individual stories across the Old and New Testaments have been coordinated through repeated words and parallel themes. One of the most important design features of biblical narrative is repetition. This technique creates patterns that guide the reader’s focus and help them know where to look for meaning. By following a word or phrase that is repeated significantly in a story or section of text, we can better decipher or grasp the main message of the text (For example, notice how the word “good” is used in Genesis 1). Repeated words can unite a whole string of stories, but this kind of unifying technique can work in different ways too. Sometimes entire stories or scenes are designed to repeat elements of other stories. This involves not only repeated words but also parallel narrative patterns, themes, and sequences. For example, the “see and take” pattern shows up with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 16), and David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). The “salvation through waters” pattern appears in creation (Genesis 1), the flood narrative (Genesis 7-8), and the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 14). In today’s video, we’ll take a look at these patterns and more to see how they highlight core themes of the biblical story. Weekly readings Genesis 3:6-7 Genesis 16:1-6 Exodus 32:1-22 2 Samuel 11:1-5 Food for thought As we learn how to read the bible, it is important that we reflect on what we know to be true and why we know this. Read the passage below and then watch and/or listen to the video clip below. Acts 17:16-34 – Paul Reasons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTVktssAZ0c