Ten Burning Questions from Psalms

Ten Burning Questions from Psalms

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Psalms is a book of poems to and about God. As with all great poetry, the Psalms deal with the fundamental questions of life, questions that almost seem to demand an answer. At first glance the Psalms may not seem like poems. There’s no rhyme or consistent meter. However, the truth is that they do rhyme, but not in the way we’d expect. Hebrew poetry rhymes thoughts, not words. The beautiful words and phrases draw parallels between ideas and objects mentioned in the poem. So the Psalms include various kinds of poetry, but not in the Western forms with which we’re accustomed.

Psalms is divided into five parts and is comprised of pieces written over a long period of time. There are several different types of psalms. Some are praises, some are pleas, some are questions, some are even imprecatory. All were originally intended to be sung. But rather than discuss these poems by type or historical setting, we’ll be looking at them by theme. What are the issues? What is God trying to communicate to us? How can I apply this to my life in a practical way?

Like great music throughout history, many of the Psalms were written in moments of intense crisis in the author’s life. However, in these divinely inspired works, we can see how God would have us react in these moments we all face. Where is God when things fall apart? Is there a possibility of real justice in this world? Does God really forgive my sin?

Some questions seem to plague us. We often live with our doubts safely hidden away like skeletons in closets. Or so we think. Then, when we least expect them, or when we aren’t up to facing them, they have a nasty habit of escaping from where we had hoped they were safely locked away. But there is hope. God has revealed Himself to the world, and when God reveals Himself, things change and can never be the same.

If God had so desired, he could have given us a book that was merely a list of truths, a simple list of facts. Instead, God chose to reveal Himself to us in ways we can understand. He tells us about Himself through real stories and poetry about real people in real situations. He comes to meet us where we are. God is not afraid of our questions or our doubts; in fact, He longs to answer them, not always in the way we want or expect, but always in the way that we need.

Many of the psalms are extremely personal, others are more communal. But regardless of the type of psalm we are reading, there is one common theme throughout: the transcendence, power, and majesty of the infinite-personal God. All of the psalmists look to God for the ultimate answers.

Allow yourself to be taken on a journey that explores some of life’s most challenging questions as we read together through the Psalms.

Jeremiah, D. 1994. Ten burning questions from psalms : Study guide . Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, Tenn.