Finding Yourself in the Psalms

Psalm 1

Finding the Road You Are On

BIBLE STUDY
150 Songs to the Lord. I. Why Poetry?
A. Poetry says things more intensely than descriptive language. B. Poetry helps us to experience, not just be informed
C. Poetry is brief but heavily weighted
1. Eagles. (Perrine. Literature, p 548)
2. Battle of Fort McKinnley (Hymn 802)
II. Our Limits in appreciating the Psalms
A. Meant to be sung
B. Different language
1. Meaning of words
2. Rhyme
3. Meter
4. Alliteration (Psalm 119)
III. Psalm One. Finding What You are Traveling
A Road map. Illus – Michael.
A. The Travels of a Godly Person. V. 1-3
1. The Godly person identifies with what is right. V. 1 a. Hearing (does not walk)
b. Doing (does not stand)
c. Belonging (Does not sit)
d. Example of synthetic parallelism. (The second line develops the first line).
2. The Godly person delights in what is right. V. 2 a. Example of synonymous parallelism.
b. Both phrases in v. 2 are synonymous
3. The Godly person yields a fruitful and productive life. V. 3
a. Example of emblematic parallelism. A figure of speech (“like a tree”) followed by lines that explain in deeper meaning (“yields fruit,” “leaf does not wither,” “whatever he does will prosper”).
B. The Travels of a Wicked Person. V 4-6
1. The accomplishments of the wicked are short lived. V 4
2. The accomplishments of the wicked are inferior. V 5
3. The road the wicked take leads to destruction. V. 6
a. Example of antithetical parallelism. (Shows a contrast. . . “but”).
What do you do with poetry? READ.
MEDITATE.