Psalm 28: 1, 6 9 Psalms Of Thanksgiving And Praise

Target year level: Year Three

Scripture text

Introduction

A psalm is a sacred song or hymn. The Book of Psalms in the Old Testament contains a variety of such songs and hymns.

The 149/150 psalms in the Book of Psalms may be classified as songs of praise; songs of Zion; psalms of Yahweh’s enthronement; psalms of lament and complaint; royal psalms; thanksgiving psalms; wisdom psalms and a number of smaller psalms genres and mixed types. For more detailed information see Literary Structure of the Psalms.

The numbering of Psalms differs, mostly by one digit, between the Hebrew (Masoretic) and Greek (Septuagint) texts of the Bible. This can sometimes cause confusion in reading Psalms in different English Bible translations. For further information see Psalms Numbering.

It is worth noting that a number of psalms focus on wisdom and thus have an affinity with the Wisdom literature of the Bible. For further information see Wisdom Psalms.

For an extensive background, see the The New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Introduction to the Psalms.

World behind the text

The psalms were composed over a lengthy period of 500 years or more. When the psalms are read as a whole, the reader can imagine a wide range of situations in the individual and collective lives of the People of Israel out of which the composition of individual psalms arose and for which they were composed. Gatherings for worship, for prayer, for the celebration of festivals, for processions, for religious sacrifices, for times of harvest, for occasions of victory and defeat, for triumph and defeat in battle, for the ordinary joys, sorrows, certainties and doubts of ordinary life - these form the world behind the texts of the psalms. For further information see Psalms Composition and Background.

World of the text

The psalms have always been much loved among both Jews and Christians. In part this is because they use the literary techniques associated with poetry and with song writing to engage those who pray the psalms; read the psalms and sing, chant and recite psalms in various settings for prayer and worship. For further information see Psalms Literary Techniques.

A focal image in Psalm 28 is that of ‘rock’. In everyday life, rock conjures up ideas of strength, stability, solidity and immovability. Rock is associated with the history of our planet which, according to science, came into existence some 14 billion years ago, many billions of years before our human ancestors inhabited the earth. In the rocks around us geologists discover the fossil record of life on our earth. The word ‘rock’ also features in numerous biblical texts, as indicated in the following quick search for the word ‘rock’ on Bible Gateway where there are 153 biblical text references and 23 references in the topical index. Included in these references are associations with water as source of life (Numbers 20:11); with God’s fidelity to his people (Deuteronomy 32:4); with offerings to the Lord (Judges 13:9); with the Divine (1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 23:3). There also are some 32 references to ‘rock’ in various psalms including Psalm 28. In his Gospel, Matthew (7:24-25) refers approvingly to the man who built his house on rock and thus his house endured when the floods came.

In Psalm 28:6-9 the words ‘strength’, ‘shield’, ‘trust’, ‘refuge’ and ‘heritage’ all resonate with what has been outlined above in relation to ‘rock’ as the focal image of Psalm 28.

World in front of the text

To many people, today’s world can seem unstable, confusing and forever changing. Such a state of affairs gives rise to high levels of anxiety and depression and is manifested in a wide range of socially dysfunctional behaviours. In some ways, society seems to have lost contact with its solid foundations in its history and in its religious heritage. Reflecting on Psalm 28 and its context can be a reminder that, beyond the instabilities of the present, there is a solid foundation for our daily lives in God who is our Rock.