Psalm 16 and Proverbs 4:10-13

Psalm 16
1. The original sense of Psalm 16 presents some difficulties in Hebrew, and translators have always done their best to render good sense of it. It is possible that verse 4 holds the key. It might be translated, "As for the holy ones who are in the land, these even were the glorious ones. All my delight was in them."

The psalmist then speaks of his conversion to serve YHWH alone. "Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows." The psalmist will [no longer] speak their names or give them drink offerings of blood (16:4). "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup."

2. The psalmist now looks to God for protection. "You are my lord, YHWH" (16:1-2).

What a great inheritance as an Israelite! We remember that not all of Israel worshiped YHWH exclusively, even though YHWH was distinctively the God of Israel. But what a great inheritance, to have YHWH as a heritage: "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage."

The LORD gives the psalmist counsel. YHWH gives counsel through the psalmist's "kidneys" (16:7), "heart" (16:9), and possibly "liver" (16:9). The LORD thus speaks to the psalmist through his inner being, his conscience, his intuitions and values.

God shows the psalmist "the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy" (16:11).

3. Of interest from a New Testament perspective is 16:10. The original meaning of this verse in context is straightforward. Sheol is the realm of the dead and a metonymy for death. The psalmist is saying that the LORD will protect him and keep him from dying.

The Holy Spirit led the author of Acts to hear in this verse a resonance with Jesus' resurrection. God did not "abandon" Jesus to the realm of the dead, nor let his body see corruption (Acts here is engaging the Greek translation of the psalm). The argument Peter makes in Acts 2:25-32 understands Psalm 16 in a "fuller sense," leading to the true theological point that God raised Jesus from the dead. The argument itself is based on the framework of understanding in that day.

Proverbs 4:10-13
These verses repeat what has been said more than once before. The son of the wise speaker needs to listen. Solomon will lead the son on the path of wisdom, a path that leads to long life and not stumbling.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22
Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4
Psalm 10 and Proverbs 3:5-12
Psalm 11 and Proverbs 3:13-18
Psalm 12 and Proverbs 3:19-26
Psalm 13 and Proverbs 3:27-31
Psalm 14 and Proverbs 3:34-35
Psalm 15 and Proverbs 4:1-9

Psalm 15 and Proverbs 4:1-9

Psalm 15
1. Some have suggested that Psalm 15 was a liturgy for being allowed to enter the temple area, but it is not necessary to take it that concretely. The psalm asks who is worthy of the LORD. What does a righteous person look like?

2. The characteristics of the upright include 1) truthfulness (15:2), 2) someone who doesn't slander others and do evil to them with their words (15:3). 3) They honor those who fear the LORD but despise the wicked (15:4).

There are some textual questions about the last line of 15:4. The NRSV has that the righteous "stand by their oath even to their hurt." However, Robert Alter points out that several translations have "to their friends" instead of the expression that the NRSV tidies up as, "even to their hurt." So, 4) they keep their vows.

6) They do not take bribes or 5) extort those who borrow from them.

3. Those who do these things are worthy to abide on God's holy hill and will not be moved.

Proverbs 4:1-9
Once again, the wise speaker instructs his son and asks him to listen. The wise one did the same when his father taught him instruction. The bottom line was to "Get wisdom" (4:5). "Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight" (4:7). She is something to embrace.

Love her. She will guard you. She will give you a crown.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22
Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4
Psalm 10 and Proverbs 3:5-12
Psalm 11 and Proverbs 3:13-18
Psalm 12 and Proverbs 3:19-26
Psalm 13 and Proverbs 3:27-31
Psalm 14 and Proverbs 3:34-35

Psalm 14 and Proverbs 3:32-35

Psalm 14
1. This is one of two, twin psalms that speak of the fool who does not believe in God. The other is Psalm 54.

It seems anachronistic to imagine actual atheists of the sort we have today. That would have been virtually unheard of at that time. More likely are individuals who do not fear any reprisal from God. These fools are corrupt.

2. Romans 3:12 draws on Psalm 14:3 (53:3). "All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

This is the verdict of the LORD as he looks down from heaven (14:2). The psalm itself seems to be speaking parabolically, for the psalmist does not seem to include himself among those who are corrupt. Rather, fools devour God's people and never call on the LORD (14:4). The psalmist thus seems to be indicting evildoers rather than every last individual. Indeed, he goes on to mention the righteous (14:5) and the poor who are oppressed (14:6).

3. The final verse, which urges for salvation to come out of Zion, is a plea for the restoration of Israel, for God's people to be restored. This fact suggests it was written after the divided monarchy, perhaps even after the exile.

4. While Psalm 14 primarily refers to God as YHWH, Psalm 54 refers to him as Elohim, corresponding to two strands that also appear in Genesis.

Proverbs 3:32-35
These verses indicate God's opposition to the perverse, the wicked, and scoffers. By contrast, God's favor is on the upright, the house of the righteous, and the humble oppressed. The wise get honor, the foolish shame.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22
Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4
Psalm 10 and Proverbs 3:5-12
Psalm 11 and Proverbs 3:13-18
Psalm 12 and Proverbs 3:19-26
Psalm 13 and Proverbs 3:27-31

Psalm 13 and Proverbs 3:27-31

Psalm 13
Psalm 13 is a psalm of complaint. The psalmist asks the LORD how long he is going to wait to bring justice on his enemy. Surely the LORD doesn't want him to sleep the sleep of death. Then his enemies would rejoice.

As usual, the psalm ends on a high note. The psalmist rejoices in God and in his faithfulness. He is trusting in the LORD's hesed, his faithfulness. The word "salvation" is in parallel (yeshua), showing that God shows is faithfulness by bringing salvation (see Romans 1:16-17).

Proverbs 3:27-31
These five verses are a series of prohibitions like, "Don't withhold good when you are able to give it" (3:27). It reminds me of James 4:17--if you know to do good and you don't do it, that's sin. Proverbs 3:28 says the same with the timing. Give today if you can; don't postpone.

Several of these verses have to do with plotting or doing harm to your neighbor. Your neighbor trusts you. Don't plot against him or her. Don't start a fight for no reason. Don't envy the violent.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22
Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4
Psalm 10 and Proverbs 3:5-12
Psalm 11 and Proverbs 3:13-18
Psalm 12 and Proverbs 3:19-26

Psalm 12 and Proverbs 3:19-26

Psalm 12
Psalm 12 is a psalm of complaint or lament. The first half (12:1-4) laments that no one seems to be godly anywhere (12:1). They lie, they flatter (12:2). Where are the faithful? May the LORD cut them off!

The LORD responds. He will rise up. He's angry that people take advantage of the needy and the poor (12:5). The promises of the LORD are pure (12:6). He will protect (12;7), even though the wicked are on the prowl (12:8).

Proverbs 3:19-26
Verses 19-20 continue the theme of wisdom. The LORD created the world using his wisdom and understanding. This is the beginning of an important theme that would have a major impact on Jewish thinking and, perhaps, was key to the development of early thinking about Jesus. Wisdom was the instrument God used in creation.

21-26 then continue the theme that if a person lives according to wisdom, s/he will have a secure life. Sleep will be sweet (3:24). The LORD will keep us confident and keep our feet from stumbling.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22
Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4
Psalm 10 and Proverbs 3:5-12
Psalm 11 and Proverbs 3:13-18

Psalm 11 and Proverbs 3:13-18

Psalm 11
1. The psalm has two parts. In the first part, 11:1-3, the psalmist's advisers tell him to flee. His enemies are after him. They tell him to fly away like a bird, for the arrows of his enemies are aimed at him. If the foundations are destroyed, if the pillars are shaken, there's nothing for the righteous to do but flee, his advisers say.

2. The psalmist rejects this line of thinking. God is still in his holy palace, which is in heaven. His foundations are not shaken. He sees what's going on. He judges the wicked. He loves the righteous. They will see his vindication.

3. There is possibly an allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah in 11:6 (Alter).

4. I've often heard 11:3 quoted, "If the foundations are destroyed, what will the righteous do?" It's interesting that they are actually on the lips of an adviser that the psalmist rejects. His point is that the foundations are never destroyed, because God is always in his holy palace (sometimes rendered "temple"). There is always protection at hand!

Proverbs 3:13-18
With verse 13, Proverbs begins a section in praise of wisdom. Wisdom is personified in this section as a woman, but of course this is not literal. Wisdom is rather God's wisdom.

The pay off of wisdom is greater than silver or gold. No possession a person might desire can compare. A life lived in accordance with wisdom will tend to be a long life. Her path is the path of peace. Those who hold to her are blessed.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22
Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4
Psalm 10 and Proverbs 3:5-12

Psalm 10 and Proverbs 3:5-12

Psalm 10
1. The Hebrew of this psalm is difficult, and English translations have done their best to render a good sense. It mostly has the character of a corporate complaint or imprecatory psalm. Why has the LORD not avenged his people?

Verse 12 calls on the LORD to rise up (10:12), to break the arm of the wicked (10:15). LORD, do justice (meaning social justice).

2. The main complaints are that the wicked abuse the poor (10:2, 9) and the oppressed (10:12). God cares for the orphan and the oppressed (10:14, 18). They murder the innocent in the village (10:8).

3. Meanwhile, the wicked deny that there is a God (10:4) or they deny that he is watching (10:11). He won't do anything (10:6).

4. Psalm 10:7 is quoted in Romans 3:14 as one of a string of descriptions of human wickedness. We are reminded, though, that Paul has strung together verses that were originally not about all humanity, but about the wicked. Psalm 10:7 is not describing all human beings, but the godless. As is often the case, he interprets the Old Testament in a "fuller sense."

5. In the early Greek translation of the Psalms, Psalm 9 and 10 are one psalm. Psalm 9 is roughly half an acrostic psalm (the verses approximately move through over half the Hebrew alphabet). The problem is that Psalm 10:2-11 interrupt the alphabet, leaving some to wonder if this psalm has gone through some stages in its history. Robert Alter (2009) suggests that an early psalm may have been damaged in some way, then with about 10 new verses substituted in. Some of the verses that remain are difficult to interpret.

Robert Alter. (2009). The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary (New York: W. W. Norton, 2007).

Proverbs 3:5-12
Proverbs 3:5-6 are some of the most quoted verses in Proverbs: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Our tendency is to be wise in our own eyes, but we know nothing next to God.

3:9-10 admonish us to honor God with our substance, giving him the first fruits, with a probable outcome of prosperity.

3:11-12 then tell us not to despise the discipline of the LORD, indicating that God's discipline is an expression of God's love. Hebrews 12:5-6 quote these verses and apply them to the difficult situation that its audience was undergoing.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22
Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4

Psalm 9 and Proverbs 3:1-4

Psalm 9
1. Psalm 9 is a psalm of thanksgiving. Much of the praise is for God's deliverance. Someone important is talking, maybe a king. The title styles it a "psalm of David," and we can read the psalm that way, although David really didn't face "the nations" (9:5). The psalmist speaks of God blotting out the names of his enemies (9:3).

The LORD is praised for the way he looks out for the oppressed (9:9). He avenges blood (9:12). God saves the psalmist from the gates of death, which are contrasted with the gates of Zion (9:13-14). Those who forget the poor and needy will be judged (9:18). In language that reminds us of Psalm 82, the nations will be judged; they will be reminded that they are human (9:19-20).

If the author is not David or Solomon, the mention of Zion suggests that this is a psalm of the southern kingdom.

2. There is some reason to believe that Psalm 9 and 10 were at some point one psalm, and the Greek translation of the psalms has them together as one psalm.

3. There is interesting language of God in the psalm. Most of the psalm refers to the LORD, YHWH. But there is also the expression el elyon, "God Most High" (9:2). This is a reference to YHWH as the king of the gods, as it were, the highest God. Twice he is said to be on his throne (9:4, 7). He is the judge of the world (9:7).

4. Death is referred to as "Sheol," the realm of all the mindless dead. We have already mentioned the image of the "gates of death" (cf. Matt. 16:18).

5. This is the first psalm where we encounter the term "selah." We just aren't sure what it meant. It could have meant a pause. It could have been a musical cue. We just don't know. The same goes for the term higgaion

Proverbs 3:1-4
A new set of instruction begins. The child is encouraged to listen to the preacher's teaching with the hope of a long life in result. The child should "wear" the teaching around his or her neck. It will lead to a good reputation.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19
Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15
Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22

Psalm 8 and Proverbs 2:16-22

Psalm 8
1. Psalm 8 might be categorized as a psalm of thanksgiving or perhaps a psalm of praise. It marvels at what a privileged place God has assigned to humanity in relation to the creation. It was a key psalm for the New Testament as well.

2. The psalm begins by praising God for his majesty, for his glory above the heavens. This praise comes even from the mouths of babes (8:2). What a magnificent work he has done in creation! All we need do is look at the heavens.

3. Over and against God's greatness, there is the marvel that he would care so much for insignificant humanity. What is it about us that God would put us in authority over the other creatures of his creation? God has put everything under humanity's feet--sheep, oxen, the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea.

The psalm ends as it began (an "inclusio"): "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth (8:9). Two words are used here. LORD in all capital letters is the name of God, YHWH. Then "Lord" is Adonai, a master.

4. "You made him a little less than God" (8:5). The word here is 'elohim, a word normally translated "God." The Greek OT translated it as "angels," and this is the form in which the NT translates it. But "God" is the default translation in the OT. It is possible of course that it is a genuine plural--you have made humanity a little lower than gods (cf. Ps. 82). The ESV, perhaps wearing its theology on its sleave, translates it as "heavenly beings."

5. Psalm 8 was a key text for the earliest Christians. They joined it with Psalm 110:1 and read it in relation to Christ, the one in regard to whom "God put all things under his feet" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:27). Hebrews 2 perhaps gives us the full expression of what the earliest Christians were thinking. God created humanity to have a position of glory and honor in the creation (Ps. 8:5).

But "all have sinned and are lacking the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). This is the human situation: "We do not yet see everything in subjection to them" (Heb. 2:8).

Now Jesus enters into the equation. He enters into the human condition. "We do see Jesus who for a little while was made lower than the angels" (2:9). He has been crowned with glory and honor through his suffering of death. Now he can lead many sons and daughters to glory (2:10), to the glory God originally intended humanity to have.

Psalm 8 was thus the story of salvation in a nutshell for the author of Hebrews, who quite possibly is showing us the fuller theology of Paul lurking behind his allusive references to the psalm here and there in his writings.

Proverbs 2:16-22
2:16-19 warn against a married woman who might seduce a man. Of course this is a two way street. It seems likely that for most if not all of history, it is the married man who has seduced far more than the married woman. We should take these verses as a warning against the temptation to adultery in general.

2:20-22 expresses the way it should always work. The upright should inherit the land and the unrighteous should be rooted out of it. The whole of the canon makes it clear that such justice will not always take place while we are in this age or in this life. The NT has made it clear, though, that it will happen eternally.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19

Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5
Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15

Psalm 7 and Proverbs 2:6-15

Psalm 7
1. The title to this psalm (which was not original and about which we cannot at all be certain) is puzzling. What was a "shiggaion"? Who was Cush the Benjamite? Perhaps the obscurity of the title speaks to its historicity. Nothing about the content would speak against David as its author.

2. Psalm 7 might be called an imprecatory psalm in that it asks God to judge the psalmist's enemies. It asks the LORD in anger to rise against the fury of the psalmist's enemies (7:6). The sense of verse 7 is unsure, but it may ask God to take his seat in judgment over an assembly of peoples. The psalmist asks the LORD to bring the evil of the wicked to an end (7:9).

3. For the psalmist's part, he is turning to the LORD for refuge, as his enemies try to drag him away like a lion (7:1-2). The psalmist believes he is innocent. If he is truly guilty, he says, let his enemies prevail (7:3-5). He gives examples of the kind of thing that would make him guilty--repaying a friend with evil or plundering an enemy without cause (7:4).

4. We have an interesting picture of God in this psalm. God is righteous and just (7:9). He judges the hearts and the kidneys (metaphorical seat of the intention). He is angry (at evil) every day (7:11). When someone does evil, he sharpens his sword, strings an arrow, bends his bow (7:12). He has deadly weapons, flaming arrows (7:13). But for the psalmist he is a shield (7:10).

5. The evil make a pit and then fall into it (7:15). Their mischief falls on their own heads (7:16).

Proverbs 2:6-15
The LORD gives wisdom. This is exactly what James says (1:5). His wisdom is for the upright. His understanding is a shield to them. Wisdom, knowledge, prudence--they all watch over a person. They guard a person. They save from the way of evil. Wisdom saves from the crooked, from those who rejoice in doing evil, from the devious.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19

Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33
Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5

Psalm 6 and Proverbs 2:1-5

Psalm 6
This is a psalm of lament. Although some take the psalmist to be extremely sick, the expression, "my bones are shaken" (6:2) probably has more to do with the terrifying situation the psalmist is in. There are hints of enemies who are ready to pounce (6:10).

But the psalmist is convinced that the LORD will spare him. The LORD has heard his prayer (6:9). The psalmist has shed tears before the LORD, pleading for deliverance (6:6, 8). "How long?" he asks, before the LORD will deliver (6:3).

There is a hint that the psalmist senses the LORD's anger and discipline as part of what is going on (6:1). The psalmist pleads--there will be no praise of the LORD in Sheol (6:5). In effect he says, "Let me stay alive, because in death I am no good to you."

This psalm reflects a lack of sense of any meaningful afterlife. "In death there is no remembrance of you" (6:5). Sheol here seems like the Greek Hades of that time--mindless shadows with no thought or memory.

God is also asked to save the psalmist because of his hesed, God's "steadfast love." God's hesed is a key concept in the Old Testament.


Proverbs 2:1-5
The father now speaks to the child. The child wishes to gain a knowledge of God. The child wishes to know the fear of the LORD. The father knows how.

The path to knowledge means treasuring up the teaching of Solomon, the father. Wisdom is like silver, like a hidden treasure. Cry out for her...

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19

Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27
Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33

Psalm 5 and Proverbs 1:28-33

Psalm 5
Psalm 5 is usually considered to be an "imprecatory" psalm. an imprecatory psalm is one in which the psalmist calls God to bring justice on his enemies. So the psalmist writes, "Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you" (5:10).

Although the later heading calls this a "psalm of David," the mention of the holy temple in 5:7 suggests that the psalm dates to a time after David.

The psalmist appeals to the righteousness (5:8) and steadfast love of God (5:7). God is not a God who delights in wickedness (5:4). God is a God who listens: "O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice" (5:3).

Psalm 5:9 is quoted in Romans 3:13: "their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues." Paul of course uses the verse, along with a string of others, to point to universal sinfulness. In the psalm, however, the psalmist is not talking about everyone but about his enemies.

The good news is that God covers the righteous like a shield (5:12). God protects (5:11). God gives refuge (5:11).

Proverbs 1:28-33
Wisdom now gives a sobering word. While there was a time when wisdom called out, there is also a time when wisdom stops calling. Those who once hated knowledge, who wanted nothing of wisdom's council, they will not find her once they finally come to their senses.

"For waywardness kills the simple,
     and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but those who listen to me will be secure
     and will live at ease, without dread of disaster." (1:32-33)

Thus ends chapter 1 of Proverbs.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19

Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27

Psalm 4 and Proverbs 1:20-27

So far we have:
Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14
Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19

Psalm 4
Psalm 4 is another psalm of lament in which the psalmist calls on the LORD for help. The later heading calls it a psalm of David, and we can read it that way or not read it that way.

The psalmist asks for God to answer his prayers when he calls. The LORD alone can make the psalmist dwell in safely (4:8). He also intercedes for his people and asks for God to let his face shine on them (4:6).

The psalmist also tells his people not to sin (4:4) and not to turn the leader's honor into shame (4:2). God has set apart the godly for himself (4:3).

Proverbs 1:20-27
Now wisdom begins to speak. She calls on the simple to heed her advice. Wisdom will mock those who do not heed her advice.

Psalm 3 and Proverbs 1:15-19

So far we have:
Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7
Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14

Psalm 3
1. The heading of Psalm 3 suggests we read the words of this psalm against the backdrop of David the king as its author, at the time that he was fleeing his son Absalom. That is a generative way of reading the psalm, although the headings to the psalms were obviously added later than the writing of the psalms themselves. So we might read the psalm twice, once without thinking of the heading, then again in light of the heading. We will hear truths both ways.

2. In itself, this is the psalm of someone who is under fire from his enemies. Some classify it as a psalm of lament.

The enemies of the psalmist do not believe that God will deliver him, but he has confidence that God will. The Lord is a shield to him. "I will not fear though ten thousands assail me on every side" (3:6). "From the Lord comes deliverance" (3:8). The psalmist asks the LORD to strike his enemies on the jaw and to break the teeth of the wicked (3:7).

We can pray this psalm when we call on the LORD for help, even when our enemies are metaphorical (envy, jealousy, rage, depression).

3. Nothing internal to the psalm suggests inductively that it was written when David was fleeing Absalom. Indeed, the mention of God's holy mountain seems to allude to the temple, which was not build in the time of David. It suggests that the psalm dates subsequent to David.

Nevertheless, perhaps the story of David fleeing Absalom might give a certain concreteness to the psalm. We always connect better when we can picture a specific instance of the words, in this case Absalom chasing David. Of course fleeing is not mentioned in the psalm itself, and David would scarcely have prayed for God to break Absalom's teeth.

Proverbs 1:15-19
So the son is exhorted not to go along with the gangs that steal and shed blood. Those who live lives of violence set a trap for themselves. As Jesus would later say, "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword" (Matt. 26:52). Those who go after gain that is not theirs lose their lives. Christians might say in the next life if not in this one.

Psalm 2 and Proverbs 1:8-14

Yesterday, I started doing posts on the psalms:
Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7

Today, Psalm 2
1. Psalm 2 is a royal psalm, a psalm that was addressed to the king of Judah. Some think it might even have been an "enthronement psalm," a psalm read at the enthronement of a king. The royal psalms then were often taken in a "fuller sense" later as messianic psalms, psalms whose content anticipated Jesus as the Christ.

2. 2:1-3 gives the situation surrounding Judah. Judah seems to be threatened by other kings, other peoples. They are setting themselves against Judah. Perhaps Judah has prevailed against them and they are wanting to revolt, to "burst their bonds asunder" (2:3).

In 2:4-6, YHWH laughs. He is the one who has set his king on Mt. Zion (a clear indication that Judah is in view, unless this psalm specifically related to Solomon). By the end of the psalm (2:10-11), those opposing kings will be warned not to oppose YHWH or his king. They will perish quickly if they oppose YHWH.

This is the context in which 2:7-8 appear. YHWH says to the king, "You are my Son; today I have given you birth." This is the enthronement of the king, the "birth" of the son of God. Yes, the king in the Ancient Near Eastern context could be considered a son of God (cf. 2 Sam. 7:14). God says not to oppose his anointed king. Otherwise, God will dash them to pieces.

3. Taken in a fuller sense, a sensus plenior, the earliest Christians connected this verse to Jesus' resurrection and exaltation to God's right hand (Acts 4:25-26, 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5). When Jesus sat at God's right hand, it was his enthronement as king of the world.

Proverbs 1:8-14
So the proverbs begin. These proverbs are directed to, "my son," who is first told to heed the instruction of his father and mother.

The first instruction is not to join the violent, sinners who ambush the innocent. He has in mind individuals who kill and steal. They call a young man to join a gang that shares with each other what they steal. Sounds like what happens in many inner cities.

As a side note, Sheol and "the Pit" are mentioned as places that swallow the dead. These are not places of punishment in Hebrew thought but ways of referring to where the dead go when they die. Perhaps for some they were just figures, metaphors of a sort. No doubt other Jews thought of Sheol as a literal place where the shadows of the dead go, just as in Homer.

Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1:1-7

Last year I blogged a 40 Day read through the New Testament. Then I blogged through Genesis. I'm thinking about doing another book. I thought I'd work through Psalms and Proverbs. So that's a chapter of Psalms a day (when I can) and six verses of Proverbs each post. Feel free to read with me!

Psalm 1
1. I suspect that Psalm 1 was added as an introduction when Psalms reached something like its final form. Psalms 1 could of course be an introduction to Book I of the Psalms. The Psalms are made up of five books. The first 41 psalms make up Book I.

Psalms is the lead off hitter to the third section of the Jewish Bible, the "Writings." At the time of Jesus, the Old Testament was grouped into three parts: The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. In the Christian Bible, Job is the first of the "poetic books" (with Psalms second). But Psalms begins the Writings in the Jewish Bible (see Luke 24:44).

2. The first psalm is a wonderful presentation of two ways. There are those who delight in the Law of the LORD (1:1-3), and there are those who are wicked, who do not follow God's Law (1:4-6).

The blessed do not follow the advice of the wicked. They do not take the path of sinners. We should not read Pauline debates in here. Sinners are people who violate the Law, and the standard is such that the Law can be kept. The psalmist believes it is fully possible not to be a sinner and, indeed, we must not be.

The Law here is likely a reference to the Law of Moses, Genesis through Deuteronomy. That suggests that this psalm is post-exilic. The fact that the Psalms as a whole are in the Writings also suggests that they reached their final form after the exile.

3. The wicked will perish. The psalmist means in this life. This is deuteronomistic theology. The wicked generally face judgment and punishment in this world. Again, the psalmist fully believes it is possible not to be wicked. Indeed, we must not be.

The judgment in Psalm 1:5 was not originally the final judgment, although we are free to read it this way as well. There is no sense of a final judgment, not in context, anywhere in the Old Testament apart from Daniel 12:2.

Proverbs 1:1-7
Verse 7 is the key to the whole book of Proverbs: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."

We are told that as we read the Proverbs, we will learn wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity. We will gain wisdom and insight. Read on!

Hard to know when 1:1 was added as the heading to the book. Since it tells us about Solomon, it is not likely Solomon who wrote Proverbs 1:1. Proverbs is clearly a collection of individual proverbs, not a book that was written in one sitting. And there are proverbs from individuals other than Solomon as well (e.g., Prov. 31).