Starting in the upcoming weeks we will begin our trek through the book of Psalms and pulling out some of the nutrients in the scriptures.

Purpose

We intend to

  • show the immediate need for prayer
  • place God’s sovereignty on monitor status
  • show the importance of worship
  • display how God is functionally committed to missions

“One should think of this aspect of interpretation as being like the Olympics, a grand occasion made up of a variety of sports. Though it is all sport, each game is played by its own rules and has its own expectations about how to play the game. The variety of literature is the same way. It all has a message, but it conveys that message in a variety of ways and with a variety of expectations. To try to play basketball with soccer’s rules will never work, though both use a ball and require foot speed. Or think of musical instruments, they all make music, but in different ways with  different sounds. One cannot play the violin like a piano or drums; nor should one expect a violin to sound like either a piano or the kettledrum! In the same way, to read the poetry of the Psalms like a historical book is to miss the emotional and pictorial impact of the message, though both genres convey reality about people’s experience with God. To transform the imagery and setting of the Psalter into mere theological proposition is also to take the passion and lifeblood out of its veins.”

 Darryl  L. Bock “Interpreting the Bible-How Text Speaks to Us”