God's relationship with his people in the psalms

381 psalms god relationshipWhile there are some psalms that deal with the history of the people of God, most psalms describe the relationship of the individual with God. It may be assumed that a psalm only concerned the author and did not necessarily contain a promise to others. However, the psalms were included in the hymn book of ancient Israel, inviting us to participate in a relationship as described in these songs. They show that God sought not only a relationship with the people as a whole, but also with the individuals in it. Everyone could participate.

Complaining rather than understanding

However, the relationship was not always as harmonious as we would have liked. The most common form of psalm was that of lamentation - almost a third of psalms were addressed to God with some form of lamentation. The singers described a problem and asked God to solve it. The psalm was often exaggerated and emotional. Psalm 13,2-3 is an example of this: “Lord, how long will you forget me completely?” How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I worry in my soul and worry in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy rise above me?”

The melodies were known as the psalms were often sung. Even those who were not personally affected were asked to join in the lamentation. Perhaps to remind them that there were some in God's people who were doing really badly. They expected God's intervention, but did not know when it would happen. This also describes our relationship with God today. Although God has actively intervened through Jesus Christ to defeat our worst enemies (sin and death), He does not always address our physical problems as quickly as we would like. The Lamentations remind us that trouble can last for a long time. So we keep looking to God and hoping that He will solve the problem.

There are even psalms that accuse God of sleeping:
"Wake up, wake up, to justify me and to lead my cause, my God and Lord! Lord my God, restore me to justice according to your righteousness, so that they do not rejoice over me. Don't let them say in their heart: There, there! We wanted that. Don't let them say: We devoured him (Psalm 35,23-25).

The singers didn't really imagine that God fell asleep behind the bench. The words are not meant to be a factual representation of reality. They rather describe the personal emotional state - in this case it is the frustration. The national hymn book invited people to learn this song to express the depth of their feelings. Even if at that moment they were not facing the enemies described in the Psalm, the day might come when it did. Therefore, in this song, God is implored for retribution: "Let them be ashamed and ashamed, all who rejoice in my misfortune; they should clothe themselves in shame and shame, those who boast against me (v. 26)".

In some cases, the words go "beyond the ordinary"—far beyond what we would expect to hear in church: "Let their eyes grow dark from seeing, and their hips tremble continually." Erase them from the book of life, that they are not written among the righteous" (Psalm 69,24.29). Happy to him who takes your young children and smashes them to pieces on the rock! (Psalm 137,9)

Did the singers mean it literally? Maybe some did. But there is a more enlightening explanation: We should understand the extreme language as hyperbole—emotional exaggerations through which the psalmist...want to let God know how strong his feelings are in a given situation" (William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard , Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, p. 285).

The psalms are full of emotional language. This should encourage us to be able to express our deepest feelings in our relationship with God and to put the problems in our hands.

Psalms of thanks

Some lamentations end with promises of praise and thanksgiving: "I thank the Lord for his righteousness, and will praise the name of the Lord Most High" (Psalm 7,18).

This may look like the author offers God a barter: If you help me, then I will praise you. But in fact the person praises God already. The request for help is the implied admission that God can fulfill the request. People are already awaiting their intervention in times of need and hope that they will be able to gather again for services on the coming festive days in order to applaud their thanks and praises. Even their melodies know them well. Even the great grief sufferers are required to learn the thanks and praise psalms, because there will be times in life, as these songs also express their feelings. It urges us to praise God, even if it hurts us personally, because other members of our community are allowed to experience times of joy. Our relationship with God is not just about us as individuals - it's about being members of the people of God. If a person is happy, we are all happy; if a person suffers, we all suffer with it. Psalms of grief and psalms of joy are equally important to us. Even if we are allowed to enjoy many blessings, we complain that many Christians are persecuted for their beliefs. And they, too, sing psalms of joy, confident that they will see better days in the future.

Psalm 18 is an example of thanksgiving for God's salvation from an emergency. The first verse of the psalm explains that David sang the words of this psalm "when the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies": I call on the Lord, the blessed, and I shall be saved from my enemies. The bonds of death encircled me, and the floods of destruction terrified me. The bonds of death encircled me, and the ropes of death overpowered me. When I was afraid I called upon the Lord... The earth trembled and shook, and the foundations of the mountains moved and trembled... Smoke went up from his nostrils, and consuming fire from his mouth; Flames spurted out from him (Psalm 18,4-9).

Again, David uses an exaggerated choice of words to emphasize something. Every time we've been rescued from an emergency - whether caused by invaders, neighbors, animals or a drought - we thank and praise God for all the help he's giving us.

songs of praise

The shortest psalm illustrates the basic concept of a hymn: the call to praise followed by an explanation: Praise the Lord, all Gentiles! Praise him, all peoples! For his grace and truth rule over us forever. Hallelujah! (Psalm 117,1-2)

God's people are called upon to absorb these feelings as part of their relationship with God: they are feelings of awe, admiration and security. Are these feelings of security always present in God's people? No, the lamentations remind us that we are negligent. What is amazing about the Book of Psalms is that all the different kinds of Psalms have been mixed together. Praise, thanks, and lament are connected; this reflects the fact that God's people experience all these things and that God is with us wherever we go.

Some psalms deal with the kings of Judah and were probably sung at the public parades every year. Some of these psalms are interpreted today as the Messiah, since all psalms find their fulfillment in Jesus. As a person, he experienced - like us - worries, fears, feelings of abandonment, but also of faith, praise and joy. We praise him as our King, the One through whom God brought salvation to us. The psalms inspire our imagination. They strengthen us through our living relationship with the Lord as members of God's people.

by Michael Morrison


God's relationship with his people in the psalms