[William P. Brown] reserves a special section for the “theological challenge of the Vengeance Psalms” (e.g., Pss 12, 44, 55, 58, 83, 109, 137, 139). After trying to contextualize these psalms as desperate prayers for “God’s judgment to restore a defeated and demoralized people,” he finds theological relevance in them as a summons to modern readers in the first world to hear in them the voice of the world’s oppressed poor.
From this review of this book
I like a "take" that I once found buried deep in a biblical commentary that was attributed to Walter Brueggemann: That these psalms tell me that no matter how horrible my thoughts are toward other people that I can still pray them and God will still listen.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we think that the Psalms are supposed to be Official Approved Instructions For Living? They are poems.
Thanks Pam, fair enough, but i think the designation "poem" might be a little misleading, they are liturgical songs for use in public worship, as part of the canon they are to be read in our own worship services, so to find in what sense we can "read" them is quite important, IMHO :-)
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