Church of Christ
Sermons and Lessons for 2012 |
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|
Category |
Date Added |
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Bobby Stafford |
Poetry In The Old
Testament (Download
Audio) |
|
Poetry |
September 9, 2012 |
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Poetry in the Old Testament
Introduction:
Poetry is a style of writing used by many cultures throughout the
world. English poetry is described by rhyme and meter. Rhyme
refers to words that sound alike while meter is about the “beat” of
a poem. Rhyme and meter do not provide meaning to the poem. Hebrew
poetry is quite different because it focuses on the arrangement of
topics instead of arranging words in a rhyming pattern. This
arrangement of topics is referred to as parallelism. These parallel
thoughts provide information and meaning to the topic under
consideration. To fully understand Hebrew poetry, one must view
both halves together in order to understand what either half means.
This poetry is found in Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job and Song
of Solomon.
Body:
I.
Psalms
Psalm 2:1
compares raging of “the heathen” with “the people” imagining a vain
thing.
Psalm 2:2
compares the “kings of the earth” setting themselves against the
Lord with the “rulers” taking counsel together against the Lord.
Psalm 2:4
conveys the same concept regarding God’s response toward those who
plot and scheme to overthrow Him.
Psalm 42:1
is a figurative way of expressing one’s desire for God. The first
concept is literal and the other is figurative. The ideas
correspond.
II.
Proverbs
Proverbs
1:13-16
has “4 sets.” The writer instructs his son to stay away from those
people who try to get you to make evil decisions. It is repeated
for emphasis and to enhance understanding.
Proverbs 1:7
is a contrast between wise and foolish.
Proverbs 10:19-21
The first line tells the reader to either strive for something good
or avoid something bad. The next line shows what happens when that
advice is ignored.
Proverbs 28:28
III.
Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes
10:18
The two thoughts complement one another. It emphasizes the results
of being lazy. Ecclesiastes
10:2, 12
IV.
Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon 4:7
There are two ways of expressing the same thought.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
The man and his bride describe their experiences together through
the use of poetic language.
V.
Job
Even though it is quite different from the other books discussed,
Job uses parallelisms throughout the book. Job
3:11 Job 8:3 Job 11:7 Job 8:9 Job 11:12
Conclusion:
Recognizing Hebrew poetry can be a great benefit in interpreting the
text. Each of us is called to be a student of the Bible, “rightly
dividing the word of truth.”
Bobby Stafford
October 28, 2012
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