the greenest grass around

This poetry in the Bible offers a beautiful and powerful glimpse of our God. Poetry is written to be felt, and I suggest reading poetry with as many senses as you can. Read it with imagination. 

Poetry is creative, and it should be read as such. As I said before, it allows us to think with expression and read it with our senses. 

If you are reading about God being a potter and we are the clay. I want you to stop and think about pottery. How does it feel? What does it smell like? Think about the process. Clay is wet and slimy but moldable. When it is fired or dries, it becomes pottery. Pottery has a dusty feel that says on your hands. There are colors, smells, and sensations that go along with the process. We don’t just read and and move on. 

Hugh Osgood of Charis Communications said it best “In a world of self-promotion and arrogance, where the humility that God brings often seems to count for little, bible poetry can challenge us to question our assessment of ourselves as sacred gems designed to be hidden away in holy places. There are times when, if we are really worth our weight in gold, we have to be facing the challenges of the rubble-laden street corners. 

That said, there are also times when poetry has to lift us from the dust into God’s presence.” 

Poetry has a beautiful way of speaking to us if we listen.

Sometimes, poetry can be subjective and difficult to understand. 

“Modern linguistics help us understand how words acquire different meanings in different contexts and how word combinations produce meaning that far outstrips the sum of the meanings of the individual words. It helps us see ambiguity as an asset rather than a setback. Modern scholars of Hebrew poetry have helped us overcome simplistic ideas about poetic parallelism and rediscover the beauty of Hebrew poetry. Modern critical theory inspires us to ask fresh questions of familiar texts, invites us to rediscover their modern relevance, and empowers us to become proactive participants in poetry’s production of transformative meaning.

The modern study of metaphors helps us understand how the metaphors we use to speak of complex problems shape our thinking and our lives. Modern hermeneutics helps us read biblical poetry with humility and expectation: “What has been written with imagination must be read with imagination” (Alonso Schökel, Manual of Hebrew Poetics, 1988).

Keep in mind, usually, when we think of poetry, we think of a short rhyming, the almost song-like pattern of words. We may find some of that here, but it will not be like that for the most part. We will have to think about things like figurative language and metaphors. Poetry is imaginative, as I said above. You will have to read it differently than you would other books of the Bible. A good example: How I read “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein, is completely different from how I would read “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes” By Arthur Conan Doyle. It has different text, wording, contexts, and writing styles. I think about how many times I read these texts and did them a disservice by reading them incorrectly. 

Poetry of any kind is not a one and done type of text, each time you read, you may discover something different.

Poetry Books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs)

Job

Author: Unknown

Background: Job is said to be the oldest book in the Bible. Geographically, the events took place in the northern Arabian Peninsula. Usually associated with Edom. 

Quick Summary: Satan attacks a righteous man named Job, and Job and his friends argue about why terrible things are happening to him.

Main Themes: Unmarried suffering, personal character, Righteousness 

Purpose: This book demonstrates that a sovereign, righteous God is sufficient and trustworthy in every situation. 

Popular verses: 

• 19:25 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
• 1:1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
• 1:21 And said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”

How does Job apply to our lives today:

• Job gives us a Godly example of suffering and trials.
• Understanding that God’s comfort and strength are always avaliable to us.
• It reminds us to be humble.
• Helps us to understand that bad things happen to good people but God will never leave us.

Psalms 

Author: Many (David wrote about half of them, Solomon, David’s worship leader, a few others, and Moses even wrote one, Psalm 90). 

Background: The Psalms were written my several different people across a long time span. The overall background for Psalms would be praising God through song and poetry.

Quick Summary: A collection of 150 songs that Israel sang to God (and to each other)—kind of like a hymnal for the ancient Israelites.

Main Themes: Suffering, trust, thanksgiving, and praise.

Purpose: To express worship to God.

Popular verses:

• 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
• 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
• 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
• 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
• 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

How does Psalms apply to our lives today:

• Psalms helps us express ourselves to the Lord in worship.
• Use Psalms as prayer starters.
• They provide insight for Christians.

Proverbs

Author: Solomon and other wise men

Background: The book of Proverbs demands humility. It assumes that we have much to learn, which we do. Proverbs calls us to examine our hearts for God (Holman Study Bible, 2017.)

Quick Summary: A collection of sayings written to help people make wise decisions that bring about justice.

Main Themes: Fear of the Lord, God’s wisdom, work ethic, avoiding evil, pride, strife, family, greed, foolish words, dishonesty, and wealth.

Purpose: The purpose of Proverbs is to push us to pursue wisdom and not foolish behavior.

Popular verses:

• 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
• 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
• 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

How does Job apply to our lives today:

• Proverbs help us bring Biblical truth into our lives.
• Promotes discipline and skills.
• Apply Godly council.
• According to Tim Keller, they are a mini-guide to life.

Ecclesiastes

Author: Traditionally, Solomon 

Background: Ecclesiastes is considered wisdom literature. This book and proverbs are key to helping us lives Christian lives. 

Quick Summary: A philosophical exploration of the meaning of life—with a surprisingly nihilistic tone for the Bible.

Main Themes: Life is short, do not waste it with trivial pursuits. 

Purpose: This book encourages us to enjoy life and fear God. 

Popular verses:

• 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
• 3:4 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
• 12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of every human being. 
• 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

How does Ecclesiastes apply to our lives today:

• Understanding that God’s in control.
• Trust God and not our own understanding.
• Above all, we are here to glorify Him.

Song of Songs

Author: Traditionally Solomon 

Background: Song of Songs paints a pure picture of marriage and sexuality. 

Quick Summary: A love song (or collection of love songs) celebrating love, desire, and marriage.

Main Themes: Love, commitment, beauty, perseverance, and wisdom 

Purpose: Perfect love; the songwrite compares it to God’s love for Israel. Therefore, Song of Songs shows a marriage patterned after divine love. 

Popular verses:

• 2:2 Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women.
• 8:7 A huge torrent cannot extinguish love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all his wealth for love, it would be utterly scorned.

How does Job apply to our lives today:

• Song on Songs helps us understand perfect, Godly love that Christ has for us.

As you read through the poetry books of the Bible, remember to read them with creativity and imagination. Read them over and over for new insights from God. I pray that you read these with a different outlook and come closer to God in doing so.

-Ashley