Psalms of Lament

Introduction

The Psalms as Christian Lament: A Historical Commentary Prologue

Biblical lament is too mysterious to equate cheaply with psychological complaint. Nor can it be comprehended exhaustively for a seminary textbook. It certainly reflects upon the human condition, but it also reflects upon the character of God. It is a vital aspect, then, of theological anthropology, itself an increasingly central concern for Christianity in the twenty-first century.

The Latin phrase Carpe Diem, means “seize the day.” Taking risks to make you

Marks of a Lament Psalm

Grief

Persecution

Petition

Evil

Structure of Lament Psalms

Address and Introductory Petition

Lament

I

You (God)

They (foe)

Confession of Trust

Petition

For Favor

For Intervention

Motive

Vow of Praise

Thanksgiving in Anticipation

Examples of Lament Psalms

Psalm 137 HCSB

By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. There we hung up our lyres on the poplar trees, for our captors there asked us for songs, and our tormentors, for rejoicing: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the Lord’s song on foreign soil? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy! Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said that day at Jerusalem: “Destroy it! Destroy it down to its foundations!” Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who pays you back what you have done to us. Happy is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rocks.

* time allows

Psalm 88 HCSB

A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out before You day and night. May my prayer reach Your presence; listen to my cry. For I have had enough troubles, and my life is near Sheol. I am counted among those going down to the Pit. I am like a man without strength, abandoned among the dead. I am like the slain lying in the grave, whom You no longer remember, and who are cut off from Your care. You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit, in the darkest places, in the depths. Your wrath weighs heavily on me; You have overwhelmed me with all Your waves. Selah You have distanced my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them. I am shut in and cannot go out. My eyes are worn out from crying. Lord, I cry out to You all day long; I spread out my hands to You. Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah Will Your faithful love be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon? Will Your wonders be known in the darkness or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion? But I call to You for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer meets You. Lord, why do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me? From my youth, I have been afflicted and near death. I suffer Your horrors; I am desperate. Your wrath sweeps over me; Your terrors destroy me. They surround me like water all day long; they close in on me from every side. You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me; darkness is my only friend.

Psalm 22 HCSB

For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A Davidic psalm. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest. But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them. They cried to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disgraced. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by people. Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: “He relies on the Lord; let Him rescue him; let the Lord deliver him, since He takes pleasure in him.” You took me from the womb, making me secure while at my mother’s breast. I was given over to You at birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. Do not be far from me, because distress is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me. They open their mouths against me— lions, mauling and roaring. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me. They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. But You, Lord, don’t be far away. My strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, my only life from the power of these dogs. Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the congregation. You who fear Yahweh, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All you descendants of Israel, revere Him! For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He did not hide His face from him but listened when he cried to Him for help. I will give praise in the great congregation because of You; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You. The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him. May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before You, for kingship belongs to the Lord; He rules over the nations. All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before Him— even the one who cannot preserve his life. Their descendants will serve Him; the next generation will be told about the Lord. They will come and tell a people yet to be born about His righteousness— what He has done.

Learning to Lament

Lament is the genre we need most today

Life sucks sometimes

The Church’s refusal to lament has done incredible damage to itself and to its witness

Following the Lament structure in our lament

Petition

Lament

Confession of past Trust

Specific petition

Vow of praise

Thanksgiving in anticipation

Today’s Lament Songs

“Approximately 0 percent of the top 150 CCLI songs (songs sung most in churches) are laments.” - Michael Gungor

Indelibe Grace VI - From the Depths of Woe

Words by Martin Luther

1. From the depths of woe I raise to Thee, a voice of lamentation.

Lord, turn a gracious ear to me, And hear my supplication.

If Thou iniquities dost mark, Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,

O who shall stand before Thee?

2. To wash away the crimson stain, Grace, grace alone availeth.

Our works, alas! are all in vain; In much the best life faileth.

No man can glory in Thy sight, All must alike confess Thy might,

And live alone by mercy.

3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord, And not in mine own merit.

On Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit.

His promised mercy is my fort, My comfort, and my sweet support.

I wait for it with patience.

4. What though I wait the live-long night, And ’til the dawn appeareth.

My heart still trusteth in His might, It doubteth not nor feareth.

Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed, Ye of the Spirit born indeed,

And wait ’til God appeareth.

5. Though great our sins and sore our woes,

His grace much more aboundeth.

His helping love no limit knows, Our upmost need it soundeth.

Our Shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free,

From all their sin and sorrow.