Prayer & The Holy Spirit

Part 8

 

Praise in Prayer

Matthew 6:9
Romans 1:19-21
1st Peter 4:13-14
Ephesians 3:20-21
Revelation 4:9-11

The Psalms are full of His prayerful praise. We should be familiar with the strategic way in which Jews offered prayer and thanksgiving. The Christian approach is to ‘Eucharistia’ – give thanks. In the New Covenant we are urged to do this when we are suffering and being tempted,
1st Pet. 4:13-14.

Hebrew poetry is not like English poetry.  They formed their poetry for the purpose of memorizing God’s praise and to teach their children God’s precepts.  They experienced education with methods of repetition, which gives meaning to obscure and figurative words.  Christian praise is primarily for the purpose of expressing our love to God and providing encouragement to fellow Christians.  Christian praise should be a loving expression of humility and purity, submitting to God’s authority, will and word.  Eph. 5:19, Col 3:16-17, Mat. 18:3, Heb. 7:14.
Jesus loved the Psalms, they were so much a part of his mental nature, he quoted them as part of his dying words on the cross, Mat. 27:46 (Psa. 22:1) & Luk. 23:46 (Psa. 31:5).  Therefore, we need to derive God’s strength from using them and it helps to know what they are about and for what purpose they are still with us.   The Psalms were not written for just our reading, they were written to help shape our prayers, they are better described as divine praise, instead of poetry.  Yet they are educational, as Jesus used them, Luk. 24:44.  They can be used to teach, and to pray with, Php. 4:4, Jas. 5:13.
There are seven formats of Parallelism (construction) in Hebrew: The seven formats are merely for construction of the Psalm, not for singing. 
1. Synonymous, the 2nd line repeating the 1st, but a little differently
2. Antithetic, the 2nd line contrasting the 1st line.
3. Synthetic, the 2nd line explaining the 1st line.
4. Introverted, the 4th line repeating the 1st, while the 2nd & 3rd lines repeat almost identically.
5. Climatic, the 2nd line reaches a climatic point from the 1st.
6. Emblematic, the 2nd line makes a similie from the 1st.
7.  There is also the Acrostic format: Each line begins with a Hebrew letter alphabetically.
Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112,145, 119 are all acrostic.
There are seven known authors and an unknown number of anonymous authors: 73 by King David, 12 by Asaph, 9 by the Sons of Korah, 2 by King Solomon, 1 by Heman, 1 by Ethan and 1 by Moses, with 51 anonymous psalms, totalling to 150.
The 150 Psalms are divided into 5 sections, ‘books’, resembling the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament).  This was done early in Hebrew history probably during Ezra’s day after their captivity to impress upon the people that they were the authorized words for Prayer and Praise which God would accept. But the most famous grouping of Psalms is 113-118 and 120-136 as the Hallel Psalms used in all three of the mandatory feasts during the Jewish calendar. The exception being 119, glorifying The word and being used educationally. Do we pray with an emphasis on praising God? Or do we pray with an emphasis on teaching or telling someone something?

 It was King David who introduced and presumptuously authorized instrumental music in the Temple worship, 1Chron. 23:3-5. We should no more have the desire from God, to put a flute in our prayers, as we should a piano in our praise.

 Interspersed throughout all 5 sections of the Psalms are 6 different types of Psalms with at least 19 different tunes. Some tunes are so ancient, no Jew alive today can recite them with any certainty.  These types are not necessarily formats of music, the type of tune expresses the purpose of the Psalm. Actually meditation, instead of tuneful singing was sometimes preferred amoungst the writers of the Psalm, which is demonstrated in Psalm 19:14, with meditation translated from “Higgayon”, “a musical notation, as a murmuring sound while thinking or meditating”.

6 Types of Psalms
1. Didactic - Teaching on the Law and all it’s characteristics.
2. Praise - Expressing love to God
3. Thanks - Concerning the mercies of God to His people.
4. Devotional - Expressing penitence, faith and hope.
5. Prophetic - Messianic
6.  Historic - Recounting God’s Providence.

Could you write a prayer of praise?