Daily Bread for Jul 3, Psa 103-105
Today’s readings are Psa 103-105.
Psa 103 - David's praise for
God's forgiveness
Let's look at Psalm 103 and how it is structured, for a moment. There is a literary device in Hebrew poetry, known as a chiasm, an intersection of two divergent literary paths. There are usually two paths, one leading up to the main point and the other leading away from it. In a chiasm, the point of intersection is the primary point of the passage. Generally, it can be seen in the grouping of two or three verses, running in a pattern like this: A1; B1; C; B2; A2, with the "C" group being the primary emphasis. Psalm 103 is a large chiasm. It is structured like this;
A-Praise (v 1)
B-The God
who meets our needs (v 2-5)
C-The God who does right (v 6)
D- The God who reveals Himself to Israel (v 7)
E-The eternal mercy of God (v 8-9)
F-How God does
not deal (v 10)
G-Comparisons to God's excellencies (v 11-14)
G1-Comparisons
to man's frailties (v 15)
F1-How God does
not deal (v 16)
E1-The eternal mercy of God (v 17a)
D1-The God who does right (v 17b)
C1-To those who do His precepts (v 18)
B1-All God
rules over is to bless Him (v 19-22a)
A1-Praise (v 22b)
The Psalm starts out with praise (A), leads up to the main point of comparing God's excellencies to man's frailness (G, G1) then leads back to praise (A1).
Chiasms are sometimes
labeled chiasmata. Both words are also used as medical terms. As a
literary device, they require some hard work but can be very
rewarding.
Psa 104 - Praise (The Psalmist extols God's providential care)
Psa 105
- Praise (The Psalmist extols God's wonderful works)
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