Western Lit. 1-15: Sanctions and Songs

The breath of western poets is a book of songs. Their language is rooted in the Davidic tradition, With God as their muse, they write verses and sing praises to the great almighty God. Every civilization is established by its literature, and the psalms are the most foundational of all western poetry. Milton, Dante, and Shakespeare all drew inspiration from the Hebrew poets. The themes of the psalms penetrate every corner of western literature. Therefore to better understand contemporary western authors, and literature in general, we must understand the themes of the psalms

    The book of Psalms is usually divided into five books. Each book explores many themes, but each has a key idea. The following is a division proposed by theologian Ray R. Sutton. 

Book I (1-41) focuses on the idea of true transcendence and asserts the supreme sovereignty of God. 

Book II (42-72) implies an ethical hierarchy, through the idea that God's people can safely trust him, and that good men stand above evil ones in the ethical hierarchy. 

Book III (73-89) is about ethics, it proclaims God's law is perfect as a standard for truth and orientation in the world. (psalm 1:9)

Book IV (90-106) is perhaps the most important. It describes God's system of historical Sanctions and fleshes out the idea that God brings perfect judgment in history 

Book V (107-150) concludes by asserting Continuity. It states the righteous will inherit the earth and that God will reign supreme for all of time. 

    All of these themes are deeply significant for our understanding of the literature and the psalms in particular. However, not all themes are created equal. In psalms, all themes flow from the idea of historical sanctions. Throughout the book, sanctions are applied through the system of ethics in time. They must exist because of the law imposed by God through his sovereignty and affected by a hierarchy. an example follows, Psalm   37:21-23 "The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. The footsteps of a man are established by Yahweh, And He delights in his way." This passage is meant to educate about the sovereignty of God, but the author illustrates this in a microcosm of the five themes of literature, the most important of which is sanctions.

    Sanctions are important to the book of Psalms, but especially so in their own book. Two chapters in the books of sanctions, 104 and 105, open with the words "Bless the Lord oh my soul". This is because God has blessed man in the past and will continue to bless him, the rest of those psalms praise God for his great benediction. Many of the other psalms, such as the 94th, describe the curses placed upon the unrighteous. O Lord, God of vengeance; God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render recompense to the proud. How long shall the wicked, O Lord, How long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Thy people, O Lord, and afflict Thy heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the orphans. And they have said, “The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed” (Ps. 94:1-7).

The book ends with the 106th psalm which is a complete history of Israel in terms of sanctions, concluding with exile as a punishment for disobedience. 

    The true importance of the sanctions in the Psalms is found by searching for meaning in its implications. When we look closely at sanctions it is clear they are tied to all of the other themes and act as the efficient cause of three. The sanctions imposed by the sovereign are the enforcer of ethical law, they impose a hierarchy between men and God and determine the ethical inheritance of our future. The theme of sanctions is found at all levels of resolution in the psalms and in each book. An entire book of the psalms is dedicated to the idea of sanctions and explores their implications of sanctions according to our ethical status. The idea of sanctions is not only central to the psalms but causal to many of the other core ideas and themes.

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1156-do-the-imprecatory-psalms-and-christian-ethics-clash

https://www.reconstructionistradio.com/audiobook/that-you-may-prosper/appendix-2-psalms/

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lsb/psa/41/1/s_519001Five fundamental themes in the psalms