Studying the Psalms: Lament
The psalms seem to be the most versatile of the books of the bible, don’t they? We find everything from instruction to heartbroken prayers to praise unending for our God. We may have many reasons to study the psalms. Recently I’ve been thinking about studying them as a way to see other people’s prayers. We talk about praying scripture, but I think that prayer is about relationship and that seems to be the thread in the psalms – they are all about relationship with God. Let’s look at the different types of psalms in this book over the coming months (fourth week of the month), starting with laments.
Lament
Lament is not a word which means ‘complaint’. I think that is what we mostly think of when we hear the word. Lament, according to Merriam-Webster online is ‘to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively’, or as a noun it is ‘crying out in grief’. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lament From this definition we understand that this is not simply a problem that we are going round and round about. This is the sorrow of the loss of something or someone.
Lament in the Psalms
Laments begin with the situation or loss, then progress to reaffirmations of trust in God. If we consider David’s lament in Psalm 3, we see that he is surrounded by his enemies, and they do not understand that God will deliver him. He is saddened by the situation he finds himself in – is it any wonder since it is his own son who is chasing him here! He cried out to God about the number of enemies and their lack of trust in God himself.
Then we see that David immediately moved to the trust that he has in God (verse 3), ‘But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.’ There was a situation which David cannot change, and indeed the psalm is not about a solution to the issue, it is about WHO will provide the solution to the issue. It is about the God in whom he trusts to deliver him.
Finally, David acknowledges the problem again and the final words are of praise and repeated assurance that God is trustworthy and acts.
This then forms the general ‘format’ of a lament: a call to God, description of the issue, reasons and statements of trusting God, reminder of issue and trust.
Corporate Lament
We see this pattern as well in psalms of corporate lament. One such example is Psalm 74 which outlines a problem with the way the people of Israel felt abandoned by God. Yet, then the psalm moves to remember the ways that God has indeed responded to his people and took care of them. This chronology instill trust in God that he is for them and with them and will act. It closes as the personal lament of David above with a reminder of the issue and the firm belief that God acts.
Corporate lament is built into some liturgical churches during the season of lent. Other times, groups that seek justice come together in prayer to state the issues and seek God’s response instead of man’s.
Psalms of Lament
There are many psalms of lament. Some say they account for about one-third of the psalms. Laments offer an outstanding model for how we can approach God with our issues and stand firm in Him with the knowledge that he is trustworthy. Yes, I think it is knowledge, not belief, but a certainty that He will act on the issue. He is acting, he will act.
Some psalms of lament for study:
Personal lament: 6, 10, 13, 22, 25, 31, 38, 44, 55, 71, 86
Corporate lament: 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 85, 90
