Here’s a responsive reading that teaches your people about Hebrew poetry while worshipping at the same time.
Pastor: In synonymous parallelism the second line of a verse expresses similar thoughts and sentiments as the first.
Pastor: The heavens declare the glory of God;
All: the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Ps 19:1)
Pastor: Day after day they pour forth speech;
All: Night after night they display knowledge. (Ps 19:2)
Pastor: In antithetic parallelism a thought expressed in one line contrasts in the next line with an opposite truth.
Pastor: For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
All: but the way of the wicked will perish. (Ps 1:6)
Pastor: My flesh and my heart may fail,
All: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(Ps 73:26)
Pastor: In synthetic (or climactic) parallelism subsequent verses build on that which has been stated in previous verses.
Pastor: When I consider your heavens,
Women: the work of your fingers,
Men: the moon and the stars,
Pastor: which you have set in place,
Men: what is man that you are mindful of him,
Women: the son of man that you care for him? (Ps 8:3,4)
Pastor: Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
All: Who may stand in his holy place?
Pastor: He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
All: Who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
(Ps 24:3,4)
Pastor: Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
All: Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
Pastor: Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
All: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, will be joyful in God my savior.
(Hab 3:17,18)
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society
Posts Tagged Poetry
Parallel Poetry
an Artist, a Song, Nehemiah 8:10 and a Poem
I was listening to Chris Tomlin’s song “Holy is the Lord” recently. I just love the verse derived from Nehemiah 8:10:
We stand and lift up our hands,
For the joy of the Lord is our strength.
We bow down and worship Him now.
How great, how awesome is He.
And together we sing, Everyone sing,
Holy is the Lord, God Almighty.
The earth is filled with His glory.
CCLI Song No. 4158039© 2003 worshiptogether.com songsSix Steps Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Chris Tomlin / Louie Giglio
Here’s a link to watch Tomlin play the song if you’ve never heard it:
That line “the joy of the Lord is my strength” does something for me because I know that we all face challenges in life. They are real, often times difficult and tiresome. They can sap us of our strength if we let them consume us. Because we are Christians doesn’t exempt us from trials, in fact, it may do the opposite. But the “joy of the Lord is our strength.” I’ve come to realize that in everything we do, we can praise God and glorify him. We can even praise him through our trials and lamentations. It happens in the Psalms all the time. It happened with Job, and with Paul.
I’m not a poet by any stretch but sometimes we just have to follow an inspiration when it comes. Here’s my probably one-and-only poem and it’s based on Nehemiah 8:10.
The Joy of the Lord is My Strength
When you can’t seem to get a date; remember, that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you can’t sleep and you’re up late; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When you wrestle with your own fate; remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you try and try to lose weight; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When you doubt getting through that narrow gate; remember, that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you strive to be more than great; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When you don’t like your very best traits; remember, that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you lack patience and can’t wait; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When you hope and pray for a clean slate; remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you lack the skills to really debate; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When all you can do is to deflate; remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you have an abnormal heart rate; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When life seems like one long rain date; remember, that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you’re old-fashioned and need an update; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When you’re church has a really high attrition rate; remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
If you need an improved emotional state; remember, that the joy of the Lord is still your strength.
