The Bible begins with stories, two sections of stories that make up Bible Orientation Volume 1: Law and History. These two categories tell the entire Old Testament story. So what comes next in Volume 2? Poetry.
Poems? Rhyme? Meter? Not quite. Old Testament poetry is based on repeated ideas rather than sounds and rhythm but figures of speech are everywhere.
How does the Poetry section fit into the whole Bible? These books add another dimension to the stories in Law and History. King David is a good example of how this works.
2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles tell David’s story. In these history books we get to know a powerful man who was chosen by God but made very bad choices. How could God say that David, an adulterer and murderer, was a man after God’s own heart?
King David was a poet as well as a warrior. He wrote many of the Psalms. His psalms are not so much about what he did but how he felt; David’s poetry reveals his heart. David expresses anger, despair and frustration along with trust in God. David loves God and God’s law. He admits his sin and repents. David asks the Lord for help and gives credit to God for his success. He was a thankful man and an enthusiastic God worshipper. David was brutally honest with God. Maybe this makes him a man after God’s own heart.
We typically see only outward appearance while God looks at the heart; but David bared his soul in his psalms and gave us a glimpse into his heart. The psalms also give us permission, encouragement and words to spew out our fury, longing and awe to God. We have the freedom to talk to God using the language of the heart, poetry.
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