The Poetry of God

 The Bible is the most unique book in history. One would expect it to be, given God it is inspired by God himself. It is the best-seller of all time and it has transformed the world as only it can.

Its central message is the true account of Jesus Christ, Gods only and incarnate Son dying for our sins on a Roman cross and resurrected on the third day to validate his claims of being God incarnate and the reality of the efficaciousness of the cross.

One of the most beautiful (and somewhat overlooked) aspects comes in the “poetry of God,” specifically, the poetic Hebrew parallelism and acrostic poetry of the Old Testament. These forms of biblical literature are primarily found in the Old Testament and sweep through the human soul in such an intensity that it can only leave in its path a stunning transformation in a human heart and mind.

Most of this poetry is found in the Psalter (Book of Psalms). Hebrew parallelism is a thought that is repeated in a following line in a similar way. It is not “rhyming of words” as we usually think of about poetry. I tend to simplify it by thinking of it in terms of “rhyming thoughts.” It comes in many forms. The most common is “synonymous” which is a simply saying the same truth in a different way.[i] There are many other forms (see footnote) but the main function is to emphasize the truth stated as well as bring it to the attention more forcefully to the reader.

Regarding acrostic poetry, it is the use of the Hebrew alphabet in a very powerful way. A good example is the book of Lamentations. Lamentations has five chapters of twenty-two verses each, except chapter three, which has sixty-six verses. Chapters 1-4 are acrostic, but chapter 5 is not. In each chapter (1-4) the first Hebrew word of each verse begins with the successive Hebrew letter. This is obviously why there are twenty-two verses, since the Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two letters. Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem as well and is broken up in stanzas of eight verses.

Why? Because acrostic poetry is a powerhouse as a memorizing tool.

Although this aspect is lost in translation, the original Hebrew reader was able use it well in memorization. For English or other languages, even though it isn’t noticeable, the very knowledge of it is an aid to memorization simply because we know God wants us to memorize His word, and that is the likely reason that God put it in these forms.

The very structure in these poems is inspired, indicating that God is intent in wanting us to know His Word. Because of this, he provided within it a tool to render it easier to remember!

And that is the point. God loves us so much that He gave us His message of the ages, wanting us to respond to Him by knowing it intimately, and responding to His message by living out His Word as lights in a dark and changing world.

Let me encourage you today to read, study, meditate on, and memorize His beautiful, inspired Word, for His Word will transform your life in unbelievable ways!

[i]   See www.sermon-preparation-tips.com/types-of-parallelism-in-hebrew-poetry for a good rundown and some very good academic sources.

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We can come to know Christ through confession of our sins and repentance (turning away from sin). Let me encourage you to do this by talking to God through prayer. Here is an idea of how you might do that:

"Dear God, I believe your son Jesus Christ died in my place on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day following his death. I confess my sins, all of them, to you now with a humble heart. I repent of those sins and ask you to empower me with your Holy Spirit in overcoming further sin. Amen”

If you prayed this or a similar prayer committing your life to Christ and becoming one of his followers, let me encourage you to find a good, Bible-believing church.

Begin talking to God in prayer and reading the Bible daily. A good way to begin to read the Bible is to start with the Book of John in the New Testament.

Feel very free in connecting with me if you need any further help in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. You can do this via the above email or Facebook page or this web page.

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Mercy Road Ministries was founded and now led by Ben Bounds. Ben has pastored churches across Texas for over thirty years and is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). He holds a BA in Pastor Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God College and did graduate theological studies at the BMA Theological Seminary.

Ben's first book, The Divine Chase: Responding to a Pursuing God, was released on 12.08.2017 through Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. It is available in paperback and hardback through your preferred bookseller (Mardels, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and paperback, hardback as well as ebook through online book retailers (www.christianbook.com, www.cokesbury.com, www.amazon.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, etc.).

Ben is the host of Staying in Bounds, an on-air Bible devotional broadcast multiple times daily on KWJV 103.7 FM Weslaco, TX which can also be heard worldwide online at www.kwjvthestar.com. Ben and his wife, Linda, together have four adult children and nine grandchildren. They live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

Ben can be contacted for preaching engagements at benbounds695@gmail.com or 903.441.3279. Ben can also be contacted via his website @ www.benbounds.com, which is also his blog and contains more information about his ministry.

Follow Ben @ https://www.facebook.com/mercyroadministries/ and this website www.benbounds.com.

©2024 by Ben Bounds. All rights reserved.