Abstract
The book of Psalms gives us a vocabulary for faith and expresses the full range of human emotions. These timeless poems wrestle with isolation, trauma, sin, and the desire for vengeance. One also finds hope, trust, and the promise of forgiveness. The Psalter includes ringing affirmations of God's steadfast love for humanity and the rest of creation, along with the most basic requirement for all persons, which is to praise the Deity.
The current issue of Interpretation brings together four biblical scholars who have explored the wondrous language in the psalms, both in their ancient context and for our current age. These authors are attentive to structure, theological content, and the creative ways in which the Psalter has been interpreted and applied.
First is the essay from Jerome Creach, who directs us to the broader structure of the Psalter and the central theme of divine control over the cosmos. Creach pays attention to the superscriptions and the role of David in shaping perceptions of the book. He demonstrates the significance of Psalms 1 and 2 in setting an ethical template for how readers should approach the collection and by extension their lives. Creach's illuminating tour orients us to the theological wonder of the Psalter.
Many interpreters have asked what lies at the heart or center of the book of Psalms. Brent Strawn addresses this question by looking at Psalm 88 and the many references to "the Pit" in this unit. He likens the despair in this bleakest of psalms to a black hole, which seems to engulf the speaker in agonizing lament. Yet Strawn reminds us that the despair of the Pit does not get the final word: "If there is a black hole at the center of the Psalms, the Psalter does not, at the end of the day revolve around it, but moves into it and then, somehow—because of God—beyond it."
Stephen Reid brings the analysis to our contemporary context and the ways in which human bro-kenness creates fractures. He looks at the rhetoric of abuse and microaggressions in Psalm 55 and the timeless nature of sinfulness. Of particular note is Reid's analysis of "frenemies" in this psalm and today; trauma and betrayal frequently occur at the hands of trusted friends and loved ones. Reid also considers the interpretive discoveries that stem from reading Psalm 55 as a female voice.
Finally, Joel LeMon takes the reader on a magical, illuminating tour of the Psalter and John Coltrane's masterpiece, A Love Supreme. LeMon explores how the four movements of A Love Supreme mirror developments in the book of Psalms and the composer's own descriptions of this musical piece as reflective of his faith journey. LeMon shows that the extraordinary complexity of A Love Supreme can bring us closer to understanding the wonders of the Psalter (and vice-versa). Readers of LeMon's essay will want to become avid listeners of A Love Supreme. In so doing they will be able to encounter the transcendent wonder that lies at the heart of both works.