Old Testament Books of Poetry - 5 Books

The term poetry does not refer to imaginative, entertaining or rhythmic writings, but has to do with the form of the content. Other ancient literary examples of poetry are The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer. Conversational tone and repetition of ideas characterize poetic writings.

Job, the book of Undeserved Suffering, is thought to be the earliest writing of the Bible. There is no reference to the Mosaic Law, so it predates Exodus. It highlights the ongoing controversy between God and Satan which we call the angelic conflict. It is troubling to read, because of the undeserved, intense suffering in time of a man God has declared perfect (complete, mature) and upright (righteous)—Job 1:8. Satan smarted off that Job was faithful only because God kept him protected (hedged about) from the world’s pressures. Satan then was allowed to put pressure on Job; everything short of killing him. God knew his man, but Satan didn’t. I believe Job really didn’t, either, until he had endured the test. But Job knew God! Much like Abraham, Job knew that whatever happened, God would never change, and that what God had promised He would produce. He knew that God had given him everything and God had the authority to take it all back. Job 1:21 “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” He knew that Sovereign God “stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.” Job 26:7. Think about that! He knew, because Jesus Christ told him in 38:7 “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” at the creation of the earth. Job knew Jesus Christ as his eternal Savior, and even in his deepest distress, he wanted to leave a lasting witness to the world. Job 19:23-26:

Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.

Job was a mature believer in Jesus Christ before the testings began, and he was a severely chastened and even more humbled mature believer in Jesus Christ after the testings were over. Throughout it all, he knew his sufferings were undeserved and that God had a purpose in the unspeakable adversities He was allowing His servant, Job, to endure. Even when he was reeling from the shock of loss; even when he was writhing in pain and wishing for death, Job never lost his faith in his Sovereign Savior. The book of Job is not about the suffering, it is about the response of a mature believer to the suffering.

Psalms, the book of Praise. Several writers contributed their inspired writings, but David is the predominant author of these poems of experiential blessings, sufferings, victories, dejection, elation, remorse, unconditional love, deep devotion, thanksgiving and total trust in the faithfulness of God.

The pattern of 5 is evident in the Psalms, as it is in the Old Testament. There is a section of Psalms which corresponds to the events of Genesis, about Man: Psalms 1-41; Exodus, about Israel: Psalms 42-72; Leviticus, about the Sanctuary: Psalms 73-89; Numbers, about Earth: Psalms 90-106; Deuteronomy, about the Word: Psalms 107-150

There is nothing haphazard about the arrangement of the book of Psalms. We could spend the rest of our lives on this topic alone. They are organized in a fascinating system. They are believed to have been set to music and sung in the worship service. There are churches even today that use no music except the Psalms in their worship. There are  23 or more studies of the Psalms archived in this blog beginning May 7, 2012.

Proverbs, the book of Wisdom. Recorded by Solomon, but not all originally written by him. Quote from J. Vernon McGee’s outline: “Proverbs are short sentences, drawn from long experience.” They are designed to advise a young man about his personal choices in life; which ones will be good and beneficial for his spiritual growth and which ones will be destructive. They are pointed and pithy, and the older we grow, the more we realize the truth in these statements.

Key verse: Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
My personal favorite: Proverbs 14:7 “Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.” Remember the definition of a fool: he despises wisdom and instruction. Therefore, he will not only reject your wisdom, but will do everything he can to distract you from it.

I learned years ago from my favorite Southern Baptist preacher (my son), that since there are 31 chapters of Proverbs, we can read one chapter a day every month for guidance in life. I like that plan. It is a comforting practice to cultivate.

Ecclesiastes, the book of Human Viewpoint. Solomon started strong, using his great, godly wisdom to rule his nation. God blessed him abundantly with not only the wisdom he had asked for, but also with great discernment, good values, and a sense of purpose and destiny in life. That is divine viewpoint. He loved and worshipped the Lord, whom he recognized and honored in all he did. He also acquired even more riches than he had inherited from his father, David. Then Solomon began to acquire wives, plural, from all parts of the world. Partly because of an out of control lust pattern, but largely for political purposes, he married many women. Many pagan women. They brought their trousseaux, their delicacies, their entourages and their gods into the kingdom which Solomon ruled. Big mistake, Solomon. When one wallows with unbelievers, one loses one’s keen identity of soul. Such a one becomes cynical, depressed, sour on the world, negligent and unresponsive to God’s Word. That’s when human viewpoint sets in. We revert to natural man, who doesn’t even understand the things of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned (I Corinthians 2:14 states the principle). Not loss of salvation. Loss of fellowship with Jesus Christ. No identification, no spiritual production in life. Boredom. Restlessness. Aimless busy-ness.

That is the subject of Ecclesiastes. He calls himself the Preacher. It means lecturer. He’s world-weary and ready to impart his experienced knowledge to his subjects. And the world is what he knows, since he has dulled his spiritual understanding by self-indulgence. He’s thinking like an unbeliever. It’s a pretty tiresome outlook. Emptiness.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-4 “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.”

Solomon eventually did recover fellowship, though, and shared the correct answer to all his own cynical questions: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Well, at least he remembered Who is in charge. 

Song of Solomon, the book of Marital Love is actually a portrait of the bond between Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, and His Church, the Shulamite Woman. She is poor and seems common, but the Shepherd loves her. As human life finds its highest fulfillment in the love of man and woman, so spiritual life finds its highest fulfillment in the love of God for His people and Christ for His church. The Shepherd Lover turns out to be King Solomon, who can rescue the Shulamite from her drudgery and make her his beloved queen forever.

This book illustrates the real significance of human marriage. In marriage, one woman submits herself physically and emotionally to one man, for life. In marriage, one man gives his life, strength, provision and protection to one woman for life. He initiates, she responds. He fulfills her, she completes him. They become one flesh. This happens spiritually in their soul relationship to one another. It happens physically in their production of children, whose bodies are a blend of both parents’ DNA. This explains the sacredness of marriage. It is not a convenience, it is a living entity. Knowing that and honoring that truth will positively affect your marriage. This is God’s gift to humanity, to teach us His commitment to us.

When we believe in Jesus Christ’s finished Work, we become one with Him. He has given Himself for us. We have received Him into ourselves. We are IN HIM. We are what He is. Our production is His production. This is intimacy which cannot be adequately explained by language. Human marriage, in the Biblical model, explains it, like Jesus in His incarnation explained the Person of God (John 1:18).

Song of Solomon 2:4 “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Song of Solomon 6:3 “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine…”

Song of Solomon 8:6 "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave."