Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

SONGS AND POEMS One-third of the Old Testament is poetry. Nearly every kind of poetry, most clear and perfect in form, is found in the Bible. The poetic passages in Isaiah have never been surpassed. Job stands out as a powerful dramatic poem, and no modern hymnal can equal the Psalms for sheer beauty. Among ancient people, important truths were captured in poem and song to be communicated to peoples of every class and education. The ballads and compositions were easy to remember and were used by almost every Bible writer. Although there was no rhyme in Hebrew poetry, rhythm is expressed in time-beats and tones. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Hebrew poetry is the thought rhythm where the second line of the composition is repeated, contrasted, or climaxed. This is especially clear in the Proverbs. Probably the most famous of all Bible poems is Psalm 23. Rich in spiritual power, this composition lifts the soul in worship. Scholars say this one psalm has been translated into more than nine hundred different languages and dialects. The Poetical Books of the Bible include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. (Lamentations is also poetic, but it is classified under prophecy in our English Bible.) These beautiful books clearly describe the greatness of the Creator, the problems of the creature, and God's desire to become involved in our everyday life. The extent of that involvement is best captured by David when he penned: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me... No wonder David sought to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.