Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 176:704 (Oct 2019)
Article: Structure, Allusion, Theology, And Contemporary Address In Psalm 106
Author: Matthew E. Swale

BSac 176:704 (October-December 2019) p. 400

Structure, Allusion, Theology, And Contemporary Address In Psalm 106

Matthew E. Swale

Matthew E. Swale is a Bible instructor at Cornerstone School, Birmingham, Alabama.

Abstract

A chiastic reading of Psalm 106 reveals its import for Israel and the present day. In addition, the psalm’s allusions to the period of the judges help the reader consider the psalm’s current relevance. The interrelations between Psalms 106 and 107 suggest that God’s people should liturgically rehearse adverse cultural history as penitential intercession—penitence for analogous or related sin and intercession to excise the residual cultural implications. The current need for racial reconciliation within the evangelical church should be seen as an opportunity for the kind of penitential intercession urged by Psalm 106.

Introduction

Evangelical culture tends to be ahistorical.1 By contrast, Psalm 106 reminds us that “what is forgotten is unavailable and what is unavailable cannot be healed.”2 This psalm prescribes that God’s people liturgically rehearse adverse cultural history as penitential intercession—penitence for analogous or related sin and intercession to excise the residual cultural

BSac 176:704 (October-December 2019) p. 401

implications. To defend this assertion, this article will (1) propose a structure for Psalm 106 that allows the reader to hear its message on its own literary terms; (2) analyze the allusions to Judges in Psalm 106:34–46; (3) identify the text’s “underlying theological principles” and perlocutionary effect;3 (4) verify the intended effect by exploring the relationship between Psalms 106 and 107; and (5) suggest a cultural issue for contemporary address.

Literary Analysis Of Psalm 106: A Proposal

Most commentators note Psalm 106’s “hymnic envelope”4 (vv. 1–6, 47–48). Some label th...