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Beautiful Poetry of the Bible
Mike Wencel
The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is revered for its majestic and poetic language.
What sets a poem apart from prose, is the way it can invoke vivid images in the mind, sometimes with very few words. Let’s take time today to enjoy some of the most beautiful poetry in the bible.
From the Old Testament:
t1u [Peacefulness in God’s Care] Psalm 23 — The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The peacefulness that reading this Psalm endows upon the reader is remarkable. The imagery is sublime.
t2u [The Beautiful Church of Christ] Revelation 12:1 — And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
What a wonderful depiction of the church.
t3u [The Intimacy of God’s Relationship With Us] Psalms 139:1-16 — O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Whenever you feel that God is far away, read this Psalm to appreciate who intimately God knows and loves you. ¢ You will find no better anti-abortion argument anywhere in the world.
t4u [A glorious depiction of God’s grandeur and power] Psalms 104:1-7 — Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
The poetry here is so noble and glorious and indicative of God’s awesome power.
t5u [God’s Timelessness] Psalms 90:4 — For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
This verse poetically declares God’s existence is beyond time and space.
t6u [Desire for the living waters of God’s Word] Psalms 42:1 —As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Do we hunger and thirst for God as a dear desires water for his survival?
t7u [Praise For Our Creator] Psalms 42:11 — Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
What do we ever have to really be downcast about?
t8u [Unshakable Confidence in God] 1 Samuel 17:45-47 — Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
The image of this small boy’s ultra-confidence against this giant of a man is truly inspiring.
t9u [The creative genius and power of God] Job 38:4-11 — Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
God describes his own creative genius and power
t10u [God’s Simple Desire For His People] Micah 6:8 — He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Such a simple phrase with such a profound application. Often we make religion more complicated than it really is.
t11u [A Blessing to Friends and Neighbors] Numbers 6:24-26 — The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
What a beautiful blessing to bestow on our neighbors
From the New Testament:
t12u [Mary’s Humble Prayer] Luke 1:46-55 — And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
How many teenagers do you know that talk this way, with this level of understanding?
t13u [Zacharias’ Profound Prophecy] Luke 1:67-79 — And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he swore to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
What an incredible and beautiful prophecy of John the Baptist and Jesus
t14u [Simeon’s Defining Moment] Luke 2:25-33 — And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him.
The complete sense of peace and contentment that Simeon felt is so obvious. He knew nothing in his future life could surpass this moment, so we was ready to depart form this life whenever God would take him. This experience must have stayed with him to the end of his life.
t15u [Paul’s Poetic Rendering of the End Times] 1 Corinthians 15:52-57 — In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
What a profound prophecy of the end times. This should give us great hope.
t16u [The Brevity of Earthly Life] James 4:14 — Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Think of a morning fog – how it stays for a short while and then disappears. Such are our lives on earth.
t17u [The Dangers of the Tongue] James 3:6-8 — And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
A sobering exposition of the dangers of an unbridled tongue. Thinks of this imagery in relation to your own tongue, and the power it has.
EXTRAS (IF TIME PERMITS
t18u [The Beauty in God in Us] Psalms 90:17 — And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
How wonderful it would be if others could see the beauty of God in us. That should be our prayer, and also that the Lord will establish our mind, hearts and hands firmly in his Word.
t19u [God Never Sleeps] Psalms 121:1-3 — I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
God never sleeps – he is always attentive to all of his children
t20u [The Strong Bonds of Love Between a Man and Woman] Song of Solomon 8:6 — Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Love between a husband and wife should be strong enough that only death can break it. It should burn like a hot flame that nothing but death can extinguish.