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Are the Psalms actually quite limited in the types of suffering they address, and what does this mean for us?

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You will often hear people say things like, "The Psalms cover every human emotion and situation." There's even a John Calvin quote somewhere. And the "covering every emotions" part may be true. But something has bothered me about this type of statement for a while. Now, I certainly could be missing something, but as I have read the Psalms more lately it seems that it only addresses really two types of suffering: **a)** Attacks/false accusations from enemies and **b)** suffering caused by sin/iniquity. Many Psalms feature the general 'cry of the afflicted' but when the reason is given, it seems to always come down to the two forms I mentioned above. Here's a couple examples: - Psalm 103:3 speaks of "healing our diseases" but there is disagreement from commentators whether this is really referring to the "disease" of sin. - Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is near to the broken-hearted" might at first glance be read as anyone who is grieving or suffered a loss. However in Derek Kidner's commentary on the Psalms he asserts that this "broken-heartedness" is referring to those who are broken over their sins. What does this mean for us? Is this a theological lesson that these two forms of suffering are the only ones that matter? What about physical suffering not caused by sin or enemies? What about the death of a loved one? What about an unexpected job loss? It seems possible to read the testimony of the Psalms as teaching us that these things aren't really important.
Asked by compto2017 (121 rep)
Oct 3, 2024, 06:19 PM
Last activity: Oct 5, 2024, 05:48 PM