Smith DTh Thesis (final).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

Chapter 4: Analysis of Psalms 3-84.4.6 ThemesAlthough some scholars believe the psalm’s allusions to sickness are bestinterpreted metaphorically (see above), it seems most natural to infer that thepsalmist’s lament is occasioned by illness. Even if the metaphoricalinterpretation is preferred, it seems evident that the psalmist’s life is inimminent danger. This threat of death provides the backdrop for the psalmist’sagonised pleas to the Lord.Mays (1994a:59) summarises what seems to be the dominant theologicaltheme of the psalm:This prayer for help is a passionate, agonized appeal to thegrace of God against the wrath of God. It sees the LORD as thecause of death and as the giver of life. It is based on a severeconcentration on the LORD as the one meaning of experience, ofwhat is and can be, and so sees everything in terms of God’ssovereign freedom.On the one hand, Yahweh’s anger and discipline are perceived as the causeof the psalmist’s suffering (v. 2). Yet at the same time, he is the source ofdeliverance and restoration (vv. 5, 9-10). He will see the psalmist’s anguish,148