Words

Echoing the emphasis God’s Word plays throughout the Old Testament, human words are also center stage in worship. There are the prose prayers embedded throughout Hebrew narrative, such as those of the ancestors (Gen 15:2–3), Moses (Exod 32–33), kings (2 Kgs 19:14–19), priests (Ezra 9:6–15), prophets (Jer 12:1–4), and laypeople (Gen 24:12–14). While most of these prayers are specific to the circumstances of the petitioner, they testify to the expectation that Yahweh should be involved in the lives of individuals. They serve as models for how one can appeal to Yahweh apart from the mediation of sacred personnel, places, and times.

The prayers and praises of the people of God find their most elaborate articulation in the book of Psalms. Most of the psalms functioned as model prayers or liturgies for worship services, primarily at the Jerusalem temple. The modes and moments of the regular liturgies are reflected in the principal literary genres of pilgrim psalms, temple entry liturgies, hymns (celebrating God’s greatness and goodness), songs of Zion, and psalms of Yahweh’s kingship. A prerequisite to seeking an audience with Yahweh is the worshipers’ integrity in their daily social relationships (Pss 15; 24; Mic 6:6–8). The book of Psalms also contains special prayers/laments for the individual and community for times of crisis or challenge.