The Lord Is My Light And My Salvation Analysis

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Psalm 27:
The Lord is My Light and My Salvation

Jamie Trull
ENG1110A: English Composition 1
March 30, 2014

Psalm 27: The Lord is My Light and My Salvation

In saying “we need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.” J.I. Packer gives a clear example as to why the psalms are so important. Psalm 27 is called “The Lord is My Light and My Salvation” and consists of David lamenting to the Lord. He says “whom shall I fear, the Lord is the stronghold of my life; / of whom shall I be afraid?” In his grief David is hopeful, for he knows that he can wait upon the Lord. David, the author of this Psalm, has been pursued by enemies (Verses 2-3), shut out from the house of the Lord (4), just parted from his father and mother (10) and subjected to slander (12). Poetic figures give meaning and delight to the psalms because they point to the sanctuary of the Lord. The Sanctuary of the Lord is evident through metaphor, metonymy, anaphora, and other important literary devices in this passage.
The poetic figure metaphor supports David’s refuge in God. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, / whom shall I fear?” Metaphor is used by David giving a strong connection to God being his light. Light reveals truth, light is clarity and purity but, in this specific case it means hope or security. David, in the midst of his trials, is saying that he is secure because God's light shines upon him. David is safe from his enemies because he has God. Metaphor allows for a new perspective of who God is. Saying he is li...

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...t in this instance it is used with different intention. David is saying that the Lord is his strength, the Lord is his refuge that he need only to take courage in the Lord and not his own abilities. David says “wait on the Lord” he says this to bring the reader into praise. Praise God that he is able and that he is a sanctuary. Personification is a strong literary device that strengthens the reader’s delight and meaning in God’s greatness.
God has commanded glory and through glorifying him there is enjoyment and delight in his presence. David’s strong use and variety of literary devices in Psalm 27 emphasizes refuge in the Lord. In light of this Psalm the reader can enjoy the Lord’s presence even while lamenting. Therefore just as David experiences God through his adversaries, anyone can take refuge in God through the trials and temptations of each and every day.

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