The Ethical Stance of the Psalms

At first glance, Alter’s translation of The Book of Psalms does not appear to focus intently on the traditional ethical code that most individuals associate with Christianity. No lists of prescriptive rules are found in the text, and references to specific sins are few and far between. However, there is an interesting perspective of appropriate ethical action that underlies the majority of The Book of Psalms, and this ethical stance focuses primarily on piety and accountability for one’s actions.

One does not have to look far to see the basis of this ethical philosophy. Psalm I clearly states that “the wicked will not stand up in judgment, nor offenders in the band of the righteous. For the lord embraces the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked is lost” (4). Essentially, the LORD will judge and punish individuals who are not just, but he will reward and protect those who are righteous. There is a certain immediacy to this judgement and punishment that we talked about in class, and this can be seen in Psalm 86 when the author notes that “The LORD indeed will grant bounty...Justice before Him goes, that He set His footsteps on the way” (302). This trend of seeing justice as the preferable action to dishonesty and corruption, and the direct consequences of one’s actions in this world is repeated throughout the Psalms.

As an extension of this concept, simply being a just individual is not enough to gain the LORD’s favor according to the Psalms; one must worship the LORD dutifully and live one’s life in a pious manner. According the Psalm 30, one should “Hymn to the LORD...acclaim his holy name” (102). Essentially, one must act justly towards one’s fellow man; to fall in the LORD’s good graces one must dutifully worship the God of Israel (YHWH).

These prescriptive ethical codes of action contained in the Psalms seem unlike the current model associated with Christianity and Judaism. Unlike many religions, the book of Psalms seem primarily concerned with the importance of actions and beliefs in this world and the immediacy of the subsequent consequences. Some specific recommendations of action are given in the book of Psalms, but they are fairly general. For example, the author of Psalm 7 writes that “one spawns wrongdoing, grows big with mischief, gives birth to lies. A pit he delved, and dug it, and he fell in the trap he made” (20). Although some direct recommendations are made in the Psalms (do not lie, steal, or be mischievous), generally the code of action endorsed is assumed to be already known by the religious follower. This forces the individual to assume that all actions are being scrutinized and that one must always do what one considers just. This seems like a livable ethic, but at the same time it would be one that would completely pervade all aspects of one’s life. Although the specific rewards and punishments associated with an afterlife seem to be missing from this ethical code, the potential for divine intervention (especially vengeful punishment) would probably make an ethical code like this quite successful. I personally couldn’t see myself living under that sort of scrutiny, but given a different cultural environment I can see how this ethical code might potentially strengthen my sense of identity or group belonging.