Based on the book of Psalms (Ps)...Read more there
(If you haven't done so already, you may find it
worthwhile to read the Introduction to Psalms in Ep.46 before
continuing.) Because of the number of pss. we'll have to
be selective, but we can find all the others in the Scriptures
& Prayer Books (N1). Ps.1 gets
us off to a good start. Appropriately it's in praise
of Wisdom. Not 'head-knowledge' nor any such thing, but knowing
God & keeping God's Law. For Jewish folk this means the
Torah revealed in Gn to Dt of the Hebrew Bible.
Christians add Jesus' 'two great commandments' [MT 22:
34-40] too. Those who delight in keeping God's Law delight
God & are blessed in return. In contrast, those who break
that Law will get their comeuppance. Psalmists are not backward
in heaping scorn on 'evil-doers'; on enemies -who are by
definition God's enemies too - & any who don't keep the
Torah. Ps.2 is a coronation psalm, contrasting the role
& blessedness of Davidic monarchs with the fate of rulers of
other nations who don't serve YHWH God in fear & trembling.
(Not all Davidic monarchs do this either!) The bad guys have the
book thrown at them! Over time an identification develops
between God's anointed kings, & religious leaders too, being
responsible for the shepherding of the Great Shepherd's people.
Alas, so many fail! Hence Jesus, a descendant of the Davidic
line, calls himself the 'Good Shepherd' in contrast with
others before him & in his own day who don't act as faithful
shepherds to God's people.
Ps.3 has an introduction relating to David fleeing from his revolting son Absalom. Reflecting on David's woes, it lends itself to morning use when facing a hard & testing day! By contrast, Ps.4 is clearly an evening song. As we go along perhaps we can find others that lend themselves to our personal use mornings & evenings. Ps.8 is one of the greatest hymns of praise for & confidence in God, worthy of anyone's 'collection'. Pss.15 & 19 are a help in 'soul-searching', & useful in preparing ourselves for confession - formal, informal, personal or congregational. When we reach Ps.22 with its 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken me..?" we find it foreshadows Jesus on his cross, drawing as it does on the experience of someone expressing their deepest trouble. There is no explaining it away on Jesus' lips. As He repeats it, even dying, does He try to intone it? Whatever we do, remember Ps.22 ends on a great note of praise & triumph. Whether or not Jesus is able to get that far, He knows exactly what He means to say!
The best known of all Pss., in Christian circles Ps.23 is almost a 'cert' to turn up at funerals. Simply a case of 'keeping the best till last'? A great, confident, & deeply personal declaration of faith in God, it encapsulates the Essence of Jesus himself. More, it portrays God's care for us that earthly rulers & leaders are meant to have for us too, but all too often don't! By extension, we too are to be shepherds rather than 'hirelings' (Jesus' word). Ps.23 is about life & death being open-ended. No shepherd worth their salt would ever lead their flock into a dead end! Life is for living, not just about dying to put God to the test! Ps.24 captures the heart of how public worship works, & encourages personal worship & praise too. Ps.42 begins on a note of wistful yearning for God, moves to lamenting a less than perfect situation the author finds himself in, then ends, as pss. often do on a note of still hopeful confidence in God. Ps.43 is a plea for justice seemingly intended for singing (maybe by the author?) in the Temple. Ps.45 is a great outburst of praise moving on to become a royal wedding song. Ps.46 is another hymn of confidence in God. Ps. 53 is essentially a duplicate of Ps.14, maybe reflecting some ancient slip in editorial compiling. Ps. 63 may reflect David's flight from Saul. Ps.66 is a thanksgiving for deliverance from national downturns, with v.6 clearly relating to the Exodus. Ps.67, a prayerful celebration of God's provision & faithfulness, lends itself to use in worship back then or now. Ps.68 has a militaristic air & was possibly used in procession to celebrate victory after battle. In Ps.69 someone is in deep trouble, & fluctuates between faith in God as rescuer & heaping reproaches on those giving them grief! Ps.72 is a 'royal' psalm; the flattering language speaks for itself. But it can also be understood as 'royal' in a Messianic sense in praise of God's Anointed One. And so the story of the Psalms continues & concludes...48...Singers & Their Songs, Part 3.
Ps.3 has an introduction relating to David fleeing from his revolting son Absalom. Reflecting on David's woes, it lends itself to morning use when facing a hard & testing day! By contrast, Ps.4 is clearly an evening song. As we go along perhaps we can find others that lend themselves to our personal use mornings & evenings. Ps.8 is one of the greatest hymns of praise for & confidence in God, worthy of anyone's 'collection'. Pss.15 & 19 are a help in 'soul-searching', & useful in preparing ourselves for confession - formal, informal, personal or congregational. When we reach Ps.22 with its 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken me..?" we find it foreshadows Jesus on his cross, drawing as it does on the experience of someone expressing their deepest trouble. There is no explaining it away on Jesus' lips. As He repeats it, even dying, does He try to intone it? Whatever we do, remember Ps.22 ends on a great note of praise & triumph. Whether or not Jesus is able to get that far, He knows exactly what He means to say!
The best known of all Pss., in Christian circles Ps.23 is almost a 'cert' to turn up at funerals. Simply a case of 'keeping the best till last'? A great, confident, & deeply personal declaration of faith in God, it encapsulates the Essence of Jesus himself. More, it portrays God's care for us that earthly rulers & leaders are meant to have for us too, but all too often don't! By extension, we too are to be shepherds rather than 'hirelings' (Jesus' word). Ps.23 is about life & death being open-ended. No shepherd worth their salt would ever lead their flock into a dead end! Life is for living, not just about dying to put God to the test! Ps.24 captures the heart of how public worship works, & encourages personal worship & praise too. Ps.42 begins on a note of wistful yearning for God, moves to lamenting a less than perfect situation the author finds himself in, then ends, as pss. often do on a note of still hopeful confidence in God. Ps.43 is a plea for justice seemingly intended for singing (maybe by the author?) in the Temple. Ps.45 is a great outburst of praise moving on to become a royal wedding song. Ps.46 is another hymn of confidence in God. Ps. 53 is essentially a duplicate of Ps.14, maybe reflecting some ancient slip in editorial compiling. Ps. 63 may reflect David's flight from Saul. Ps.66 is a thanksgiving for deliverance from national downturns, with v.6 clearly relating to the Exodus. Ps.67, a prayerful celebration of God's provision & faithfulness, lends itself to use in worship back then or now. Ps.68 has a militaristic air & was possibly used in procession to celebrate victory after battle. In Ps.69 someone is in deep trouble, & fluctuates between faith in God as rescuer & heaping reproaches on those giving them grief! Ps.72 is a 'royal' psalm; the flattering language speaks for itself. But it can also be understood as 'royal' in a Messianic sense in praise of God's Anointed One. And so the story of the Psalms continues & concludes...48...Singers & Their Songs, Part 3.
(N1) It might be a 'spiritual investment' to find & maybe group a few pss. according to their thrust, for personal use. Q: Could we learn a few 'stand-out' lines & use them as resource in our personal ups & downs?
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