The Book of Psalms
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Did you know that the largest single book in the Bible is the book of Psalms? I for one can't help but think of the implications! And did you know:
©2004 Bernard McDonagh
author@gsus.biz
www.gsus.biz
• It is the world's first songbook ! The Psalms are actually words that were set to music . Some were written to be accompanied by stringed instruments; Psalms 4 and 61 for example. At least one, Psalm 5, was set to wind instruments. Another example of the apparent diversity of the music is Psalm 46, which was probably arranged for soprano voices! There are some other types of arrangements too; e.g. Psalm 7, which is set to what is called ‘Shiggaion'. Apparently this was a “wild passionate song” with a strong emphasis on rhythm! I wonder if they had conservatives voicing objections in those days too?!
• Some Psalms were “for the choir director”, indicating not only a choir, but also an organized system and a structure. I Wonder what their rehearsals were like! All of this means that they actually had special musical arrangements for the Psalms! It seems from some of the titles for the Psalms that there were also set pieces of music that were used for different texts. For example, one such tune was called “Al-tashheth”, meaning “Do not destroy”! Psalms 57, 58, 59 and 75 used this one.
“Aijeleth Hashshahar”, which means “The hind of the morning” must have also been a known piece. It was used for the prophetic Psalm of our Lord Jesus' sufferings upon the cross, Psalm 22. There are other song titles used in the Psalms too and they all have interesting meanings.
• The book of Psalms is also a book of poetry . Psalms like numbers 34, 37, 111 and 112 are ‘acrostic' poems, which means that each verse starts with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Even though they do not rhyme like much of our poetry, the Psalms do use literary devices!
• Some of them are written specifically for the purpose of instruction , i.e. The “Maskil” Psalms of David, the Sons of Korah, Asaph and Ethan the Ezrahite too! e.g. Psalms 32, 42, 53, 54, 74, 78, 88, etc. They were written to teach !
• Some of the Psalms are expressions of a heavy heart, or cries of repentance. I'm so glad for the sense of “it's okay to be human” that these psalms give us, and for the freedom it gives us to pray and to express ourselves in such a way to God also.
This may shock you, and you may not agree, but I believe Christian's works of art, including their songs, do not have to emphasize only the good things. The fact is that in the world there is much suffering. People are separated from God; they don't know Jesus. This is reality, and we need to show these things in our work. Why? Because it's the truth!
• Of course, many psalms are specifically songs of praise. God is worthy of our praise! He is worthy of our highest level of skill too, both on a musical level and in terms of the texts; whether it is prose, or poetry in the form of lyrics. Some of the descriptions of God's goodness are so beautiful! As for the music, Psalm 33 actually says to “play skillfully ”!
• There is also a psalm for the Sabbath Day. There are psalms of thanksgiving . Some psalms were especially for the journey of God's people to Jerusalem in order to worship at the temple. They are the psalms of “Ascents” or “Degrees”, from Psalm 120 – Psalm 134. All of these and many more make up a kind of ‘ assorted ' category of psalms written for various purposes and/or occasions.
• Some of the Psalms are simply an expression of the heart, and just say things like: “A psalm of David”, or “A psalm of Asaph”, etc. You know, we don't need an ‘ excuse' to create an artistic work for God's glory! He has placed it in our hearts to want to express ourselves AND to be creative in it, because he has made us in His own image!
• The book of Psalms is also a book of prophecy. It is filled with different kinds of utterances from the Holy Spirit. For example, there is the exhortation and encouragement like that found in Psalm 32, where the Spirit of God begins to instruct and teach as the anointing came upon the psalmist. There are also prophetic psalms in the sense of foretelling future things, like the “Messianic” prophecies, which are those referring specifically to the Lord Jesus Christ, whether in part or whole. These include Psalms 2, 22, 45, 72 and 89.
• The Psalms is a book of worship too. It doesn't describe the ritual worship of the priesthood; Leviticus does that. Rather, it is full of reverent, descriptive words. There are descriptions of God's goodness, His faithfulness, His mercy which “endures forever”, and truth about all of the wondrous ways that He deals with His people. It teaches us how the hearts of all His people should be: full of loving devotion to our Father, Creator, and Saviour; and open and attentive to instruction and guidance. Like a child, we should be filled with awe and wonder at His greatness and goodness too!
It is fascinating to me that this largest single portion of God's Word is a book of the creative expression of God's people, His anointed, directed toward God Himself. What a picture the book of Psalms gives us of the special place that The LORD gives to worship and to the creative endeavours of His people! Think about it! The poems and songs of King David, a man “after My own heart”, as God described him, – they are included in the canon of scripture!! What an amazing thing!
And what a picture for us today, of the things that our music ministry ought to be made up of! We need originality ; a “new song” of our own “unto the LORD”. We need that prophetic anointing on our praise and worship; how sad if we become stale and predictable. We should be raising the roof in praise and knowing real depth in worship! Let's catch the essence of the book of Psalms. Let's see the “big picture”, of all that it is in it's entirety. Worship is so much more than just our kind of liturgy, or our music! It is the WHOLE OF LIFE - lived in, through, and for God!
© 2004 Bernard McDonagh
Email : author@gsus.biz
http://www.gsus.biz
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