Chapter: Book 2

Hymns

Hymns extol the glory and greatness of God as it is revealed in nature and history, and particularly in Israels’s history. Hymns praise God in general terms for his power and faithfulness as creator of the cosmos, ruler of history, and creator/redeemer of Israel to bring blessing to all the world. Israel’s hymns stress God’s active involvement in the life story of Israel. Hymns typically demonstrate motives for worshipping and praising God. A clear example is Psalm 117, the shortest psalm, just two verses:

¹ O praise the Lord, all you nations; *

praise him, all you peoples.

² For (= Hebrew ki) great is his loving-kindness towards us, *

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.

Praise the Lord.

Hymns were used for exuberant worship in the temple and the synagogue. The people of God before the Incarnation invite us to celebrate and praise with them in hope of the kingdom of God and his Messiah. Hymns, like all psalms, show Christians how to praise God who has acted in creation, in revelation, and in redemption, and who is acting decisively in establishing his kingdom on earth. They do not ask anything; they simply rejoice in God’s presence.

Examples: Psalms 8, 19:1-6, 33, 66:1-12, 100, 103, 104, 145-150, and others

Songs of Zion

Several psalms express the view that God chose Zion as the earthly center of the divine rule. Mount Zion was the site of the Jerusalem temple. It was the place where God chose to be present in the midst of the people. So it became a sanctuary to which the people made pilgrimages. To the psalmists, Zon was the center of historical meaning that God had disclosed to Israel and, through Israel, to the whole world. The psalmists glorify Zion at that location. Zion came to represent the meeting place of heaven and earth and a foreshadowing of eternal life.

Examples: Psalms 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 121, 122

48

Magnus Dominus

¹ Great is the Lord and highly to be praised *

in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.

² The hill of Zion is beautiful and lofty; *

it is the joy of the whole earth.

³ Upon the north side lies the city of the great King; *

God is well known in her palaces as a sure refuge.

⁴ For behold, the kings of the earth *

have gathered and advanced together.

⁵ They marvelled to see such things; *

they were astonished and fled in terror.

⁶ Trembling came upon them, and anguish, *

as upon a woman in travail.

⁷ You caused the east wind to blow *

and broke apart the ships of Tarshish.

⁸ As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; *

God upholds her for ever.

⁹ We wait for your loving-kindness, O God, *

in the midst of your temple.

¹⁰O God, according to your Name, so is your praise to the world’s end; *

your right hand is full of righteousness.

¹¹Let Mount Zion rejoice, and the cities of Judah be glad, *

because of your judgments.

¹²Walk about Zion, and go round about her; *

count the number of her towers.

¹³ Mark well her bulwarks, consider her strongholds, *

that you may tell those who come after.

¹⁴This God is our God for ever and ever; *

he shall be our guide, even unto death.

Hymns

Hymns extol the glory and greatness of God as it is revealed in nature and history, and particularly in Israels’s history. Hymns praise God in general terms for his power and faithfulness as creator of the cosmos, ruler of history, and creator/redeemer of Israel to bring blessing to all the world. Israel’s hymns stress God’s active involvement in the life story of Israel. Hymns typically demonstrate motives for worshipping and praising God. A clear example is Psalm 117, the shortest psalm, just two verses:

¹ O praise the Lord, all you nations; *

praise him, all you peoples.

² For (= Hebrew ki) great is his loving-kindness towards us, *

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.

Praise the Lord.

Hymns were used for exuberant worship in the temple and the synagogue. The people of God before the Incarnation invite us to celebrate and praise with them in hope of the kingdom of God and his Messiah. Hymns, like all psalms, show Christians how to praise God who has acted in creation, in revelation, and in redemption, and who is acting decisively in establishing his kingdom on earth. They do not ask anything; they simply rejoice in God’s presence.

Examples: Psalms 8, 19:1-6, 33, 66:1-12, 100, 103, 104, 145-150, and others

Enthronement Psalms

Some of the hymns in the Psalter are called “enthronement psalms” because they focus on the theme of God’s kingship. His throne is established from an immeasurable past time, and his kingdom will be everlasting. In the Temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, God became present to his people in worship. God did not literally dwell/live in the Temple but his people experienced his “tabernacling presence” there as they worshipped. He was enthroned in the praises of his people. His kingship may also have been celebrated in a ritual enactment of enthronement, a drama of God ascending his throne amid shouts of acclamation. God is enthroned triumphantly over powers that threaten to plunge our lives into meaningless chaos and disorder. Christians read these psalms in the context of the good news that God in Christ has inaugurated the divine kingdom by striking a decisive blow against all powers of oppression, darkness, chaos, and death. We pray the enthronement psalms in the spirit of the Lord’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)

Examples: Psalms 29, 47, 93, 95-99

47

Omnes gentes, plaudite

¹ O clap your hands together, all you peoples; *

O cry aloud unto God with shouts of joy.

² For the Lord Most High is to be feared; *

he is the great King over all the earth.

³ He shall subdue the peoples under us, *

and the nations under our feet.

⁴ He shall choose our inheritance for us, *

the pride of Jacob whom he loved.

⁵ God has gone up with a shout of triumph, *

the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.

⁶ O sing praises, sing praises unto our God; *

O sing praises, sing praises unto our King.

⁷ For God is the King of all the earth; *

think upon his mighty acts and praise him with a song.

⁸ God reigns over the nations; *

God sits on his holy throne.

⁹ The princes of the peoples are gathered with the people of the God of Abraham; *

for the mighty upon earth have become the servants of the Lord, and he is very highly exalted.

Hymns

Hymns extol the glory and greatness of God as it is revealed in nature and history, and particularly in Israels’s history. Hymns praise God in general terms for his power and faithfulness as creator of the cosmos, ruler of history, and creator/redeemer of Israel to bring blessing to all the world. Israel’s hymns stress God’s active involvement in the life story of Israel. Hymns typically demonstrate motives for worshipping and praising God. A clear example is Psalm 117, the shortest psalm, just two verses:

¹ O praise the Lord, all you nations; *

praise him, all you peoples.

² For (= Hebrew ki) great is his loving-kindness towards us, *

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.

Praise the Lord.

Hymns were used for exuberant worship in the temple and the synagogue. The people of God before the Incarnation invite us to celebrate and praise with them in hope of the kingdom of God and his Messiah. Hymns, like all psalms, show Christians how to praise God who has acted in creation, in revelation, and in redemption, and who is acting decisively in establishing his kingdom on earth. They do not ask anything; they simply rejoice in God’s presence.

Examples: Psalms 8, 19:1-6, 33, 66:1-12, 100, 103, 104, 145-150, and others

Songs of Zion

Several psalms express the view that God chose Zion as the earthly center of the divine rule. Mount Zion was the site of the Jerusalem temple. It was the place where God chose to be present in the midst of the people. So it became a sanctuary to which the people made pilgrimages. To the psalmists, Zon was the center of historical meaning that God had disclosed to Israel and, through Israel, to the whole world. The psalmists glorify Zion at that location. Zion came to represent the meeting place of heaven and earth and a foreshadowing of eternal life.

Examples: Psalms 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 121, 122

46

Deus noster refugium

¹ God is our refuge and strength, *

a very present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, *

and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea;

³ Though its waters rage and swell, *

and though the mountains shake at its tempest.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, *

the holy dwelling place of the Most High.

⁵ God is in the midst of her; therefore she shall not be moved. *

God shall help her at the break of day.

⁶ The nations are in an uproar, and the kingdoms are moved, *

but God has lifted his voice, and the earth shall melt away.

⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us; *

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

⁸ O come and behold the works of the Lord, *

what devastations he has brought upon the earth.

⁹ He makes wars to cease in all the world; *

he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the chariots in the fire.

¹⁰ “Be still then and know that I am God; *

I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us; *

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Royal Psalms

These are psalms in which the Davidic king is the central figure. The king’s authority comes from God, and his task is to rule as God’s representative in the kingdom on earth. Since he is God’s representative on earth, the enemies of God oppose him. These psalms find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ when “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” (The Apostles’ Creed, BCP, p. 96)

Examples: Psalms 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 110, 144

45

Eructavit cor meum

¹ My heart overflows with a noble song; *

I will sing my words to the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

² You are fairer than the children of men; *

full of grace are your lips, because God has blessed you for ever.

³ Gird your sword upon your thigh, most mighty one, *

according to your honor and majesty.

⁴ In your majesty be victorious; ride out for the sake of truth, to bear witness to righteousness, *

and your right hand shall show you marvelous things.

⁵ Your arrows are very sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies, *

and the peoples shall be subdued under you.

⁶ Your throne, O God, endures for ever; *

the scepter of your kingdom is a righteous scepter.

⁷ You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; *

therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

⁸ All your garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia; *

out of the ivory palaces, stringed instruments have made you glad.

⁹ Kings’ daughters are among your honorable women; *

at your right hand stands the queen in a vesture of gold, wrought with many colors.

¹⁰ Hearken, O daughter, and consider; incline your ear; *

forget your own people, and your father’s house.

¹¹ So shall the King have pleasure in your beauty; *

since he is your Lord, honor him.

¹² And the daughter of Tyre shall bring you gifts; *

the rich also among the peoples shall seek your favor.

¹³ The King’s daughter is all glorious within the palace; *

her clothing is of wrought gold.

¹⁴ She shall be brought to the king in embroidered raiment; *

the virgins who are her companions shall bring her to you.

¹⁵ With joy and gladness shall they bring her, *

and shall enter into the King’s palace.

¹⁶ Instead of your fathers, you shall have sons, *

whom you shall make princes in all the land.

¹⁷ I will make your Name to be remembered from one generation to another; *

therefore the peoples shall praise you, world without end.

Laments

More than 1/3 of the Psalms fall into the category of complaints to God in situations of limitation or threat. These laments were a form of prayer and praise based on the conviction that God is concerned about people and answers the human cry in ways surpassing human expectation or understanding. Israel’s laments out of distress were a way of praising God even when he seemed absent. The faith of the psalmists is founded on the good news that God intervenes in desperate situations to help those who are distressed. The psalmists share a deep confidence that God is compassionate, concerned, hearing his people and involved with them; God is faithful and trustworthy. A lament is an outcry to God from a responsive heart. Laments came from individuals or from the community.

Examples: Psalms 3-5, 22, 27:7-14, 42, 51, 69, 90, 130, 137 and many others

44

Deus, auribus

¹ We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us *

what you did in the days of old:

² How you drove out the nations with your hand, and planted our fathers in the land; *

how you destroyed the nations and cast them out.

³ For they did not possess the land by their own sword, *

neither was it their own arm that helped them,

⁴ But by your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, *

because you favored them.

⁵ You are my King, O God; *

you send help to Jacob.

⁶ Through you we will overthrow our enemies, *

and in your Name will we tread down those who rise up against us.

⁷ For I will not trust in my bow; *

it is not my sword that shall help me;

⁸ But you save us from our enemies *

and put to shame those who hate us.

⁹ We make our boast in God all day long *

and will praise your Name for ever.

¹⁰ But now you have cast us off and put us to shame, *

and you do not go forth with our armies.

¹¹ You make us turn our backs upon our enemies, *

so that those who hate us plunder our goods.

¹² You let us be eaten up like sheep *

and have scattered us among the nations.

¹³ You sell your people for nothing *

and take no money for them.

¹⁴ You make us the reproach of our neighbors, *

to be laughed to scorn, and held in derision by those who are round about us.

¹⁵ You make us a byword among the nations, *

so that the peoples shake their heads at us.

¹⁶ My disgrace is daily before me, *

and the shame of my face has covered me,

¹⁷ Because of the voice of the slanderer and blasphemer, *

because of the enemy and avenger.

¹⁸ And though all this has come upon us, yet we do not forget you, *

nor have we been unfaithful to your covenant.

¹⁹ Our heart has not turned back, *

nor have our steps departed from your way,

²⁰ Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, *

and covered us with the shadow of death.

²¹ If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and held up our hands to any strange god, *

shall not God search it out? For he knows the very secrets of the heart.

²² For your sake we are killed all the day long, *

and are counted as sheep appointed to be slain.

²³ Rise up, O Lord! Why are you sleeping? *

Awake, and cast us not away for ever.

²⁴ Why do you hide your face *

and forget our misery and trouble?

²⁵ For our soul is brought low, even to the dust; *

our belly cleaves to the ground.

²⁶ Arise, O Lord, and help us, *

and deliver us for your mercy’s sake.

Laments

More than 1/3 of the Psalms fall into the category of complaints to God in situations of limitation or threat. These laments were a form of prayer and praise based on the conviction that God is concerned about people and answers the human cry in ways surpassing human expectation or understanding. Israel’s laments out of distress were a way of praising God even when he seemed absent. The faith of the psalmists is founded on the good news that God intervenes in desperate situations to help those who are distressed. The psalmists share a deep confidence that God is compassionate, concerned, hearing his people and involved with them; God is faithful and trustworthy. A lament is an outcry to God from a responsive heart. Laments came from individuals or from the community.

Examples: Psalms 3-5, 22, 27:7-14, 42, 51, 69, 90, 130, 137 and many others

43

Judica me, Deus

¹ Give judgment for me, O God, and defend my cause against the ungodly people; *

O deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.

² For you are the God of my strength; why have you put me far from you? *

And why do I go about with heaviness, while the enemy oppresses me?

³ O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, *

and bring me to your holy hill, and to your dwelling;

⁴ That I may go to the altar of God, even to the God of my joy and gladness; *

and on the harp will I give thanks to you, O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, *

and why are you so disquieted within me?

⁶ O put your trust in God, *

for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Laments

More than 1/3 of the Psalms fall into the category of complaints to God in situations of limitation or threat. These laments were a form of prayer and praise based on the conviction that God is concerned about people and answers the human cry in ways surpassing human expectation or understanding. Israel’s laments out of distress were a way of praising God even when he seemed absent. The faith of the psalmists is founded on the good news that God intervenes in desperate situations to help those who are distressed. The psalmists share a deep confidence that God is compassionate, concerned, hearing his people and involved with them; God is faithful and trustworthy. A lament is an outcry to God from a responsive heart. Laments came from individuals or from the community.

Examples: Psalms 3-5, 22, 27:7-14, 42, 51, 69, 90, 130, 137 and many others

42

Quemadmodum

¹ As the deer desires the water brooks, *

so longs my soul for you, O God.

² My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; *

when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

³ My tears have been my food day and night, *

while all day long they say to me, “Where now is your God?”

⁴ When I think upon these things, I pour out my heart, *

when I remember how I went with the multitude, and brought them into the house of God,

⁵ With the voice of praise and thanksgiving *

among those who keep holy day.

⁶ Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, *

and why are you so disquieted within me?

⁷ O put your trust in God, *

for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

⁸ My soul is heavy within me; *

therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and from Mizar among the hills of Hermon.

⁹ One deep calls to another in the noise of your waterfalls; *

all your waves and storms have gone over me.

¹⁰ The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; *

and in the night season will I sing of him, and make my prayer to the God of my life.

¹¹ I will say to God my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? *

Why am I full of heaviness, while the enemy oppresses me?”

¹² My bones are broken asunder, *

while my enemies mock me to my face,

¹³ While all day long they say to me, *

“Where now is your God?”

¹⁴ Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, *

and why are you so disquieted within me?

¹⁵ O put your trust in God, *

for I will yet give him thanks, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.