Chapter: Book 4

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

97

Dominus regnavit

¹ The Lord is King; let the earth be glad. *

Indeed, let the multitude of the isles be glad.

² Clouds and darkness are round about him; *

righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.

³ There goes a fire before him *

and burns up his enemies on every side.

⁴ His lightnings gave light to the world; *

the earth saw it and was afraid.

⁵ The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, *

at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

⁶ The heavens have declared his righteousness, *

and all the people have seen his glory.

⁷ Confounded be all those who worship carved images, and who delight in false gods; *

worship him, all you gods.

⁸ Zion heard of it and rejoiced, *

And the daughters of Judah were glad, because of your judgments, O Lord.

⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; *

you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ O you who love the Lord, see that you hate the thing which is evil; *

the Lord preserves the souls of his saints; he shall deliver them from the hand of the ungodly.

¹¹ A light has sprung up for the righteous, *

and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.

¹² Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *

and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

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

96

Cantate Domino

¹ O sing unto the Lord a new song; *

sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth.

² Sing unto the Lord and praise his Name; *

tell of his salvation from day to day.

³ Declare his honor to the nations, *

and his wonders to all peoples.

⁴ For the Lord is great, and highly to be praised; *

he is more to be feared than all gods.

⁵ As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *

but it is the Lord who made the heavens.

⁶ Glory and majesty are before him; *

power and honor are in his sanctuary.

⁷ Ascribe unto the Lord, O you families of the peoples, *

ascribe unto the Lord worship and power.

⁸ Ascribe unto the Lord the honor due unto his Name; *

bring offerings and come into his courts.

⁹ O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *

let the whole earth stand in awe of him.

¹⁰ Tell it out among the nations, “The Lord is King; *

it is he who has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he shall judge the peoples righteously.”

¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; *

let the sea make a noise, and all that is therein.

¹² Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it; *

then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord.

¹³ For he comes, for he comes to judge the earth, *

and with righteousness to judge the world, and the peoples with his truth.

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

95

Venite, exultemus

¹ O come, let us sing unto the Lord; *

let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

² Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *

and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

³ For the Lord is a great God *

and a great King above all gods.

⁴ In his hand are all the depths of the earth, *

and the heights of the hills are his also.

⁵ The sea is his, for he made it, *

and his hands prepared the dry land.

⁶ O come, let us worship and fall down, *

and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

⁷ For he is our God, *

and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

⁸ Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts *

as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness,

⁹ When your fathers tested me, *

and put me to the proof, though they had seen my works.

¹⁰ Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said, *

“It is a people that err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways,”

¹¹ Of whom I swore in my wrath *

that they should not enter into my rest.

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

94

Deus ultionum

¹ O Lord God to whom vengeance belongs, *

O God to whom vengeance belongs, show yourself.

² Arise, O Judge of the world, *

and reward the proud according to their deserving.

³ O Lord, how long shall the ungodly, *

how long shall the ungodly triumph?

⁴ How long shall all evildoers speak so disdainfully *

and make such proud boasting?

⁵ They smite down your people, O Lord, *

and trouble your heritage.

⁶ They murder the widow and the stranger, *

and put the fatherless to death.

⁷ And yet they say, “The Lord shall not see, *

neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.”

⁸ Take heed, you unwise among the people; *

O you fools, when will you understand?

⁹ He who planted the ear, shall he not hear? *

Or he who made the eye, shall he not see?

¹⁰ Or he who nurtures the nations, *

he who teaches humanity knowledge, shall he not punish?

¹¹ The Lord knows the thoughts of man, *

that they are but vain.

¹² Blessed is the one whom you chasten, O Lord, *

and whom you teach your law,

¹³ That you may give him patience in time of adversity, *

until a pit is dug for the ungodly.

¹⁴ For the Lord will not fail his people, *

neither will he forsake his inheritance,

¹⁵ But righteousness shall return to the place of judgment, *

and all those who are true of heart shall follow it.

¹⁶ Who will rise up with me against the wicked, *

or who will take my part against the evildoers?

¹⁷ If the Lord had not helped me, *

my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.

¹⁸ But when I said, “My foot has slipped,” *

your mercy, O Lord, held me up.

¹⁹ In the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart, *

your comforts refreshed my soul.

²⁰ Will you have anything to do with the council of wickedness, *

which turns evil into law?

²¹ They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous *

and condemn the innocent to death.

²² But the Lord is my refuge, *

and my God is the rock of my confidence.

²³ He shall recompense them for their wickedness, and destroy them in their own malice; *

indeed, the Lord our God shall destroy them.

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

93

Dominus regnavit

¹ The Lord is King and has put on glorious apparel; *

the Lord has put on his apparel and girded himself with strength.

² He has made the round world so sure *

that it cannot be moved.

³ Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; *

you are from everlasting.

⁴ The floods have risen, O Lord; the floods have lifted up their voice; *

the floods have lifted up their waves.

⁵ Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, *

the Lord who dwells on high is mightier.

⁶ Your testimonies, O Lord, are very sure; *

holiness adorns your house for ever.

Psalms of Thanksgiving

These psalms/songs praise God in response to an event of deliverance already experienced. They are songs sung by people who, after a time of waiting, have experienced the goodness of God in the everyday world. These songs come from ordinary individuals, the king (royal), or the believing community.

Examples: Psalms 30, 32, 34, 65, 67, 92, 107, 116, 124, 138 and others

92

Bonum est confiteri

¹ It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, *

and to sing praises unto your Name, O Most High,

² To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning, *

and of your faithfulness in the night season,

³ Upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the lute, *

with the sound of melody upon the harp.

⁴ For you, Lord, have made me glad by your deeds, *

and I will shout for joy because of your handiwork.

⁵ O Lord, how glorious are your works; *

your thoughts are very deep.

⁶ The dull of heart does not consider this, *

and a fool does not understand it:

⁷ Though the ungodly are as green as the grass, and though all the workers of wickedness flourish, *

they shall be destroyed for ever; but you, Lord, are the Most High for evermore.

⁸ For lo, your enemies, O Lord, lo, your enemies shall perish, *

and all the workers of wickedness shall be destroyed.

⁹ But my horn shall be exalted like the horns of wild bulls; *

for I am anointed with fresh oil.

¹⁰ My eye also shall see its desire upon my enemies, *

and my ear shall hear with joy the end of the wicked who rise up against me.

¹¹ The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, *

and shall spread abroad like a cedar in Lebanon.

¹² Those who are planted in the house of the Lord *

shall flourish in the courts of our God.

¹³ They also shall bring forth fruit in their old age, *

and shall be green and full of sap,

¹⁴ That they may show how upright the Lord is, *

my rock, in whom there is no unrighteousness.

Songs of Trust

Even in direst straits, the psalmists interject words of trust and confidence in God. However, in some psalms the theme of trust is developed as a self-contained song. the psalmists share their sense of the nearness and saving power of God, and their attitude of humble trust in God. These psalms speak for us as we entrust our will and our lives to God’s care. Psalm 23 is the most famous psalm of trust.

Example: Psalms 11, 16, 23, 27:1-6, 62, 63, 91, 121, 125, 131

91

Qui habitat

¹ Whoever dwells under the defense of the Most High *

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say unto the Lord, “You are my refuge and my stronghold, *

my God in whom I will trust.”

³ For he shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter *

and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He shall defend you under his wings, and you shall be safe under his feathers; *

his faithfulness and truth shall be your shield and buckler.

⁵ You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, *

nor of the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ Of the pestilence that walks in darkness, *

nor of the sickness that destroys at noonday.

⁷ A thousand shall fall beside you, and ten thousand at your right hand, *

but it shall not come near you.

⁸ Indeed, with your eyes you shall behold *

and see the reward of the ungodly.

⁹ Because you have said, “The Lord is my refuge,” *

and have made the Most High your stronghold,

¹⁰ There shall no evil happen to you, *

neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over you, *

to keep you in all your ways.

¹² They shall bear you in their hands, *

that you hurt not your foot against a stone.

¹³ You shall tread upon the lion and adder; *

the young lion and the serpent you shall trample under your feet.

¹⁴ “Because he has set his love upon me, therefore I will deliver him; *

I will lift him up, because he has known my Name.

¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will hear him; *

indeed, I am with him in trouble; I will deliver him and bring him honor.

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him, *

and show him my salvation.”

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

90

Domine, refugium

¹ Lord, you have been our refuge *

from one generation to another.

² Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were made, *

you are God from everlasting, and world without end.

³ You turn man back to the dust; *

you say, “Return, O children of men.”

⁴ For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, *

even as a day that is past.

⁵ You scatter them as a night-watch that comes quickly to an end; *

they are even as a dream and fade away.

⁶ They are like the grass, which in the morning is green, *

but in the evening is dried up and withered.

⁷ For we consume away in your displeasure *

and are afraid at your wrathful indignation.

⁸ You have set our misdeeds before you, *

and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

⁹ For when you are angry, all our days are gone; *

we bring our years to an end, as a tale that is told.

¹⁰ The days of our life are seventy years, and though some be so strong that they come to eighty years, *

yet is their span but labor and sorrow; so soon it passes away, and we are gone.

¹¹ But who regards the power of your wrath, *

and who considers the fierceness of your anger?

¹² So teach us to number our days, *

that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

¹³ Turn again, O Lord, and tarry not; *

be gracious unto your servants.

¹⁴ O satisfy us with your mercy in the morning; *

so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

¹⁵ Comfort us again, according to the measure of the days that you have afflicted us, *

and for the years in which we have suffered adversity.

¹⁶ Show your servants your work *

and their children your glory.

¹⁷ And may the grace of the Lord our God be upon us; *

prosper the work of our hands; O prosper our handiwork.