‘I will appoint a time, I will judge with equity’ (2)
This short psalm is one of thanksgiving for divine justice, confronting human arrogance with a reminder to the proud and powerful not to rely on their own achievements for prominence or praise. In times of global crisis, whether financial, political or public health, the psalmist reminds us that:
When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep the pillars steady. (3)
That divine justice — pictured as a common ‘cup with foaming wine, well mixed’, from which all shall drink — will be a great leveller. (8)
The thoughtful approach of Psalms for All Seasons mentioned above is continued here in the suggestion that the psalm is quite like the Magnificat (Luke 1). So PFAS includes a nice traditional Irish version of this song, My soul cries out, to the tune Star of County Down.
An enthusiastic group, once released from social distancing, might enjoy singing an old hymn in the public domain, To thee, O God, we render praise, by Joseph Stephenson (1723-1810).
Psalms in the South 