This psalm generally appears on Good Friday by virtue of verse 1, which Jesus quoted on the cross, and subsequent predictions: My God, why have you forsaken me? Opening verses of Psalm 22 in the Luttrell Psalter from Northern England around 1340. Held in the British Library, Add MS 42130. However the reading this Sunday … Continue reading Psalm 22, 28 Feb 2021
Tag: love
Psalm 17, 2 Aug 20
In Psalm 17 (click here for the text) David, for it is attributed to him, asks for purity and protection. Continuing the idea of transparency heard recently in Psalm 139 -- ' Search me O God' -- David is confident that examination will prove his faithfulness. My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; in … Continue reading Psalm 17, 2 Aug 20
Psalm 45, 5 July 20
A female presence flows through the readings for this Sunday 5 July. First in Genesis is the record of how Rebekah stepped out in faith to meet an unknown Isaac. Psalm 45 is a song to a king and his bride. And from the Song of Solomon we hear: My beloved speaks and says to … Continue reading Psalm 45, 5 July 20
Psalm 138, 10 June 2018
Verse 1 in this psalm of praise imagines God sitting supreme in the company of other gods and lesser heavenly beings. Literal or figurative, the sketch has the potential for a "head-of-a-pin" side track about angels and gods. So concentrate on the remaining message -- essentially that we should adhere to ("bow towards the holy … Continue reading Psalm 138, 10 June 2018
Psalm 148, NYE ’17
The poetry and music of the psalms are great catalysts to imaginative interpretations, lateral thinking, flights of fancy, aspirations and yes, hopes for the coming year -- maybe even a New Year's resolution or two. You would have to admit that a psalm that can invoke comments about Tchaikovsky, Yoda, John Bell, whales and James … Continue reading Psalm 148, NYE ’17
Psalm 123, 19 Nov ’17
Psalm 123 is a song of ascent. These short and hopeful songs, sometimes called degrees or Graduals, are grouped as Psalms 120 to 134. The songs of ascent have a particular fascination. They have a message and it’s economical. They challenge. This one, with only four verses, is short and bitter-sweet. Isaac Everett says of … Continue reading Psalm 123, 19 Nov ’17
Psalm 136
The immediately remarkable feature of this psalm is the antiphon inserted in each verse of the poem, which begins: Give thanks to God who is good : whose steadfast love is eternal. The phrase in the second half (in bold) is added to each verse, presumably in the original text. These repeated antiphons are shown in … Continue reading Psalm 136
Psalm 48
This song of the Korahites is another royal moment, with Zion and the holy hill "the very centre of the world". (2) In modern times, this is generally regarded as a non-geographic metaphor. (See also comments made in Psalm 47 regarding 'sponsorship'.) Time and place As has been noted in relation to other songs wherein the psalmists … Continue reading Psalm 48
Psalm 61
Divine standards of perfect love and peace seem far off and unattainable in a world full of strife, refugees, war and deceit: As high as heaven is above the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways (Is. 55:9) The good news in the psalms, here and in other songs like 31, is that … Continue reading Psalm 61
Psalm 113, 18 Sep ’16 Alt.
Many parables in the New Testament propose an inversion of social climbing rules; the first shall be last, the proud shall be humbled, the outcast preferred, all you need is love. After an introductory song of praise -- in this case without invoking the usual evidence of mighty deeds -- the writer of Psalm 113 recorded a poetic … Continue reading Psalm 113, 18 Sep ’16 Alt.
Psalms in the South 