If God be for us, who can be against us? A song of ascent This well-known verse is found not in the psalms but in Romans 8:31. It contains the same message as Psalm 124, and in particular the last verse which has become a standard line in many liturgies: Our help is in the name of … Continue reading Psalm 124, 23 August 2020
Tag: praise
Psalm 105(2), 9 Aug 20
Cover of the 1565 Huguenot Psalter, Les Pseaumes mis en rime, music by French composer Claude Goudimel Just two weeks later, up pops Psalm 105 again. We hear again the first 6 verses, which are common to all four occurrences of this psalm through to September. This opening section invites a song of praise in … Continue reading Psalm 105(2), 9 Aug 20
Psalm 105, a frequent visitor
Sing praises to God; tell of wondrous works.Psalm 105:2 Can Psalm 105 really be called a frequent visitor when it appears in Year A alone in the three-year Lectionary cycle? That seems a long time between drinks. Well, it makes up for its long absence by rocking up on four Sundays over the space of … Continue reading Psalm 105, a frequent visitor
Psalm 116, 14 June 20
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) whose paraphrases of the psalms are used in many songs. You may have listened to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir's Psalm 116 when it came up in April 2020. At that time, moved by the recent loss of American civil rights leader Joseph Lowery, an African-American setting of an old Isaac Watts hymn, … Continue reading Psalm 116, 14 June 20
Psalm 8, 7 June 2020
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. (v.1) This opening declaration is repeated at the end. It therefore appears to be the first psalm in the Psalter with an internal antiphon to be sung as a responsive expression of thanks and praise. Actually, the verse has little to do … Continue reading Psalm 8, 7 June 2020
Psalm 104, 31 May ’20
You make springs gush forth in valleys, they flow between hills. - Verse 10 Image: Libby O’Loghlin Here we have epic demonstrative poetry, the poet overcome by the glory and power of the creation — and the Creator. The author’s feelings are quite infectious: You are clothed with honour and majesty, wrapped in light as … Continue reading Psalm 104, 31 May ’20
Psalm 66, 17 May 2020
Earth, air, fire and water. Early philosophers like Aristotle thought these were the basic physical elements of the world. The first two largely defined the basic structure of the environment. Fire and water could be viewed differently. First in general terms, separately or together in opposition like yin and yang, they might variously represent life, … Continue reading Psalm 66, 17 May 2020
Psalm 117; coda to 116
Having spent time in Psalm 116 this week, take a moment to consider the little psalm which follows. At two whole verses, Psalm 117 is the shortest poem in the bible. A little further on waits 119, the longest chapter in the Bible at 22 sections of eight verses each. Two verses may not have … Continue reading Psalm 117; coda to 116
Psalm 100; singing a new song
There are thousands of musical settings of the 150 poems in the Psalter. Some of them are just a simple refrain of a few notes or an antiphon using the simplest chant without harmony, ranging up to grand elaborate works that stand alone as pinnacles of musical invention. In the latter category, the Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales … Continue reading Psalm 100; singing a new song
Psalm 118, 25 March 18
This psalm of thanks opens and closes with resounding acclamations of divine love and mercy that endure forever. In between are statements about trusting in God rather than in rulers (8), relief at delivery from evil and opposition (5, 10) access to goodness (19) and causes for rejoicing. Each year when this psalm arises on … Continue reading Psalm 118, 25 March 18
Psalms in the South 