whirlingmerc
Puritan Board Sophomore
How God makes Kings Sing - David’s final Opus, Psalm 138 through 145
Audience has heard five symphonies
Each on themes from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
The newest and nearest Psalm to the readers, Psalm 137, a lament played in a minor key
'We hung up our harps and wept' and in a final suite of Psalms
Harps hung by willows
Carried away to Babylon by a hostile king
Harp left alone on stage
Musicians walk off
Final work opens
Psalm 138 - movement one
And then the poet of the ages steps up
David picks up the harp a final time
The different ‘gods’ of the different ‘world views’ have already taken their seats in the audience
Buddha has taken his seat next to Marx. Kant, Descartes, Sun Su... All sit to hear.
A song celebrating loving-kindness, mercy and truth comes out of David
A labor of love by the man with a heart after God's own heart in eight movements
God shuts the mouth of kings when it pleases him in Isaiah 52
God will open the mouth of kings here
And they will sing says David
And what makes a gentile king sing?
A song of the high regarding the low
A song of a promise regarding David magnified with your name
A song of your right hand reaching down and supporting David
A song which turns to focus on God pealing with the man after God's own heart
A song before all kings and all views
A song that settles on a person
A song of mercy that endures forever
And a theme that carries over to Mary in Nazareth who
treasured such things as this in her heart
"for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant".
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
Psalm 139 - movement two
A prayerful song, calling on God to search David
To the God who sees
To the God who knows
Search me
You searched me, you’ve known me
Before a word is on my mouth, you know it altogether
Search me, know me more
May the God who sees and knows already,
plumb the depths of my heart
even in my response to evil,
even in my response to those who hate you
is there any evil in me?
The song that makes kings sing has now settled on David
God knows Davids words before he says them
God knows where David is at on any level
yet
God is invited to search David's heart
Even in Davids defense against the wicked
Even in Davids hatred against those who hate God
Is there any wickedness in David?
Search me
turn on you gaze upon my heart
even in my response to the worse of evil
See if there be any evil way in me
and, lead me on in the way
everlasting
Audience members look at each other
Some world views of renown in the audience expected more human accomplishment
Some world views of renown in the audience expected a quicker judgment of perceived evils
Some world views of renown in the audience expected a quicker reward of perceived good
Psalm 140 - movement three
Deliver me
David’s song turns to a solo pleading for deliverance
The wicked again...
Their words, their plans their snares
and David's salvation will be God
let the wicked's words, plans and snares bend back on them
The Lord will maintain the cause of the poor
The Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted
Psalm 141 - movement four
Help me!
David lifts his hands to God, crying to God
David’s song turns to a song for help
about those wicked...
Don't let me in any way be like them
Guard my mouth
Guard my heart
I'm not asking that you don't ever discipline me
Let the righteous strike me for that
The snares have been set
Let the wicked be caught
Let me pass freely
Psalm 142 - movement five
A maskil begins
A contemplation
And in the only Psalm in the run of Psalms,
A life lesson David titles regarding ‘when he was in a cave’
Anointed king
On the run from Saul
Point. Counterpoint.
The music has two conflicting discordant themes playing against eachoither:
being overwhelmed by problems
being overwhelmed by God's care
About that cave....
Living with 600 men
Running from even more
I am brought very low
Reflects on being overwhelmed by his situation
Reflects on God’s bountiful provision
Point. Counterpoint.
They were stronger than I.
You are stronger
Point. Counterpoint.
Refuge in other things has failed
You are my refuge and you have not failed
My hope rested in you
Music resolves to consonance
Psalm 143 - movement six
Hear my prayer
about those 'wicked'...
there is none righteous
Don't enter into judgment with 'your servant'
The enemy has persecuted me
I remember your works of old
I meditate on your word
I open my hands to you
The weight of the plea turns to upholding God's glory
For your name sake revive me
For Your righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble
In that find a mercy for me to deliver me from my enemies
For I am your servant
David does not say ‘I am your king’, rather ‘I am your servant’
Psalm 144 - movement seven
Blessed be the Lord
My stability
My rock
Like Psalm 8, David asks
What is man that you take such special care
Passing man… here today… gone tomorrow..
Touch the mountains…
Make them smoke
Come down
Make my enemies run
Make David, your servant’s enemies run
David does not say ‘I am your king’ rather ‘I am your servant’
The wicked have left the audience
Psalm 145 - movement eight
David sings his final song as an acrostic
All your works from A to Z will bless you
All the alls, underscored by the complete letter traversal
You, God, are my King
Yes, kings may sing to you
But you, God are my King
And this is what they will sing about
Your great acts
Your righteousness
Your goodness
Your tender mercies
How you help those who fall
How you open eyes
How your kingdom endures
I will bless you
Your saints will bless you
You open your hand
You satisfy every living thing
You are near to all who call on you
You are near to all who call on you, in truth
There is a way to call on God in truth and no
Yes, kings will sing, indeed all flesh will join in.
Wicked gone.
All flesh will bless you
All flesh will bless your holy name
All flesh from A to Z, acrostic done
God has been completely blessed by his creation, from A to Z
Forever
The book of Psalms began with a man is called blessed
The book of Psalms has come to a point where all men call God blessed
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”, so says Isaiah
and they will bless God for what they 'see', so says David
David, the servant of God has sung his last songs
About David’s King
Not about military or political or any human accomplishments
A song built on loving-kindness and truth
Mercy and faithfulness
Kindness to the low and weak
David, the servant of God, the son of Jesse has finished
Five-fold codas of praise make a finale
One after another.
One for each book
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Audience has heard five symphonies
Each on themes from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
The newest and nearest Psalm to the readers, Psalm 137, a lament played in a minor key
'We hung up our harps and wept' and in a final suite of Psalms
Harps hung by willows
Carried away to Babylon by a hostile king
Harp left alone on stage
Musicians walk off
Final work opens
Psalm 138 - movement one
And then the poet of the ages steps up
David picks up the harp a final time
The different ‘gods’ of the different ‘world views’ have already taken their seats in the audience
Buddha has taken his seat next to Marx. Kant, Descartes, Sun Su... All sit to hear.
A song celebrating loving-kindness, mercy and truth comes out of David
A labor of love by the man with a heart after God's own heart in eight movements
God shuts the mouth of kings when it pleases him in Isaiah 52
God will open the mouth of kings here
And they will sing says David
And what makes a gentile king sing?
A song of the high regarding the low
A song of a promise regarding David magnified with your name
A song of your right hand reaching down and supporting David
A song which turns to focus on God pealing with the man after God's own heart
A song before all kings and all views
A song that settles on a person
A song of mercy that endures forever
And a theme that carries over to Mary in Nazareth who
treasured such things as this in her heart
"for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant".
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
Psalm 139 - movement two
A prayerful song, calling on God to search David
To the God who sees
To the God who knows
Search me
You searched me, you’ve known me
Before a word is on my mouth, you know it altogether
Search me, know me more
May the God who sees and knows already,
plumb the depths of my heart
even in my response to evil,
even in my response to those who hate you
is there any evil in me?
The song that makes kings sing has now settled on David
God knows Davids words before he says them
God knows where David is at on any level
yet
God is invited to search David's heart
Even in Davids defense against the wicked
Even in Davids hatred against those who hate God
Is there any wickedness in David?
Search me
turn on you gaze upon my heart
even in my response to the worse of evil
See if there be any evil way in me
and, lead me on in the way
everlasting
Audience members look at each other
Some world views of renown in the audience expected more human accomplishment
Some world views of renown in the audience expected a quicker judgment of perceived evils
Some world views of renown in the audience expected a quicker reward of perceived good
Psalm 140 - movement three
Deliver me
David’s song turns to a solo pleading for deliverance
The wicked again...
Their words, their plans their snares
and David's salvation will be God
let the wicked's words, plans and snares bend back on them
The Lord will maintain the cause of the poor
The Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted
Psalm 141 - movement four
Help me!
David lifts his hands to God, crying to God
David’s song turns to a song for help
about those wicked...
Don't let me in any way be like them
Guard my mouth
Guard my heart
I'm not asking that you don't ever discipline me
Let the righteous strike me for that
The snares have been set
Let the wicked be caught
Let me pass freely
Psalm 142 - movement five
A maskil begins
A contemplation
And in the only Psalm in the run of Psalms,
A life lesson David titles regarding ‘when he was in a cave’
Anointed king
On the run from Saul
Point. Counterpoint.
The music has two conflicting discordant themes playing against eachoither:
being overwhelmed by problems
being overwhelmed by God's care
About that cave....
Living with 600 men
Running from even more
I am brought very low
Reflects on being overwhelmed by his situation
Reflects on God’s bountiful provision
Point. Counterpoint.
They were stronger than I.
You are stronger
Point. Counterpoint.
Refuge in other things has failed
You are my refuge and you have not failed
My hope rested in you
Music resolves to consonance
Psalm 143 - movement six
Hear my prayer
about those 'wicked'...
there is none righteous
Don't enter into judgment with 'your servant'
The enemy has persecuted me
I remember your works of old
I meditate on your word
I open my hands to you
The weight of the plea turns to upholding God's glory
For your name sake revive me
For Your righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble
In that find a mercy for me to deliver me from my enemies
For I am your servant
David does not say ‘I am your king’, rather ‘I am your servant’
Psalm 144 - movement seven
Blessed be the Lord
My stability
My rock
Like Psalm 8, David asks
What is man that you take such special care
Passing man… here today… gone tomorrow..
Touch the mountains…
Make them smoke
Come down
Make my enemies run
Make David, your servant’s enemies run
David does not say ‘I am your king’ rather ‘I am your servant’
The wicked have left the audience
Psalm 145 - movement eight
David sings his final song as an acrostic
All your works from A to Z will bless you
All the alls, underscored by the complete letter traversal
You, God, are my King
Yes, kings may sing to you
But you, God are my King
And this is what they will sing about
Your great acts
Your righteousness
Your goodness
Your tender mercies
How you help those who fall
How you open eyes
How your kingdom endures
I will bless you
Your saints will bless you
You open your hand
You satisfy every living thing
You are near to all who call on you
You are near to all who call on you, in truth
There is a way to call on God in truth and no
Yes, kings will sing, indeed all flesh will join in.
Wicked gone.
All flesh will bless you
All flesh will bless your holy name
All flesh from A to Z, acrostic done
God has been completely blessed by his creation, from A to Z
Forever
The book of Psalms began with a man is called blessed
The book of Psalms has come to a point where all men call God blessed
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”, so says Isaiah
and they will bless God for what they 'see', so says David
David, the servant of God has sung his last songs
About David’s King
Not about military or political or any human accomplishments
A song built on loving-kindness and truth
Mercy and faithfulness
Kindness to the low and weak
David, the servant of God, the son of Jesse has finished
Five-fold codas of praise make a finale
One after another.
One for each book
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
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