When I got to Psalm 45, the introduction said, “For the choir director: A love song to be sung to the tune, ‘Lilies.’ A psalm of the descendants of Korah. Pow. My curiosity exploded – what did that special melody called ‘Lilies’ sound like? I wondered and prayed and then began to sing. I am not gifted in voice but have good pitch. It probably sounded bad by church-music-leader standards but let’s not compare. I felt close to the Lord and sang and sang. Psalm 45 will always be special between me and God. So now I am singing the psalms. Not every time but it is another way to worship that I had not done in my personal time. I have just a few other additions from reading the next section of Psalms numbered 40 – 50.
Psalm 40 preaches evangelism. God lifts us out of worry. “Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord” – evangelism. The world needs to see that we have a loving God who cares about the big and the small things. His visible help to us is his signature move! We benefit and His kingdom grows. “I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness”. Psalm 41 is teaching us to meet the needs of others. God takes care of us and expects us to pass it on. “Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!” There is also a mention here of what betrayal feels like. Jesus felt it on the cross – ignorant or not, those who knew Him betrayed Him. “Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back!” Sounds like the David had a goal of revenge but we learn that he was quite reactive. He felt things deeply – hence the poetry and gift of worship. Awe – Psalm 42 is very familiar and beautiful. It begins with, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” Then David includes a geography lesson so I found one of my old Bibles to look for maps – “Even from distant Mt Hermon, and source of the Jordan, from the land of Mt Mizar….But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me”. In my opinion David flip flops like a little girl with a daisy – He loves me, he loves me not, He loves me, he loves me not. It is like me forgetting God’s care for me as soon as another need rears its head! Psalm 43 reminds me of worshipping in Berlin at the end of last year. This church did not use instruments. This denomination needs to study the Psalms. “There I will go to the altar of God, to God – the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!” This next Psalm, number 44, is being read in every synagogue in Jerusalem. “You drove out the pagan nations by your power and GAVE ALL THE LAND TO OUR ANCESTORS. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free….You are my King and my God. You command victories for Israel. Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us. O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.” Psalm 45 has the ‘Lilies’ melody and a section I believe is about Jesus. Finally, the last verse is, again, evangelistic, “The nations will praise you forever and ever”. Psalms 46, 47 and 48 reinforce, “Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:”. Psalm 49 has some added mystery, “I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp….Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough…(regarding the lost), The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals.” True but it still sounds harsh. Psalm 50 is a bit longer than the others and seems to call us homeward to the final destination of the godly and God’s dominion, “Bring my faithful people to me – those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices….For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mind. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it….But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God”.
