I mentioned before that I was struck by how many songs start running through my head as I read the Psalms. Allow me to illustrate:
Psalm 2:8: "Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, / And the very ends of the earth as your possession."
You said, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you"
Oh, Lord, that's the cry of my heart
Psalm 8:1: "O LORD, our Lord, / How majestic is Your name in all the earth, / Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!"
O Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
O Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
The heavens declare Your greatness
The oceans cry out to You
The mountains, they bow down before You
So I'll join with the earth
And I'll give my praise to You
Psalm 14:3: "There is no one who does good, not even one."
No, there is none righteous
Not one who understands
There is none who seek God
No not one, no not one
There is no one perfect
There is no one perfect
There is no one perfect
No, not one
No, not one
Except for Jesus, God's own Son
Psalm 18:3, 46: "I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, / And I am saved from my enemies...The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; / And exalted be the God of my salvation"
I will call upon the Lord
Who is worthy to be praised
So shall I be saved from my enemies
The Lord liveth and blessed be my Rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted
The Lord liveth and blessed be my Rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted
~Michael O'Shields, "I Will Call upon the Lord"
Psalm 20:7: "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, / But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God."
Some trust in chariots.
But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
~Jennifer Knapp, "In the Name"
My cup overflows.
~Psalm 23:5
Psalm 22:1: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"
My God, my God, why hast Thou accepted me
When all my love was vinegar to a thirsty king
My God, my God, why has Thou accepted me
It's a mystery of mercy and of song
The song I sing
Psalm 23: "The LORD is my shepherd, / I shall not want. / He makes me lie down in green pastures; / He leads me beside quiet waters. / He restores my soul; / He guides me in the paths of righteousness / For His name's sake. / Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, / I fear no evil, for You are with me; / Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. / You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; / You have anointed my head with oil; / My cup overflows. / Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, / And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
The King of Love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death's dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spread'st a table in my sight;
Thy unction, grace bestoweth:
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
See, there's a table You've prepared
And all my enemies are there
But where my Shepherd leads
Where else can I go?
Who else fills my cup 'til it overflows?
Psalm 24:4, 6: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, / Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood / And has not sworn deceitfully...This is the generation of those who seek Him, / Who seek Your face--even Jacob."
Give us clean hands, give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
O God let us be a generation that seeks
that seeks Your face O God of Jacob
Psalm 24:7-10: "Lift up your heads, O gates, / And be lifted up, O ancient doors, / That the King of glory may come in! / Who is the King of glory? / The LORD strong and mighty, / The LORD mighty in battle. / Lift up your heads, O gates, / And lift them up, O ancient doors, / That the King of glory may come in! / Who is this King of glory? / The LORD of hosts, / He is the King of glory."
The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before Him, lift up your voices
Who is the King of glory; what shall we call Him?
He is Immanuel, the promised of ages
Who is this King of glory that pursues me with His love...
His name is Jesus, precious Jesus
The Lord Almighty, the King of my heart
The King of glory
Who is this King of glory with strength and majesty...
Who is this King of glory, He's everything to me
Psalm 25:1-2, 4-6, 8-9: "To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. / O my God...Make me know Your ways, O LORD; / Teach me Your paths. / Lead me in Your truth and teach me, / For You are the God of my salvation; / For You I wait all the day. / Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, / For they have been from of old...Good and upright is the LORD; / Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. / He leads the humble in justice, / And He teaches the humble His way."
To You, Yahweh, I lift up my soul, O my God.
To You, Yahweh, I lift up my soul, O my God.
Yahweh, show Your ways to me.
Teach me Your paths and
Keep me in the ways of Your truth,
For You are the God that saves me.
The Lord is so good, so holy.
Sinners find the way,
And in all that is right He guides the humble.
The poor He leads in His pathways.
All day long I hope in Your goodness.
Remember Your love,
The love that You promised long ago.
And the kindness that You gave from of old.
The other bells that go off in my head as I read the Psalms are not songs, but New Testament references. Like this:
- Psalm 2:7 ("He said to Me, 'You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You.") is directly quoted three times: in Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, and Hebrews 5:5.
- Psalm 5:9 ("Their throat is an open grave") is quoted in Romans 3:13.
- Psalm 14:1-3 ("There is no one who does good. / The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men / To see if there are any who understand, / Who seek after God, / They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; / There is no one who does good, not even one.") is quoted in Romans 3:10-12.
- Psalm 16:10 ("Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.") is quoted in Acts 13:35.
- Psalm 22:1 ("My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?") is quoted in both Aramaic and English (in an English Bible translation) in Matthew 27:46 and Mark15:34.
- Psalm 22:8 ("Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; / Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.") is quoted by Jesus' mockers in Matthew 27:43.
- Psalm 22:16-18 ("They pierced my hands and my feet. / I can count all my bones. / They look, they stare at me; / They divide my garments among them, / And for my clothing they cast lots.) is fulfilled in Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:33-34, and John 19:23-24.
- Psalm 23:1 ("The LORD is my shepherd") is appropriated by Jesus in John 10:11 when He says, "I am the good shepherd."
How rich is God's gift of the Psalms! He gives us words for our emotions, bolsters our faith, prophesies of Christ, and makes our hearts sing.
How rich is God's gift of the Psalms! He gives us words for our emotions, bolsters our faith, prophesies of Christ, and makes our hearts sing.
My cup overflows.
~Psalm 23:5
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