I concur with the proposed Sing Psalms text with “Leominster” (as edited by MCPC). I am not familiar with “Stirling” (a recent tune found in the BPW).
Text: Sing Psalms, 2003, alt. MCPC, 2013 (SMD)
1 Preserve me, O my God; you are my refuge true.
2 I say, “O LORD, you are my Lord: I have no good but you.
3 The godly in the land, for holiness renowned,
they are the finest ones, in whom all my delight is found.
4 The ones who chase false gods will multiply their pain,
I will not sacrifice to them; I will not speak their names.
5 O LORD, you are to me my cup and portion sure;
the share that is assigned to me you guard and keep secure.
6The land allotted me is in a pleasant site;
my beautiful inheritance is surely my delight.
7 I bless the LORD my God, whose counsel guides my choice;
and even in the night my heart recalls instruction’s voice.
8 Before me constantly I set the LORD alone.
Since he remains at my right hand, I won’t be overthrown.
9 And so my heart is glad; my tongue with joy will sing.
My body too will rest secure in hope unwavering.
10 For you will not forsake my soul unto the grave,
nor will you leave your Holy One to see the tomb’s decay.
11 The path of life you show; your presence is full joy;
at your right hand, O LORD my God, are pleasures evermore.
Tune: Leominster (George William Martin, 1826; arr. Arthur S. Sullivan, 1874)
Commentary
Psalm 16 is titled, “A Miktam of David.” We do not know what “miktam” means.
Psalms 14-16 belong together. Psalm 14 declares that “there is none who does good.” Psalm 15 declares in reply that some may still dwell in God’s presence. And Psalm 16 shows how.
“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to Yahweh, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
The first point is that the only way to avoid Psalm 14–the fool who says there is no God, is through trusting in Yahweh. The only way to become the blameless man of Psalm 15, is through trusting in the Lord. All that is good, I owe to you.
And because I take refuge in you, I also delight in your people: “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” In other words, I do not delight in the counsel of the ungodly. I do not sit in the seat of the scornful. I delight to share in the communion of saints–the fellowship of God’s people. Psalm 15 had said that the man who may dwell in God’s tent is the man who despises a vile person, but who honors those who fear Yahweh. Now Psalm 16 fleshes this out: I delight in the saints, but I will not join with those who run after other gods. Therefore, taking refuge in the Lord also means delighting in the fellowship of his church. Worship and fellowship are intimately bound up together. They cannot exist in isolation.
With God as his portion, David delights in the beautiful inheritance that is his. Yes, trials and temptations may surround us, but we must never forget the glory that is set before us. Because the Lord is his portion, the Psalmist declares, “I bless Yahweh who gives me counsel; in the night my heart also instructs me.” The nearness of the Lord brings counsel and instruction. And because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Why is the Psalmist glad? Why does his “whole being” (or glory, in the Hebrew) rejoice? Why does his flesh dwell secure? Because “you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” God had not yet revealed the details of the resurrection, but he gave to David a glimpse of the joy of eternal life. And Psalm 16 shows us that the road to eternal life leads through death. Israel had to understand that the route to glory led through suffering. David sees that Sheol (the grave) is in his future. He knows that one day he will die. But he prophesies that God will not abandon his soul to Sheol, nor will He allow his holy one to see corruption.
Peter understood what this meant. Once Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and has poured out the Holy Spirit, Peter realized that this was what David was talking about. On the Day of Pentecost (the feast of firstfruits–as all Israel is bringing the portion for the priests and Levites) the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church. The firstfruits of the Kingdom of God comes upon the people of God. And Peter realized that this meant that Psalm 16 was about Jesus!
The Son of David literally did not see corruption!
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” (Acts 2:29-33)
And as Jesus has walked the path of life, as he has been made full of gladness in the presence of his Father, so now you and I may share in his life and in his joy. Jesus has entered his inheritance. And in Jesus, the whole of the new humanity comes into the inheritance of the new creation.
Israel was called to sing this eschatologically. They were called to sing of this future glory in the present. And so are we. We, who live in the last days, who have beheld the beginning of the age to come in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must keep our hearts and minds fixed on the glory that will be revealed in the revelation of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As you meditate upon the death of Christ–in his suffering for us, and as you meditate upon his resurrection and glory at the right hand of the Father, you must see that his death and resurrection were the accomplishment of the last-days redemption promised through the prophets. And therefore, as you meditate upon the glory that will be ours in Christ Jesus, do not forget that the Holy Spirit is the downpayment of that inheritance. You already have a foretaste of heaven in the presence of Christ.
Structure:
The BPW opens its third stanza in the middle of verse 5, which does not lend itself to singing with understanding. The Sing Psalms text allows for greater clarity and understanding of the flow of the text.
Translation Notes:
My chief objection to the text that we have adopted is the replacement of “drink offerings of blood” (or “libations of blood”) with “sacrifices,” since it ruins the parallel in verse 5 with the LORD as my chosen portion and *cup.* But given the structural concerns outlined above, I would not wish to use the BPW text.
Many believe that Psalm 16 is not speaking of the afterlife, but simply that God will rescue him and save him from death. The key verses are v9-11.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being [lit., glory] rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption [lit., the pit].
11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Plainly the Psalmist has a confidence that pertains both to body and his soul. God’s holy one will not see the pit. Does this just mean: “I won’t die yet”? If so, then the whole Psalm becomes rather pathetic: “I’ve got a good piece of real estate, and God will let me live a little longer. Sure, then I’ll die and return to nothingness — but hey, I get to have some fun for a while!!”
The word translated “forevermore” (or evermore in our version) is *netsach* — which means “eminence, enduring, everlasting, or perpetual.” It is used 18 times in the Psalms, ordinarily to refer to things that either are (or seem to be) going on forever. If Psalm 16 is simply saying that “perpetual pleasures” are at the right hand of God — but that human can only enjoy them temporarily and then descend into the grave forever, then Psalm 16 makes no sense.
Put simply, Peter got it right in Acts 2 — and Paul in Acts 13 — when they affirm that David was speaking of the resurrection of the Christ. How well David understood this is an open question (2 Peter 1:21 says that prophets did not always understand what they were saying), but we must affirm that Psalm 16 speaks of the resurrection of Christ.
Tune Notes:
“Leominster” is used in the Trinity Hymnal with Psalms 16 (692) and 45 (169), “Not What My Hands Have Done” (461), “A Few More Years Shall Roll” (540). It is also used for Psalm 16 in the Trinity Psalter, and for Psalms 25 and 108 in the Book of Psalms for Singing/Worship.
I am delighted that Tim Shafer (professor of musicology at Penn State) has permitted me to share his musical comments from our committee’s work. This is what he said regarding Leominster:
“Leominster is an extended six phrase tune comprising two bar forms (mm. 1-8 a a1 b; mm. 9-16 c c1 d). Throughout the unfolding of these six phrases, the tune presents a slow progression from sedate assuredness to stately confidence subtly tinged with victory.
The opening pair of phrases are marked by the repeated note and slowly rising melody, yet the sequence is down a second. The abgesang phrase (the b phrase) responds with a confident triadic rise, while yet containing the repeated note motive.
The progress of assertion continues with the short c phrases of the second bar structure. Here, dotted rhythms are introduced, subtly cueing strength. The sequence of these two phrases, unlike the first pair, now ascends, and by a third. The d phrase climaxes the tune by continuing the sequence, rising a fourth higher to the tonic in the dotted rhythm and a slow scalar descent to conclude.
Leominster contains significant musical referents that support the affect of Psalm 16 and would make a very good choice of a familiar tune for this text.”
Conclusion
I think that Psalm 16 *needs* to have a really good tune. Leominster definitely has the chops to last.
I concur with the proposed MCPCtext with “Herr Jesu Christ.” I am not familiar with the paraphrase with “Helen” as proposed by the URC.
Text: MCPC, 2011 (LM)
1 LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? And dwell upon your holy hill?
2 The one who walks in righteousness and speaks the truth within his soul.
3 He does not slander with his tongue, nor does his neighbor any wrong;
he will not hear a gossip’s lies or take a slander on his tongue.
4 He will despise the vile and rude, but honors those who fear the LORD.
When he has sworn to his own hurt, he changes not, but keeps his word.
5 He lends his money without charge; he takes no bribe against the good.
That man who does these things shall stand forever; he will not be moved.
Tune: Herr Jesu Christ Dich zu uns Wend (Pensum Sacrum, 1648; harm., Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750)
Commentary
Psalm 15 is titled, “A Psalm of David.”
Psalm 15 describes the one who may dwell on Yahweh’s holy hill and sojourn in his tent (his sanctuary). “Herr Jesu Christ” is an excellent match for Psalm 15, with its robust, confident tone, so it is fitting to choose a tune named after a hymn that asks our Lord Jesus Christ to be present with us — since we are now the dwelling place of the Lord!
I should mention that we did not think that Lowry was a good option (in spite of its long use in the RPCNA) due to the extremely paraphrastic character of the RP text.
Structure:
Since we were unable to find a text that provided a simple, clear presentation of this text, we started from scratch. The four stanza structure that we chose allows each stanza to describe the one who may dwell on God’s holy hill — stanza 1 focusing on his upright “walk” (v2), stanza 2 on his talk (v3), stanza 3 on his sense of honor (v4), and stanza 4 on his use of money (v5).
Translation Notes:
Psalm 15 was one of my first efforts at metrical psalmody. I have no intention, however, of allowing my first draft of Psalm 15 ever to see the glare of the internet!
There are several phrases from the ESV that I wanted to get as closely as possible. As I examined various meters it became clear that the 88 88 structure of long meter would be the best.
Incidentally, this was my standard practice when developing a metrical translation from scratch. I would start by looking over the Psalm for general structure. How many stanzas (of roughly equal length) does the Psalm most naturally fit into? Then I would look at questions of meter. What sort of meter and beat does the Psalm gravitate towards. For Psalm 15, it became clear that eight beats per line worked very well, since all the poetic lines are very similar in length. Only after developing a workable first draft would I then look for a tune to match.
Verse 1 — ESV — “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
— metrical — “LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? And dwell upon your holy hill?”
Verse 4 — ESV — “in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
— metrical — “He will despise the vile and rude, but honors those who fear the LORD.
When he has sworn to his own hurt, he changes not, but keeps his word.”
Tune Notes:
“Herr Jesu Christ dich zu uns Wend” is used in the Trinity Hymnal with Psalm 132 (374), “Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now” (379), and “All Things Are Thine” (729).
At first we proposed “Truro” for Psalm 15, given its associations with the processional Psalm 24. But I was convinced by our Subcommittee work that Psalm 15 does not have the same processional theme — which renders Truro less useful here.
Conclusion
I have not yet preached on Psalm 15.
I have not been able to find any recordings of this arrangement of Herr Jesu Christ.
I concur with the proposed Sing Psalms text with “Southwell.”
Text: Sing Psalms, 2003; alt. MCPC, 2011 (SM)
1 The fool speaks in his heart; “There is no God,” he says.
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; none walks in godly ways.
2 The LORD from heav’n looks down upon the human race,
to see if any understand, if any seek God’s face.
3 They all have turned aside; corrupt they have become.
Not one of them does any good, no, not a single one.
4 Will sinners never learn? My people they devour
as if they were consuming bread; they never seek the LORD.
5 Struck down they are with dread, for God is with the just.
6 You evildoers shame the poor, but in the LORD they trust.
7 May help from Zion come, the LORD his captives bring!
And then let Jacob’s tribes rejoice; let Israel gladly sing.
Tune: Southwell (William Daman, 1579)
Commentary
Psalm 14 is titled, “A Psalm of David.”
Psalm 14 is one of the few “duplicate” Psalms — since Psalm 53 is almost identical except in a few key places.
As I say in my sermon on Psalm 53, when the fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” “That does not mean that all fools are atheists. The fool may be a professed Christian – but in his heart he says, “there is no God.” He may genuinely and truly believe that God exists, but he does not believe that God is going to do anything. The fool is a practical atheist (or at least a practical deist). The fool says, “God may exist, but his existence is irrelevant to my life.””
If we have paid attention even slightly to what God has revealed in David, and then, far more clearly in Jesus, we should be fearless. What can separate us from the love of God in the Messiah? If God brought Jesus through suffering to glory, and has now made us partakers with Jesus, then why should cross or trial grieve me? And you can see this mentality in the laments of the Psalms. Laments generally follow a similar pattern:
Help!
I’ve got a problem!
You’re my only answer!
And when you answer, I’ll give thanks to you!
I strongly recommend that you get this “lament pattern” fixed in your head – because it makes a great pattern for petitionary prayer. You can pretty much fill in the blanks!
Now, Psalm 53 is virtually identical to Psalm 14. There are only minor differences. But the context of book 1 and the context of book 2 are different. Psalm 14 is in the middle of the first collection of Davidic Psalms – most of which do not have any specific historical connections. Psalm 53 is sandwiched in between Psalms that refer specifically to David’s wilderness wanderings in 1 Samuel 20-26. And Psalm 53 opens with a reference to Nabal – “the fool” – who appears in 1 Samuel 25, and exemplifies this Psalm beautifully! In 1 Samuel 25, David encounters a woman, Abigail, and her foolish husband, Nabal (whose name means “fool”). People have sometimes wondered why this Psalm is repeated twice. The five books of the Psalms were remarkably edited to have very precise word and line counts. Apparently, Psalm 14 fit perfectly here as well – and the nabal connection fit so well in this series of Davidic Psalms, that the editor had to put it there!
One of the most significant changes from Psalm 14 to Psalm 53 is found in verses 5-6. Psalm 14:5-6 says,
“There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You would shame the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge.”
But Psalm 53:5 says:
“There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.”
In Psalm 14 the “you” is the wicked – the one who shames the plans of the poor. But in Psalm 53, the “you” is the singular righteous one – the “my people” who have been assaulted. In other words, in Psalm 53 the song has been reworked to fit the Nabal story in the life of David.
Structure:
The SP text fits the structure of Psalm 14 beautifully. Each verse has its own stanza except for verses 5-6 which are combined in one stanza (which mirrors the ESV structure).
Translation Notes:
Any metrical translation of Psalm 14 will need to keep in mind Paul’s usage in Romans 3.
Verse 3 — ESV — “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Romans 3:12 — “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
— SP — “They all have turned aside; corrupt they have become. Not one of them does any good, no, not a single one.”
Tune Notes:
“Southwell” is used widely throughout the churches — Sing Psalms uses it here, with Psalm 14, while the BPW and the RCNZ both use it with the twin Psalm 53. The Trinity Hymnal uses it with Psalm 130, and the Psalter Hymnal (1959) uses it with Psalm 3 (the RCNZ and Sing Psalms both use it with Psalm 141 as well).
Conclusion
I have not yet preached on Psalm 14, but my sermon on Psalm 53 can be found here.
I have not been able to find any recordings of Southwell.
The OPC Composition Subcommittee originally recommended the CM text with “Meditation” (as presented below), but the official OPC/URC proposal is a 76 76 D text with “Far Off Lands” — a tune from the Bohemian Brethren used in the 1959 Psalter Hymnal.
Text: Sing Psalms, 2003; alt. MCPC, 2011 (CM)
1 How long will you forget me, LORD? Will you forget always?
How long, LORD, will you hide your face and turn from me your gaze?
2 How long must I be sad each day in deep perplexity?
How long will my opponent stand in triumph over me?
3 O LORD my God, consider me, and give me your reply.
Light up my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of those who die.
4 Then would my enemy declare: “At last I’ve laid him low!”
And so my foes would sing for joy to see my overthrow.
5 But still I trust your constant love; you save and set me free.
6 With joy I will extol the LORD who has done good to me.
Tune: Meditation (John Henry Gower, 1890)
Commentary
Psalm 13 is titled, “To the Choirmaster. A Psalm of David.”
Psalm 13 is a clear example of a lament, moving from a statement of the problem — both God’s disregard for him, and the onslaught of his enemies (verses 1-2), to a plea for help, where the plea for God to answer involves protection from the enemy (verses 3-4), to a statement of confidence in God’s faithful dealings (verses 5-6).
Structure:
I will cheerfully admit that the structure of the Psalter Hymnal‘s text is excellent. By using the 76 76 D meter, they are able to put all four “How long” questions into the first stanza (v1-2), and then the prayer for God’s consideration forms the second stanza (v3-4), and the affirmation of confidence forms the third stanza (v5-6). Admittedly, the Sing Psalms structure is not quite as strong — using five stanzas, blending the last two verses into the final stanza.
Translation Notes:
But the PH text achieves its structural elegance at the cost of several key lines in the Psalm. For instance:
Verse 1 — ESV — “How long will you hide your face from me?”
— PH — “How long will fears beset me while darkness hides your face?”
— SP — “How long, LORD, will you hide your face and turn from me your gaze?”
It is really important to say that God hides his face from us. It’s not just that “darkness” hides God’s face — there are times when God himself hides his face from his people.
Verse 3 — ESV — “Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.”
— PH — “O LORD, my God, behold me, and hear my earnest cries; lest sleep of death enfold me, enlighten now my eyes.”
— SP — “O LORD my God, consider me, and give me your reply. Light up my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of those who die.”
It is clear that David is asking for an answer. The PH text does not make that clear. Also I appreciate very much the way that the SP text was able to capture the idea of “sleep the sleep.”
Tune Notes:
“Meditation” opens with six consecutive identical notes in the soprano, alto, and tenor — which, when blended with a bass line that descends stepwise from the first to the fifth of the scale, results in a plaintive lament in a major key (with plenty of minor moments). This allows “Meditation” to capture both the lament at the beginning and the quiet confidence at the end.
Meditation is used in the BPS and the BPW with Psalm 13. The Trinity Hymnals use it with Psalm 37 (as well as “There Is a Green Hill Far Away” [256] and “There Is a Land of Pure Delight” [550]). The Trinity Psalter suggests it with Psalm 119, and the 1959 PH uses it with Psalm 1 (which is where the OPC/URC committee recommends it).
Conclusion
If someone would take the time to improve the PH text, I would be willing to consider it (I don’t know “Far Off Lands” — but I like the Bohemian Brethren, so I’d be willing to be persuaded on the tune!), but I’m reluctant to abandon a strong text that is paired with a tune that has long connections with a Psalm. Further, this was long a favorite of our eldest daughter in family worship!
I have not yet preached on Psalm 13.
I have not been able to find any recordings of Meditation.
I concur with the OPC/URC proposal to use “Donne Secours” (otherwise known as Genevan 12). I am a little perplexed as to why there are two versions of this on the webpage. There are some very slight rhythmic differences in the two arrangements — but the two texts are identical.
I have a few suggested revisions to the text. (I should comment that our local committee at MCPC has adopted dozens of revisions throughout the psalter to improve the poetry and inflection).
1 Help, LORD, because the godly have all vanished; the faithful from the sons of men depart.
2 Each one tells falsehood even to his neighbor; they speak with flatt’ring lips and double heart.
3 Now may the LORD cut off all lips which flatter, and every tongue which speaks with boastful word.
4 Such people say, “We with our tongues will triumph; we own our lips; who then can be our lord?”
5 “In that the weak have suffered great oppression, and I have heard the needy’s groaning cries,
I will give him the safety which he longs for. To help them,” says the LORD, “I will arise.”
6 All words proceeding from the LORD are flawless, as pure as silver that by fire is tried,
like silver that, when molten in a furnace, from it emerges sev’n times purified.
7 LORD, from this evil age you will preserve us, and keep us safe from harm forever more;
8 here do the wicked strut about quite freely, and praise is giv’n to all that is impure.
Psalm 12 is titled, “To the Choirmaster: According to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.”
Psalm 12 is a communal lament as the people of God plead with God to deliver them from the powerful. It is important to note that this is a Davidic psalm — because the assumption of the psalm is that the Davidic king is on the throne, and yet the powerful and influential are not godly! Think about that: enshrined in the hymnal of the people of God is a song of lament about how the leaders of Israel are liars and plunderers! How would you like our hymnal to include a song about how there are no faithful businessmen or politicians in the land? Well, you do: it’s called Psalm 12.
Psalm 12 is a good song to sing when scandal and corruption are revealed in church or society. We are reminded that “the faithful have vanished from among the children of men” and that our hope is that the LORD will cut off flattering lips and protect the poor and needy.
But in contrast to the lips and tongues of the flatterers, “the words of the LORD are pure words.” If you are feeling betrayed by politicians or business associates, Psalm 12 reminds you that there is One whose words are reliable forever. And his words are powerful. Because not only does God speak — he also guards and protects us “from this generation.”
Structure:
The Sing Psalms text provides a very good structure. The main challenge in the Psalm is that each verse has a couplet, except for verses 5-6, each of which has a triplet. Since verses 5-6 provide the resolution of the problem, they deserve the most attention. The simple solution, adopted by Sing Psalms, is to have one stanza for every two verses, except for verses 5-6, each of which gets its own stanza.
Translation Notes:
There are a handful of key words and phrases that really need to be maintained in any translation of Psalm 12: “flattering lips” (in verses 2 and 3) need to be translated the same way both times to keep the meaning clear. The Lord’s promise, “I will arise” needs to receive central attention — as it does, coming at the end of the third [and central] stanza.
I especially appreciate little touches, like the way that the last two stanzas end with the purity theme. The fourth stanza ends with silver purified seven times. The fifth stanza ends with praise given to all that is impure.
There are some inflection problems in the OPC/URC proposal. Some solutions: v5 replace “Because” with “In that”; v6 replace “The words” with “All words.”
The major change is in the last stanza:
v7 replace “O LORD, you will preserve us safe forever, and from this evil age keep us secure”
with “LORD, from this evil age you will preserve us, and keep us safe from harm for evermore.”
v8 replace “for here the wicked strut about quite freely, and praise is giv’n to all that is impure.”
with “here do the wicked strut about quite freely, and praise is giv’n to all that is impure.”
Tune Notes:
Genevan 12 (or Donne Secours) is used by the Psalter Hymnal (1959/1987) and the Book of Praise (CanRC), and was adopted by the Free Church in Sing Psalms (2003). It has the minor feel requisite for a lament — but it also has a little “bounce” in it, which comes in handy for the Lord’s response!
Conclusion
You can hear a choir sing Psalm 12 in French to Donne Secours (after the first stanza they do a little extra) at:
MCPC has gone a different route than the OPC/URC proposal for Psalm 11. The OPC/URC proposal includes two options:
a) the Sing Psalms text to “Bourbon” (LM);
b) the RCNZ’s text to “Protection” (11 11 11 11).
I understand that “Protection” has been used in the Dutch tradition with Psalm 11 for a long time, and I think that a tune associated with “How Firm a Foundation” has some good affective connections with Psalm 11. That text, however, could use some further work.
Text: MCPC, 2012 (SM)
1 My refuge is the LORD; how can you say to me:
“Now quickly like a bird escape, and to your mountain flee.
2 The wicked bend the bow; the upright they would shoot.
3 If our foundations are cast down, what can the righteous do?”
4 The LORD in heav’n is throned; his temple is on high;
his eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of mankind.
5 The LORD will test the just, but men of wickedness
and those who love destructive ways he certainly detests.
6 Upon all wicked men his fiery coals will rain;
and brimstone, fire, and burning wind shall be their heritage.
7 For righteous is the LORD; he loves all righteous ways,
and so the upright of the earth shall all behold his face.
Tune: Festal Song (William Howard Walter, 1894)
Commentary
The title of Psalm 11 is: “To the Choirmaster. Of David.”
Psalm 11 is a Psalm of confidence, as the psalmist flees to the temple and calls upon the LORD to “rain coals upon the wicked” and preserve the righteous. Of course, the point about the temple raises a question regarding Davidic authorship — since the temple had not been built during David’s life. But as we have noted before, “Of David” does not necessarily mean “by David.” It could mean “about David” or “to David.” On the other hand, when the psalmist says, “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven” — that may well be a reference to the heavenly temple. Solomon plainly understood that the earthly temple could not contain God, so there is no reason why David could not have written about God’s heavenly temple.
Of course, the point of Psalm 11’s reference to the heavenly temple is that it is a safe refuge for the righteous! Indeed, the psalmist calls upon the LORD to “rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind” — reminding us of God’s judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah.
Psalm 11 concludes with a reminder that not only is the LORD righteous, but he also loves righteous deeds, and the upright shall behold his face. The same upright who were the target of the wicked in verse 2 are the ones who will see the face of God in verse 7.
Structure:
All three texts provide clear and helpful structure.
Translation Notes:
There are a couple key points to highlight.
First, with respect to the RCNZ text: 1) they use the term “snipers” to refer to the wicked (a sniper uses a rifle, not a bow — it would be like referring to chariots as “tanks”); 2) they replace “children of man” simply with “men”; and 3) they omit “he loves righteous deeds.” In contrast, our text 1) uses “bend the bow”; 2) “children of mankind”; and “he loves all righteous ways.”
Second, the Sing Psalms text often does better than our text, partly because they use 224 syllables in place of our 156. And this is our objection to it — since the ESV only uses 158 syllables. The Sing Psalms text provides several expansions where they repeat the same thing again. I have no strong objections to any of their translations — only to the fact that it takes them so much longer to say it! If you can say it well in six stanzas, there is no reason to use seven stanzas!
Tune Notes:
We struggled a bit to find a good tune for Psalm 11. “Festal Song” is used in the Trinity Hymnal with “Not All the Blood of Beasts” (242) and “Revive Thy Work, O Lord” (370) — and with Psalm 108 in the Trinity Psalter. The opening unison works very well for stanzas 1, 3, 4, and 6 — all of which start with the LORD and his work. It works less well for stanzas 2 and 5 which speak of the wicked — but even there it is true that the wicked bend their bows with confidence — thinking that the righteous are helpless!
If the RCNZ text can be repaired, I have to admit that “How Firm a Foundation” (Protection) has some splendid affective congruity with Psalm 11.
Conclusion
You can hear an organ rendition of “Festal Song” at:
Q. 48. What are we specially taught by these words before me in the first commandment?
A. These words before me in the first commandment teach us that God, who sees all things, takes notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god.
