A Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s Justice

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High…You sat on the throne, judging in righteousness…He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. The Lord is known by the judgment He executes.” (Psalm 9:1-2, 4b, 8, 16a. NKJV) [Read Psalm 9]

For the season of Thanksgiving, from now until the end of November, we will consider portions of the Thanksgiving hymns. Scholars have noted that the 150 Psalms are divided into five sections or books, and each of the five sections concludes with a doxology (see 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52; 106:48; and 150). The five books or divisions of Psalms are representative of the five books of the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Scholars have also agreed that there are eleven types of psalms, namely: lamentations, thanksgiving, hymns, wisdom psalms, kingship psalms, entrance ceremonies, enthronement psalms, songs of Zion, confidence psalms, prophetic psalms and liturgical psalms. Those categorized as Thanksgiving Psalms are 9-10, 18, 30, 31, 32, 34, 66, 92, 107, 116, 118, 120, 124, 129, 138 and 139. These psalms describe situations of distress and how the psalmist was delivered. These psalms make us aware of God’s work in the affairs of life and invite us to give thanks to God for helping us through the distress.

Psalm 9 and 10 were once, so scholars believe, written together. The words of the longer psalm originally began each paragraph with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. But in later rearrangement and canonization, some of this systematic format was lost. Authorship is attributed to David. In this and Psalm 10 he thanks God for victory over enemies, but at the same time, while giving thanks, the psalmist laments his condition. A lament addresses God, states the complaint, expresses trust in God for help, seeks God’s help, and repeats trust in God. Directions given before the psalm indicate that it is to “the director of music” in Hebrew worship and is to be sung to the tune of “The Death of a Son.”

Imagine the gathered congregation in a Jewish synagogue or at the Temple singing the words of verses 1 and 2! It is a joyful paean of praise to God, an exuberant expression of worship. And when the worship leader announced the tune, the gathered worshipers would all join in a mighty chorus, much as we sing “The Doxology” in our churches. They entered into worship with voice, heart, mind, strength. God is worthy to be praised! With the testimony in song of the worshipers, they became witnesses and bearers of the revelation of God. Worship was (and is) a community praising and giving thanks.

In Psalm 9, God is shown as a righteous judge. Enemies were on every hand, arrogant, doubting that God would punish them. While the enemy surrounded them and before they were defeated, even then was the expectation: “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble” (v. 9). The psalm ends on a high note of anticipation: “Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, That the nations may know themselves to be but men” (v. 19, 20).

As I read and studied this psalm, I thought about the country church where I grew up. During World War II, we kept on the wall a banner with the names of those from our community who were serving in the war. Each time we met, we prayed publicly for our servicemen. We kept prayer lists in our Bibles and prayed for them in our personal devotional times. Our pastor also asked us to pray for our country and even our enemies. It seems strange to think of giving thanks during wartime, for it is a trying time when any nation is defending itself against enemies. We need to take a lesson from Psalm 9 and think how it begins with a doxology of praise and then seeks to lay the situation of distress and protection against enemies before the Lord, seeking His righteous judgment. Our nation is again at war, and many in our military are beset daily with danger. Do we pray enough? Do we thank and praise God in the midst of such conflict? Do we beseech God for righteous judgment of enemies? These are probing questions that we need to answer soberly and honestly.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, November 14, 2010

Expressing Love through Music

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” –Psalm 9:1-2 (NKJV)

Sometimes there are occasions the Christian enjoys that are outstanding for the inspiration and God-presence they bring. Last evening was such a time. Our church was host to a large instrumental and choral group of Georgia Baptist ministers of music. Called the Sons of Jubal, the group received this name in 1984 when Rev. Dr. Paul McCommon, then head of the Music Department of the Georgia Baptist Convention, organized the group. He chose the name from the one reference to Jubal in the Bible: “And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.” -Genesis 4:20-21 (NKJV)

The called and set-apart musicians throughout Georgia are professionally trained to make a good sound with voices. Those who play in the orchestra and hand bell choir, are, like Jubal of old, skilled on musical instruments. From the first notes from the orchestra to the last note from the moving choral finale, “Midnight Cry,” the men played and sang from their hearts, and were able to convey to the audience the presence and power of God through music. I told a friend after the concert: “I felt like I was in Heaven, and I didn’t want it to end!” Without a doubt, all touched by the excellent concert felt the majesty and knew the love of God expressed through music.

As I listened and worshiped, my mind turned to many thoughts. First, I wished that my beloved husband Grover could have been able to be present and hear. We both knew, loved and worked with Dr. Paul McCommon who founded the group in 1984. This outstanding man of God is now in the heavenly choir, and probably also doing solos before the throne. I thanked God for all the good memories of Dr. McCommon.

Many of the current members of Sons of Jubal had attended Youth Music Camps provided by the GBC Department of Music when my children, Keith and Cynthia, were teenagers, and when many of the youth from my own youth choirs attended. What expert training in music and in Christian living they received at Youth Music Camp. But most important, they learned to express their love of God through music. I was so fortunate to have both Keith and Cynthia in attendance at the concert on February 11. They still love and appreciate music and love and worship God through its message and power.

A foretaste of Heaven, the music of Sons of Jubal was a sacrifice of praise. And they led us thereby to lift our own hearts, to express our own music to God, a love song to Him. I went to the concert heavy-hearted and concerned about still another challenge in my husband’s downward-slide with his illness. God, through the music of Sons of Jubal, ministered at the point of my need and restored my spirit.

Like the Psalmist I want always to keep a song in my heart, a song of love for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Sirit, blessed Trinity. "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, February 12, 2010