Episode Transcript
Psalm 64 (ESV)
1Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
6 They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
7 But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
all who see them will wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind fears;
they tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!
CONSIDER
Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. He holds the Methodist Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School and served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary for fifteen years. She is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to fruition the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. We will share some of their writing on the Psalms on Sundays.
There are many important differences between the historic prayer and worship book of the people of God (Jewish and Christian) and contemporary collections that are typically used in churches in our own day. One of the differences is the absence of the enemy in our hymns and songs. There are a number of important reasons for this.
First, the enemies in the Old Testament are almost always the various non-Jewish nations who are arrayed against the Jews, seeking to extinguish their lives. Since the vast majority of Christians today come from these various Gentile nations who once opposed God, but who are now joyfully worshipping the Lord, then we see ourselves more as those who have been reconciled with God than those who stand in opposition to God.
Second, several important changes took place once the earliest Christians in the New Testament (mostly Jews) began to use and quote the Psalms in the New Testament. There is a subtle, but important, shift that takes place in how many of the verses about enemies are applied in the New Testament. Now, the enemies of God are as likely to be the Jewish leaders who were rejecting and crucifying the Lord as any Gentiles, who, on several occasions, are actually shown to have more faith than the Jews (e.g., Matt. 8:10; 27:54).
Finally, as we read the New Testament more, we gradually come to recognize that we are all the “enemies” of God (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21) apart from the reconciling work of the gospel. The bad news is that we, along with the whole earth, are (apart from Christ) enemies of God. The good news is that all peoples (not just Jews) can be redeemed and reconciled. Thus, the division between the righteous and the wicked can no longer be associated with any race or ethnicity. Instead, the searing line that divides the righteous and the wicked cuts through the heart of every man and woman on earth. This transition was anticipated in the Old Testament (see, for example, the meditation on Psalm 87), but was not fully realized until the New Testament.
What are the implications of this for reading or singing Psalm 64? This psalm is a poetic anatomy of the wicked. It carefully analyzes the enemies of God in all their specific treacheries. They threaten (v. 1) and conspire (v. 2) against the people of God. They “aim their words like deadly arrows” (v. 3) and ambush the innocent (v. 4). “They encourage each other in evil plans” and believe that God does not see them (v. 5). In reading this psalm, it could be easy for us to think of the rebellious other who is out there in opposition to God, while we are those insiders who stand safely with the righteous. However, as Christians encountering this psalm, we should see ourselves in this anatomy. We are guilty of all of this treachery against God and his purposes. But through the grace of Jesus Christ, we can say with the apostle Paul, “that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). It is in Christ that we can now truly be a member of that community known as “the righteous.” It is a righteousness that first comes as alien gift (justification) but, through the Spirit, is imparted to us, by grace, into our experience (sanctification). This and this alone is why we can sing the closing words of this psalm: “Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him!” (Ps. 64:10).
For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent
HYMN
Sing Psalm 64 with the Seedbed Psalter today. We suggest the tune KINGSFOLD ("O Sing a Song of Bethlehem"). You can hear the tune played online by Julie here. If you listen to the podcast audio version, we will sing the psalm using this tune. For your convenience, the words from the Psalter are printed below.
1 Hear me, O God, as unto You I voice complaint and cry;
Protect my life from enemies whose threats are always nigh.
2 Hide me from their conspiracy – that noisy, evil crowd,
3 They sharpen tongues like swords and aim their words like arrows proud.
4 They shoot their arrows and ambush the innocent who’s near;
They shoot at him quite suddenly and show no dread or fear.
5 They talk to one another and encourage evil plans;
They say, “Who sees the snares we hide? We’ve formed a perfect plan!”
6 They plot injustice and declare, “Our perfect plot will stand!”
For surely very cunning is the mind and heart of man.
7 But God will shoot His arrows, too, and they will be struck down;
8 He’ll turn their own tongues back on them – their plans He will confound.
To ruin God will bring them – those who see will scorn each one;
9 Then all will fear and ponder God, proclaiming what He’s done.
10 Let righteous ones take refuge and rejoice in God the LORD;
Let all upright in heart praise Him – to Him all praise accord!
