Psalm 33

Praise the Lord with the harp!

Read/pray the psalm. (Full text at bottom.)

• Resonance. Consonance.

• In Psalm 19, we saw recently, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”

• The Bible even speaks of the angels singing.

• In this psalm we read of…

  • song

  • harp

  • ten-stringed lute

• People express their love for God in music, faithfully telling what they know through words and music—expressed in beauty—on earth as in heaven.

• These resonate—make sound that repeats, “re-sounds.”

  • Singing and making music entails…

    • rhythm

    • melody

    • harmony

  • To do so together means aligning these sounds in consonance—in “with-sounds.”

    • coordinated time and rhythms, in patterns

    • coordinated notes, in patterns

    • coordinating different notes to create an effect—harmonies and dissonances—in patterns

• All creation, we will hear again and again, is meant to align in beauty with the beauty of our Creator.

So…

• Play and enjoy any piece of recorded music that, for you, praises the LORD particularly well.

• Notice how all the elements—rhythm, melody, harmony, and (perhaps) lyrics—resonate together.

(If nothing comes to mind for you, here’s one I like.)

Psalm 33
Exultate, justi

1	Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous; * 
		it is fitting for the just to be thankful.
2	Praise the Lord with the harp; *
		sing praises unto him with the ten-stringed lute.
3	Sing unto him a new song; *
		make skillful melody and cry aloud with joy.
4	For the word of the Lord is true, *
		and all his works are faithful.
5	He loves righteousness and true judgment; * 
		the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6	By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, * 
		and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth.
7	He gathers the waters of the sea together, as in a heap, *
 		and lays up the deep, as in a treasure house.
8	Let all the earth fear the Lord; *
		stand in awe of him, all you that dwell in the world.
9	For he spoke, and it was done; * 
		he commanded and it stood fast.
10	The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to naught; * 
		he makes the devices of the peoples to be of no effect, and casts out the counsels of princes.
11	The counsel of the Lord shall endure for ever, *
		and the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation.
12	Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, *
		and blessed are the people he has chosen for himself to be his inheritance.
13	The Lord looks down from heaven and beholds all the children of men; *
		from the habitation of his dwelling he considers all those who dwell on the earth.
14	He fashions all the hearts of them *
		and understands all their works.
15	There is no king who can be saved by a mighty host; * 
		neither is any mighty man delivered by great strength.
16	A horse is considered a vain hope to save a man; * 
		neither shall it deliver anyone by its great strength.
17	Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him, * 
		and upon those who put their trust in his mercy,
18	To deliver their soul from death, *
		and to feed them in the time of famine.
19	Our soul has patiently waited for the Lord, * 
		for he is our help and our shield.
20	Our heart shall rejoice in him, *
		because we have hoped in his holy Name.
21	Let your merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us, * 
		as we have put our trust in you.

New Coverdale Psalter