Have you ever been to a concert where the music is from the famous work by G F Handel written in 1741 known as the “Messiah”? It is now considered to be “one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_(Handel) And possibly, the most well-known movement (of the 53) in this amazing oratorio is the ‘Hallelujah Chorus.’ Often, at this stage in the program, the audience stands, “a tradition said to have begun in 1743, when King George II rose from his seat, enthralled by the beauty of the music. Not wanting to offend the king, the audience also stood – or so the story goes.” https://floridaorchestra.org/messiah/
Well, it seems we have now reached the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ of the Psalter. So, if you want to stand as you read this, “enthralled by the beauty of the” psalm, then please feel to do so. Here it is:
1-6 Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
Hallelujah! (The Message Bible)
Brueggemann writes: “The conclusion of the Psalter is this extravagant summons to praise, which seeks to mobilize all creation with a spontaneous and unreserved act of adoration, praise, gratitude, and awe. There are no ‘bases’ given; no reason needs to be given… [this is Israel’s and our] proper vocation, destiny, and purpose.” (# 2)
And so, we have come to the end of the Psalter, working our way through Psalms of “conflict, burdens, mysteries, and suffering that both the individual believer and the assembly [of Israel] have [had] to cope with, and all that God, as their covenant Lord, [has] done for them on their journey of faith.” (# 5)
I trust, you have enjoyed journeying with them and me over the last 9 years and have been blessed and challenged. My prayer for you is:
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2 NLT)
Now, if you would like to finish these reflections on the Psalms in an appropriate way, why not click on the link below and listen to the Hallelujah Chorus and be amongst every living, breathing creature praising our wonderful God.
P.S. Lord willing, this Blog will continue as we consider another section of the Wisdom Literature, i.e., the Proverbs. Watch this space!
Worship and Wisdom - Psalms and Proverbs 