“The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded” (Ps 72:20).
It’s the end of Book II officially in this ancient hymnbook. And in this little we get a glimpse of David’s heart. These words he writes are not just psalms and songs, they are prayers. Prayers for help, praying of worship, prayers of vindication, prayers of gratitude.
But they are also “for teaching.” We read this in the superscript of Ps 60. “A Davidic Miktam for teaching.” And how this is so underestimated. Songs are for teaching. What are the songs of today in secular music teaching? What are the songs in the church teaching about God? Often what you sing and that song that gets stuck in your head orients the direction of your thoughts and life. Music is powerful that way.
We also see psalms that are for the recounting and the remembering of history. We will see this in psalms like Ps 106 where the story of the Exodus is remembered.
Psalms and music were used in powerful ways. Music opens are souls and then the words flow in. Words of life or words of death.
We should never take what we sing lightly. Even when there should be levity in our music.
