By Jeremy Bell
Psalm 24, my personal study using groupings from my motif analysis, as I have color coded in my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization. I have taken these groupings of the Psalm and put them together. So, the entirety of the Psalm is listed, but these groupings will present the text in a different order. God designed animal music and they all sing praise back to him.
All Nature Sings
Animals sing creating beautiful animal music. People often comment on it and others capitalize on it by recording and selling their songs. It is wonderful to wake up to the sounds of birds singing. Usually. Hearing the singing crickets might remind someone of a romantic night under the stars. In other areas of the world, mice can be heard singing to their mates throughout the forest. One of the most common and amazing songs people refer to is the whale.
Whale songs are mysterious and long and playful, and they travel. In science fiction, it has even been suggested that their songs reach space, to the heavens. Their songs are used to calm the mind and lower blood pressure. Animal songs can be a declaration of territory, they can be romantic gestures, and they can probably be a lot more. There is still a lot that is unknown, but scientifically, people can identify that singing is taking place. We just don’t know all the reasons why.
Sometimes I sing when I am anticipating something good, like meeting an old friend or finishing a project. Many people getting ready to meet royalty, like the queen of England, whistle or hum God save the queen. They are just excited to have that experience and there is a song in their hearts and minds as they anticipate the meeting. I often wonder if animals are singing their animal music in anticipation of something. I think this Psalm 24 suggests that possibility.
The Analysis Summary
Psalm 24 is in Verse Refrain motif form. A verse is one idea that still has a breakdown of pattern, but those patterns are contained in one idea. The refrain is a bigger picture truth. A refrain could go anywhere as many times as desired. Hear how this Psalm writer uses it and when you read the Psalm, try repeating it more often during your reading. When I post for Visualization, my goal is to highlight the patterns and intent over strict translation. I hope it gives fresh encouragement, but I strongly recommend the Psalm to be read as is for proper understanding.
[ Psalm 24 ]
Psalm 24, regrouped in motifs
Verse 1:
The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness;
the world, and those who dwell in it.
Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill?
Who may stand in his holy place?
Refrain:
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Be lifted up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory will come in.
Who is the King of glory?
Yahweh strong and mighty,
Yahweh mighty in battle.
Verse 2:
For he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the floods.
He who has clean hands and a pure heart;
who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood,
and has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh,
righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.
Refrain:
Lift up your heads, you gates;
yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors,
and the King of glory will come in.
Who is this King of glory?
Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.
Praying and Singing Humpbacks?
Typically, humpback whales remain in one place while singing, their nose down, tail up. It reminds me of a bowed position people take when praying. Whale songs can last twenty to forty minutes, they have phrasing and themes. Their songs connect seasons together and while each season is different, their songs during the season are often repeated. These huge creatures have a whale of a time making animal music.
In the book of Revelation, there is a description of living creatures around the throne. It says “They have no rest day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!” Worship songs tell a story and have parts. There are often refrains that repeat a theme. Worship can be a rallying cry for all to join, worship is adoration, worship is meditation. Worship is a lot of things. When whales repeat their songs, I wonder if they are joining creation in worship of God singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!”
God, His People, and His Creation
Gods everlasting power and divinity are perceived by the things that are made, like whales, their songs, and other animal music from the seas and the air. Through faith in Jesus and by Gods’ grace, broken people can participate in Gods’ plan to magnify His glory throughout His good creation. As people, we are broken, and we glorify the creation rather than the creator. But God has provided a way of repairing the relationship with Him so we can be part of the creation that is glorifying Him and singing, with the whales! Without a relationship with God, we gain temporary moments of joy in the darkness. With Jesus as our life, we have light eternal and can never be separated from The Nature of Joy.
Resources and Notes
All scripture in this article is from the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.
For more related to this blog, check out my post on Practical Steps to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
This is a reliable translation, but it is always good to read other translations as well. Biblegateway.com has a multitude of translations to read from. It is a great resource.
Another great resource is Biblehub.com. There are multiple translations, commentaries, and so much more. Great research can be done on this platform.
One more I use regularly is Gotquestions.org. This is a great site to answer questions and find threads of related questions.
There are many resources. The key is that God wants relationship directly with you, the individual. His primary source for revealing who He is and growing in intimacy is His word, the scriptures. Don’t just read for instruction. Analyze and read for understanding. Explore, ask questions, and be transformed in Jesus every moment you possibly can. There is no dispute this is a key desire of God. People are brough to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This… This is the Nature of Joy.
Jeremy is an author, musician, and business intelligence manager. His mission is to equip and encourage those in Christ, to equip and encourage others in Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the Nature of Joy and melody of the heart. Jeremy unites business analytics (business intelligence), songs, and Scripture for Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit.