By Jeremy Bell
I am going to share my personal study on Psalm 82 using groupings from my motif analysis. I have taken these groupings of the Psalm and put them together. So, the entirety of the Psalm will be posted, but these groupings will present the text in a different order. This is more clearly highlighted in my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization.
Tonal Balance Control
In the science of sound, tonal balance control refers to frequency. Specifically, the frequencies people actually hear and the balance of the distribution of those energies. The common person refers to this tonal balance control typically as EQ. We might adjust the bass, midrange, and treble, but often there are more than those simple three dials. Many EQ settings are preprogrammed. My iPhone has settings for jazz, acoustic, pop, and many more. These all affect the tonal balance control mechanisms that causes me to perceive the same piece of music in different ways.
This is a wonderful developmental control technology has brought to people. We can now each customize, in a certain way, the music we enjoy. If we really like to feel the thumping of the bass drum and the bass, we can raise the tonal balance control of those frequencies. Others like the crunchiness of pop music and snare drums and choose to boost the frequencies. The only problem arises is when people mix with different tastes and the EQ wars begin and dialogues of musical arguments ensue around what constitutes ‘good’ music.
The Audio Engineer
When a recording engineer begins to mix and master what has been recorded, they employ a consistent use of tonal balance control throughout the process. This means they will need to judge not only the overall product of audio, but each moment of the audio when instruments come in and go out, vocals begin and end, and even differences in levels due to how close the vocalist or instrumentalist is to the microphone. Although there are helpful visual tools now to indicate imbalance, it is still the artistic judgement of the ear that makes final decisions.
It is interesting to note that the tonal balance control refers to audible frequencies, but there are many sounds outside the human ear. The most popular is the dog whistle. This is just one example of sound that happens with real effect that is not heard by people. These are still frequencies of energy and still cause effects. They are part of harmonics that can cause feedback and produce other frequencies of sound that are undesirable. For the audio engineer, it is important to cut these off, even though they cannot be heard.
In my motif analysis, I see this Psalm as two verses with a Bridge. I will combine the groupings, the verses together to demonstrate their relation. Then, the Bridge. I do this in an attempt to highlight motif connections. Certainly, you should read the Psalm as is to get the purest meaning.
[ Psalm 82 ]
Group A
God presides in the great assembly.
He judges among the gods.
“How long will you judge unjustly,
and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah.
“Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless.
Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy.
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
I said, “You are gods,
all of you are sons of the Most High.
Nevertheless you shall die like men,
and fall like one of the rulers.”
Arise, God, judge the earth,
for you inherit all of the nations.
Group B
They don’t know, neither do they understand.
They walk back and forth in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Some judgement is easy and leaves less consequence than others. If an audio engineer is right about their decisions in mixing and mastering music employing their tonal balance control skills, that produces sound that is pleasing. Pleasing music makes lots of money. If they are wrong, it can mean an unpleasant listening experience, sales drop, and the only hopes one has is in the niche market of the music aficionado. Some judgement is hard with hard consequences. A judge can put someone in prison and in some cases, end someone’s life. People commit real and serious crimes against others, and it is desirable and crucial that there is a justice system with judges. When the system works, it makes for a happier and safer society.
Imperfect Judging
Unfortunately, judges don’t always work within a perfect system or for ethical goals. In the days of the ancient Hebrews, the Priests were to judge. God made humans in the image of Himself and like Himself He gave them ability and authority to judge their fellow brothers and sisters. They were to judge in a holy manner, consulting God, so that society would not only be safe, but that the Hebrew society would be set apart and holy to glorify God. Many priests took advantage of the situation, eating sacred offerings, sleeping with vulnerable women, and gaining wealth through their position and authority.
God sent messengers to warn these judges and to correct them. He expected them to defend the widows and the orphans and the needy. But they would not listen, and their power grew, and their material blessings deceived them into self-worth. These may be examples we read of in the Bible, but we read them in today’s news as well. Jesus was doing good works and the Jews wanted to know if He was the Christ. He said yes and that His works back Him up. They then tried to stone Him to death, and He used their own arguments and authority to show how they were wrong; wrongly judging. But they were also blind, and we know the rest of the story.
Balance
When judging gets out of balance, like the imbalance of tonal balance control, there is a problem. It’s a mistake to think we are not to judge at all. We are made in God’s image, and He gave us some authority to judge. However, we should always judge ourselves before we judge others. We should always pray to God and get His guidance and input. When we judge, we should be helping, we should be standing up for the fatherless, the widows, and the hungry. When this is not happening, there is an imbalance, and it is not pleasing.
The good news is that God has complete control and our bad, selfish, judging is not the end of the product. There are frequencies and agencies we cannot see or hear that God is mixing and mastering. Of course, this is bad news for some. But if we have faith in Jesus and have been reconciled to God by His grace, this is incredible news. The God of goodness and kindness will judge perfectly, He will inherit the nations. Those who think they have some moral position to be forgiven will be condemned while those who bring nothing but repentance in humility to the true God will be washed clean and given life. The nature of sound allows for imbalance, but a perfect tonal balance control is carefully engineered by God in 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 Reliable Fundamentals for Healthy Discipleship Ministries.
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.