If this is your first viewing, please see my Introduction before reading this, and the introduction to the Psalms for this book of the Bible in particular.
6 July. Psalms 51-55
Psalm 51 is probably the most often heard sung, perhaps without realising it. The text was set by Allegri as his Miserere which is often performed in concert or played on the radio, and because of its haunting plainsong harmonies is often considered “romantic”. The text is anything but. Its heading reveals the circumstances of its composition, when David was confronted by the prophet Nathan with the consequences of his sin of adultery (leading to the arranged death in battle of his mistress’s husband). The words of his psalm remind us that true repentance is far more than saying “sorry”, it is a gut-wrenching sense of worthlessness, a cry to God to ‘blot out’ or ‘wash away’ everything I have done wrong and everything about me that turns away from God. Some of the verses (10, 11 and 15) are also familiar from the Church of England’s daily prayers, as a reminder that we need God’s presence and forgiveness.
Part, at least, of Psalm 55 is also familiar to music lovers for Mendelssohn’s setting of “Hear my prayer” and especially verses 6-8, “O for the wings of a dove, far away would I rove; in the wilderness build me a nest, and remain there for ever at rest”.
By contrast, Psalm 52 is addressed not to God but to wrongdoers, those who mock and plot against righteous people. It predicts a reversal of fortune, when they receive the justice they deserve and it will be the righteous who do the mocking.