<![CDATA[Singable Psalms]]>

<![CDATA[Singable Psalms]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fp1h!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F595aace9-48cc-4a52-b918-2ceeefaa9c04_1280x1280.pngSingable Psalmshttps://jamiesoles.substack.comSubstackSat, 05 Sep 2026 00:32:31 GMT<![CDATA[Psalm 142 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-142-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-142-gwThu, 03 Sep 2026 13:03:18 GMTThis is an easy song to sing, even without instrumentation. Rhythm by itself will do.

You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.

David seems to have been in hiding from Saul for the composition of this song. The title tells us he wrote it “when he was in the cave”, and our minds go to the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1), or perhaps to the one he was in when he cut off a corner of Saul’s robe in the wilderness of Engedi (1 Sam. 24:1-4).

David is troubled. It seems to him that nobody cares for him, that nobody is looking out for his soul. He has a bunch of guys around him, though, zealously guarding his body, as it were. But none of them have been anointed king of Israel, as he had been, back when he was younger. They did not have God’s promise in mind nearly so much as self-preservation, and David felt quite alone.

As David did when he was on his own; if his brothers and friends could not encourage him, his Lord could. He prayed to God for deliverance from his persecutors. He prayed that God would release him from “prison”, though he was not in a prison it may have seemed so. He wanted these things from God so that he might praise God again openly and freely at the place where God dwelt, at the tabernacle. In the end he finds courage in the Lord as he envisions the fulfilment of the promises God made to him. “The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.”

We, too, can take hope in God in these days. Though it seems like evil folk are going from bad to worse, the Lord has promised great and delightful things for his faithful church. Those promises can make a man walk straight, and happily. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will undertake all that concerns you, and afterward take you to glory.

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 142 Gw Lyrics

38.2KB ∙ PDF file

You Are My Refuge

A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

142 With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord.

²I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.

³When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!

In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

⁴Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me;

no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.

⁵I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.”

⁶Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low!

Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!

⁷Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name!

The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

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]]><![CDATA[Psalm 141 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-141-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-141-gwMon, 31 Aug 2026 13:03:45 GMTThe psalmist here calls on God from someplace other than the central holy place. He wants God to regard his prayer as he does the incense at the Temple. He would that God see his raised hands and regard it like he regards the evening sacrifice. David knows that God being worshipped at the central place is symbolic, and that what God really wants is a broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51).

He seems to be in a place where diplomacy with wicked men is necessary. He asks the Lord to set a guard over the door of his lips, that he might not say anything that God would not have him say. He reminds God of his loyalty to him. He does not want to do any evil, though those around him are doing evil continually. He does not want to think like those folk think, or to enjoy what those folk enjoy. They seem to be laying traps for him, hoping that he will stumble in his words, and part of their snare comes to him from them as a rebuke, or a reproach.

“"David, you really do not care about people, do you? You only think about yourself. You pretend to be good, but down under your skin you are really a bad guy.”

David, gritting his teeth, says nothing. But he does not think nothing. “Oh, if only I was receiving a rebuke from a righteous man! That would be so good! I would be delighted even to abase myself, if I knew my rebuker was trying to get me to conform more to God and his law.” He would regard it as a kindness and a blessing if someone righteous were rebuking him, striking him, punishing him.

“Remember my prayers, O Lord! You have heard me pray against their evil deeds time and again. What they really need, Lord, is for their leaders to be taken to a high cliff and thrown over. Let THAT be done, Lord! Perhaps then they could understand the reasonableness of my words, when their chiefs are no longer talking in their ears.”

If all was right with the world…

But all is not right. The Lord does not seem to have answered that prayer just now, and the psalmist remains in his delicate situation. He prays for deliverance from the snares they have laid for him, and that they would fall into the traps they have laid, while God spares his beloved who is out on mission, so far from God’s sanctuary.

This tune is quite memorable. I hope you enjoy it.

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Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 141 Gw Lyrics

55.6KB ∙ PDF file

Give Ear to My Voice

A Psalm of David.

141 O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!

²Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

³Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

⁴Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds

in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

⁵Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;

let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.

Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

⁶When their judges are thrown over the cliff,

then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.

⁷As when one plows and breaks up the earth,

so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;

in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!

⁹Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers!

¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.

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]]><![CDATA[Psalm 140 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-140-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-140-gwThu, 27 Aug 2026 13:03:14 GMTDeliver me, O Lord, from every part of the wicked man. Preserve me from violent men (vs. 1, 4).

his heart (vs.2)

his tongue (vs.3)

his lips (vs.3)

his hands (vs.4).

He intends to…

trip up (vs.4),

hide a trap (vs.5),

spread a net of cords (vs.5),

set snares (vs.5).

Deliver me, Lord, from these folk. Do not let their plans succeed, lest they be exalted. You are my shelter, you are my defence. Mercy and strength and protection comes from you. Let the leaders of the wicked be cast down, let them be tripped so as to fall by the word of their own lips.

This entire song is sung to God. It is intended for the people of God to sing to their God in the face of violence and oppression. They take their requests to him, knowing that he alone is the one who can do something about their troubles. We want to see justice done, and God does give us his law as the standard of justice for the whole world (Rom. 3:19). But our pursuit of justice, if not accompanied by our pursuit of him, will not give us the justice we desire. We want the rule of law, but if we reject the God who gives us the law we will bring tyranny instead.

Thus, the Lord teaches us, through psalms like this one, to call on God with our troubles. He can sort things out much better than we can.

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 140 Gw Lyrics

33.6KB ∙ PDF file

Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

140 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men,

²who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.

³They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,

and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah

⁴Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men,

who have planned to trip up my feet.

⁵The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net;

beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah

⁶I say to the Lord, You are my God;

give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!

⁷O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,

you have covered my head in the day of battle.

⁸Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah

⁹As for the head of those who surround me,

let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!

¹⁰Let burning coals fall upon them!

Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise!

¹¹Let not the slanderer be established in the land;

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

¹²I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,

and will execute justice for the needy.

¹³Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;

the upright shall dwell in your presence.

]]><![CDATA[How Precious - Psalm 139:17-24]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/how-precious-psalm-13917-24https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/how-precious-psalm-13917-24Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:03:15 GMTI wrote this version very early in my journey into the Psalms. I had been given a clear sense that all of the psalms, every part, was useful for instruction, for rebuke, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and that even the parts that seemed to trouble my evangelical surroundings were useful.

I remember looking in vain for songs on this part of Psalm 139. The rest was covered, but not these troublesome sentiments the psalmist seemed (to us) to fall into after telling of such glory earlier on. Dumb psalmist… Well, we never said that, but that was because we were being nice.

I have always really liked my results on this psalm, and have been sad that this one never found a home on any of my psalm albums. Maybe the Lord will have me record another one some day…

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 139 Part 2

How precious are Your thoughts to me O God

How great is the sum of them

If I should count them

They would be more in number than the sand

When I awake, when I awake I am still with You

How precious are Your thoughts to me O God

How great is the sum of them

If I should count them

They would be more in number than the sand

When I awake, when I awake I am still with You

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Oh that You would slay the wicked, O God!

Depart from me, you men of bloodshed

For they speak against You wickedly

Your enemies take Your Name in vain

They speak against You wickedly

Your enemies take Your Name in vain

Do I not hate them O Lord who hate You

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You

I hate them with perfect hatred

I count them my enemies

Do I not hate them O Lord who hate You

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You

I hate them with perfect hatred

I count them my enemies

Do I not hate them O Lord who hate You

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You

I hate them with perfect hatred

I count them my enemies

Search me, O God, and know my heart

Try me and know my anxieties

And see if there be any wicked way in me

Lead me in the everlasting way

Hey…

Do I not hate them O Lord who hate You

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You

I hate them with perfect hatred

I count them my enemies

Do I not hate them O Lord who hate You

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You

I hate them with perfect hatred

I count them my enemies

Search me, O God, and know my heart

Try me and know my anxieties

And see if there be any wicked way in me

Lead me in the everlasting way

Hey…

How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God

©Jun15/1992 Jamie Soles

]]><![CDATA[Wonderful - Psalm 139:1-16]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/wonderful-psalm-1391-16https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/wonderful-psalm-1391-16Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:03:43 GMTThis song is quite a singable version of the psalm, if you learn to sing along by ear. If you learn it off the sheet music, you may despair trying.

On the upside, if you are listening in your car, or wherever you listen, the tunes are easy enough to catch, and it REALLY helps you to memorize the psalm. Scores of folks have told me how my psalm albums, especially the word-for-word ones, have really ministered to them in times of need. They are good that way, individually received. I commend them to you, along with songs like this which never made it onto an album. It is good to sing a psalm word-for-word.

This, though, was one of the great downfalls of my long labors to write word-for-word songs from the Psalms. They could not be rendered into easily read sheet music. This song is three pages long in sheet music. I know that if I am picking music for church that the congregation is going to sing, I dismiss a three-pager out of hand. I will look for something simpler, even though my congregation is really quite good at music. If the congregation has not listened to this music at home, they will not be able to gain a good enough grasp of it to sing in corporate worship. The music I made was designed to be a *listening* experience, and not a reading experience.

Sometimes, though, a song can gain critical mass, if several of your leading singers have mastered the song. Our congregation is really good at singing Be Merciful To Me (Ps. 57), or Where Is Your God (Ps. 42), or God Is Our Refuge and Come Behold (Ps. 46), or Weaned Child (Psalm 131), and a whole host of others, even though the make-up of our church is quite different from what it once was. Lots of folk here not familiar with my back catalogue, but those songs still work wonderfully for congregational song. They minister to people. I know they do because people tell me so.

I suspect a lot of this has to do with me. I am a bard in the Kingdom of God. As long as I can lead, those songs will work at Christ Covenant Church. They probably will no longer do so after I am gone. They need to be played as well as sung…

So;

Should I be promoting songs like this? Songs that are good for individual consumption, but not for corporate use? Do I need a disclaimer notice (Not for Corporate Use!)? Am I promoting myself by using such songs in corporate worship that only work when I play them?

I have not introduced any such song into our corporate song list for many years now. It has seemed to me better to do these psalms in hymn form, and to introduce them. Folk do not need me present in order for the song to work. People can learn them from scratch from the sheet music, with a rudimentary knowledge of chords. And hymns fit on a page, or at most two pages. If songs are going to outlive a singer, those songs must be written down where future generations can read them and learn them.

My postmillenial vision has me thinking of my music’s effect on future generations. I do think the hymn format is the vehicle that is going to last in the music of the church.

So maybe think of my earlier psalm albums as a ministry to the present generation, and my Singable Psalm work as my ministry to future generations.

Here are the lyrics.

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Wonderful (Ps. 139:1-16)

Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me

You know when I sit down and when I rise;

You discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down

And are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue

(behold, O Lord, you know it altogether)

You hem me in, behind and before,

(and lay Your hand upon me)

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Such knowledge, such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

Too wonderful for me

Such knowledge, such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high… I cannot attain it

Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea.

Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

Even the darkness is not dark to You; (the night is bright as the day,)

For darkness is as light with You, (the night is bright as the day.)

Even the darkness is not dark to You; (the night is bright as the day,)

For darkness is as light with You,

(The night is bright as, the night is bright as the day.)

For You formed my inward parts;

You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made

(Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.)

I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made

(Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.)

My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret,

Intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

In Your book were written, every one of them,

(the days that were formed for me)

When as yet there were none of them,

(the days that were formed for me)

In Your book were written, every one of them,

(the days that were formed for me)

When as yet there were none of them,

(The days that were formed, the days that were formed for me.)

@Mar.23/2011 Jamie Soles

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 139 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-139-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-139-gwMon, 24 Aug 2026 13:02:02 GMTPsalm 139 is still somewhat known in evangelical circles. Folk who go looking for biblical arguments against abortion often come here and find compelling imagery of God’s intimate knowledge of the unborn in the womb. There are still folks who, in their search for hip, biblical meme material, drop by sometimes. Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? There are a hundred compelling phrases here.

But mostly it is not so. It has been a long while since the evangelical churches had the psalms on their lips. They sit there in the middle of our bibles, awaiting the day when further reformation might come, and people’s consciences are once again informed by Scripture. Surely God will not let his people feed one another pablum forever. He will want us to grow up, and to look to him regarding how to grow up. God loves it greatly when his people sing back his word to him, especially the Psalms, which he inspired for that very purpose, that we might know Jesus better.

When I was a much younger man, just learning the ropes of psalmody, there were still some interactions with this psalm out there. Books were written about it. Some folks would put the psalm to music. But almost invariably, the song would stop before verse 19. Even then our palates had been shaped by something other than the word of God, something which could not understand David’s response section of the psalm. An understanding was present that Jesus’ words and those of the psalm were pitted against one another, as though they were in opposition to one another. Jesus said love your enemies, and the psalmist begged God for their death. The singers wouldn’t touch that part.

I was learning at the time that the Word of God was shaping me, and not me shaping the Word of God. I was perceiving that our opposition to passages like Psalm 139:19-24 were very modern indeed, and that these had been the songs of the Church for almost all of our history since the time of Christ. I was realizing that moderns think way too highly of themselves and their thoughts, and that the church was full of moderns.

I considered the structure of the psalm. David considered first God’s intimate knowledge of himself, how God knew what he was going to say before he said it, how God knew his path better than he himself did, He saw himself hemmed in and protected on every side by this God who knew him so well, and it blew his mind. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high knowledge, and I am a low thinker. I do not know how he does this, but he does, and he is awesome beyond words.”

David considered further. Can I go anywhere out of God’s reach? If I go to heaven, you are there, if I go to Sheol, you are there. If I could fly to the farthest part of the world, if I hid under cover of night… even there your hand would lead me and hold me. And night does not bother Him like it does me. He can see just as well in the dark as in the light.

There is a place in the darkness where no man can walk, but you have been there too, knitting. You formed my stomach, my liver, my heart, all my organs, my head and arms and legs, and you fitted me all together long before I ever saw the light of day. This is absolutely awesome, and David breaks into praise at God’s fantastic, intricate doings. He considered his own body, and how well it worked. “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Then he returns to that chamber of magnificent creation, his mother’s womb. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. Was that “just a clump of cells?” God saw otherwise, and taught us to see otherwise. That unformed substance there was God’s anointed king through whom he would bless the world. His whole future, every day God would give him, were already written before there was even one of them in real time.

These are amazing things, and the psalmist is fully amazed. When I wake and when I sleep, my God is thinking about me, planning and plotting for my good, doing so with millions of thoughts, more than the sand of the sea, thoughts beyond imagining, beyond dreaming. And it is not a dream. This is the psalmist’s reality. When he wakes up, God is still with him. All the time, everywhere, in every circumstance. God is for me. He loves me.

Given all these great and surpassing revelations, how should a godly man, one who wanted greatly to be like his Lord, respond? Thanks and praise? Done, and done already. David remembered that there were men in the world who experienced the same intimate care that he himself received, and who refused to give God thanks. Men who would shed innocent blood. Who speak against God. Who make God their enemy. Who break God’s laws. These break into David’s heavenly reverie. What should he ask God to do about them?

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“O that you would slay the wicked, O God!” Why do you keep such folk alive, who will not honour You? They are destined for destruction anyway. Why not hurry it up? “They speak against you with malicious intent, and they take your name in vain…”

What is David showing to his God by these statements? First and foremost, loyalty. David is on God’s side no matter what. Consider the following words; “Do I not hate those who hate you, o Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.” David is not asking these things tentatively, like he thinks there is something wrong with saying so. He expects God to look with approval on his loyalty, demonstrated by David loving what God loves and hating what God hates. My hatred of them is complete, Lord, mirroring yours.

Please notice David’s clean conscience in the last verses. “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” He clearly did not see anything wrong with saying the things he had just said. God could have stopped him right there, I suppose, and said, “Hey, dude, you just prayed to me for the destruction of the wicked, and that is wrong to do.” But God, of course, didn’t; because David wasn’t wrong. “See if there be any grievous way in me…”, any way in which you are not glorified, in which you are not pleased,”…and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 139 Gw Lyrics

39.2KB ∙ PDF file

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!

20 They speak against you with malicious intent;

your enemies take your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 138 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-138-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-138-gwThu, 20 Aug 2026 13:00:47 GMTIn what kind of world can the psalmist lead off with whole-hearted praise of God, knowing that his praise was before the gods?

This one, apparently.

What gods are present to hear the psalmist sing?

“I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before me.” This is the first of the ten Words, the ten commandments. God wants you to worship him and him alone. But this statement assumes something. There are other gods whom you might be tempted to worship. Our God is the one true God. But there seems to be false ones. All the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens (Ps. 115). Those gods are represented to men through deaf and dumb stuff, but God shows himself in what he has made. God is exalted far above all gods (Ps. 97).

I was formerly more satisfied with the idea that the “gods” mentioned included everything that you put in the place of God. They might be your money, or your girlfriend, or your porn problem, or something else. But your porn problem doesn’t sit in the divine council (Ps. 82) where God holds judgement. Something else does.

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David sings, and he knows that his song is heard in both the visible and invisible realms. He sings the praise of the one true God in the face of all other gods, whether they be friend or foe, declaring his allegiance to God Almighty, urging them to show similar allegiance.

David bows down toward God’s holy Temple, thought it is not yet built in his day. He gives thank for the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, and he has a particular reason for doing so.

God has exalted above all things;

a. His name, and

b. His word.

His name is exalted above all things. There may be gods who compete for his title, but none of them come close to matching him. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each revealed as God Almighty in the Scriptures, have given to the Son, our Lord Jesus, a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11). All those under the earth are included. They too must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

His Word is exalted above all things. The Bible is the Word of God. And Jesus is the Word of God incarnate. This Word that we open up and read we need to take more seriously. The Word of God is exalted, it is high. It is to shape us into Christ’s likeness. Its teachings and patterns and types are the reality against which everything is measured. God has made it so.

Sing Psalm 138 with joy in your hearts!

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 138 Gw Lyrics

53.4KB ∙ PDF file

Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

138 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;

²I bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

³On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

⁴All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,

for they have heard the words of your mouth,

⁵and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.

⁶For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,

but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

⁸The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 137 - Homeland]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-137-homelandhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-137-homelandTue, 18 Aug 2026 13:02:41 GMTI did some kind of open tuning on this song. Whatever it was, it really worked. Homeland is found on my 2003 album Up From Here .

Homeland (Ps.137)

Such a long way from our homeland

By the rivers of Babylon

There we sat down and we wept

When we remembered Zion

There we hung our harps in sorrow

There our captors bid us sing

Saying ‘”Give a song of Zion

Put a smile on and sing”

How shall we now sing the Lord’s song

In a land beyond the promise

If I lose you oh Jerusalem

May my right hand forget

If I fail now to remember you

Let my tongue be unemployed

If I do not lift Jerusalem

High above my chief joy

Lord You saw them, Lord You heard them

When Jerusalem fell

How they cried for it’s destruction

Like their father in hell

Blessed be the one who rids you

Of your children, of your future

Blessed be the one who pays you

In the way you deserve

Oh child of mighty Babylon

Whose destruction is for certain

Blessed be the one who pays you

In the way you deserve

©Feb4/1998 Jamie Soles

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]]><![CDATA[Psalm 137 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-137-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-137-gwMon, 17 Aug 2026 13:02:44 GMT“By the rivers of Babylon

there we sat down

and we wept

When we remembered Zion…”

I think it was 1978 when those words first registered in my consciousness. Boney M sang it on the radio. I just went back and watched their video, which was a very scripture-filled song for the radio in 1978. Awesome!

Many opportunities to dig into Psalm 137 have presented themselves to me over the years. When I was building my third kids album, Up From Here, I was seeking to show forth exodus-themed songs. I wanted to highlight a repeated pattern in the Scripture;

God delivers his people with a strong hand and they praise him.
They become complacent and fall into sin, or sometimes run headlong into sin.
God brings an enemy in to subdue them.
They cry out to God for deliverance.

Rinse, wash, repeat. This happens a great many times in the scriptures. I built a song from Psalm 137 that found its way onto that album, and the artwork on the album cover depicted harps hanging on willows (Ps. 137:2).

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…………………………………………….

There were three main exiles of Israel’s people to Babylon. In Daniel 1 we read about Jehoiakim king of Israel being taken into captivity along with a bunch of the leading men and young men of the royal family. This must have been done by Nebuchadnezzar in the first year of his reign, because Daniel and friends were already in Babylon learning their ways when Neb’s bad dreams made him seek for the answer that Daniel provided (Dan. 2:1), in Neb’s 2nd year.

The second exile happened less than a year later, when Neb besieged Jerusalem for the first time (2 Kings 24: 10-17). He took King Jehoiachin, along with 10,000 captives, including mighty men of valor, officials, craftsmen, smiths, and a bunch of the gold from the temple.

The third exile, described in detail in Jeremiah, happened in the 11th year of the reign of Zedekiah, which would have been probably the 13th or 14th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon. He sent Nebuzaradan, the captain of his guard, back five or so years later to break down Jerusalem’s walls and to burn the House of the Lord and all the great houses of the city.

Jeremiah described the terms during the two-year siege of Jerusalem by Babylon. If folk in the city would give themselves up willingly to the king of Babylon, their lives would be spared. If they stayed and fought till the walls were breached, they would be killed.

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The writer of Psalm 137 must have been with Daniel and his friends in the first exile. Perhaps one of them even wrote it. 2 Kings 24 has bands of Moabite and Ammonite and Chaldean and Syrian raiders coming into the land to destroy Judah; sent by God to remove them out of God’s sight (vss 2-4). There were almost certainly Edomites among them as well, descendants of Esau, shirttail relatives of Israel, howling for Israel’s destruction, and murdering Israelite babies and children when they could get their hands on them.

The Lord God spoke to Moses on the mountain, and laid down for Israel a principle of justice when violence has occurred. “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose upon him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe (Ex. 21:22-25).

Many modern folk are very uncomfortable with Psalm 137. It strikes them as vengeful, when God told us not to do that (Matt. 5:38-42). Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5: 44-45). They imagine that Jesus has done away with the eye-for-eye principle here, but he has done nothing of the kind. Jesus was the Law-giver, who gave Moses the Law. He said that it will not fall to the ground until heaven and earth pass away. That law is an expression of God’s character. It is just. Life for life, says God to those who harm his beloved ones. “Remember this law, Lord, when you consider Edom, and what they did to us.” “A blessing on those who carry out your vengeance on them!”

Edom, the brother of Israel, but the daughter of Babylon. Seed of the woman no longer, but rather seed of the serpent. Edom has been stolen by the bad guys.

The real antithesis in the world is between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Are you with King Jesus? Or are you seeking to overthrow him, to cast off his chains (Ps. 2)?

Psalm 137 is a lament. God’s church needs more laments.

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 137 Gw Lyrics

53.6KB ∙ PDF file

How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?

137 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept,

when we remembered Zion.

²On the willows there we hung up our lyres.

³For there our captors required of us songs,

and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!

⁶Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you,

if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!

⁷Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem,

how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!”

⁸O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,

blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!

⁹Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

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]]><![CDATA[Psalm 136 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-136-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-136-gwThu, 13 Aug 2026 13:03:00 GMTAn antiphonal song like this has a hard time fitting into a hymnbook without doing it damage. I suppose it should be sung first by one group, then responded to by another group. I think this song will work, though. The tune is easily memorized, and it can be done at speed.

I remember looking at this psalm sometime a long time ago, and noting some of the things to which the singers were replying with, “…His steadfast love endures forever.” “To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt…” and we respond with, “His steadfast love endures forever.” The Egyptians of the day would not have sung such a response, for I do not suppose that seemed to them like “love”. But for God’s people, who were being freed from the clutches of the Egyptians, the striking down of Egypt’s firstborn was a powerful tool in the hand of God to shake off Pharaoh’s hold on them. He had promised to deliver them with a strong arm and outstretched hand, and he brought to Pharaoh and his hosts what they had once brought to Israel in bondage when they made it a law that Israelite boy babies were to be thrown into the Nile.

And Og? That giant of a man who came out to fight against Israel, to keep them from having access to Canaan, whose bed was 13 and a half feet long (Deut. 3:11), that descendant of the Rephaim, and who was probably larger than Goliath? When Israel was obedient to their Lord, they struck that fellow down and took his land. And they regarded it as a great deliverance given them by God, and thanked him for his everlasting steadfast love and faithfulness.

And we still sing today, “Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever; and Og, the king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever. For the same God who took out Israel’s foes back then can surely do it with our foes even today. Lord, let it be.

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 136 Gw Lyrics

34.9KB ∙ PDF file

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

²Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.

³Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁴to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁵to him who by understanding made the heavens,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁶to him who spread out the earth above the waters,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁷to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁸the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;

⁹the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁰to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹¹and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹²with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹³to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁴and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁵but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁶to him who led his people through the wilderness,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁷to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁸and killed mighty kings, for his steadfast love endures forever;

¹⁹Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever;

²⁰and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever;

²¹and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever;

²²a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever.

²³It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;

²⁴and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;

²⁵he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.

²⁶Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 135 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-135-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-135-gwMon, 10 Aug 2026 13:01:46 GMTIt seems to me I have not spent as much time with Psalm 135 as I have with most of the psalms. Its phrases do not come readily to my mind (“How does Psalm 135 start, dear?” asks Valerie, as we are driving down the road. “I have no idea…” She has to look it up…).

There are many phrases in this psalm that I immediately recognise as belonging to another psalm. Psalm 134 comes to mind with the first phrase. Verse 6 and verses 15-21 are bits and pieces of Psalm 115, the memorable part about idols who have eyes but cannot see, and ears, but who cannot hear. Verses 8-12 show up in the next psalm, Psalm 136.

If the Spirit of God inspired the Psalms, and we find in the psalm before us phrases that are used elsewhere, that would seem to indicate to me that those are phrases God particularly likes. He wants you, O Christian, to have Sihon, King of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan in your regular worship vocabulary. He wants you to sing about how he took down those two evil fellows. He wants you to know who they are, to go back and read the stories in Numbers 21.

He wants his fourfold call to peoples;

O house of Israel, bless the Lord!

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!

O house of Levi, bless the Lord!

You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!

…on your lips. He wants you to meditate on it. He repeated it so you would not miss it.

When I was a young man, the church of which I was a part purchased new hymnbooks. Some of the lyrics had been altered to old hymns, and the rationale given was that if people do not understand an image, then tell them what the image represents. Give it to them in a way that they can understand. The test case they used was the 2nd verse of Come Thou Fount. It used to run this way;

“Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I’ve come.”

It was changed to;

“Here I found my greatest treasure, you have brought me to this place.”

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To say “Ebenezer” in a song makes modern people think of A Christmas Carol, with Ebenezer Scrooge, they said. Can’t have that, they must have thought. So they removed the biblical image of Ebenezer (1 Sam. 7:12) and replaced it with some fellow’s interpretation of it.

Meh. Keep the biblical image. Raise the congregation’s biblical literacy, do not dumb things down for them. The Word of God is intended to shape us, not the other way around. Thus, learn to sing about Sihon and Og with joy in your hearts and with knowledge in your heads about these guys.

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 135 Gw Lyrics

38.1KB ∙ PDF file

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

135 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord,

²who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God!

³Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

⁴For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.

⁵For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

⁶Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,

in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

⁷He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,

who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

⁸He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast;

⁹who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders

against Pharaoh and all his servants;

¹⁰who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings,

¹¹Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan,

and all the kingdoms of Canaan,

¹²and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.

¹³Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.

¹⁴For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

¹⁶They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see;

¹⁷they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths.

¹⁸Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

¹⁹O house of Israel, bless the Lord! O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!

²⁰O house of Levi, bless the Lord! You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!

²¹Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem!

Praise the Lord!

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 134 Genevan]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-134-genevanhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-134-genevanSat, 08 Aug 2026 13:02:19 GMTAlmost all Christian traditions still know The Doxology.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise him, all creatures here below.

Praise him above, ye heavenly host.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

The lyrics that we all know were written in 1674 by Thomas Ken. It was the last verse of a song written for students at Winchester College, and it was first printed as a stand-alone verse in 1709.

I was surprised and pleased to discover the origin of the music when I first sat down for a deep dive into the Canadian Reformed Book Of Praise. There it was, accompanying Psalm 134 in glorious fashion. The tune is attributed to Louis Bourgeois, that excellent and creative genius, and was one of the songs added to the growing Genevan Psalter in 1553.

Various musicians in the church since those days have played with the rhythmic structure. I believe that J S Bach was the one who set it to 1/4 notes with a long note at the end of the line. Louis Bourgeois was more likely to have syncopated it somewhat, as he was wont to do. The structure used in this song reflects the older version.

I suspect this is one of the best-known tunes in the history of the world.

I co-opted a bunch of our church people to help me sing it for my 2005 album Ascending. Do join us to sing!

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 134 - Bless The Lord]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-134-bless-the-lordhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-134-bless-the-lordFri, 07 Aug 2026 13:01:43 GMTBless The Lord was recorded on my 2005 album Ascending. This is a rock version of Psalm 134. I hope you enjoy it.

Bless The Lord (Ps.134)

Come, bless the Lord

All you servants of the Lord

Who stand by night in the house of the Lord

Bless the Lord

Lift your hands

Lift up your hands to the holy place, the holy place,

And bless the Lord, bless the Lord, bless the Lord

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you from Zion

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you from Zion

Come, bless the Lord

All you servants of the Lord

Who stand by night in the house of the Lord

Bless the Lord

Lift your hands

Lift up your hands to the holy place, the holy place,

And bless the Lord, bless the Lord, bless the Lord

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you from Zion

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you

May the Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you from Zion

© May 1998 Jamie Soles

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 134 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-134-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-134-gwThu, 06 Aug 2026 13:02:22 GMTThis is one of the shortest psalms.

The psalmist comes to the temple by night and finds the songs of God being sung. He calls them to do what they are already doing, standing and blessing the Lord. He is delighted that even at night the sound of the Lord’s songs could be heard at the Temple.

David, of course, envisioned this day as he made detailed preparations for the eventual building and liturgy of the temple, a temple he never lived to see. He arranged for choirs of twelve to sing, twenty four choirs, each one singing an hour every day, all day and all night (1 Chron. 25), around the clock. Maybe each choir did two-hour sets, so each of the 24 choirs would get a day off fairly regularly.

Can you imagine this? We have to imagine it, for it no longer happens, but think about it. In a land before electricity, by the light of torches, I suppose, the singers at the temple sang the psalms they had practiced. I suppose that each choir became quite proficient at a certain sector of the psalms. If you are a musician, and you sing the same pieces over and over, you will learn that music well.

I wonder if this scenario ever did come to pass in Israel. We know of David’s plans for it, but I am not aware of any place in the later scriptures that assumes what David planned was being done. We hear about Solomon, and about his son under whom Israel had a great split. If it did happen, I would imagine it did so during the reign of Solomon.

And also, there were several of the psalms that had not yet been written in Solomon’s days, ones from in or around the exile into Babylon. Those psalms probably missed the opportunity to be sung by the Levitical choirs…

The Messiah of the Psalms, the Lord Jesus Christ, has now come, and he has promised to build his church. She will advance upon hell, and hell’s gates will not be able to withstand her. Her forward march, though, will not be accomplished in a day, or in a lifetime. It takes a long time to subdue God’s enemies. We do not have the leisure of having won yet, so it seems like the day when this could happen again is far off in the future.

But maybe we should set this notion in the back of our minds, back there with the cathedrals we have yet to build, that part of the regular life of those cathedrals would include singing the psalms day and night, having regular choristers who make their livings being singers in the house of the Lord.

Come, bless the Lord!

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 134 Gw Lyrics

32.8KB ∙ PDF file

A Song of Ascents.

134 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,

who stand by night in the house of the Lord!

²Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!

³May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 133 - Running Down]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-133-running-downhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-133-running-downTue, 04 Aug 2026 13:01:54 GMTRunning Down works well as a church song. The falling echoes in the chorus are pleasing. This song was recorded on my 2005 album Ascending, which you can find at my website www.solmusic.ca.

Running Down (Ps.133)

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity

It is like the precious oil on the head

Running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron

Running down on the collar of his robes

It is like the dew of Hermon which falls on the mountains of Zion

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing

Life forevermore, life forevermore

There the Lord has commanded the blessing

Life forevermore, life forevermore

There the Lord has commanded the blessing

Life forevermore, life forevermore

©Feb.13/2004 Jamie Soles

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 133 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-133-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-133-gwMon, 03 Aug 2026 13:03:20 GMTTell me, O Psalmist;

It is very good when brothers dwell together in unity. It is pleasing. It is as it ought to be. But your metaphors puzzle us moderns.

“It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!” I note the exclamation mark at the end, like this is something awesome and exciting. And pertinent. In what way, might I ask, does the fact of brothers dwelling together in unity make you think about Leviticus 8:12?

This was the anointing of the High Priest, the first one, the one that set the template for all who followed him. David must have thought about it a lot, imagining what it would have been like, for he fills in some detail that is not given us in the original passage. If a liberal amount of oil is poured on Aaron’s head, it will certainly run down the side of his head into his beard, onto his collar. David thinks about that oil, flowing down, getting into everything; God’s empowerment and blessing of his High Priest, and he thinks, “Yeah, that is a good metaphor for brotherly love.”

When Moses was first given the command to anoint Aaron back in Exodus 29:7, it was clear that the only one anointed was the High Priest, not his sons. They participate in almost everything else, but they do not get the anointing until they are the rightful inheritors of Aaron’s robe (Ex. 29:29). So it is not a fellowship of anointed priests.

The work of unity among brothers is certainly a work of the Spirit. He moves in their midst and enables them to love one another, to see one another as more important than themselves. To see a group of men in a church together who have a similar vision, a common joy, and good fellowship with one another is a precious thing indeed. They are blessed by the Lord.

And there seems to be the common denominator. There the Lord has commanded the blessing; life forevermore. He commanded blessing for Aaron when he was anointed, he commanded blessing on the mountains of Zion and watered them with dew, and he commanded blessing on brothers dwelling together in unity.

The blessing is life forevermore.

Sweet fellowship in the Spirit, Christian people walking together, this is a down payment of what God really promises us. You think your fellowship is good now? Wait till you experience it in eternity, with no sin hindering it.

Sing this song together with the church.

Psalm 133 Gw Lyrics

32.7KB ∙ PDF file

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

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133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

²It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard,

on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!

³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

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]]><![CDATA[Psalm 132 - In David's Favour]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-132-in-davids-favourhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-132-in-davids-favourFri, 31 Jul 2026 13:03:40 GMTThis is a word-for-word chant of Psalm 132, done in Anglican Chant style. It works really well. I recorded this song on my 2005 album Ascending, my first foray into Psalm albums. The lyrics are pointed for chanting.

In David’s Favor (Psalm 132)

Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,

All the hardships /he en/dured,//

How he swore to the Lord and vowed to the /Mighty /One of /Jacob,//

“I will not enter my house or get into my bed,

I will not give sleep to my eyes or /slumber · to my /eyelids,//

Until I find a place for the Lord,

A dwelling place for the /Mighty /One of /Jacob.”//

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;

We found it in the /fields of /Jaar.//

“Let us go to his dwelling place;

Let us /worship /at his /footstool!”//

Arise, O Lord, and go to Your /resting /place,//

You and the /ark /of Your /might.//

Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,

And let Your saints /shout for /joy.//

For the sake of Your servant David,

Do not turn away the /face of /Your a/nointed one.//

The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which He will /not turn /back://

“One of the sons of your body I /will set /on your /throne.//

If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that /I shall /teach them,//

Their sons also forever /shall sit /on your /throne.”//

For the Lord has chosen Zion;

He has desired it for His /dwelling /place://

“This is my resting place forever;

Here I will dwell, /for I /have de/sired it.//

I will abundantly bless her provisions;

I will satisfy her /poor with /bread.//

Her priests I will clothe with salvation,

And her /saints will /shout for /joy.//

There I will make a horn to sprout for David;

I have prepared a lamp for /my a/nointed.//

His enemies I will clothe with shame,

But on /him his /crown will /shine.”//

Glory be to the Father and/ to the/ Son//

And/ to the/ Holy/ Ghost//

As it was in the beginning, is now, and/ ever/ shall be,

World without end, /A-/--/men.

©Mar13/2004 Jamie Soles

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]]><![CDATA[Psalm 132 GW]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-132-gwhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-132-gwThu, 30 Jul 2026 13:01:45 GMTThis is the pre-eminent psalm about David and the promises God made to him. It does not come with a title, or a designation of who wrote it. It does have deep insight into the mind and personal thoughts of David, so it is quite possible that he was the author.

If I were to write a song about myself and my thoughts, I would likely put it in the first person; I did this, I thought that. Not so David, if he wrote this song. The song is in third person; David did this, David did that.

“David, did you write this song?”

“Yes.”

“About whom did you write it?”

“About David.”

“Do you mean ‘you’?”

“No. It is about him.”

David is, in this psalm, something like an office. In his official capacity as God’s chosen and anointed king, the psalmist writes things about himself that he remembers more than anyone else does.

“Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured…” Remember his wilderness wanderings, his showdown with Goliath, his being on the run for so many years, his patience in not reaching for a thing before God gave it to him. These things are all summed up in that brief word “hardships”, for David knew that God prized something else about him even more. His vow to build the Lord a house, and to get right at it, pleased God to no end. It was that conversation (2 Sam. 7) that prompted God to tell David that God was going to build him a house, an everlasting dynasty.

This psalm sings the story of 2 Samuel 7. David says, “I should build a house for the Lord.” God says, “That’s a good thing to have in your heart. I am going to make your name great and build your house, and make one of your descendants the everlasting king of the world.” David says, “Wow! That is awesome! Please do!” God, singing about it in Psalm 132, piles on and piles on, blessings upon blessing. A horn, a lamp, a shining crown, and enemies put to shame.

This is an excellent psalm. There may be some good, singable tunes for this one, but I have not heard them yet. I hope this one catches on.

Here are the lyrics.

Psalm 132 Gw Lyrics

56.8KB ∙ PDF file

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A Song of Ascents.

132 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured,

²how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

³“I will not enter my house or get into my bed,

⁴I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.

⁷“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”

⁸Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.

⁹Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.

¹⁰For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

¹¹The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back:

“One of the sons of your bodyI will set on your throne.

¹²If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them,

their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”

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¹³For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:

¹⁴“This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

¹⁵I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.

¹⁷There I will make a horn to sprout for David;

I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

¹⁸His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 131 - Hope In The Lord]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-131-hope-in-the-lordhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-131-hope-in-the-lordWed, 29 Jul 2026 13:03:13 GMTThis is my original version of Psalm 131 which I wrote in 1995 and recorded on my first kid’s album, Good Advice, in 1997. It fit so well on that recording.

I learned some things about church music because of this song. Let me tell you a story.

It was the fall of 1998. My family had moved that summer from Grande Prairie to Red Deer, Alberta, with the intention of helping an old friend of ours plant a new church there. We were inspired by the newly formed church federation called the CRE, the Confederation of Reformed Evangelicals, the infant form of what later became the CREC, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. They had no mechanism at that time to plant new churches, and we were far away, so it seemed like good sense to us to get ourselves up and running, then once we were on our feet, to petition the CRE that we might join them.

We had learned that singing the psalms was good, and I had been writing psalm versions on my guitar for awhile already. I remember introducing this song to our fledgling congregation. My old friend was preaching that day, so he sat behind me as I led Hope In The Lord. He had grown up in the evangelical church when hymnody still mattered, and had mastered hymn-style singing. He struggled mightily to get his words to land on the right syllables the whole song long. I was puzzled by this. The sort of free-flowing music in Hope In The Lord was second nature to me, but it clearly was not to him.

It did not take me too long to figure it out.

The genius of a hymn is its ability to fit the words into a regular structure. Each word falls on one of the beats. ONE two THREE four, or, one TWO three FOUR, every syllable of a hymn lands on one of those. I tested Hope In The Lord against this rhythmic standard, and discovered that almost every word of the song landed off-beat. And this was a simple song. But not at all simple for my friend.

I learned to be careful about the kind of songs I introduced into public worship. It was not just the words that mattered; it was the music, too. It was not because it was rock and roll, it was because it was off-beat. I did not want to make music for the church that made it difficult for some members to participate.

That was one of the bedrock realizations that made room for this current project of Singable Psalms. I want to make music for the Churches that everybody can sing. And print music matters if you want songs that will last longer than you. If your simple song takes up three pages of print, it is not a simple song no matter how much you protest.

Hymns are a genius idea. All the music on one page. No wonder they flourished for a long time in the church.

Do enjoy this song!

14 Hope In The Lord

30.6KB ∙ PDF file

]]><![CDATA[Psalm 131 - Weaned Child]]>https://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-131-weaned-childhttps://jamiesoles.substack.com/p/psalm-131-weaned-childTue, 28 Jul 2026 13:03:15 GMTThis version of Psalm 131 has been in our church’s most loved songs file pretty much ever since I wrote it. There was an earlier version on which this one was based, which I will introduce tomorrow, but this one was written to be as close to word-for-word as I could manage.

Weaned Child (Ps.131)

O Lord

My heart is not lifted up

My eyes are not raised too high

I do not occupy myself

With things too great, too marvellous for me

But I have calmed and quieted my soul

Like a weaned child with his mother

Like a weaned child is my soul within me

O Lord

My heart is not lifted up

My eyes are not raised too high

I do not occupy myself

With things too great, too marvellous for me

But I have calmed and quieted my soul

Like a weaned child with his mother

Like a weaned child is my soul within me

Oh-h Israel

Hope in the Lord, hope in the Lord

Now and forevermore

Hope in the Lord, hope in the Lord

Oh-h Israel

Hope in the Lord, hope in the Lord

Now and forevermore

Hope in the Lord, hope in the Lord

Oh-h Israel

Hope in the Lord, hope in the Lord

Now and forevermore

Hope in the Lord, hope in the Lord

©Jan.19/2004 Jamie Soles

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