Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Psalmost The Loveliest Thing I Ever Did Read (Psalm 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87)

I wonder if David were around today what his profession would be.  Politician?  Entrepreneur?  Life coach?  My guess is singer/song-writer.  Just read this beauty out loud.  It begs to be read out loud.

Psalm 45:1-2
My heart is stirred by a noble theme
 as I recite my verses for the king;
 my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

You are the most excellent of men
 and your lips have been anointed with grace,
 since God has blessed you forever.

There isn't a font lovely enough for it, so italics will have to do.  These verses are part of a "maskil."  Apparently there is much debate over what a maskil is exactly.  Some think they are simply songs written in a clever or poetic kind of way; there are some references to rabbis as maskils; some think maskils were written to teach something specific... there is much debate about this word!  I did find this guide that I thought was interesting and informative, if a bit overwhelming. 
http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Psalms.htm

The only thing I can say for certain about maskils is that while spell-check most definitely does not recognize it, God most definitely does.

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