Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

In the midst of the horrible judgment we are told in the Numbers 26:11 that Korah’s sons did not follow his rebellious heart: “ However, the sons of Korah did not die that day.” When David established the leaders for the worship ministry, one of the three chief musicians was ‘Heman’, a descendant of Korah and his entire family. “All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s seer, for God had honored him with fourteen sons and three daughters.” (1 Chron. 25:5) It is most likely that Heman and his fam- ily, were the composers of the 10 ‘Sons of Korah’ psalms: 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 84, 85, 87. When the scripture mentions Heman’s three daughters, God was foreshadowing our day of completed grace when he would use both men and women unreservedly in the service of spiritual worship. The ‘Sons of Korah’ were gatekeepers who kept watch over the Holy of Holies (1 Chronicles 26:1- 19) and loved God’s house. “ How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord.” (Ps. 84:1,2) The Sons of Korah loved Jerusalem and the exu- berant praises that took place there: “ How great is the Lord, and how much we should praise him in the city of our God…”(Ps. 48:1) They were redeemed from the family line of a rebellious father to serve God forever in his heavenly courts. Now one of the sons of Korah is in exile in the land of Jordan with his King, David, who is fleeing from his rebellious son Absalom. He is extremely discouraged at being away from the city of Jerusalem and the worship at the altars of God. He is about to discover the true source of spiritual worship and joy! “ As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him? Day and night, I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, ‘ Where is this God of yours?” (1-3) This son of Korah was in the desert of Jordan where the streams had all dried up. The only mois- ture available to him was his own tear of sorrow. He likened his spiritual thirst for God to the panting of the deer as they explored the many small brooks in search of water. The ‘ living God ’ is a title unique to the sons of Korah in the psalms. It is repeated in Psalm 84: 2; “ I will shout joyfully to the living God .” It is ultimately pointing to Jesus Christ who gives us ‘created life’ and ‘eternal life’. “ Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone.” (Jn. 1:4) This unnamed son of Korah desires to come and stand before the ‘ living God ’ to receive nourish- ment and life from his creator and redeemer. Instead he is confronted with the army of Absalom who taunts him from across the Jordan valley. He is vitally depressed. “ My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshippers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks- it was the sound of a great celebration! “(4) This passage leads us to believe that the author might have been Heman himself as he was ap- pointed to lead the worship of the entire nation when the ark was brought back to Jerusalem. “ David also ordered the Levite leaders to appoint a choir of Levites who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, Asaph…and Ethan…to direct the musicians.” (1 Chron. 15:16,17) Now the public glory is removed, the amplification of the musicians is gone and only the emptiness of the desert remains. He thinks that the glorious presence can only be experienced in the former setting. I SEARCHING FOR THE STREAMS - 1-5

“ Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God! (5)

The Pulpit Commentary puts it this way: “The spirit, or higher reason, rebukes the ‘soul’, or pas- sionate nature, for allowing itself to be depressed, and seeks to encourage and upraise it.” Keil & Delitzsch describes this passage as “the spiritual man soothes the ‘natural man.’” Discouragement is ‘cyclical’ and each set of disturbing memories must be met by fresh encouragement from the word of life. Every negative circumstance must be cancelled by the uplifting thoughts of the Holy Spirit. Our wor- ship life can be destroyed by discouragement or propelled into times of renewal with the ‘living God.’

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