If internet origin stories are to be believed, the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song is not about an eccentric bird lover at all, but is a coded catechism in which each number corresponds to a foundational doctrine of the faith. It’s not a likely story, but it is still a really fun application for the song. In fact, I use it this way with my own family throughout the Christmastide season. We add a new verse each night as we talk about one Savior, two testaments, three virtues, four gospels, and the like.
The famous five gold rings are supposedly the Law of Moses, or Torah. You might sometimes hear the word “Pentateuch” used, which simply means “five books.” These five are the foundational stories of the Hebrew faith and the bedrock of all other Scripture. Just like the less obvious bird gifts, even the books that don’t seem to have anything to do with them are still just riffing on the books of Torah. Here we have the people, place, presence, and promises of God laid out, to which all the rest of Scripture responds.
The Psalms are no exception, referring unremittingly to the characters, themes, and motifs first established in Moses’ books. As we begin our new sermon series, Sanctuary: Psalms of the Soul Room, we are immediately flooded with the imagery of mountains, cities, rivers, and seas. These geographic features are imbued with spiritual significance from the first pages of the Torah, and the meaning of all subsequent prophecy, and especially the final Revelation, hinges on these connections. As it turns out, the five books are found more precious than gold as a key for unlocking the riches of Scripture.
Isn’t it beautiful how poetically our True Love sings to his Beloved?