In Psalm 82, God takes his place in the divine council, in the midst of the gods, and judges them for not bringing justice to the earth, for not maintaining the right of the afflicted, for not rescuing the weak and needy. Who are these rulers being addressed and judged? Angelic beings or human authorities? Or both? There is mystery here, a glimpse into the unseen realm. What is clear as we read and sing this psalm is that God cares about the needy, the afflicted, and the fatherless, that he is sovereign over all the earth, that he holds rulers accountable, and that he will ultimately bring justice and deliverance.
To sing this psalm we set lyrics from Sing Psalms (©2003 Free Church of Scotland) to an original melody.
This recording features Alyssa Foss and Andrea Sandefur on vocals, Anne-Renee Gumley on piano, and Joel Stamoolis on cello.
Psalm 82
Psalm 82
Psalm 119:169-176 (Taw)
Psalm 119:169–176
Psalm 119 is an acrostic prayer song celebrating God's word. Psalm 119 was written as 22 eight verse stanzas, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight verses of Psalm 119 all begin with the Hebrew letter Aleph. The next eight verses begin with the Hebrew letter Beth. This pattern continues through the rest of the psalm. Each verse of this stanza begins with the Hebrew letter Taw. To sing the final stanza of Psalm 119 we set lyrics by Joel Stamoolis to the melody "Old Hundredth," by Louis Bourgeois (1551). This recording features Joel Stamoolis on vocals and guitar, Naomi Stamoolis and Willy Shelton on vocals, and Anne-Renee Gumley on piano.
Psalm 119:161-168 (Shin)
Psalm 119:161–168
Psalm 119 is an acrostic prayer song celebrating God's word. Psalm 119 was written as 22 eight verse stanzas, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight verses of Psalm 119 all begin with the Hebrew letter Aleph. The next eight verses begin with the Hebrew letter Beth. This pattern continues through the rest of the psalm. Each verse of this stanza begins with the Hebrew letter Shin (or Sin). To sing the twenty-first stanza of Psalm 119 we set lyrics by Sing Psalms (©Free Church of Scotland) to a melody by Joel Stamoolis. This recording features Joel Stamoolis on vocals and guitar, Willy Shelton on vocals, Naomi Stamoolis on English horn, and Anne-Renee Gumley on piano.
Psalm 119:153-160 (Resh)
Psalm 119:153–160
Psalm 119 is an acrostic prayer song celebrating God's word. Psalm 119 was written as 22 eight verse stanzas, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight verses of Psalm 119 all begin with the Hebrew letter Aleph. The next eight verses begin with the Hebrew letter Beth. This pattern continues through the rest of the psalm. Each verse of this stanza begins with the Hebrew letter Resh. To sing the twentieth stanza of Psalm 119 we adapted lyrics by the 1912 Psalter and set them to a melody by Joel Stamoolis. This recording features Joel Stamoolis on vocals and guitar, Willy Shelton on vocals, Naomi Stamoolis on English horn, and Anne-Renee Gumley on piano.