Psalm 4: A Religious Study

This religious study will define the important role of worship in the Christian community through the singing and reading of the psalms. In Psalm 4, the important role of the “director of music” provides insight into the role of the individual that is singing or reciting these words in terms of group worship: “Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.” In this passage, the speaker, singer is calling out to the Lord, which is part of a musical tradition in the Church. Therefore, Psalm 4 provides a foundation for a ”music director” taking charge of a worship service, which usually involves singing these words in a congregation. This is also an important way to understand how the Israelites

The Psalm provides an interlocking theme of worship through the musical director that identifies the need to cry out or call for the guidance of God. Surprisingly, David pretends to be insane in Psalm 34, which reveals the awkward ways in which these recitations define the deeper suffering of the Israelites: I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Surely, David’s journey to God’s light is perilous, but he sings out, once again, through the platform of religious worship to the Lord. These are important interconnecting themes, which provide surprising resolutions for David's "insanity", which are depicted as a form of public worship for spiritual

Much like the earlier Psalms, the musical director is not only a priest in the Israelite community, but it is a mirror of God’s assembly: God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”. This higher form spiritual understanding of an “assembly” is the major link to the community-based assemblies of worship in the local Israelite community. This Godly love is part of the unity of the religious community during worship, which is defined in Psalm 85: “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” In this context, the continue theme of group worship involves the experiential feeling of love and guidance by the Lord, which manifests itself in these musical recitations of worship. This is also how Psalm 85 projects the story of the Sons of Korah that identifies the suffering of the Jewish people during exile. More so, it identifies an important aspect of worship services that helped to relieve the punishment of God that put on them throughout various periods of history. Certainly, the Psalms provided a foundation for God’s wisdom, which could be celebrated amongst multiple worshipers at a service. This is why the Psalms, under the leadership of David aka. the musical director, identify these important facets of God’s love for the Jewish people in these particular