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May
27

Modern Psalms

A few Sundays ago I preached a sermon the Psalm 1. It acted as an introduction to the entire book, which is composed of five sections. The uniqueness of this book should not be taken lightly– where poetry and songs are used sparingly throughout the rest of the Bible, the book of Psalms dedicates all 150 chapters to “songs played to the lyre” as the name suggests.

The underlying point of the sermon emphasized that the book of Psalms is a beautiful gift given to us by God. Why? It seems interesting considering the five books of the Pentateuch, otherwise known as the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). But understanding the contrast is key– the Law was given so that we might see the legal structure of our relationship with God and understand him on an intellectual level. The book of Psalms was given primarily as a means for us to see the internal structuring of our relationship with God and understand him on an emotional level. In essence, the book deals with emotions and how to healthily deal with them by guiding them.

Music has always had a spot in my heart because of how it draws out feelings and emotions. Music can do something that mere words on a page can’t; they jump off the page and touch a part of you that someone reciting the words in monotone can’t.

The band Thrice is the first, and quite possibly, the only “Christian” band that I’ve ever liked. They’re not sappy or cheesy. Their lyrics pour out of their hearts and their superb music connects the words to the listener without a superficial effort. I would highly recommend checking them out, as their music has delightfully helped me understand God better and could probably do the same for you.

The song below has grabbed and prodded my heart, and acted as both convicting and encouraging. I hope it does the same for you. If you want to hear the album version which is quite a bit more “unloaded” click here.

Thrice – Of Dust and Nations

the towers that shoulder your pride
the words you’ve written in stone
sand will cover them, sand will cover you
the streets that suffer your name
your very flesh and your bones
sand will cover them, sand will cover you

so put your faith in more than steel
don’t store your treasures up, with moth and rust
where thieves break in and steal
pull the fangs from out your heel
we live in but a shadow of the real

step out from time, see the dust of nations
step out from time, hear the stars ovation

Saturn will not sleep, until the sand has made us clean
still we stack our stones and bury what we can
but it all will be undone, and nothing built under the sun
will ever stand before the endless march of sand

so put your faith in more than steel
don’t store your treasures up, with moth and rust
where thieves break in and steal
pull the fangs from out your heel
we live in but a shadow of the real

so put your faith in more than steel
don’t store your treasures up, with moth and rust
where thieves break in and steal
pull the fangs from out your heel
we live in but a shadow of the real

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