Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. – Psalm 57:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 13, 2019): Psalm 57

Eleventh Century French Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, better known as Rashi, which is an acronym that makes use of the first two letters of Rabbi and Shlomo, wrote a commentary on the Talmud that continues to shape Jewish scholarship and the understanding of the writings of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible. Even those who disagree with Rashi do so giving the Rabbi the utmost respect. One of the stories which has raised some eyebrows is one that Rashi tells about David. According to the Rabbi, David slept with his harp or lyre, both of which are stringed instruments, sitting at the head of his bed. According to the legend, in the morning the north wind would blow into his sleeping area, disturbing the strings and waking the poet-king. The story is often treated as a ridiculous fable by Christian writers.

Maybe it is a fable. Yet, there is something that makes sense about Rashi’s assertion. David, on the run, speaks about his soul being awakened. After his soul, David pleads for this harp and lyre to awaken and then exclaims that he will awaken the dawn. Maybe David was a morning person. Instead of hearing the wind sweep into his bedroom, disturbing his harp, and prompting David to roll over, wishing that he could get a couple more moments of sleep, David would hear the wind move the strings and would leap from his sleeping space, grabbing his harp and singing songs of praise to his God. In this way, David would awaken the dawn, along with those accompanying David in his hiding.

It is interesting to note that Psalm 57 is the first of the “Do Not Destroy” Psalms; the “Do Not Destroy” Psalms are Psalms 57, 58, 59 and 75. “Do Not Destroy” is likely a well-known tune to which the words of the Psalm could be sung. But, at least in the case, it might also be a prayer of David. Psalm 57 is an almost pure Psalm of Praise as David requests that God would protect his life while rebuking those who were chasing him, namely Saul. But in Psalm 57, David doesn’t mar the image of praise by asking for God to destroy Saul. Instead, Psalm 57 appears to be a prayer that God would not destroy either David and his friends nor Saul and his army. It is in keeping with David’s own words “Don’t destroy him [Saul]! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless” (1 Samuel 26:9)?

Stuart Garrard would take the words of David and transform them into a contemporary hymn of praise.

            Sing to the Lord with all of your heart:

            Sing of the glory that’s due to his Name.

            Sing to the Lord with all of your soul,

            Join all of heaven and earth to proclaim.

            You are the Lord, the Savior of all,

            God of creation we praise you.

            We sing the songs that awaken the dawn,

            God of creation we praise you.

                                                            Stuart Garrard

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 142