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King David was "a man after God's own heart." His life was varied and full of highs and lows.¹ But through it all, he was in touch with God. What better way to gain some insight into expressing ourselves to God than to go right to David himself? The SLJ editors nabbed Mark McFlew (of time travel fame²) and sent him on assignment to find David and get the scoop on the psalms -- what they are, and why David wrote so many, and whether they're important for us now.

Without too much cajoling, Mark climbed into his (almost) trusty Festiva³ and set off. Here's what happened:

*****

Mark: [Stepping out of his Festiva and slowly approaching the man who appears to be in charge] Um, hi, you must be King David. . . . You can tell your men to drop their spears, er, your highness. I'm only here to do an interview.

David: This is a battle zone! Who are you? Hmm, you don't look like a Philistine.

M: I'm Mark. Mark McFlew. I'm surprised I found you so quickly. And -- hey, leave the car alone, you guys!

D: [Motioning his bodyguards away from the Festiva] You have to understand that they're as curious as I am about this strange but elegant chariot. This brought you here?

M: Yeah, it's a car, but it's also a time machine. Look, I know this seems sudden. I'm from the future, and I'm here to talk about the psalms you've written. I don't know Hebrew, but we'll be able to understand each other if we stay here near the car. Doc Green built in a universal translator.

D: Your lips move differently from what I hear. That's the effect of the translator?

M: Yeah. You'll get used to it. Anyway, I can see you're busy and all, and I can't stay here a long time, either, so I don't want to take up a lot of your time.

D: Time, time, you keep talking about time. I'm here, you're here. The Philistines are not -- for the moment.⁴ Oh, yes, I have time. [Settles himself on a rock.] Now, what is it you came to discuss?

M: In this issue of the magazine I'm representing, we're talking a lot about life and death, comfort and grief. People often turn to the psalms for comfort and peace, so we thought we'd ask you about psalms, since you're such a prolific writer and a great king and all.

D: What did you call them? Psalms?

M: Yeah, you know, the collection of psalms in the Bible -- the songs of Israel, the poetry of the people --

D: Oh, right. You mean the group of worship songs that we use for festivals and all kinds of situations. Well, I don't know about comfort! People do turn to those for comfort, but they're written out of incredible discomfort. They're our experience of life. All of life.

M: Okay. We'd like to know just why and how --

D: Wait. You're not hearing me, Mark. I said all of life. Some are comforting, but others are way on the edge, filled with anguish, bursting with joy, crying out in despair, confident with hope, and even burning with hatred. Life, death, victory, defeat -- it's all there. It's heady and powerful. Dangerous stuff to worship with, Mark.

M: Whoa, David, relax. Okay, so maybe we should back up. Let's say I'm new to this, which I am really. Why are there psalms? And why did you write some of them?

D: Well, I have always wanted to know God. I can't actually see God face to face, but I can see him in the beauty of the stars, the majesty of the mountains, and in the ways he provides for all the creatures of the earth. So I write about it and sing about it.

But I don't just want to know about God. I want to know him. I write about that, too. For example, I know that he cares for me. For a long time, I was running from Saul, the king I replaced. He wasn't ready to admit that God chose me to be king after he'd sinned -- royally.⁵ We were constantly running into each other -- or almost so. I had some narrow escapes. But what bothered me most was the lack of peace. Sometimes I got totally stressed out wondering how it would all end. I was anointed king, but half the time I hid in the wilderness. At least twice, Saul wept sorrowfully for chasing me, and I forgave him, yet still he hunted me and haunted my dreams.

M: So that's what you write about?

D: That and more. It's life. And it's living with God in the midst of it. One day, I found myself with some of my people riding down into a beautiful valley. I should tell you that I had just finished a psalm that starts like this:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me,
from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.⁶

M: Wow. Isn't it kind of, uh, gutsy to talk like that?

D: God can take it. He knows full well what I'm facing. But here's the humorous side of God: it wasn't long after writing those words that we came to this green valley with a cold, clear stream gently flowing through it. Naturally we stopped and drank and bathed and rested. As I sat on the bank, I pulled out my lyre and started working on another one, this time quite different:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.⁷

M: I see what you mean. It's way different.

D: Later, I gathered my people around and we sang it. Then someone said, "Say, when we first came to that stream, I saw a deer coming down off the rocks to the water to drink. It reminded me of the song about the deer panting for water. Can we sing that one?" Do you know it, Mark?

M: Um, why don't you hum a few bars.

D: As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"⁸

I didn't write that one, but we all knew it.

M: So, you folks don't just write these things and use them alone in your private times with God?

D: Oh, we do read them and learn them and pray them and sing them when we're alone. But why stop there? What's the point of telling forth the wondrous works of God if you're only talking to yourself? Don't people worship together in your time?

M: Well, yes, of course. We usually use guitars or keyboards and sing worship choruses. But I guess in public we sometimes tend to avoid singing about the down side of life while we're worshiping, at least compared with what you just sang.

D: Oh.Well, there's a more positive side to it. Here's some more of that one:

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.⁹
 

D: Why is that?

M: I'm not sure. Maybe we don't always want to tell each other the truth about ourselves. And I guess we don't tell God the truth either. We want life to be free of bumps and bruises. And I know I want to be in control. A lot of psalms are about not being in control at all.
 

M: Sounds like you've been there.

D: Yes, indeed. I've been through dark times that even time travel can't erase. Times I wish I could forget. . . .

M: . . . Like your fight with Goliath?¹¹ Or losing your best friend Jonathan in battle?¹²

D: . . .

M: Uh, David?

D: [Staring at the hills in the distance.] Those were painful adventures, Mark. They were horrible, but they were acknowledged in the light. No, I'm thinking of deeds done in the dark. . . .

M: Are you thinking of something else that happened to you?

D: What I'm thinking of didn't "happen to me," Mark. I caused it to happen. You see, I'm not just a king. I'm also an adulterer and a murderer.

M: No way! Oh, wait. . . . You mean the affair with Bathsheba? And the way you tried to cover for it?

D: Oh, Mark, sin only leads to deeper sin! What a trap lust is. I saw Bathsheba bathing. In my lust, I sent for her; who would dare resist the command of the king? But she became pregnant. I wanted so badly to cover it all up that I gave her husband a military leave to come home, hoping he'd have sex with her. The pregnancy would be attributed to him, and it would all be over. But no. Uriah was so loyal to his men that he refused to leave them in battle while he was at home enjoying his wife. I was distraught! Torn! I could have owned my sin and confessed it to God and Uriah, but instead, in my pride and power, I played on his loyalty. I ordered him secretly put at the head of the battle, so he would be killed. He died bravely, the messenger said, but I knew it was murder. I killed an innocent soldier and husband. And no one knew about it. That was a dark time.¹³

M: . . .

D: As king I thought I could control people and circumstances for my pleasure. I thought I could keep up appearances. But my guts were churning, my heart was numb, and God seemed silent. I started to waste away. I went through the motions of worship, but my very heart was a dying ember, growing cold and dark.

M: What happened next?

D: God, in his grace, sent Nathan the prophet to confront me face to face with my secret sin. He placed the whole situation right in front of me as if he were talking about someone else, and even got me to pronounce judgment on such an evil act before I realized he was talking about me! I grew frightened and defensive and wanted to deny the whole thing, but Nathan had me in a corner.

M: So you were found out?

D: Yes, praise God! It turned out to be a blessing. Now everyone would know, and my shame would be recorded in the chronicles for generations to see. Bless the Lord!

M: [Looking puzzled.] What?

D: Don't you see, Mark? God stepped into my spiritual darkness and pulled me into the light. It was blindingly bright, but at least it was over. I could admit my wrongdoing and be forgiven. The cost to my public image was high, but at least I wasn't playing power games anymore.

In my gratitude and wonder, I penned a psalm. Here are some of the different verses:

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin. . . .
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.14

I wrote, too, about my mistake in thinking that pious religious acts could cover my guilt:

For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering,
you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.¹⁵

M: You know, David, as bad at that time was, at least you listened to Nathan and took your sin to heart. I don't know of very many kings or presidents who would do that.

D: Presidents?

M: They're kind of like kings. . . sort of.

D: Well, I didn't just take my sin to heart. It was more than that. My heart was broken. And I still grieve for Uriah and our illegitimate son. God has forgiven me, but the consequences are forever.

M: I've been reading up on you in getting ready for this trip, and I know you've had some joyous times too.

D: My life has been as up and down as the hills on this horizon, Mark. At the highest peaks, my joy comes easily and I find boisterous, frolicking words to tell of God's goodness. In the valleys, my joy comes more slowly -- if at all -- only as the dawn to a long night. And through it all I must talk to God face to face, as a real person to another. My poetry helps. As I write and sing, his words in the Scriptures come to mind, and I remember who God really is. Only then can I respond properly to my circumstances.

M: Can -- or do -- other people write psalms?
 

M: Well, we have music and poetry, but it's not exactly psalm-like.

D: That's okay, at least at the start. The point is honest expression. Psalms are one way of patterning that expression. And there are many kinds of patterns, though all of them are designed to bring God into the stories we tell. We use the patterns to express praise, thanksgiving, lament, and celebration.

M: Patterns?

D: Don't you use patterns in your songs?

M: Well, if you mean whether or not our poetry or songs follow a structured form, yeah, they do! Like a limerick or a blues progression --

D: A blue what?

M: Or a sonnet, a haiku, or even rap.

D: Wrap?¹⁶

M: So, yeah, there are patterns. Not always, but most of the time. But can't patterns make music rather predictable?

D: Sure! And that's okay. People can know what they're in for as they worship. They can prepare their hearts. Patterns help them learn new psalms and remember them, since most of my people don't read or write.

The patterns are also a benefit for the psalm writer. First, the challenge of the pattern itself causes us to reflect and meditate. We have to figure out how God fits into all of this! Second, we can share the final psalm with the whole community in a way they can grasp it and integrate it into their own lives. My story becomes theirs.

M: I'm not sure I follow you. . . .

D: Take a psalm of deliverance, for example. We write about a real situation. But over time, and for other people, references to oppression, bondage and rescue become universal. They can mean any situation someone faces that is similar to the writer's predicament.

M: Kind of like Jonah in the belly of the fish?

D: Who? I don't know which Jonah you mean.

M: Oh, um, right. He'll be around in a couple of hundred years. Anyway, he was supposed to go preach to an enemy city, but he ran from God, taking a ship in the other direction instead. God caused him to get tossed overboard into the sea, and then had a fish swallow him and carry him back to shore. While in the fish's belly, he prayed a psalm of deliverance. He used words and phrases like "out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice," and "the floods surrounded me, all your waves and billows passed over me," and "the waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me."¹⁷ Is that what you mean by universal phrases?

D: Exactly. To a Hebrew reader, those are phrases that mean any kind of overwhelming trouble. And in any psalm of deliverance, the writer cries out in despair, remembers the One who rescues, and is lifted up -- delivered, whether literally or figuratively. And that's how a passionate, feeling poem becomes a thoughtful, encouraging reflection on God!

M: That seems really good for God's people. We can feel our feelings, express our situation, reflect on our circumstances, and gain courage from knowing God's character. It's heart and mind, all wrapped up in one!

D: Ah, now you're glimpsing the depth of a Hebrew's soul.

M: [Both stand and move toward the Festiva.] Wow, I can't wait to get into this more. I really want my worship to get more real and honest.

D: Maybe this is why God allowed you to visit me. Perhaps he has a message for the people of your time.

M: I'm sure he does. But will anyone believe me?

D: Well, whoever built your elegant time chariot will. As for the rest . . . say, why not take my lyre as proof?

M: Liar? For proof?¹⁸

D: This, my instrument. [Holding out the lyre.] I'm glad to offer it to you if it means the people of the future will value the psalms I've written -- and that they will write.

M: Thanks, David, but that would disturb the time continuum, and that could tear open the very fabric of the future -- and jeopardize your line of descendants. Whoa! Come to think of it, what if Joseph and M --

D: Stop, Mark! You panic too easily. And your wise thinkers take their theories far too seriously. God can fix rips in time with a flutter of an eyelid. You needn't fear ruining the fabric of his will. No more of this nonsense!

M: [A bit chagrined.] Yes, sir. . . . Wow. Well put, David. I see why you're king. You sure speak with authority! But still, I'll pass on the lyre. Instead, maybe you and your men could help me push my "elegant chariot" to the top of this hill. The time converter won't kick in until this bucket hits fifty-five miles per hour, and I need all the gravity these rolling hills can offer.

Notes:
(Click on the word 'back' in each note to return to the place you're reading.)

¹See 1 Samuel 16 through 1 Kings 2 for the full account of David's life (back). ²See "Back to the Present" in the Winter 1997 issue (back). Mark may be related to Marty McFly. ³Not a Delorean, but it's paid for (back). ⁴1 Samuel 20:30-34 (back). ⁵1 Samuel 15. Sorry for the pun (back). ⁶Psalm 22:1-2 (back). ⁷Psalm 23:1-3 (back). ⁸Psalm 42:1-3 (back). ⁹Psalm 42:5-6 (back). ¹⁰As you read through the Psalms, you'll be amazed at how many you already sing parts of (back). ¹¹1 Samuel 17 (back). ¹²2 Samuel 1. This section also includes a psalm just for Jonathan and Saul (back). ¹³2 Samuel 11-12 (back). ¹⁴Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12 (back). ¹⁵Psalm 51:16-17 (back). ¹⁶Universal translators aren't perfect (back)! ¹⁷See Jonah 2 (back). ¹⁸The translator again (back).