the Bible was published specifically for British missionaries to take to the British West Indies . This translation was for use in converting and educating the enslaved peoples of the Caribbean , and what really made it interesting was that the people in charge of the Bible ’ s printing omitted any passages that they thought could incite a rebellion or inspire liberation among the enslaved .
Can you guess one large portion of scripture removed entirely from this edition of scripture ?
The Psalms .
Gone .
Was it a despicable act from those seeking to proselytize the very people they were abusing and exploiting ? Absolutely … But it makes crystal clear that these so-called missionaries knew very well what the Psalms contained , and how damaging it could be to their cause of evil and injustice . They knew that giving people access to the Judeo-Christian justice narrative could mean revolution .
Do we ?
It ’ s worth mentioning that just having those passages isn ’ t any better for us if we don ’ t actually dwell in them , immerse ourselves in their language and values , and embody them .
Those passages won ’ t elevate our songs until our songs elevate those passages .
“ Praise ” itself is on the line . The ethics of the kingdom are at stake . And we ’ re missing out on a central part of the message . An essential aspect of our common prayer .
One key takeaway from all of this is obvious : It ’ s important to be a student of the Psalms .
Of course , that ’ s easier said than done . To many , the book of Psalms looks daunting . But a traditional way to accomplish becoming familiar with the entire collection is to read five Psalms a day . Most of them are short , and since there are 150 , you will have read through all of them in a month ’ s time . Then you can start over and do it again .
Imagine how informed and revitalized your perspective of “ praise ” would be with just a few months of maintaining this habit . You would begin to flow with the rhythms of these ancient Praises . They would be a wellspring of fuel , with themes and content you can draw from as a songwriter ( reading them through the lens of Jesus ).
The five Psalms a day prescription is a classic one . But something I ’ d add to that suggestion is to change translations each time you begin .
The scriptures weren ’ t written in any modern language , and no translation is perfect , so it ’ s wise to dance with many , and see how various
teams of scholars rendered the text . For a broad palette of poetic and translational approaches , I might suggest NRSV , NKJV , NET , NLT , NIV , and JPS ( all available online ).
That would be six months and six times through the Psalms .
Think about it .
And next month , we ’ ll see if we can ’ t examine some songwriting that bucks the current trend .
Until then .
For other qualities prevalent in the Psalms that go missing in our songs and services , see my previous songwriting articles :
Kevin MacDougall Worship leader , published and recorded songwriter , musician and podcast producer . macdougall . k @ gmail . com