God is the author of the Psalms, through the Holy Spirit’s work of inspiration, guiding the human authors to write what He intended, as we read in 2 Peter 1:20-21 … “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” And in addition to that, through divine providence He is also the arranger of the contents of the Psalms. It is by His design that the collection of 150 Psalms is divided into five groups, with chapters 1-2 serving as an introduction. The rest of psalms are arranged as Book 1 (3-41), Book 2 (42-72), Book 3 (73-89), Book 4 (90-106), and Book 5 (107-150). And each book concludes with some kind of doxology.
And it is also by His design that Psalms 1 and 150 are placed where they are, as an introduction and conclusion to the whole collection. Our praises begin by acknowledging that the only path to blessing is that which honors the Lord by loving and walking in accord with His Word. Doing so will insure that we will eternally enjoy the favor of the Lord. And our praises end with the jubilant praise in His presence that will last into eternity, praise that is supported by glorious music from every kind of musical instrument, indeed, from everything that has breath! All of the Psalms, like all of scripture, are ultimately Messianic, in part, because Jesus not only sang all these Psalms in His day in Israel, but as God, He actually wrote them!
Therefore, as we read in Hebrews 2:12, Jesus is singing the praise of the Father “in the midst of the congregation” each time we gather for worship. When we sing on Sunday mornings, His voice is the most prominent one rising above all those instruments and voices of Psalm 150. We should not only place ourselves in that picture of song, and rejoice that we are privileged to be included. But we should also understand that Jesus stands beside us, singing with us. As Sinclair Ferguson once pointed out, when we stand to sing on Sunday mornings, we should hold our hymnal just a bit to the side, sharing it with Jesus who stands beside us, as He sings with us!
Psalm 150 is perhaps the Psalm of praise par excellence! The English word praise is found thirteen times in these six verses. The text on the page almost vibrates with joyful exuberance, and it is because of the greatness and praiseworthiness of the Lord. To praise is both to announce His majesty to Him and to the world, and also to find marvelous delight in doing so, on our part.
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150 provides divine guidance on praising the Lord in few words. In only six verses, we learn who, where, and how to praise, the motivation to praise, and who/what should do the praising.
One of the things so very special about this Psalm is the naming of so many instruments that were known in ancient Israel. We shouldn’t try to make a direct connection with modern instruments by the same name. An ancient trumpet was probably some kind of ram’s horn, not the brass orchestral instrument we know. The strings were not cellos and violins played with bows, but more likely a small hand-held harp-like instrument with strings to be plucked. And as much as some of us musicians could wish that the pipe was an ancient pipe organ, it would have more likely been some kind of hollow reed with finger holes.
What is more relevant for the church today is that in the Psalm, the Lord tells us that He delights in hearing musical praise “from everything that has breath.” That includes man-made instruments (including percussion) as well as the divinely-made human voice. There have been some who believe that instruments are not acceptable in worship today, even though they were mentioned here in this Psalm and also in the heavenly worship described in Revelation. Part of that argument is that instruments were part of the Old Testament sacrificial system in the tabernacle and temple, and so have no place in worship today. But there is nothing in Scripture that ascribes any doctrinal significance to their inclusion. Most see them as part of the creation mandate to cultivate all kinds of skills in glorifying God, from architecture and landscaping to medical and musical arts. When it comes to such “orchestral” instruments as these named in Psalm 150, since few churches can afford to have an entire orchestra involving many instruments and players, the reason the organ has been chosen for centuries is that this one instrument with one musician at the console can bring to bear the sounds of flutes, strings, trumpets, etc., through the variety of voices on the organ.
Over the years, there have been many choral and organ works based on Psalm 150 from great composers, from César Franck in the 19th century (you can listen to it at this link: https://youtu.be/GP0bAguJ7Zc) to contemporary works from Matt Boswell with the Getty music team. In our hymnals, we have this great hymn based on this Psalm, “O Praise Ye the Lord,” or as rendered in some hymnals “Sing Praise to the Lord.” It was written in 1875 by Sir Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877). He is well-represented in almost all hymnals with such original selections as “Lord, Thy Word Abideth,” “Out of the Deep I Call,” and “O God of Love, O King of Peace,” and also by his translation of “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” Perhaps his best-known hymn is his setting of the theme of Psalm 23, “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.” He has also written the music we use (STEPHANOS) for “Art Thou Weary, Art Thou Languid.”
In this study, we are examining his hymn “O Praise Ye the Lord,” a paraphrase of Psalm 150 with allusions in stanza 2 to New Testament passages that speak of God’s grace in our new birth in Christ. It is a healthy thing to self-consciously sing Psalms in worship. That’s why God placed them in the center of our Bibles! We have English translations in the form of metrical Psalms (which follow the inspired text very closely, like Psalm 23, “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want”), Psalm versions (which follow the train of thought in a particular Psalm, like Psalm 90, “Or God, Our Help in Ages Past”), and Psalm paraphrases (which expand on the theme of a particular Psalm, like Psalm 103, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”). Our current Psalm study, “O Praise Ye the Lord,” is a paraphrase of Psalm 150.
The author, Sir Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877) was the eldest son of Rear Admiral Sir Henry Loraine Baker. Henry’s father served with distinction at Guadeloupe in 1815. After completing his university education at Trinity College, Cambridge where he received his B.A. degree and was ordained to the Anglican priesthood in 1844, he continued on to receive his M.A. in 1847. In 1851, he was appointed Vicar at Monkland, near Leominster. This benefice he held to his death. In 1852, while at Monkland, Sir Henry wrote his earliest hymn, “Oh, what if we are Christ’s.” Sir Henry Baker’s name is chiefly known as the promoter and editor of “Hymns Ancient and Modern,” first published in 1861. To this collection Baker contributed many original hymns, besides several translations of Latin hymns. The hymnal was compiled to meet the wants of churchmen of all schools, but strong objections were raised in many quarters to Sir Henry Baker’s own hymn addressed to the Virgin Mary, “Shall we not love thee. Mother dear?”
The volume, whose full title was “Hymns, Ancient and Modern, for Use in the Services of the Church,” enjoyed unprecedented popularity from the late 19th into the 20th centuries. No other compilation can compare with it in the rapidity and extent of its circulation. It first appeared in 1861 with 273 hymns, and in 1868 with an appendix containing 113 additional hymns. Fourteen supplementary hymns have since been added, making the whole number 400. It has been published in a great variety of forms and sizes, with and without tunes, both in England and America. It is claimed that more than five million copies had been sold by the end of the 19th century.
Sir Henry held to the doctrine of clerical celibacy, and at his death the baronetcy devolved on a kinsman. He was the author of “Daily Prayers for the Use of those who have to work hard,” as well as of a “Daily Text-book” for the same class, and of some tracts on religious subjects. He died at the age of 55, at the vicarage of Monkland, and was buried in the churchyard of the parish. His last words were from the third stanza of his hymn, “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.”
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His Shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
Stained glass windows were installed in his memory in his own church and in All Saints, Notting Hill.
The text of the hymn is not addressed directly as prayer or praise to the Lord, Rather, the words are a call issued to all the people of the earth who belong to the Lord to join in jubilant praise to their Maker and Redeemer, using all the musical resources available to them to laud His name. In fact, this call to worship is even extended to the angels in heaven.
In stanza 1 we call on those “angels of light” and all the heavens to adore Him. Until we reach heaven, they know better than we how majestic is our God in the majesty of His holiness.
O praise ye the Lord! Praise Him in the height;
rejoice in His word, ye angels of light;
ye heavens adore Him by whom ye were made,
and worship before Him, in brightness arrayed.
In stanza 2 we call on all those “upon earth” who have become “sons of new birth” to praise the one who gave them new life and “hath taught you to sing of His love.”
O praise ye the Lord! Praise Him upon earth,
in tuneful accord, ye sons of new birth;
praise Him who hath brought you His grace from above,
praise Him who hath taught you to sing of His love.
In stanza 3 we call on “all things that give sound,” alluding to all the instruments named in Psalm 150, from loud organs (pipe) to sweet harps (strings) to tell the story of what He has done.
O praise ye the Lord, all things that give sound;
each jubilant chord re-echo around;
loud organs, His glory forth tell in deep tone,
and, sweet harp, the story of what He hath done. (some versions read “trumpets”)
In stanza 4 we call on one another to join in this vast chorus for three reasons: 1) “for love in creation,” 2) “for heaven restored,” and 3) “for grace of salvation.”
O praise ye the Lord! Thanksgiving and song
to Him be outpoured all ages along:
for love in creation, for heaven restored,
for grace of salvation, O praise ye the Lord!
The music for the hymn was composed in 1894 by one of England’s finest church musicians, Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918). He was born into a wealthy family in Bournemouth, Sussex and educated at Eton and Oxford University. He inherited enormous wealth from his grandfather, who had been a director of the East India Company. His music influenced other English composers, some of whom were his students, such as Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. He is best known for his beloved song JERUSALEM and his anthem setting of Psalm 122, “I Was Glad,” which was composed for the coronation of Edward VII.
As Parry became more famous he got many invitations to important jobs. He started teaching at the Royal College of Music in 1884 and became its director in 1894, a post he held until his death. For some time, he also worked on the side in the insurance industry with Lloyds of London. In 1900 he succeeded Sir John Stainer (composer of “The Crucifixion,” with its famous setting of “God So Loved the World”) as professor of music at Oxford University, and continued there until 1908 when his doctor advised him to resign from his Oxford job.
Parry was a man who always liked to help people, and so he took on a great deal of work, which did not do his health much good. When he had free time, he enjoyed driving fast cars and sailing. He was made a knight, and the first Baronet of Highnam in 1902. He wrote five symphonies and a great deal of sacred choral and organ music, much of which is included in the contemporary repertoire of church musicians today. At the same time as his compositions were coming to public notice, Parry was taken up as a musical scholar by George Grove, first as his assistant editor for his new “Dictionary of Music and Musicians,” to which post Parry was appointed in 1875 and contributed 123 articles. In 1883, Grove, as the first director of the new Royal College of Music, appointed Parry as the college’s professor of composition and musical history. In the autumn of 1918 Parry contracted the Spanish flu during that global pandemic, and died at Knightscroft, Rustington, West Sussex, on October 7th at the age of 70. He was honored by being buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Here is a link to the hymn as sung at a royal occasion in Westminster Abbey.