Symphonic Psalms

“8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,

    and sing to your name.”

10 And again it is said,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

11 And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

    and let all the peoples extol him.”

12 And again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come,

    even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;

in him will the Gentiles hope.”

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:8-13).

“Beleaguered. Paul, that is what we are, beleaguered,” the Romans might have written to the Apostle Paul had they initiated the communication. “We are persecuted here in Rome. We are divided—Jews, Gentiles. How do we fit together? How do we navigate persecution?”

“Beleaguered. Paul that is what we are, beleaguered,” we might have written to Paul had we initiated the conversation (although there is a whole lot more I might ask him as well!). “Paul—we’re suffering. Maybe not from persecution, but financially, or with ill health, grieving, recovery from surgery is taking a long time, weary, aging parents, tough job situation. Paul—our relationships our broken, in violence, in racism, alcohol and porn addictions, in homosexual longings we can’t make out.”

And God responds to the needs of his people through Paul. In the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul sets out horrible doctrine of sin and then God's complete answers of justification, redemption, union with Christ, Spirit-filled life, God’s faithfulness to Israel. From this base, he urges them to love (Rom. 12), to submit to the authorities despite persecution (Rom. 13), to bear with one another (Rom. 14). Unity springing from hope; hope springing from unity; unity and hope springing from union with Christ and from the Spirit. Here, in Romans 15, Paul continues with the notes of unity and hope. Notes that would sing softly to aching hearts. Paul launches into a beautiful little section, singing his Lord’s faithfulness. The deep melodies of thousands of years of Scriptures just roll off in praise for the comfort and hope of the Romans—and us.

“For I tell you that Christ became a Servant…” Servant. We may have written that differently. Christ the Redeemer, Messiah, Shepherd, King, etc. But Servant? It is hard for us to wrap our minds around. The Lord of the universe becoming a servant. Indeed, part of us may rebel against that—we would rather do and serve than be served often. But Christ the Servant, a sign of God’s truth and faithfulness, confirming the promises to the patriarchs. Why is it a servant that shows God’s truth and faithfulness? First, perhaps there is an allusion to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s Servant Songs, which are themselves the reminder that God will be faithful to fulfill his promises to the patriarchs. All the promises were to be fulfilled through God’s chosen Servant (Israel failed, the kings failed, so Isaiah prophesied of a new, true Servant, the true Israel and true Davidic King). Secondly, it shows how committed God is to fulfilling his purposes and promises. He chose one people, Israel, to fulfill his promise. Israel failed. But, God was so committed that despite Israel’s failings, he still sent one Seed, one Offspring, one True Israel, to be his Servant for redemption. Christ, the Servant, the theodicy of God, showing God’s faithfulness, confirming his promises.

“Yes,” says Paul to the Romans, “I know you are beleaguered. But take hope—God is faithful. Look at the Servant! Look at Christ!”

“Yes,” says Paul to us, “I know you are beleaguered. But take hope—God is faithful. God was so faithful to Israel, so faithful to Christ. And you, who are in Christ, how will he not be faithful to you? Take hope, in whatever situation.”

To the Jews, Christ showed God’s faithfulness. To the Gentiles, Christ shows God’s mercy. (How wonderful is our God! He knows what each of us needs to know, how each of us needs to see him!) Mercy. Mercy? We might have written “grace,” giving us what we do not deserve. But here Paul highlights mercy, taking away what we do deserve. It is Paul’s litany of Old Testament quotations that bring out the depths. Like a harmony in the background that is barely heard but adds a richness, a depth of tone, that is unequaled.

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” This comes from the LXX translation of Psalm 18:49. Yet, Paul was not citing at random. He knew the entire Psalm, perhaps had it all memorized. Thus, it is likely that he had the full riches of Psalm 18 in the back of his mind, the context that this particular verse was set in (1).

Psalm 18 is a salvation psalm written by David, celebrating the Lord’s salvation. Later, it was recognized to be a Messianic psalm (2). Can you hear the rich melody pouring forth, heightening the joyous tones of Paul’s epistle? “Look!” cries Paul. “Look how faithful God was to David, the head of true Israel, the type of Christ! Look how faithful God was in this psalm! This is our same God!” “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true” (Ps. 18:30). “Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever” (Ps. 18:50). So the psalm carries strong the strains that Paul has been arguing in Romans 9-11, God’s faithfulness to Israel, the same strains that Paul is carrying over in that Christ is the Servant to the Jews in order that they might see his faithfulness, but also that the Gentiles might praise God for his mercy.

It is the latter point that Paul’s crescendo lies on. “I will praise you among the Gentiles.” But let the timbre of the entire psalm sally forth. How much we can lose when we do not let the entire context sound forth in its symphony! Psalm 18:43-48 speak of judgment against the nations. Judgment. Foreigners subdued under David by God’s hand; subdued under the Messiah. It is in this context—like the minor dissonant tones of a symphony, that Paul alludes to Psalm 18:49. The Gentiles had nothing to expect, deserved to be judged, under God’s wrath—but here Christ the Messiah is singing among the Gentiles, in fellowship with the Gentiles (3). Mercy! Mercy! How can this not result in praise to the God who shows both faithfulness to Israel and mercy to the Gentiles! With symphonic crescendo, Paul shows how the very texts that Jews might use to highlight their superiority and the exclusion of the Gentiles, yet, they too contained the riches of God’s mystery to include Gentiles (Eph. 2-4).

Beleaguered and broken—but look to Christ. Christ, who became Servant to save us and show us how to live in submission and unity. Christ, the Truth, who reveals God’s faithfulness in fulfilling all the promises. Christ, the Mercy of God given to us. Christ, the Peace between God and man, and between divided people (2 Cor. 5:17-21; Eph. 2). Christ, Immanuel, who is in our midst, having called us, included us, singing the praises of God. So, too, we can join the chorus, beleaguered voices still raising hallelujahs in hope, praising God for his mercy. Our songs, too, join in the symphony of psalms, echoed from ancient Israel, on Christ's own tongue, on Paul's pen, in the nascent Roman church, and to today.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:8-13).

NOTES

(1) Richard B. Hays, Echoes of Scripture in Paul’s Letters (Binghamtom, NY: Vail-Ballou Press, 1983).

(2) Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72 (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1973), 107.

(3) Ibid., 114.