Psalm 4

To be honest, Watts struggles with Psalm 4. The long meter version struggles along, though it contains one or two gems; and the common meter version is a little pedestrian. Just like the Scottish Metrical versions of the psalms, Watts strives to put Hebrew poetry into singable English; sometimes he fails. Nevertheless, there are some memorable phrases. "How long will scoffers love to lie" complains the Psalmist in the second stanza. By the fourth stanza he has realized that all the works of human righteousness are worth nothing at the side of God's pardoning grace, made known in Christ. That would have been a good place to stop; unfortunately, Watts decided to continue to the bitter end. I can't imagine us singing the sixth stanza today. However, this shouldn't prevent us from seeing the underlying truth - we cannot satisfy our hungering hearts with anything this world can supply. Grace alone satisfies.

O God of grace and righteousness,

Hear and attend while I complain;

Thou hast enlarg'd me in distress,

Bow down a gracious ear again.

Ye sons of men, in vain ye try

To turn my glory into shame;

How long will scoffers love to lie,

And dare reproach my Savior's name?

Know that the Lord divides His saints

From all the tribes of men beside;

He hears the cry of penitents

For the dear sake of Christ who dy'd.

When our obedient hands have done

A thousand works of righteousness,

We put our trust in God alone,

And glory in His pard'ning grace.

Let the unthinking many say,

Who will bestow some earthly good?

But, Lord, Thy light and love we pray;

Our souls desire this heavenly food.

Then shall my cheerful powers rejoice

At grace and favor so divine;

Nor will I change my happy choice

For all their corn and all their wine.

Psalm 3

There are only two versions of Psalm 3  in Watts' collection of paraphrases, set to common and long meters. The common meter version uses the imagery from Genesis 3:15 in which the promise is given that, one day, the Lord's Anointed One will crush the serpent's head.

The lying tempter would persuade

There's no relief in heaven;

And all my swelling sins appear

Too big to be forgiven. 

But Thou, my glory and my strength,

Shalt on the tempter tread,

Shalt silence all my threatening guilt,

And raise my drooping head. 

The prophecy contained in Genesis 3:15 is understood to refer to the Messiah. Christ will crush the serpent's head. Even though it strikes Him in response (a reference to Calvary), He shall be victorious. Though he may tempt God's chosen One with all the kingdoms of this world, Satan shall not succeed.

The psalmist calls out to God, just as Christ cried out  from the cross. Watts understands the suffering expressed through the lens of the cross and finds, in God, our defense against both Satan and sin. Sections set in parentheses relate more closely to the experience of Jesus. Strictly speaking these sections are interpretations of the psalm, not paraphrases, but they help us to bring New Testament truth to Old Testament experience. Suffering is set in the context of the victory of Christ.

Arise, O Lord, fulfill Thy grace,

While I Thy glory sing;

My God has broke the serpent's teeth,

And death has lost its sting.

Salvation to the Lord belongs;

His arm alone can save;

Blessings attend Thy people here,

And reach beyond the grave.

The long meter version, which also merits our attention, concentrates on the first five verses of Psalm 3. It is set as a morning song. The psalmist remembers how the last thing he did, before sleep, was to pray, and to commend himself into the care and keeping of the Almighty. Though "daily discomposed" by his foes, he "slept secure", knowing that in life or in death he belonged to God. Safe in the assurance of eternal life and in the presence of God, his defense and his hope, he "laid me down." The last stanza is a joy:

But God sustain'd me all the night;

Salvation doth to God belong;

He rais'd my head to see the light,

And makes His praise my morning song.

Psalm 2

The second Psalm gives us a good illustration of how Watts sees Jesus in the Old Testament. He takes the words as prophecy, then interprets them through the lens of the cross. He gives us three versions of the same psalm in short, common and long meters. I particularly appreciate the imagery of a rebellious people in the second verse of the long meter.

"Come, let us break his bands, they say,

"This man shall never give us laws;"

and thus they cast his yoke away,

and nail'd the Monarch to the cross.

But the common meter is easier to read. It reminds us both of God's mercy, in sending His Son, and of His wrath, which we should be anxious to avoid. The last two lines are particularly apt.

Those are secure, and those alone,

Who on His grace rely.

I like brief phrases like this. I find it helpful to squirrel them away for when they are needed. You might write them on a slip of paper (be sure to add where they come from or it will drive you crazy trying to remember). Put them in a book or your Bible; when you rediscover them they will be a source of blessing to you. You might also keep phrases that strike you in your journal, or write them on cards to give to friends.

Why did the nations join to slay

The Lord's anointed Son?

Why did they cast His laws away,

And tread His gospel down?

The Lord, who sits above the skies,

Derides their rage below,

He speaks with vengeance in His eyes,

And strikes their spirits through.

"I call Him my eternal Son,

"And raise Him from the dead;

"I make my holy hill His throne,

"And wide His kingdom spread.

"Ask me, my Son, and then enjoy

"The utmost heathen lands:

"Thy rod of iron shall destroy

"The rebel who withstands."

Be wise, ye rulers of the earth,

Obey th' anointed Lord,

Adore the King of heavenly birth,

And tremble at His word.

With humble love address His throne;

For, if He frown, ye die:

Those are secure, and those alone,

Who on His grace rely.

Psalm 1

I've been reading Isaac Watt's metrical psalms as devotional aids. I intend to post a few selections, as they strike me as interesting. If you want to follow along, read the psalm in the Bible (I tend to read the KJV then the NIV), then read Watt's paraphrase out loud, enjoying the cadence of the words. Take time to meditate upon God's Word. End in prayer. This is a simple exercise that I have found helpful over the years. You can add journaling if you wish. If you spend time in prayer at a regular time, twice a day, as many of us do, I suggest reading the New Testament in a structured manner during your other devotional exercise.

A helpful division of the Psalms into morning and evening readings for every day of the month, was made available at our Fall Study this year. Contact the Church Office if you would like a copy. For my purposes here, I'll just make my way through Watt's hymnal. The version I'm using was printed in 1808 in Boston and is titled The Psalms of David, Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was a nonconfomist (Congregational) minister who lived in the South of England. He is credited with being the first person to introduce "sacred songs" to public worship in Reformed Churches. Previously, the only songs used were adaptations of the psalms. Watts wrote hymns based on other biblical texts. Some of them are still popular today, such as, O God, our Help in Ages Past; Joy to the World; When I Survey the Wondrous Cross; and Jesus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun. In the hymnal, Watts gives versions of the psalms based on several musical meters. He often includes specifically Christian terminology, especially when he understands the text to refer to the Messiah, or to find its fulfillment in Christ.
Here's Watt's version of Psalm 1, in long meter.

Happy the man, whose cautious feet

Shun the broad way which sinners go,

Who hates the place where atheists meet,

And fears to talk as scoffers do.

He loves t'employ his morning light

Amongst the statutes of the Lord;

And spends the wakeful hours of night

With pleasure, pond'ring o'er His word.

He, like a plant, by gentle streams,

Shall flourish in immortal green;

And heaven will shine with kindest beams

On every work his hands begin.

But sinners find their councils cross'd:

As chaff before the tempest flies,

So shall their hopes be blown and lost,

When the last trumpet shakes the skies.

In vain the rebel seeks to stand

In judgment with the pious race;

The dreadful Judge, with stern command,

Divides him to a different place.

"Straight is the way my saints have trod;

"I blest the path, and drew it plain;

But you would choose the crooked road,

"And down it leads to endless pain."