Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

Psalm 38, the psalm assigned to this morning, offers a compelling glimpse into the possibility of a typological interpretation. In such a system of reading the Scriptures, not only would we understand this psalm as a deeply penitential prayer of the historical figure David, himself a biblical character with Christ-like overtones, but we would also read the prayer as an expression of Christ’s own suffering: a suffering under the weight of his representative humanity, under the burden of human sins (which Jesus took upon himself, though he himself knew no sin), by submitting himself to death itself. All this can be read in the psalm.

In a real sense, this type of reading suggests that Jesus’ own suffering was definitive and redemptive and that it constitutes a gathering up of all human suffering into himself. Jesus was the Paschal Lamb that was sacrificed for us, whether we live before the event or after—indeed, the temporal dimension is no barrier to this understanding.

This psalm reminds me of an old video, published some 16 years ago, of the Westminster Cathedral Choir in London, chanting this psalm. This marvelous choir sings psalms according to the Gregorian tones, but with judicious accompaniment from the organ. This performance practice, along with the alternation of mens' and boys’ voices on progressive verses, gives the psalm a beautiful quality, at once mellifluous and meditative, while also retaining a weighty and devout quality.

Psalm 38, Westminster Cathedral Choir

Yours in Christ,

—Justin