Shepard Music Company

Building a Relationship With God

God has not given us His Word so we can win a sword drill or so we can know more facts than others. The Bible is His communication with His children. By spending time, through music, in Psalm 119, the believer should be drawn closer in fellowship with the Lord and thus more obedient to His Word. The Psalmist said: “I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” (vv. 58-60) With music that ministers to the spirit, and words given to us directly from God, the Psalm 119 song project is sure to provide a worship experience for many, whether they play the music themselves or listen to the CD.

Sharing With Others

Memorizing/meditating on Scripture has three purposes. First, it is a basis for praise and prayer to God. Second, it benefits the individual who practices it. Third, it is a means of having Scripture available in the mind and heart to share with others who have needs. A person who has saturated his mind with the Psalm 119 songs will have as many as 176 verses at his disposal at any given time. For example, a person might state, “I just seem to be overcome with the power of certain sins.” In response, the song from the “Beth” section of the Psalm brings to mind these words: “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (v. 11) Someone else may say, “I feel that God has become my enemy because of the way He has treated me of late.” Yet verse 71 in “Teth” tells us that God’s afflictions are for our good. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”

Fills Your Heart With Praise

Music itself is a gift from God. The origin of music goes back to pre-flood days for we are told that Jubal “was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.” (Genesis 4:21) Music’s symmetry and orderly complexity testify of God’s creative hand. Music that honors the principles God designed for music will itself lift the heart and praise the Creator. The use of melody, harmony, and the balance of accompaniment in these songs from the text of Psalm 119 all work to this end. The music is designed to draw attention to the more important words from Scripture.

This is the essence of great music—that most people listening to the music will not feel entertained but ministered to. They will likely not focus on the performer, but on the Lord Himself.

Makes Memorization Easier

Many find it much easier to remember the words of a song than to memorize a page of words. This is why jingles designed to sell products have been popular ever since radio appeared. Music locks words to a rhythm and to individual notes in the melody. This is especially beneficial when the words are Scripture. Thus, by listening to or playing the 22 songs from Psalm 119 in Song, one will be memorizing the Psalm effortlessly. Unlike most songs, the words are truly inspired, for they come from the inspired Scripture.

Enhances Meditation on Scripture

David said he meditated on God’s Law “all the day.” (Psalm 119:97) Perhaps this Psalm was written while he was watching sheep. In our hectic pace of life, it is often difficult to recall the words of Scripture even briefly through the day. Yet, without conscious effort, many have a song going through their minds when they are not concentrating on some task. By locking words into the rhythm of a melody, Scripture can flow through one’s thoughts by the vehicle of music. As a phrase of the music replays in the mind, the Words of Scripture replay with it. This is the essence of Biblical meditation. It is not emptying the mind of all thoughts as some teach, but rather it is filling the mind with God’s thoughts. A Scripture song such as any of those from Psalm 119 in Song causes the mind to repeat over and over the words of God as it replays the melody.

Blessings in Meditating

Psalm 119 magnifies the Law of God, mentioning it by various names in nearly every verse. To meditate on this Psalm is to magnify the Word with the Word! God has given many wonderful promises to those believers who will take time to meditate on His Word. For example, Joshua 1:8 states, “Thou shalt meditate therein day and night . . . for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Psalm 1 also promises that the blessed man is one who meditates on the Word day and night. Psalm 119 itself speaks directly of meditating seven times a day and includes many references to the Word of God being “ever before me.”