THE STORYTELLER'S BIBLE
Act III - Wisdom Literature, Scene5
Script by Bob Allen
For four voices

Scene 5

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                                    (ALL FOCUS DOWN LEFT TOWARD THE BACK OF

                                    THE READER IN FRONT OF THEM.  ALL LINES FROM THE PSALMS SHOULD BE DIRECTED DOWN LEFT, ALL OTHER LINES SHOULD BE SPOKEN TOWARD THE AUDIENCE))

VOICE THREE:        (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  According to Rabbinical tradition, a harp hung suspended

                                  over the couch of David.  Night breezes, rippling over the strings would awaken him 

                                  and constrain him to write words to the strains of its melody until the day dawned and

                                  the daystar arose.

VOICE ONE:             (FOCUS DOWN LEFT)  Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

VOICE TWO:            (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  In the poetry of the Psalms is found the private expression of every person who has sought for an understanding of himself and his connection to his Creator.  Jehovah remains supreme as the psalmists record their search for fellowship with the King of Kings.

VOICE ONE:             (DOWN LEFT)  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.  Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.

VOICE FOUR:          (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Some of the Hebrew poetry involved didactics, teaching by means of acrostics and parallel thought progressions.

VOICE THREE:        (DOWN LEFT)  O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.  O give thanks unto the God of gods; for his mercy endureth forever.  O give thanks to the Lord of lords; for his mercy endureth forever.

VOICE TWO:            (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Most of the poetry was lyric, designed for singing and appealing to the emotions of the heart.

VOICE ONE:             (DOWN LEFT)  O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people.  Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him; talk ye of all his wondrous works.  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. 

VOICE FOUR:          (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Worship, for the psalmists, began in the heart.  Enhanced by their own experience and amplified for participation by crowds of temple celebrants, the adoration forms illustrated by the psalmists influenced succeeding generations of worship leaders.

VOICE THREE:        (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  To hear is to worship.  Proclaiming the awesome works of Almighty God is a method of corporate worship.  (DOWN LEFT)  We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

VOICE ONE:             (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  To petition God is to worship.  Public prayer as a worship form should be a representation of the prayers being voiced privately throughout the congregation.  It should not be a time when one person prays and others listen. (DOWN LEFT) Unto thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock; hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

VOICE TWO:            (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  To give thanks is to worship.  When the psalmist gave thanks it involved the acute understanding that he depended completely upon God for all life’s necessities.  Thanksgiving in public worship focused on the power and the provision of God. (DOWN LEFT)   In God we boast all the day long, and praise Thy name forever.

VOICE FOUR:          (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  To write creatively is to worship.  My heart is indicting a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.  While superintending the inspiration of Psalm 45, the Holy Spirit allowed the author ot acknowledge the gift of creative writing.  People in a congregation who might never have the courage to speak publicly can write materials for others to use in worship which will be a blessing to all those who unite their hearts in praise to God.

VOICE THREE:        (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Instrumental praise is worship.  Trumpets, cymbals, stringed instruments and organs.  Psaltery, harp and timbrel.  All of the rhythms, harmonies, orchestrations and ensemble sounds of the Hebrew musicians found expression in temple worship.  (DOWN LEFT)   Praise ye the Lord.  Praise God in His sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.  Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord.

VOICE ONE:             (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Rejoicing has its place in worship.  While the transcendence of God evokes worship images of solemnity, silence, and reverence, the Lord of Hosts can also be greeted with shouts of approbation and expressions of triumphant victory.  Cultural differences may spawn a variety of methods for expressing a joyful spirit, but the creation of such a spirit must be the goal of every worship leader.  (DOWN LEFT)   O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

VOICE TWO:            (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Invitation involves worship.  The Psalms abound with invitations to know God, to praise God, to worship God.  Be it in the tolling of bells inviting people to church, a time for decision following the message or a verbal reply to Scripture reading, an invitation which requires response should always be a part of worship. (DOWN LEFT)  Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

VOICE FOUR:          (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Singing expresses our worship.  Vocal music is probably associated with corporate worship more often than any other element.  Choir anthems, worship teams, soloists and ensembles, as well as congregational singers find inspiration in the Psalms.  Beautiful lyrics supported by strong melodies and lush harmonies are offered as sacrifices of praise to the audience of One. (DOWN LEFT)  Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises.  For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

VOICE THREE:        (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  To speak the praises of God is to worship.  The Psalms in their entirety consist of a witness to the power, majesty, holiness and mercy of God.  This was their way of guaranteeing that the next generation would hear the goodness of God proclaimed.  Well-planned and organized testimonies add a dimension to a worship service reminding all present that God is still at work on behalf of His people.   Scripture readers tell about God in the very words of inspired Scripture.  Speaking choirs share the Word in choral fashion, effectively bringing the Scriptures to life in corporate worship.

                                    (ALL STAND AND FACE THE AUDIENCE)

VOICES ONE/THREE/FOUR:  God is our refuge and strength,

VOICE TWO:            A very present help in trouble.

VOICE ONE:             Therefore we will not fear,

VOICE TWO:            though the earth should change,

VOICES TWO/THREE:        And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

VOICE TWO/THREE/FOUR:          Though its waters roar and foam,

VOICE TWO:            Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

VOICE ONE/THREE:           There is a river

VOICE FOUR:          whose streams make glad the city of God.

VOICE TWO:            The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

ALL:                           God is in the midst of her,

VOICE TWO:            God is in the midst of her.

VOICES THREE/FOUR:  God is in the midst of her,

ALL:                           She will not be moved.

VOICE ONE:             God will help her

VOICE TWO:            When morning dawns.

VOICES THREE/FOUR:      The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;

VOICE ONE:             He raised his voice, the earth melted.

ALL:                           The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

VOICE THREE:        Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolations in the earth.

VOICES THREE/FOUR:      He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth.

VOICES ONE/THREE/FOUR:         He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

ALL:                           He burns the chariots with fire.

VOICE TWO:            Cease striving

VOICE ONE:             And know that I am God;

VOICES THREE/FOUR:  I will be exalted among the nations,

ALL:                           I will be exalted in the earth.

VOICE TWO:            The Lord of hosts is with us;

VOICES ONE/TWO: The Lord of hosts is with us;

ALL:                           The God of Jacob is our stronghold.  God is our refuge and strength.

                                    (ALL SIT)

VOICE ONE:             (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  There can be no doubt that worship for the psalmists focused on God.   The entire book concludes with a glorious doxology, five psalms of praise that begin and end with “Hallelujah!” or “Praise Ye The Lord!”  All conflict has been resolved, suffering has faded into dim memory, sleepless nights remain no more.  The agonizing prayers for deliverance have been transformed into paeons of praise.  Help and restoration have appeared in the person of a loving Father who deserves all the glory our brimming hearts can render.

VOICE TWO:            (TOWARD AUDIENCE)  Does that mean the writer of the doxology had no problems?  Were there no griefs to plague his soul?  Was he beyond the need for help?  Not at all.  But his plagues and griefs, his sorrows and disappointments, his groans and moans had assumed their proper place as minor passages in the grand orchestral fanfare to the majesty and glory of Almighty God.

                                    (STAND AND MOVE STOOLS, THEN REMAIN STANDING BEHIND THEM.)

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VOICE THREE:        He had learned to praise the Creator, rather than the creation.

VOICE FOUR:          He had learned to praise the Provider, rather than the provision.

VOICE ONE:             He had learned to praise the Protector, rather than the protection.

VOICE TWO:            He had learned to praise the Savior, rather than the salvation.

(READERS #3 AND 4 REMAIN STANDING, # 2 AND # 1 TURN THEIR BACKS TO THE AUDIENCE AND SIT)

VOICE THREE:        Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, His holy mountain.

VOICE FOUR:          (SIT)  The LORD?  Where am I?  Oh!  That’s right.  It’s time for church.

VOICE THREE:        Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great King.

VOICE FOUR:          I don’t think I’m ready for this.  How did I get to Mount Zion anyway?

VOICE THREE:        God, in her palaces has made Himself known as a stronghold.

VOICE FOUR:          Oh, God is in Mount Zion.  That makes more sense.  Maybe I’d better find out what He’s doing there.

VOICE THREE:        For, lo the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together.  They saw it, then they were amazed; they were terrified, they fled in alarm.  Panic seized them there, anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.  With the east wind Thou doest break the ships of Tarshish.

VOICE FOUR:          Pretty impressive!  If what I’m hearing is right, their enemies were scared off just knowing that God was there in the city.  Talk about a defense system.

VOICE THREE:        As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever.

VOICE FOUR:          We’ve seen what we’ve heard?  Doesn’t that mean that the fellow who wrote that, is claiming to have experienced the same protection he had heard about from the past?  I wonder…

VOICE THREE:        We have thought on Thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of Thy temple.

VOICE FOUR:          Past and present!  God’s protection never changes.  That’s worth thinking about. 

VOICE THREE:        As is Thy name, O God, so is Thy praise to the ends of the earth; Thy right hand is full of righteousness.

VOICE FOUR:          “The Mighty God!  The everlasting Father!”  As is Thy Name!  Praise should be powerful and eternal.  I should be here in church to praise God!

VOICE THREE:        Let Mount Zion be glad, let the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of Thy judgments.

VOICE FOUR:          Let me be glad!  Let me rejoice!

VOICE THREE:        Walk about Zion, and go around her; count her towers, consider her ramparts; go through her palaces; that you may tell it to the next generation.

VOICE FOUR:          Walk through our homes—God is here!

                                    Consider His people gathered to worship—God is here!

                                    Go through the temple He has built within us as a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit—God is here!

                                    God is here!

                                    God is here!

                                    (READERS #1 AND #2 JOIN IN WITHOUT TURNING AROUND.)

ALL:                           God is here!  Hallelujah!  Praise Ye The Lord!