Two Musicians, Two Hallelujahs

This God-his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30 

King David wrote many beautiful psalms of praise like the one above. I can imagine David singing it, pouring out his heart before the Lord.  If you’ve heard Leonard Cohen’s song Hallelujah, you can imagine it too. Cohen’s lyrics perfectly describe David as the “baffled king composing Hallelujah.” We know why is David “baffled.”

David had a blessing on his life. He was anointed by God to be king.  But David sinned and sinned greatly. He broke two of the 10 Commandments, adultery and murder. He succumbed to the temptation of taking Bathsheba and arranged for the death of her husband. David had always tried to be faithful to God, so we can imagine he is experiencing many emotions tearing him apart inside, like guilt, tragedy and sorrow. But what does David sing to the Lord? Again, Cohen has the perfect lyrics:

And even though it went all wrong, I’ll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.

I love that Cohen has David singing Hallelujahs to God in this moment. Other men might have rejected God and continued their lives of sin, but David does the opposite. He sings a song of praise to his God. Again, Cohen:

There’s a blaze of light in every word. It doesn’t matter which are heard,

The holy or the broken Hallelujah.

Sometimes our Hallelujahs are holy; sometimes they’re broken. It doesn’t matter which God hears. It’s a powerful reminder of God’s perfect way and faithfulness in dealing with humans.

God, help us to trust you more fully in times of affliction or doubt, and to keep nothing on our tongues but Hallelujahs. Amen