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Daily Devotions

Psalms

Psalms 
Day 
Day 27

To the Chief Musician

Day 27 – Psalm 4

“To the Chief Musician” Psalm 4

ANOTHER PSALM WITH A SUPERSCRIPTION

Psalm 4 also has a superscription. It reads:

“To the Chief Musician.
With stringed instruments.
A Psalm of David.”

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SUPERSCRIPTION

The following things may be learned from reading this inscription:-

1. “To the Chief Musician”

a) King David was a great organizer-
i) As a military commander;
ii) As a king; and
iii) As a writer.
b) He had a chief musician to look after the psalms written.
i) Psalms of David
ii) Psalms from other authors

2. “With stringed instruments”

a) This was a note to the Chief Musician from the author as to how this psalm would be best utilized.
i) Some psalms could be sung without accompaniment.
ii) Other psalms could employ a number of musical instruments.
iii) Still others, like this one, would be best employed “with stringed instruments”.
b) The psalms were written for a number of reasons:
i) To express the feelings of the author.
ii) To express the thoughts of the author.
iii) To teach deep truths about God (through songs/psalms).

3. “A Psalm of David”

David was one of the major contributors of the psalms of David. It is quite normal to declare authorship of the psalms. It helps greatly when we know who the author is. Sometimes it aids the understanding of the contents of the psalms.