Psalm 100 is one of the most popular psalms of praise and thanksgiving. Almost every scholar accepts this psalm as a hymn commanding the congregation to praise Yahweh in thanksgiving. This song is so vital because to praise and worship Yahweh is to live and to live is to praise and worship him for his majesty and all the things he has done for ancient Israel. Psalm 100 is also called the imperative psalm because of the seven imperative verbs that seem to dictate the structure. The content of this psalm resembles not only ancient Israelite worship but also a typical African worship. This article wants to apply Africentric interpretation to Psalm 100 in order to reflect how the praise and worship in African churches reflect the description of Psalm 100 (without saying that they are the same). This article wants to demonstrate how African religion and culture can be used to understand Psalm 100 without condemning Eurocentric approaches.
Key Words: Psalms, Protection, Imperative, Old Testament, African Context, Healing
Introduction.
Psalm 100 is so special and popular a psalm that in my childhood days in primary school this was one of the psalms to be first memorized along with Psalm 23 in my village (Irunda, Kogi State, Nigeria). We were forced to memorize it in school in our language (Yoruba). In fact, to us, it sounds sweeter than in English. It is quite interesting that I can still recite it from memory.
While Crenshaw considers the Book of Psalms as the hymnal of the Second Temple and a window through which ancient Israelites responded to Yahweh’s presence and absence (Crenshaw 2001:1), others consider it more as the prayer book of the poor (Groenewald 2007:425; Adamo 2014: 4-14; Prinsloo 1996:465-485; McPolin 1989:79-103). Zenger and Hossfeld consider Psalm 100 as part of “the YHWH is king” psalms ( Hossfeld and Zenger 2005:10). The 150 psalms have their sources from the experience of worship of both individual and communal prayer and praise (Crenshaw 2001:1). Singing, shouting, screaming, crying, dancing, bowing and praying are all found in the Book of Psalms. Most of these actions are mentioned in Psalm 100. It is full of the sense of immediacy in its compelling worshippers and readers to take part in the physical activities of praise and proclamation (Brown 2010:61). Psalms are performative and its power is not in the eyes of the beholder but in the mouth of the readers through recitation, chanting, writing and wearing the words. It may be difficult to convince some Western traditional or conservative readers of this magical conception of language in psalms. However, evidence from archaeological discoveries and scholars seems to support this. The words become the readers’ words whether performed individually or corporately. The readers are compelled to take up the subject position of the speaker (Brown 2010:61). Psalm 100 is full of not only ordinary emotions but also behavioural and ritualistic emotions as it is in African indigenous churches. The emotionally laden language of this psalm indicates performative activities. It is full of verbal activities. Confessional speeches in thanksgiving result in a liberation by God from the speaker’s guilt (Brown 2010: 63). Praising and proclaiming are the fundamental activities of the psalmist.
There is the tendency to misunderstand this Africentric approach to Psalm 100 to be a lesson in African tradition or a defence of African indigenous tradition and culture. It is important to, first of all, discuss the contemporary Western interpretation which I call the Eurocentric interpretation, before the Africentric interpretation. This will further demonstrate that both Eurocentric and Africentric approaches are complementary.
The purpose of this article is not to prove that Yoruba/African religion is the same with Judaism or Christianity because of their similarities. Similarity does not mean dependence or the same. The purpose of this article is to examine how African/Yoruba religion and tradition can be used to understand Psalm 100 and to see how Psalm 100 is used in African/Yoruba Christianity.
Contemporary Western Interpretation of Psalm 100
Psalm 100 is regarded as one of the most well-known hymns or songs of praise. According to Mays, (1993:64). “were the statistics known, Psalm 100 would probably prove to be the song most often chanted from within the history that runs from the Israelite temple on Mount Zion to the Synagogues and churches spread across the earth.” Psalm 100 is occasionally regarded as an enthronement psalm despite the fact that there is no explicit reference to Yahweh’s kingship (Anderson 1972:698; Hossfeld and Zenger 2005:10).While Hossfeld and Zenger classified Psalm 100 as one of the “YHWH is king” psalms, Brueggemann (1984:165) classified it as one of the psalms of orientation. However, the majority of Old Testament scholars agree that Psalm 100 is a hymn (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson, and Tanner 2014:734-740; Segal 2013:372; Weiser 1998:645; McCann 1993:64 Clifford 2003:133;Anderson 1985:698). For many people it is the best example of the hymn of the Psalter (deClaisse- Walford, Jacobson; Tanner 2014:734-740).
This poem can be divided into two parts and the two are actually saying the same thing (1–3 and 4-5). The first part (1-3 and 4-5) starts with a verb in the plural imperative mood to command all the nations to worship the Lord with gladness and singing with a great and joyous noise. They are to come to the Jerusalem Temple to acknowledge Yahweh as the Lord so that they can benefit from the bounty and fidelity (Clifford 2003:133). Because of the universal nature of the command to praise God, some scholars (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson and Tanner 2014:739) believe that Psalm 100 is polemical. Rather than summoning the individual to praise the Lord, it summons the whole earth. It also summons the earth to praise God alone because he is the true God (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson and Tanner 2014:739).
In verse 2 there are two important verbs present (עִבְדוּ, בֹאוּ) namely, “serve” and “enter.” Both uֹse as imperatives. The first verb is translated in two ways in our English versions, namely “serve” and “worship.” Verse 2 is one of the most challenging verses in these Psalms because serving the Lord is a matter of celebration and joy. Serving the Lord is a compulsion for one’s existence. It means to serve or worship God is to live and to live is to worship God. The verb בֹאוּ has different meanings in the Old Testament. It means “go,” “come,” “enter,” or “sexual intimacy.” However, any of these meanings may be correct in light of the context of Psalm 100 except sexual intimacy-come, go, enter. The majority of translators translate it “come,” which I think is correct.
Verse 3 suggests a grand procession with a song that affirms that all the nations present must confess that Yahweh is the Creator and that all of them belong to him. The recognition that we are his sheep is emphasized. This is an idiom which means that Israel is pastured by Yahweh, the Most High God himself, while any other sheep are pastured by “its own divine patron” (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson and Tanner 2014:734-740).
Part two of this psalm is parallel to the first part. It is a repetition of the first part with command and reasons for coming to Zion to worship. The phrase “for the Lord is good” means that Yahweh is reliable and trustworthy toward Israel. The words חַסְדּוֹ “steadfast love” and אֱמוּנָתֽוֹ “faithfulness” are important. It expresses the absolute fidelity of Yahweh toward Israel. Israel is a testimony of Yahweh’s goodness and all nations should take note of that.
The word חַסְדּוֹ comes from a root which means “to be good,” and “to be kind” and this word is primarily a covenant term descriptive of covenant fidelity (Smith 1984: 30-31). In Psalm 100, it is translated to mean steadfast love. Sometimes it is translated “kindness,” “mercy,” “fidelity,” “lovingkindness,” and “affections” (Smith 1984:30). This is the central quality of Yahweh’s character and nature. Many psalmists see Yahweh’s steadfast love as reliable and can be trusted especially for their salvation (6:4; 13:5; 17:7; 31:16; 44:26). אֱמוּנָתֽוֹ is ַַa derivative of אֵמוwhich occurs about fifty times in the Old Testament with a sense of faith and trust (Renn 2005:361). This is the characteristic of the divine nature of Yahweh and Yahweh’s faithfulness is inherently bound up with absolute truthfulness (Renn 2005:361).
The structure of Psalm 100 can also be described by its seven plural verbs in the imperative mood: “make a joyful noise,” “know,” “come,” “ enter,” “ give thanks,” “worship” and “bless” which express an important aspect of worship (Clifford 2003:133; Segal 2013:472). That is why deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson, and Tanner see this “central imperatival sequence (come, know, come) as a structural signal to their centrality.” Psalm 100 can also be analyzed under three broad categories, namely, who is to take action, the action to be taken and the object of this action (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson, and Tanner 2014:736). While the one who is to take the action is “all the earth” and those who dwell in it, the very action to be taken is described by the first three and the last three imperatives-worship actions, that is, “shout,” “serve,” “come” (twice), “testify” and “bless” (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson, and Tanner 2014:736). The object of these actions to be taken is certainly the Lord. It is important to note the repetitions of the name of this object.
It is remarkable that many of the activities that are called for with the plural imperatives are personally qualified. First, people are to serve the Lord with joy and gladness. Second, come before him with gladness and singing, third, come into his gates with testimony (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson and Tanner 2014:738). The above means that the worshippers have abandoned the reserved constraints of the society and then give themselves absolutely to the glad emotion of communion with God. This is the powerful emotion that God draws out of human beings when an encounter takes place and they are gripped by the presence of the Holy One (deClaisse-Walford, Jacobson and