1O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me; 2many are saying to me,
'There is no help for you in God.'
Selah
3But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. 4I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
Selah
5I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. 6I am not afraid of tens of thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7Rise up, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
may your blessing be on your people!
Selah
Selah is one of those words that we encounter time and time again and we forget and forget and forget what it means. At least, I do. I had to look it up. On the surface, it seems to have no immediate impact on our reading or understanding, for most sources say that it is merely a musical notation. After all, Psalms literally means "songs." In fact, there is no one word which we can translate. Instead, the meaning is not merely notational for music, but "stop and listen." In fact, those three words are not enough to take in the full effect of this word. The most concise definition that we have is, "Let those with eyes see and with ears hear."
What can seem like nothing more than a stop, a pause, or a notation is really God trying to tell us something. Stop. Listen. Use your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength and really understand what your prayers mean. Take your time. Slow down.
In our fast paced society, that can be hard to do. But as you encounter the Psalms, take time for the Selah to become a part of your reading, your praying, and your listening for the voice of God.
Pray the psalm with the Selah.
1O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me; 2many are saying to me,
'There is no help for you in God.'
Selah
3But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. 4I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
Selah
5I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. 6I am not afraid of tens of thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7Rise up, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
may your blessing be on your people!
Selah
Amen.
G. Thomas Martin
