Lyrics: Sing Psalms – Free Church of Scotland
Tune: Lochbroom C.M
Psalm 1 effectively introduces the book of Psalms setting, as it does, the foundational theme for the entire collection. This beautiful, poetic and wisdom-infused Psalm paints a vivid picture of the differences between the lifestyle and final destination of the righteous and the unrighteous.
Verse six presents a key to understanding Psalm 1:
‘For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.’
The Hebrew text renders the verb ‘to know’ in the present continuous tense signalling that God is constantly constantly looking on and over His people. So, the righteous, who submit themselves to God and His law, can have peace He watches over and protects them.
Note: Lochbroom is a very beautiful Scottish melody. As yet, I have been unable to identify who wrote it but it is used in a number of Free churches across Scotland. I am very grateful to the good people in the Free Church Friends Facebook group who forwarded me various hand-written scores and also Tonic Sol Fah versions. The various options I received were in a variety of keys and I have chosen to notate the tune in F major because it best suits the vocal range of my own congregation.
Please feel free to download the PDF file: Lochbroom .
I shall continue in my efforts to discover the composer so as to respect copyright.