The banner is a composition of the drawings I made of Psalm 42/43 when I was 18 years old

Jeduthun's soul

The psalms are all about soul. Not the soul of philosophers and theologians, but the soul of poets and musicians. Not the Greek psyche, but the Hebrew nefesh.

The only way to really understand your soul as David and Jesus understood her, is to sing the psalms, and especially psalm 131 by David and psalm 42/43 by the Korachites. Those psalms have had a major impact on me throughout my life.

Jeduthun

David and Solomon appointed incredibly gifted musicians for the temple worship from the Korachite families. They were led by Asaf, Heman and Jeduthun (or Ethan for short).

Jeduthun was the "king's seer:" he not only directed music but also gave voice to the inspiration of God's spirit. Only Solomon was considered to be wiser than he and Heman were.

They brought the ark to Jerusalem with David and his people dancing to their music. Their choirs were heard as Solomon dedicated his newly built temple to the LORD.

But they also stood around Jeduthun in his darkest hour. The hour that his soul's despair overwhelmed him, and he could no longer make music for the LORD.

Caveat

The text, dating and interpretation of individual psalms is notoriously difficult, as they are short, condense and often come to us re-edited. Here I present an imaginative reading of these psalms in the context of David's story. My purpose is not historical reconstruction but a deeper understanding of the psychology and spirituality of these psalms.