טוֹב יהוה

Hebrew Text

Description

I chose to write this song as a worship song. The stage is set with a soloist who recounts God’s work in his life. The choir acts as the voice of truth and can be pictured as the community (in the words of my song, the “sheep”) of God. The soloist begins with a “praise formula,” declaring how he will bless Yahweh and proclaim His name. The choir responds, “Because He is good.” This underlying truth of God’s nature—His goodness—is the foundation of the song.

It is because Yahweh is good that He uncovers our sin, reveals our guilt, and sent Jesus to atone for our sin. His blood covers all our iniquities, and the Bread of Life satisfies the fierce famine of our hearts. It is because He is the Good Shepherd that He sought us out when we were lost in sin, so that we (even as Gentiles) are now part of His flock. Jesus consecrated us to be His priests. We can boldly ask Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit and strengthen us to carry out all that He commands (through the Holy Spirit).

Even the Gentiles will praise Yahweh because He has given us life according to His steadfast love. His goodness has brought us together, each through the same journey as the soloist, to become a kingdom of priests to God.