Psalm 75
Depending on the version of the Bible you read, you may have noticed the word Selah interspersed among some of the verses in some of the psalms. Some Bible versions leave the word as is; others translate it Interlude; others remove the word from the text altogether in favor of a footnote.
There is some disagreement over the meaning of the word Selah. Some (though not many) scholars believe it is simply a musical term that signals nothing more than an interlude between verses. However, most believe that, while it does signal a pause, it is connected to the message, not the music. It is a word used to magnify the words that come before it, to invite us to reflect on the meaning of what we’ve just heard. In other words, it means something like, “Now stop and think about that!”
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If you go back through the psalms and look at the places where the word Selah occurs, I think it will be easy to see that, of the two proposed definitions, the latter is a much better fit. In today’s psalm, the words Selah appears after this verse: “When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.” (vs 3)
Now stop and think about that!
When the entire Earth is in upheaval (as it is at present!), when wars are ravaging the planet, when people are confused and hopeless, when it seems as though everything is being shaken off its foundations, it is God who holds everything firm. He is the eye of the storm. He is the peace in the midst of chaos. When the forces of evil threaten to tear everything apart, God alone has the power to hold it all together.
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What can you face in life that can overpower you? Nothing. What can you face in life that can destroy your eternal security? Nothing. What can you face in life that can remove you from God’s hands? Nothing. In Christ, you are safe and secure… forever. Now stop and think about that!
God loves it when we Selah. He loves it when we pause to consider something more about His character. He loves it when we approach Him with our questions and curiosity, when we come to “reason” with Him. What sort of God is this, who would create intelligent beings with the power to think and reflect and choose?
Selah!