Psalm 23: Worshipping Alone, Together.

A while back, my wife pointed out a curious trend in the Psalms, which I have recently rediscovered for myself in Psalm 23 (a few days ago) and Psalm 27 (today). These psalms start out referring to God in the 3rd person ("He" or "the Lord"). Then switching to 2nd person ("you"). Then back to 3rd person to finish up.

Psalm 23
Consider Psalm 23:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. - Ps. 23:1-3

In these verses, David is talking about his personal ("I") relationship with God to someone else, probably the congregation (see Ps. 22:22 or Ps. 68:26). Then, in the middle portion, David addresses God directly:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. - Ps. 23:4-5

This is the central idea of the whole song: God protects, guides and blesses David. Then he returns to addressing his hearers to finish:

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Ps. 23:6

Together And Alone
To me, these words reflect the personal and together aspects of worship. From his own experiences, he shares what he has learned through the good times and the bad so that those with him can share and gain from his perspective. At the same time, he opens the door to reveal his own inner conversation with God about the same topic. It is an inner conversation that we all have when we go to church, even if it is "When am I getting out of here?" or "Is this relevant?" But the best of worship blends the togetherness of the body with the personal of heart-felt communion with God.

We worship both alone and together. David brings both pieces into view beautifully here.

P.S. If you are interested, another good example of this style is found in Psalm 27, where vs. 1-6 are 3rd person, vs. 7-9 are 2nd person and vs. 10-14 are back in 3rd person.