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This next portion of “Messiah” deals with the spreading of the Gospel message among those who accept it and among those who reject it, and God’s response to the latter, leading on to the prophetic foretelling of His eternal lordship.

As I mentioned in a previous instalment, I recently came across a site with the heading, “A Guide to the Original Source Texts for Handel’s Messiah”, which highlighted the libretto from within the Scriptural sources. It also informed me that headings used in the document come from a wordbook published for a 1743 performance of “Messiah”.

The heading in that 1743 wordbook for this section is “Whitsun, the gift of tongues, the beginning of evangelism”, “Whitsun”, or “Whitsunday” being an ancient term for Pentecost Sunday.

But let’s first go back to the instructions Jesus gave His disciples just prior to his ascension, which we find in Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:5, 8:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“… you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

Psalm 68: Spreading the Good News

This brings us to the first piece in this section of “Messiah”, with this text from Psalm 68:11, yet again using a single verse from the Old Testament to illuminate a New Testament truth:

“The Lord gave the word; great was the company of the preachers.”

As this section is identified with the Day of Pentecost, then it first speaks to that event, when “that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). But it really speaks of the fact that all through history, regardless of circumstances or the state of the Church, we always are a “great… company of… preachers” purposed with spreading the good news.

But when you read Psalm 68, from which the phrase for this portion of “Messiah” is taken, then you realise that it is also relevant to spiritual warfare, in which the “company of the preachers” are involved. Their procession is led by God, Who is the awesome, holy and victorious God, Who “speaks with His voice, a mighty voice” (Ps 68:33), and in doing so “His enemies” are “scattered” and “those who hate Him flee from His presence” (Ps 68:1).

In doing so He is also the One “Who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation… and to God the Lord belong ways of escape from death.” (Ps 68:19–20).

But now, because of the Messiah’s death and resurrection, and because He has delegated His universal authority to us (Matt 28:18–20), we have the authority to wage war on His behalf, empowered by grace through the Holy Spirit.

So whenever we act as witnesses on His behalf we are also waging war against the Satanic enemy.

That’s why I think Handel got the music for this passage just right, with the male voices singing “The Lord gave the word, sounding like the trumpets rousing the troops to battle. Then the response from the full choir, “Great was the company of the preachers”, sounds like the army of “Christian soldiers” marching off to battle with the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12). That’s probably why this section reminds me so much of that famous hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers”.

And it sounds joyful and majestic, as if the soldier/preachers know their victory is assured. It reminds me of something Graham Cooke always says about Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of faith”. He asks, “Do you know why it’s a ‘good fight’? Because a ‘good fight’ is one you always win!”

Isaiah 52: Beautiful Feet

Next comes a beautiful duet with the two altos, male and female, on Isaiah 52:7, which Paul echoed in Romans 10:15, “How beautiful are the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings of salvation, that sayeth unto Zion, ‘Thy God reigneth’”.

This is followed by the choir singing the first phrase from Isaiah 52:9, “Break forth into joy”, followed by “glad tidings, thy God reigneth” from Isaiah 52:7, then reprising the duet’s “How beautiful are the feet”.

The tempo of the duet is reminiscent of the instrumental in the first part of “Messiah” which introduces the shepherds at Bethlehem “abiding in their fields”. The only difference is that the one representing the shepherds has a rising scale in the tune, whereas this has a downward scale until the word “bringeth”, which is upward. So I wonder if Handel saw this as the “sheep” responding to the message of the Messiah/Shepherd that they now view as “glad tidings”, and that they represent those who were “like sheep” who previously “had gone astray”, but “… now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Pet 2:25 NASB)?

Whatever the case may be, this represents those who have made a positive response to the “gospel of peace” (Rom 10:15), and they express the joy of conversion, praising even the feet which brought those “that bringeth glad tidings of salvation”.

Next comes a brief, triumphant announcement by the tenor soloist that “Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world”. The “gospel of peace” has been announced everywhere, in fulfilment of the Messiah’s prophecy in Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come”.

Psalm 2: The Nations Rage

But as we know the “gospel of peace” is not welcomed peaceably by all who hear it. There are many who reject it outright and are in fact hostile towards both the message and those who deliver it. So the next piece reflects their rage and their fierce opposition, with the text from Psalm 2:1–2,

“Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed.”

This is followed immediately by Ps 2:3, sung by the choir: “Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us”.

But the response from God is swift and decisive:

“He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh them to scorn; The Lord shall have them in derision. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Ps 2:4, 9).

The Hallelujah Chorus

This section comes to its conclusion with one of the most famous pieces of music ever written, the immortal “Hallelujah” Chorus, the text taken from Revelation 19:6, 11:15 and 19:16:

“Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!”

There is the tradition of audiences standing during the “Hallelujah” Chorus, a tradition attributed to an uncorroborated story, the earliest written record being several decades after the fact, that King George II stood while it was sung during the London premiere in 1743. And whenever the King stands, everyone else stands!

I also mentioned previously that Handel composed “Messiah” at breakneck speed, in around three weeks, an astonishing feat. In fact, I would imagine that anyone transcribing it note for note with the aid of a computer program would even find it a daunting task!

The effort over those three weeks:

“… would be a spiritual epiphany for him. One day a friend who brought him his meals walked in on Handel and found him physically and emotionally exhausted. He had just completed the “Hallelujah Chorus.” The teary composer told him he had had a vision: “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself!” Like the Psalmist, like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and St John, Handel had had a vision of the throne room of God! And so he drenched the Chorus with praise.”

In fact, the word “Hallelujah” is repeated 48 times over the four minute span! The piece builds in its fervour until the final “Hallelujah” rings out.

Many think that “Hallelujah” brings “Messiah” to a fitting end, but this is merely the prophetic announcement of what’s to come, the final victory over death and the ultimate acclamation of Messiah’s authority.

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Photo by AfroRomanzo.