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SINGING PRAISE TO GOD by Edward W. Lee Brother Lee was born in Akron, Ohio. He served 22 years in the navy. While stationed in Beeville, Texas, he met and married Coletta in 1968. They have two sons, two daughters and eleven grandchildren. He and Coletta worked and worshipped with the church in Dripping Springs from July 1997 until his graduation from the Southwest School of Bible Studies in July of 1999. He currently serves the Lord’s church in Shepherd, Texas. INTRODUCTION It is indeed a privilege to assemble with the saints at Dripping Springs for this your homecoming lectureship. I want to thank the elders and Brother Moore for this opportunity to be here with brethren of like precious faith. It is an honor to stand before this congregation and discuss one of the greatest privileges and blessings we have as Christians, that of ‘Singing Praises to God,’ our Creator. Someone once said, “What we sing and how we sing reveals much of who we are.” In researching the subject at hand I soon discovered that much has been said about the use/non-use of mechanical instruments of music in worship, but little has been written about why we sing or the solemnity of singing praises to God. The apostle Paul wrote, “…l will sing with spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Cor. 14:15)1. If we are to “worship God in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) we must understand the significance of our singing praises to Him. Brother James Nash wrote of singing as a part of worship saying that many brethren “treat it like an appetizer to the sermon, as if it is somehow less important than the preaching” (95)2. What we sing and how we sing are just as important as what is preached (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1-4). Our attitude toward singing is as solemn as our attitude in partaking the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:28). Singing is as significant as how we give upon the first day of the week (2 Cor. 9:7). Singing is as serious as the prayers we offer to Jehovah (Jas. 5:16). J.J. Turner described the Christian and singing as being “a mainstay to his daily life for the Lord. Through singing he is built up and encouraged to live faithfully for the Lord. It is through singing that his spirit is raised in joyful praise unto his Lord. The Christian will not let singing go out of his life” (486)3. Brother Turner goes on to discuss some areas that we ought to remember about singing. He calls attention to David who wrote, “Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing” (Psa. 100:2). What a privilege it is to be able to come before Jehovah praising Him in song. When we sing, words become richer, deeper, and more powerful than those spoken. Something is shared in our singing that goes beyond the words alone for they express our deepest yearning for heaven, our fear of God, our desires, and the joy of being a child of God. It was the Hebrews writer who said, “… Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks” (Heb. 13:15). Singing must not be de-emphasized for God has given man a love for music as a creative means for expressing the inner most thoughts of our hearts. With this in mind let us explore some of the many facets of singing by Christians that may not have been considered before. Singing ~ Its History Much of the praise to God in the Old Testament consisted of two parts of music, instruments and singing. Jubal, the son of Lamech, is given the title of “the father of all as handle the harp and organs” (Gen. 4:21). Throughout the Old Testament one finds numerous events where Israel praised God with song and instruments. Early History of Israel Some of the earliest recorded accounts of singing are found in the book of Exodus. Moses and the children of Israel, by the power of Jehovah, had escaped from the pursuing Egyptian army by crossing the Red Sea on dry ground (Exo. 14:29-30). Moses and Israel in a display of their gratitude toward God burst forth in song praising Him for the triumph over Pharaoh (Exo. 15:1ff). During this same time Miriam called for the women to “Sing ye to the Lord” (Exo. 15:21). From the book of Numbers we find Israel erupting in song at the receiving of water at the well of Beer (Num. 21:17). It was Saul who was displeased as the women sang the praises of David in 1 Samuel 18:7-8. Prior to the death of Moses and the Israelites entering the promised land, Moses gave a charge to the people. Half the tribes were to “stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people,” and the other half was to “stand upon mount Ebal to curse” (Deut. 27; 28). This command was fulfilled after the conquering of the city of Ai, (Joshua 8:32ff). This was a song to remind the people of their need to remain faithful to Jehovah and a reminder of what would happen if they should disobey. “We find no recorded evidence of this song ever being sung again” (Furr 8)4. Moses was commanded to write a song and “teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel” (Deut. 31:19). In the book of Judges we find Deborah and Barak, after the battle with Jabin king of Canaan, saying, “I will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel” (Jud. 5:3). From the scriptures we see a nation of God’s people, Israel, singing after victory in battle. Singing was an expression of Israel’s gratefulness to God for their victories, which they could express in no other way. Singing was also used as a form of encouragement and admonishment for the children of God. We have no record that God had required Israel to sing as part of tabernacle worship. Not until the time of David did singing enter as a part of the worship of God by Israel (Johnson 22)5. Later Use Of Music in the Old Testament David was called the “sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1) and it is he who introduced the instrument into Levitical worship. During his first attempt to return the ark of God to Jerusalem, David celebrated the event with the use of “all manner of instruments” (2 Sam. 6:5). Later the king called for the Levites to appoint from among themselves singers who would be accompanied by mechanical instruments of music in “lifting up the voice with joy” (1 Chr. 15:16). Of the twenty four thousand who were “set forward for the work of the house of the Lord….four thousand praised the Lord with instruments“ which David said he made (1 Chr. 23:4-5). In 1 Chronicles 25:7 we find that there were 288 skilled singers employed for the praising of God. This tradition of music in the temple worship continued during the time of king Hezekiah, “…we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord” (lsa. 38:20). “This form of worship would continue in the second temple after Israel returned from captivity in Babylon” (Ezra 3:10) (Johnson 23)6. During the Babylonian captivity the synagogue emerged as a place of worship for the Jews. History has the first synagogue meetings as memorial services similar to a funeral. The Jews met to share their grief over the destruction of their homeland; their exile in Babylon. “it was a tradition of the Jews to sing a cappella songs in funeral assemblies, so these gatherings featured a cappella singing” (Furr 14)7. After Israel returned home, the synagogue continued to be used for worship as well as the worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Use of the instrument in the Old Testament was to praise God as well as the use of the voice. There is much controversy as to whether God authorized, through David, the use of instruments (see 2 Chr. 29:25; Psa. 81:1-4; Amos 6:1, 5). Whether God did or did not authorize the instrument of music, it must be remembered that what was allowed under the Law of Moses is not what the Christian is authorized to do today. Singing in the New Testament ~ lts Use and Authority Since instruments of music were used in the Old Testament with songs of praise, what would Jesus direct His followers, Christians, to use in the New Testament for worship in His church? There was historical precedence for the use of instruments and instruments were plentiful, yet the early church sang their praises to the Lord without mechanical accompaniment of any kind. One type of worship was authorized in the Old Testament. The Law of Christ would mandate a different kind of worship. Jesus said, “God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). If the Christian then is to worship God acceptably it must be according to His Divine Word. Many people have the spirit of singing in mind, but they are far from the truth in the manner of singing. Jesus said we “can know the truth” and it will make us free. That truth Paul says is “the gospel” (Eph. 1:13). It matters not what was done under the Old Law, Christians today are not under Levitical law, but under the Law of Christ (Matt. 28:18; Heb. 1:1-2). Just before our Lord departed from the Passover feast, during which time the Lord’s Supper was instituted, He and His disciples sang a hymn (Matt. 26:30). While imprisoned Paul and Silas were found singing praises unto God” (Acts 16:25) as the other prisoners listened. One can see from these two accounts that Jesus, as well as His followers, shared their beliefs and emotions with one another through songs of praise to their Heavenly Father (Johnson 33)8. Paul said, “l will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Cor.14:15). While discussing speaking in tongues, Paul explains how singing ought to be conducted in the assembly. Singing was to be intelligible and distinguishable according to Paul. Today many congregations have adopted and succumbed to music that is anything but reverent and intelligible. Paul elaborates further in verse 26 that everything that is done should be done to the edification of one another. While Paul’s reference is not directly toward singing, he clearly desires that edification is an important principle to guide the church in worship. “Mere sound, however beautiful, does not edify in the Biblical sense of building one up in the faith” (Johnson 81)9, WORDS DO! The aspect of music that God has authorized Christians to use is our voice. God delights to hear the sound made by His creation, and we are to use that voice in song to admonish one another in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” by singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord, (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). While the subject of mechanical instruments of music as a part of worship is not under discussion here it would be a grievous error not to inform the reader that the use of the mechanical instrument in the worship assembly is not authorized in the New Testament. In Ephesians 5:19 the instrument that is to be psalloed is the heart and not some mechanical instrument made by man. God desires to hear the instrument He created, the voice of man who makes melody by plucking (psallo) of the strings of his heart. Since the Bible teaches that we are not to use mechanical instruments to accompany our singing, the next question then is what type of singing is authorized? Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 exclude what we term as modern music such the Blues or Rock –n- Roll, et al. The intent of the singing God desires is one of spiritual content, songs that admonish, whether it was penned by men or by the Holy Spirit (as in the Psalms). Our singing is to be of a nature that addresses God with reverential praise while edifying and exhorting one another. No Christian would knowingly word a prayer that was not in accord with the Word of God, nor should we when we sing, for we must worship God not only “in spirit,” but also “in truth.” Many of the hymnals used today by our brethren contain songs written by people of the denominational world. While many of these songs are scripturally correct there are a number of them that teach false or misleading doctrines. Let us not unknowingly teach for doctrine “the commandments of men.” We must ensure that the meaning and sentiments of the song is in harmony with Biblical principles; however, it should not be our desire to be overly critical of those who write hymns knowing they must use certain literary devices in their writings some of which are also utilized by all writers including the inspired writers of God’s Word. It is this misunderstanding of poetic license that sometimes causes us to be overly critical of a song. Brother Carl Garner quoted L.O. Sanderson saying, “There is a continuing need to study what we sing! We must not only know the truth, we must know what we say in song. It is as wrong to sing a falsehood, as it is to preach one. Song leaders, as well as editors and publishers, must study and know songs – not just the music, but also the words, their meaning and their implications… God’s people should read, study and discuss songs that we sing” (197-8)10. Milligan wrote, “So long as the sentiment of the Scriptures is retained, the poetry and the music of our psalmody and hymnology may be so varied as to suit all the tastes, wants, and circumstances of mankind. But every thing which is false sentiment, or which is in any way inconsistent with the dignity and purity of the Holy Scriptures, should be excluded from every collection of Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs” (384)11. Songs, like poetry, use symbols, figures of speech, imagery, sound, and rhythm to convey that which words by themselves cannot. Songs, like poetry can be misunderstood if we are not aware of these and other literary devices employed by the writers, thereby causing us to have a false understanding of a particular song. Those who embark upon writing religious songs should be afforded the same privileges as other writers, within Scriptural limits of course. Briefly some of these tools used by songwriters are: (1) Diction – the choice of words used by the writer. For instance, James McGranshan, author of I Know Whom I Have Believed, wrote “Nor if I’ll walk the vale with Him…” using the word vale” to mean death before the Lord’s return or as he wrote “Or meet Him in the air.” (2) Figures of speech such as the metaphor, hyperbole, ellipsis, etc. - One form of speech often employed is tautology (i.e. the repetition of the same idea in different words), “which is frequently deemed unacceptable in prose, but is often utilized in a song or poem. This may be the very idea by Paul’s statement of singing ‘psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’.” Brother John Moore cites the song I Am Resolved by Palmer Harsough to convey the idea of tautology and how it can be misunderstood. He states that some refuse to sing the last stanza of the song believing it to teach of a miraculous divine leading of the Spirit in the life of the Christian. The stanza in question reads, “Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit, We’ll walk the heavenly way.” Many protest the usage of this stanza because of alleged Calvinistic teaching in the song even though the phrase is a direct quote from Galatians 5:18 (ASA). If one would not take the stanza out of context, but look at it in light of the entire song one would see that the author is using the license of tautology throughout the song. The author is merely saying exactly what the inspired word of God teaches. To be “led by the Spirit” is equivalent to the phrase “taught by the Bible.” With literary license the author has stated it in another way for literary effect, much like the psalmists have done in the Bible (see Psa. 117:1; cf. Pro. 6:2) (Moore)12. Songs often come under scrutiny because we do not understand the author’s intent, or we are unwilling to give the “benefit of the doubt” as to the intended meaning of a song. Many of the songs we sing span decades, making it virtually impossible to know the writers’ exact meaning or what was on their mind at the time of the writing. Writing has changed over the years; therefore, the meanings of words and phrases used at a particular time which were understood then may not have the same meaning today. Let us be thankful that we do have, in some instances, the story behind the song as recorded in such works as: Our Garden of Song, Sing With Feeling, The One Year Book of Hymns, and A History of Church Music. If a particular phrase could have a different meaning, could we not sing it with the correct, Scriptural idea in view? For many years I have advocated changing the words “The hour I first believed” in the song Amazing Grace to a “When I His Word obeyed”, believing it was unscriptural, fearing it taught the false doctrine of faith only. While I have no problem with the latter, through study, today I believe in all good conscience and with all Scriptural correctness I could sing the former phrase “the hour I first believed.” Consider, if in doubt, the Bible often uses the word believe as a synonym for obedience (see John 3:36; Acts 2:44; 4:4, 10:45; and James 2:24-26). The word “believe” stands as a part for the whole; the literary term for this is synecdoche. With this understanding, can we not then sing the hymn as it was originally written with the scriptural thought of belief standing for the whole of salvations plan and not commit sin in the process? Poetic license is defined as “the departure from the rules of diction, pronunciation, or from what is regarded as fact, for the sake of rhyme, meter, or an overall enhancement of effect (1042)13. In our interpretation of songs, we must remember the use of poetic license used by the author in the formulation of the song in question. The Bible is neither fictional nor mythical, but it does contain various literary styles used in secular writings (e.g. poetry, apocalyptic, prophetic, narrative, etc.) and contains literary devices such as metaphors, simile, hyperbole, personification, etc. All of these devices are used to elicit a desired effect or emotion, the same holds true for the songs we sing. In Psalm 114:3 for example, the sea is spoken of as if it had life (personification). Benjamin described as a ravenous wolf (Gen. 49:27) is an example of a metaphor (comparing a word to something it is not, to suggest a resemblance). We do not question such usage in the Word of God, but we tend to hold a different view when it comes to our songs. In the song Heaven Holds All To Me the phrase “millions are singing the wonderful story” is objected to because “we do not know how many will be saved” (Crozier 58)14. l believe the author was using a literary device called a hyperbole (an intentional exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis) when he used the word “millions” (cf. Deu 1:28; Jud. 20:16, et al.). |Before we object to a song we need to, with all sincerity, examine the song in its entire content to properly ascertain whether the song is overall acceptable or cast it aside as being unscriptural. As the Bible is our sole authority for “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet.1:3; cf. John 12:48-50) it is to the Word of God we are to turn as our authority in ascertaining whether or not a song is scriptural in its content and can be sung by God’s people. Singing ~ lts Importance and Results It was Augustine who observed long ago, ‘whoever sings prays twice, in music as well as words’ (Bass 183)15. Singing gives to every child of God the ability and opportunity to express outwardly their praise unto God. Some will not sing because they believe their voice is not as beautiful sounding as they think it should be. We are not to be the judge of how good or how bad we sound; the Lord has called for us to sing. Remember Israel was told to offer a burnt offering unto the Lord that it might be a sweet savour. We might not think that burning meat would be sweet, but our thoughts are not God’s thoughts (lsa. 55:8). Songs sung with the proper spirit rise up as a sweet savour no matter how off key it might sound to us. Sometimes we only hear the notes sung and fail to hear the love behind them! Everett Ferguson said, “in Christian hymnography the words were the important thing and melodies were adapted to the words” (161)16. The importance of singing is not necessarily in the sound, but the words and the spirit behind the words. Christians are commanded to teach and admonish one another in song. Singing is a means by which the spiritually weak can be uplifted and strengthened. Stand Up for Jesus is such a song that will encourage and lift the spirit. The invitation song is used not for a means of signaling the end of the service, but rather as an invitation to the sinner to come to Christ. The song Oh Why Tonight is such a song to cause one to act before it is everlastingly too late. Singing stirs the mind to action where words fail. The spoken word can let the bereaved know we care, and songs such as Does Jesus Care When My Heart is Pained? gives comfort to the bereaved. When I sing When The Roll Called Up Yonder my thoughts turn to heaven, and my resolve is to live my life in such a way here on earth that when that trumpet is sounded “I’ll be there.” Singing is important because we praise God in the manner that pleases Him. We express our dependence upon Him through songs such as Be With Me Lord, I Need Thee Every Hour, Only In Thee, and others. Singing expresses our love toward our brother in songs like Angry Words, and Blest Be the Tie. Christ’s love for man is reflected in the old songs Wonderful Story of Love and Christ’s Love Is All I Need. We reveal our love toward Jesus in the beautiful songs 0 How I Love Jesus and My Jesus I Love Thee. When we hear our brethren around us singing it should give us a taste of what heaven will be like When All of God’s Singers Get Home! I recall the last time I heard and saw the late Brother Ira Rice Jr. lead a song which was during the Gospel Meeting held in Shepherd, Texas. As he stood and called out the hymn number you could see the twinkle in his eye and the joy in his heart as he began to direct the congregation in praising God in song. Singing was important to men such as brother Rice and it ought to be important to us not because we are commanded to sing, rather because we want to sing. Singing is the gateway to expressing our innermost feelings and emotions that cannot be expressed in words. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church said of singing, “Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself or any other creature. In order to do this, attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the soul, but offered to God continually” (source unknown). Conclusion May we as Christians have the resolve to always “sing with the spirit and sing with the understanding also” as we worship God “in spirit and in truth.” Let us have the heart of David when he said, “O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day” “Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works” and “let us sing unto the Lord let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.” (Psa. 96:1-2; 105:2; 95:1-2). END NOTES All Scriptural references are from the King James Bible unless otherwise noted. Nash, James (2001) “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” Shall We Sing? ed. Monte L. Evans (Baytown, TX: Cedar Bayou church of Christ. Turner, J. J. (1980); Our Garden of Song (West Monroe, La: Howard Publishing CO.). Furr, J. E., (2002); A History of church Music (Navasota, TX: Taylor Publications). Johnson, A, (1995); Music Matters in The Lord’s Church (Nashville, Tn: 21st Century Christian). Ibid Furr, J. E., (2002); A History of church Music (Navasota, TX: Taylor Publications). Johnson, A, (1995); Music Matters In The Lords Church (Nashville. Tn: 21st Century Christian). lbid. Garner, Carl (1991), “Worship: Singing, with Spirit and with Understanding” God Hath Spoken, ed. Bill Jackson (Austin, TX: Southwest church of Christ) Milligan, R, (1975); Scheme of Redemption (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate Company) Moore, John, In Defense of Some Questionable Lyrics Funk & Wagnall’s, (1966) Standard College Dictionary (Pleasantville, NY: The Readers Digest Association) Crozier, Walton, (2000) A Commentary on Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs Bass, Dorothy C, (1997) Practicing Our Faith (San Francisco, CA: Jossey – Bass Inc.) Ferguson, Everett (1987) Early Christians Speak (Abilene, TX: ACU Press)