Bible study on worship

Q. What is surprising about Jesus' behaviour?
A1. This was a Samaritan and yet he spoke with her;
A2. This was a woman and yet he spoke with her

*Notice how gentle he is with her. He knows the state of her heart and her sinful life. He deals with each problem in turn, although she attempts to throw him off track. She how she is shamed by Jesus' knowledge (vv. 17,18) and how she tries to change the subject.

Q. Jesus addresses her greatest need and she finds herself in more difficulty. What is her greatest need?
A. Salvation

Q. What do those who know God do?
A. Worship Him

Q. What is the woman's complaint against Jesus and other Jews?
A. The physical place of worship

* Jesus says to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father" (4:21). He also says that "the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23a).

Q. What does Jesus mean, is worship limited by geography or time (it certainly was in the OT)?
A. Until the ascension of the Christ Jerusalem and the temple was the place for the worship of God. We must not take Jesus' words to mean that up to that time true believers who obeyed God's prescribed rule for worship did sin. He is not saying that people did not worship in truth, but rather that in the new dispensation worship is not limited by geography. Here the meaning of truth is not so much truth as opposed to error, but rather truth as opposed to shadow. This means that spiritual worship now is to be consistent with the New Covenant rather than with the Old at those points where they differ.

Q. How is this view strengthened by the words of Jesus?
A. Verse 22 -- the Jews know God.

Q. Do other people worship God (unbelievers)?
A. No. All people have a knowledge of God (Romans 1:18ff), but the only worship that is acceptable is worship in the spirit and in truth.

Q. What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth?
A. The point is not that because God is spirit He is present everywhere and may be worshiped everywhere, but rather that, because worship is dependent upon the Spirit of God who, like the wind which "blows where it wishes (3:8), bestows life on whom He wishes, it is restricted to those times, places and conditions that He in His sovereign good pleasure determines" (Bushell, M, 1993).

Q. I believe that if we would worship God then we should know Him. Why?
A. Then we know what pleases Him.

Q. Who is God?
A. God does not have flesh and bones. He is an infinite and eternal mind, invisible and unchangeable, all-sufficient, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. If he were not spirit, this would not be true. (See catechism)

Q. How do we know these things about God?
A. The Bible tells us and the Holy Spirit witnesses to our hearts.

Q. What does Jesus teach about the nature of acceptable worship?

A. It must be in spirit and truth.

Q. Why must worship be in spirit? What does this mean?
A. True worship must be consistent with God's nature, which is spirit. If we do not worship God, who is a spirit, in the spirit, we do not give him the glory due to his name, and so do not perform the act of worship. This was true in the dispensation of both the Old and New Testaments.

Q. Why must worship be in truth? What does this mean?
A. Because this is again consistent with God's nature. He is great triune truth (John 14:6 -- Jesus is Truth; 1 John 5:6 -- the Holy Spirit is Truth; 1 John 5:7 -- the Father, who is one with the Spirit and the Son, is Truth).

Q. The idea of true worship cannot come from humans; why?
A. Jeremiah 17:9.

Q. Then we are doomed unless something can be done. Has God made provision for us?
A. Yes, He has given us the Scriptures which will show us the truth in this regard (2 Timothy 3:16).

Q. What is worship?
A. Worship is an intelligent act. That is, it involves the heart and mind. It is what we think about God that prompts it. Every faculty bespeaks this truth as with opened (spiritual) eyes we see his boundless power displayed in what he has made.

Q. Can the Christian who is blind, deaf, and dumb worship God in spirit and in truth?
A. Yes, for in their heart God has placed his law, in the heart that Christian may know the God to whom there are no mysteries (Jeremiah 24:7). This engenders awe and admiration and fear and acclamation. The soul that knows God is moved with the spirit of worship.

* The comments of John Calvin ¹ are helpful at this point, he writes,

The Biblical doctrine of worship deals with the nature of God. What is God like? What does God want of us in worship? The foundation of true worship is obedience. God is only worshipped rightly when we embrace Him as He presents Himself to us.

Q. Where does God most clearly present Himself?
A. The Scriptures.

Q. What else is worship?
A. Worship is seeing God, and expressing our thoughts and feelings concerning him. It is an act of the soul; it is spiritual.

There are forms of expression used in worship, but forms and words and attitudes are not in themselves worship. That is essentially an act of the soul.²

In worship Christians draw near to God.

Q. Why is the human body beautiful to us? :-)
A. God made in the image of God, and God is beautiful. We have a head, and parts; even the comparison between the body and the church is made. The head of Christ Jesus is God the Father (1 Corinthians 11:3), and so our bodies help us to understand this aspect of the Trinity.

Our bodies, then, are beautiful because in some aspect they reflect the glory of God.

Q. Does this apply to worship also?
A. Yes. Let all who seek to glorify God in all things remember well that the only glory that man can give to God is a reflected glory, a glory that comes ultimately from His own hand.

Q. What are the possibilities for standards to regulate our worship, so that it glorifies Him?
A. Works of men; our minds; the Creation. The WORD is the only objective standard!!! To set aside this standard for another is to run the risk of gross sin and blasphemy, and I would say that to set aside the word in this question is to guarantee sin and blasphemy in worship. The Scriptures allow us to see truth from error (Psalms 119:105,130). Without this light we are in darkness and will stumble.

Q. But what if we choose to worship in a way that seems pleasant, and reverent, and holy, and pleasing to God?
A. We must remember that we are put here on earth to do God's will not our own. Disobedience to God's voice is not only when people sin against the law of God, but also when of good zeal, or good intent, people do anything to the honour or service of God not expressly commanded in His word. Love to God is expressed in obedience to Him, not in doing what pleases us and then assuming that it pleases Him too. Furthermore, it is idolatry when we defend our own inventions as righteous in God's sight, because we think them good, praiseworthy, and pleasant.

Consider a Roman Catholic building a sculpture of Christ in the church to express to God and man the love and joy overflowing in his heart. Before doing anything in worship we should be very sure that we have God's approval, not our own.

Conclusion

To God alone is due the worship He requires of people. The "God-breathed" Scriptures alone are the source of our knowledge concerning these requirements. The Biblical Doctrine of Worship is the Scriptural teaching concerning what God will accept from men in His worship. A worship "in spirit and truth" is acceptable to God. In the next months we will discover this Biblical doctrine that God has provided for us in His Scriptures.

Next week, Lord willing, we will begin a series of studies to understand from Scriptures what worship is. This is developing a doctrine of worship and principles of worship. We will consider worship in the Pentateuch -- this is the first five books of the Bible. Next we will consider worship in the Prophets. After that we will consider worship in the New Testament, and then we will attempt to draw principles from what we have learned from these passages.

1. Worshipping God in spirit and in truth

Introduction

In the gospel of John we read of a Samaritan woman who disputed with Jesus about the physical place of worship. Jesus says to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father" (4:21). He also says that "the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23a).

Until the ascension of the Christ Jerusalem and the temple was the place for the worship of God. We must not take Jesus' words to mean that up to that time true believers who obeyed God's prescribed rule for worship did sin. He is not saying that people did not worship in truth, but rather that in the new dispensation worship is not limited by geography. Here the meaning of truth is not so much truth as opposed to error, but rather truth as opposed to shadow. This means that spiritual worship now is to be consistent with the New Covenant rather than with the Old at those points where they differ.

The point is not that because God is spirit He is present everywhere and may be worshiped everywhere, but rather that, because worship is dependent upon the Spirit of God who, like the wind which "blows where it wishes (3:8), bestows life on whom He wishes, it is restricted to those times, places and conditions that He in His sovereign good pleasure determines.³

The place of worship is irrelevant, because true worship must be consistent with God's nature, which is spirit. God does not have flesh and bones. He is an infinite and eternal mind, invisible and unchangeable, all-sufficient, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. If he were not spirit, this would not be true. The spirituality of the divine nature is a very good reason for the spirituality of divine worship. If we do not worship God, who is a spirit, in the spirit, we do not give him the glory due to his name, and so do not perform the act of worship. This was true in the dispensation of both the Old and New Testaments.

God describes worship as intimately associated with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Truth (John 14:6). It is intimately associated with the Holy Spirit, whom we also know as truth (1 John 5:6), and the Father who is one with the Spirit and the Son (1 John 5:7). Our knowledge of acceptable worship comes entirely of God. It does not and cannot spring forth from humans, for we are desperately wicked and corrupt beyond understanding (Jeremiah 17:9). In this regard we may only know truth from the word of truth -- the Bible. Our God is God of truth (Isaiah 65:16) and so we who would worship must do so in truth.

Jehovah God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is spirit and He is truth and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Worship in spirit and in truth is both proper and pleasing to God.

What is worship?

Worship is an intelligent act. That is, it involves the heart and mind. It is what we think about God that prompts it. This does not mean that our thoughts are expressed in lofty language; it has nothing to do with great intelligence. Still, it does relate to intelligence. The greatest intellect and the least are confounded by the evidence of the wisdom and knowledge of our Creator King, and we bow and adore. In him we see infinite, mind confounding wisdom and knowledge. Every faculty bespeaks this truth as with opened (spiritual) eyes we see his boundless power displayed in what he has made. Even a dearth of sensual faculties does little to prevent us from worship, for he has put his law in our hearts. The Christian who is blind, deaf, and dumb may worship God in spirit and in truth for in their heart God has placed his law, in the heart that Christian may know the God to whom there are no mysteries. This engenders awe and admiration and fear and acclamation. The soul that knows God is moved with the spirit of worship.

The comments of John Calvin ⁴ are helpful at this point, he writes,

God presents Himself to us most clearly in the Scriptures. Herein we see who He is and what pleases Him. Worship is seeing God, and expressing our thoughts and feelings concerning him. It is an act of the soul; it is spiritual.

There are forms of expression used in worship, but forms and words and attitudes are not in themselves worship. That is essentially an act of the soul.⁵

In worship Christians draw near to God. The Scriptures also tell us what people are like, and on what conditions we may approach the holy and perfect God. Heathens offer all kinds of worship to their gods -- gods of wood and stone, images, the sun and the moon, and even Satan. On occasion they have offered gifts with the thought of compensating for guilt through large offerings. They go to great lengths to patronise and pacify their gods, at times as far as sacrificing the lives of other people. There is virtually no limit to which men will not go when they are not following divine guidance for their worship. Even among Christians there are terrible worship practices. Here, as with the heathens, there is often little or no concern to regulate worship according to the pattern which God has revealed in His Word. To set aside this standard is to run the risk of gross sin and blasphemy, and I would say that to set aside the word in this question is to guarantee sin and blasphemy in worship. The Scriptures allow us to see truth from error (Psalms 119:105,130). Without this light we are in darkness and will stumble.

Conclusion

All people everywhere are commanded to worship God and praise His name. Mankind is steeped in sin. Even God's people, who have the Holy Spirit who leads us into truth, must constantly fight against sin. We would be wise therefore to turn to the only sure guide for life, for doctrine, and for worship practice -- the inspired Word of God.

To God alone is due the worship He requires of mankind. The "God-breathed" Scriptures alone are the source of our knowledge concerning these requirements. The Biblical Doctrine of Worship is the Scriptural teaching concerning what God will accept from men in His worship. A worship "in spirit and truth" is acceptable to God.

2. Worship in the Pentateuch

Recall from last time that worship is the approach of mankind to God to magnify and glorify His name. John Owen writes,

And this is that which most commonly in the Scripture is called by the name of "The worship of God," as that whereby all the acceptable actings of the souls of men toward him are expressed, and the only way of owning and acknowledging him in the world, as also of entertaining a visible intercourse with him.⁶

This is a fine definition of worship!

In Scripture we see divisions into various books. Except for the Psalms, the chapter divisions in the 66 books of the Bible are not inspired. In the original languages there are also no verse divisions. In Luke 24:44 we read of further divisions. Jesus divides the Scriptures, at that time comprising the 39 books of our Old Testament, into three distinct parts -- the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.

Q. When Christ mentions the Psalms here, what does He refer to in contemporary understanding?
A. The book of praises -- the Psalms (P.S. - in the original Hebrew the title of the book is Sepher Tehillim which translated is "Book of Praises", rather than "Psalms")

Q. What are "the prophets"?
A. Those books that are not merely prophetical, but also those that are historical.

Q. What is "the law"?
A. The law is the law of Moses; this comprises the first five books of the Bible, namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Today we will study role of worship in the Law, also known as the Pentateuch or the Five books of Moses.

Q. Has worship that is in "spirit and truth" always been the same from the beginning?
A. No. There are distinct periods wherein worship practices are different. (For proof of the distinct variation of the nature of external worship consider Genesis 2:16,17; 17:10,11; Exodus 12:3-24; 20; 25:9; Hebrews 1:1,2; 9:10-12.)

Q. Does this not present us with a problem, since how are we to know what worship is acceptable to God?
A. Now note that all Scripture is God breathed. We cannot put away any word in it because it is difficult, or any other reason. All Scripture is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness. This fact means that we may obtain from both the Old and New Testaments principles, and even explicit commands regarding outward forms of worship that are acceptable to God.

Q. But why does God change the forms of worship from time to time?
A. God changed worship practices, according to the counsel of His own will, so as He saw necessary for His own glory and the edification of His church. God is the first cause of worship. The external form, which we are discussing, proceeds from the mere will and good pleasure of God, determining how He will be honoured and glorified in the world. Of course, since God appointed worship, it is always alterable by Him.

Q. Distinct principles of worship can and must be drawn from the Pentateuch. There are very definite and distinct periods in the Pentateuch, can you name them?
A. (a.) The Edenic period, (b) the Noachic period, (c) the patriarchal period, (d) the mosaic period

(a.) The Edenic period

Read Genesis 1:1-2:3

Q. Where is the first evidence of worship in the Pentateuch?
A. Genesis 1:1 -- the Creation.

Q. Why would I say this?
A. The creation of heaven and earth is the backdrop for worship. Its centre is paradise and in paradise man as the crown of creation is created for God and His glory. Creation is the free, uncoerced act of God. Creation is a basis for adoration and worship of the Creator. Thanks to this Pentateuchal revelation God is worshipped as creator.

Q. What scriptural backing is there for what I have just said -- besides the reading above, e.g. Psalm 8, Psalm 19

Q. Thus we arrive at the first principle of the Edenic period, viz., that the creation is a basis for worship. What about the fact that man was created in the image of God, is there a principle of worship in this (give Scriptural proof, please)? (Genesis 1:27)
A. Yes. Man is the pinnacle of the created order. The creation of man in God's image is what distinguishes him from the animals, and it is this fact that constitutes the basis for fellowship with God. God created man "male and female"; this indicates the social nature of the image-bearer of God, and the need and necessity for fellowship with God. (Psalm 139:13-17 pertains to the first remark.)

Q. Next we can discern principles for worship from the Sabbath. What verse in our reading sets apart the seventh day as being special, even though here nothing is specifically commanded regarding the Sabbath?
A. Genesis 2:3 -- this day was specifically singled out and blessed of God. Matthew Henry writes regarding this, "The sabbath day is a holy day, for God has sanctified it. He has separated and distinguished it from the rest of the days of the week, and he has consecrated and set it apart to himself and his own service and honour."

Q. While in Eden something terrible happened. What is this terrible thing?
A. Sin.

Q.What is the effect of sin?
A. The fellowship between God and man is broken. Before it was man's delight to intercourse with God. Now we read that in the cool of the evening Adam has turned from that which before delighted him, and now he does not seek fellowship with God (Genesis 3:8).

Q. If there had been no sin would Adam's children have fellowshipped with God too, and all future sinless progeny?
A. Yes.

Q. What further effect has cruelly dealt to the human race?
A. There are those who are not in fellowship with God, these are the seed of the serpent. Only God's people, the seed of the woman, may fellowship with Him. Notice also that the seed of the woman may only fellowship at the grace of God, for He placed cherubim to "keep the way of the tree of life." They protect the holiness of God and the place of fellowship from the self-directed onslaught of sinful man.

(b.) The Noachic period

* Notice how immediately after the fall men bring and offering to God, indicating that man in his very nature is called to worship.

Q. Why did they bring offerings?
A. First, to express gratitude to God, and, second, to satisfy the need for fellowship with God. Based on the revelation of Genesis 3 we see that Abel not only has a heart that is right before God (Hebrews 11:4), but he worshipped according to the command of God.

Q. What important thing did Noah do after the flood waters receded?
A. He built an ark and sacrificed to the Lord (Genesis 8:20ff).

Q. Why did he do this?
A. To thank the Lord for gracious protection, and pray for mercy in time to come. We may learn from Noah's desire for fellowship, and God's response (He reaffirmed the Covenant with the whole of creation), that we are to desire fellowship with God. We must also desire to adore Him.

(c.) The Patriarchal period

Read Genesis 12:1-7

Q. The first of the patriarchs is Abraham. What is distinctive about the patriarchal period, noting the following verses will help-- 12:7, 22:9, 26:24,25, 28:13-18, 35:1?
A. Associated with this period is the visible appearance of God. Also there is the building of the altar; the patriarchs built altars where the Lord manifested Himself to them.

Q. What principles can we derive from these elements?
A. That God provided for his people a visible way of expressing his desire to fellowship with them, and assure them of His love. There is more -- the rite of circumcision was instituted in Abraham's time, and is linked to the covenant made with Abraham.

(d.) The Mosaic period

Q. What was the purpose of the Exodus from Egypt?
A. Exodus 7:16 gives the reason for the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh. That sacrifices are meant seems to be implied by 8:4 and by virtue of the fact that cattle were to be taken.

Q. Here begins the Mosaic period. What else is associated with this period?
A1. For one, the giving of the Ten Commandments (Decalogue -- Exodus 20).
A2. God gives His people the Tabernacle (e.g. Exodus 35). In the giving of the tabernacle God asserts the right to declare how He shall be worshipped.

Q. The tabernacle is called in various places:

The dwelling place,
The tent of meeting
The tent of testimony
The Holy Place

What do each of these signify?
A1. First -- to signify that here God dwells among His people, and truly is their God
A2. Second -- to show that here God meets with His people and has fellowship with them
A3. Third -- because it testifies constantly to the covenant God made with His people

Q. What was the purpose of the tabernacle?
A. Because it is set apart from everything else by virtue of God's presence there.

Q. What was the greatest means of God's worship in the Mosaic period?
A. Certainly the complex sacrificial system (cf. Exodus 24). The essence of the offering seems to be the devotion of man expressed to God in an outward act. It is very important also to notice thew very close connection of the Decalogue with the institution and services of the sacrificial system for the expiation of sin and consecration to God

Q. What was the purpose of the sacrificial system?
A. To instruct the people in the faith, and to prepare the people for the great sacrifice for sin that was to be offered by the promised seed, our own Christ Jesus (e.g. Genesis 4:3,4; Hebrews 11:4).

*Notice then the following broad progression in the worship of the Pentateuch.

First there was the promise. Immediately after that God appointed sacrifices for the great means of worship. The sacrifices were the first instituted worship of God in the world after the entrance of sin. Next was added circumcision, which was an express sign of God's covenant with His people, with the grace of it, through Jesus Christ (Genesis 17:10,11). Various feasts (e.g. the Passover) were added and their rites. So it is clear that by degrees God built up the fabric of His outward worship.

Q. Read Hebrews 9. What does this teach us regarding the written code of the Law?
A. These ordinances have been removed -- they serve no longer. They have been removed by the same authority which instituted and appointed them (Colossians 2:14).

Q. Why was God so exact and specific about the way He desired to be worshipped?
A. Because only worship that God has instituted is acceptable to Him. He left nothing open to the will of His people, but carefully told them all that they had to do to please Him and come before Him (cf. Malachi 3:4).

This morning we noted that God instituted at various times forms and ceremonies so that His people would know what worship was acceptable and pleasing to Him. We also noticed that God exercises His prerogative to alter or change worship according to His sovereign good will. In Christ Jesus the ceremonial aspects of Pentateuchal worship have been abrogated, but the proof for this derives from explicit statements in the New Testament in this regard. Where there are not explicit statements given to the contrary, we are obliged to continue to follow the forms of worship given by God. For example, the sacrificial system has been put aside (Colossians 2:14), but the Decalogue has not (e.g. Mark 11:18:19; Matthew 5:17). The Laws regarding cleanliness have been set aside but the singing of Psalms has not. Thus concludes this mornings study on worship.

Next time, DV, we shall study worship in the Psalms and the Prophets.

3. Worship in the Psalms and the Prophets

You may be concerned that there was only one study on worship in the Law, and that there is only one study on worship in the Psalms and the Prophets. This is not strictly true, since the next six studies will, DV, be regarding in depth examples of specific worship practices contained in the entire Scriptures, including the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets. In the study today I hope to cover, as with broad strokes of the paintbrush, worship in the Psalms and the Prophets.

Q. Around 1406 BC something great happened to the Israelites. Do you know what?
A. The people of God have arrived in the promised land and the tabernacle was set up at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1). The place of worship was to be Shiloh. Until around 1075 BC the tabernacle was still in Shiloh (1 Samuel 1). Hereafter (1 Samuel 4) because of the faithlessness of the sons of Eli, the tabernacle was destroyed and the ark was taken.

* Samuel was recognised as the prophet of God. His role was as a judge and in worship.

* When David became King of Israel began the centralization of worship.

* David was a man after God's own heart. He brought the Ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:29), and God made Jerusalem the place for worship. David was a priest and prophet and king for Israel. He foreshadows the Lord Jesus Christ who is prophet, priest and king to His people.

Q. David, through inspiration of God, established certain new things in the Temple worship, what were these?
A. (1 Chronicles 23:1-5; 25:1) He appointed singers. He appoints instrumental music. He appoints priests to carry out the service of the Temple.

Q. Solomon builds the temple according to God's explicit instructions (2 Chronicles 5:1). How do we know that all was acceptable to the Lord?
A. The Lord filled the temple with a cloud; His glory filled the temple (vv.11-14).

Q. Notice something important in 6:1-3, what is it?
A. The worship was corporate. See also 6:12; 7:1-4.

Q. There were times of terrible apostasy and also of restoration. Let us read 2 Chronicles 29:20-30. God made the Temple His dwelling place. Here the Temple worship is reestablished by Hezekiah, and we notice again the sacrificial element of it, namely:
A. Slaughtering of animals for the atonement of sin.

Q. What does this mean?
A. The animals were slaughtered in recognition of God's just penalty of death upon the sinner.

Q. A similar passage is Leviticus 8:4, 14. Do you notice another interesting worship practice associated with the blood sacrifices?
A. There is the laying on of hands.

Q. What is this symbolic of?
A. It is symbolic of the sin being imputed to the animal, which must then die for the atonement of these sins. It looks forward to what Christ would do, and in every part of the ceremonial Law there is a looking forward to the work of Christ. It foreshadows the work of the coming King.

Q. How do we know that this worship is not commanded still today?
A. Because God has made clear from His Holy Word that it is no longer commanded. For example, Jesus alludes to this fact when He compares His body to the temple (John 2:19). Next, the curtain to the Holy Place was torn from top to bottom, indicating that access to God was no longer limited in to the Temple (Matthew 27:51). Later we read also that we are now the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Q. Why do people worship idols?
A. It is an attempt to draw near to God, to placate a wrathful God, and to make a right relationship with that God through ceremonies.

* Even during the time of the Temple God's people often wandered from the truth. Jeremiah writes (1:16)

they worshipped God with the works of their own hands

Q. Worship is not merely a set of outward cultic acts. It is not simply a matter of ceremonies and of sacrifices. Can we ignore the outward acts, according to this verse?
A. No. Worship is neither a matter of only outward acts or only the inward (heart) acts. In this verse the people want to come before God, they want to please Him and they seek His favour. But they do not receive it because they do not obey God but rather worship God with works of their own hands. The Lord counts this as idolatry. The Israelites had become heathen just like the Athenians on Mars Hill (Acts 17:22ff). Worship must be in spirit and truth, these are like two sides of a coin and are both present wherever there is worship that pleases God.

Q. There are many examples of worship devised in the hearts not only of heathens, but in Israel too.
A. Consider 1 Kings 12:25-13:3.

Q. What can we learn from this?
A. Not all of Israel are the Israel of God. Read Matthew 7:21-23.

Q. Lest we become self-righteous let us look to 2 Chronicles 15. Here we read of righteous and godly King Asa who pleased God through His worship reforms. God's people had decided they knew better and were worshipping where they pleased and in the manner they pleased. Asa removed the idols from Judah and repaired the Temple. Read verses 3-5, 8. They found the Lord. But now read verse 17. What do the presence of the high places amidst great and true sincerity and heartfelt love for God teach?
A. Asa wanted to purify worship in every aspect, and this he strove to do with all his strength. Idols in the cities were removed, and from the land of Judah and Benjamin (v.8) yet there remained idols in Israel. There may be defects in some particular duties where yet the heart is upright with God. Sincerity is something less than sinless perfection.

Q. I will not fail to mention the Psalms, since they are intimately associated with the worship in the Prophets. Read 2 Chronicles 29:30. Throughout the Prophets there is mention made of the singing, and specifically the singing of the Psalms. When you read through the Prophets you will notice that the singing of the Psalms is intimately associated with the ceremonial law. Does this present us with a paradox, since the ceremonial law has been abolished (Colossians 2:11-14).
A. No, not at all. The Ceremonial Law is abolished, that is clear from the NT. But certain aspects are explicitly retained. For example, the singing of Psalms (e.g. Ephesians 5:19). We do not sacrifice animals, and we do not use musical instruments because these are abolished with the ceremonial law and, unlike the Psalms, are not reestablished in the new covenant.

I am not concentrating on the Psalms now since a future study will regard them in detail, and specifically the Christology of the Psalms.

4. The worship of Cain and Abel

Read Genesis 4:1-11; here we read of the brothers Cain and Abel being engaged in worship.

Q. Both brought offerings to God, probably on the Sabbath. What does this show about their beliefs?
A. It showed that they believed in God and in His claims to their reverence and worship.

Q. Cain was a farmer, Abel was a shepherd; is it not natural that the one should bring fruit from the ground and that the other should bring the firstborn of his flock and of their fat? What does this question presuppose?
A. Yes, this seems quite a natural offering. This question presupposes that the offering was left to themselves and their choice. However, the kind of offering was not left to themselves.

Q. How were the offerings different?
A. Cain brought the fruit of the ground. Abel brought the firstborn of his flock, and their fat. Please turn to Hebrews 11:4. Abel's offering was a meat offering while Cain's was vegetable and would have been acceptable AFTER atonement (Leviticus 2:1-3).

Q. Abel's offering showed his knowledge about himself and about God. What is that knowledge?
A. Abel recognised that he was a sinner, in need of atonement. Cain's offering was one that could have been made acceptably in innocence. His offering did not recognise guilt.

Q. Which offering was acceptable to God, and what does this mean?
A. It is not explicitly stated in what way reception and rejection were shown. Verses 4b, 5a tell us the answer to which sacrifice was acceptable to God -- Abel's offering was acceptable to God.

Q. How do we know this?
A. Fire shows God's pleasure and approval.

Q. Really? What proof do you have of that?
A1. You may reply, "This passage!" On the contrary, the word used here is "respect". The word "respect" signifies in the Hebrew "To look at anything keenly with earnest glance."
A2. There is the Hebrews 11 passage, also Genesis 15:17, Judges 13:19,20, I Kings 18:38.

Q. But nowhere is it stated explicitly that this indicates pleasure and approval. What are we learning here?!
A. There is such a thing as "good and necessary consequence". This is an incredibly important Scriptural principle. I found nowhere that it explicitly states that the fire symbolised that the sacrifice pleased God. That God is pleased with the sacrifices is a "good and necessary consequence" of the verses we have read. Making these good and necessary consequences binding upon our consciences is important for us as they are as authoritative as the words and statements of Scripture. For example, marriage is to be the norm and a life of celibacy to be the exception. This is inferred from the place where God blesses the marriage of Adam and Eve, and Paul's statements on marriage. Baptism of infants is another good and necessary consequence inferred from Scripture. Nowhere does it say that people must be adult to be baptised, and nowhere does it say that they must be infants. It is a good and necessary consequence that children of believers are to be baptised. We will speak more about this another time.

Q. In your mind you had probably made that good and necessary consequence and the preceding argument may seem superfluous. Nevertheless, it was necessary, since there may be others to whom it was not obvious from Scripture. To recap, some sign from God was clear with respect to both offerings. Whose offering was acceptable, and how do we know this (based on foregoing discussion)?
A. Abel's was accepted of God. He sent fire to consume Abel's offering. We also know this from Hebrews 11:4.

Q. What is faith?
A. (Hebrews 11:1) -- "Faith is the firm assent of the soul to the divine revelation and every part of it." While the Scripture in Genesis is silent on this, "It is implied that after the fall, God must be worshipped by sacrifices, a way of worship which carries in it a confession of sin and a desertion of sin and a profession of faith in a Redeemer, Who was to become a ransom for the souls of men." (Matthew Henry)

Q. What was the flaw in Cain's offering?
A. Cain did not acknowledge his need of being innocent before God. It did not recognise his guilt and the breach it made between him and God. It did not recognise the need for atonement to be made, for the rift to be closed. Matthew Henry writes, "Cain approached God without an expiatory sacrifice as if there had been no breach between them and so no need of an atonement. THIS WAS DARING UNBELIEF."

Q. What was the perfection in Abel's offering?
A. Abel offered in faith. That is, he took God at His word. He had respect to the promised Messiah and thus by faith in the unseen lamb, offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, selected with care, the best.

Q. Did the animals atone for Abel's sin?
A. No. How can the death of an animal reconcile God and man? Jesus atoned for Abel's sin. Hebrews 10:1-13 makes it clear that the offering was symbolic of the work of Christ, and those who offered this symbol in faith (by worshipping in spirit and in truth) were accepted of God.

Q. According to what we have learned previously, was Cain's offering in spirit and truth, and if not, in which of these was it deficient?
A. BOTH! This is the nature of sin, if it is not in truth it is rarely in spirit. Someone may say, "Well, I like singing songs that please me and although I love the Psalms I will also sing what I enjoy." If the knowledge of truth is present in a believer, regarding some or other practice, then to pretend that their worship is still accepted of God when the "spirit" is right is patently sin. This is why is such a dangerous struggle, or ought to be, for Christians to worship in a place where choice rather than Scripture regulates worship practices.

Q. Cain was angry and upset that God did not accept his sacrifice. What advice does God give him?
A. God tells Cain to examine his offering and his attitude toward God and toward Abel.

* Here we see God pointing to the worship that is in spirit and truth. We too must examine ourselves and our practices. God's word here is for us also.

Cain rejected God's advice and submitted to sin, murder followed, and Cain's banishment. These are indicative of the way in which people have worshipped God ever since. This is manifest in the world today, in the world and the church, as it was in the first family. Are you a Cain or Abel? Cain represent "will worship". Abel represents "obedience to the divine revelation." The primary objective of worship is acceptance with God. Faith makes the difference -- Hebrews 11:6.

5. Principles of worship II

The reading today is from Exodus 20:4-6. Lord willing, we will understand the implications of the Second Commandment on worship before the end of this study.

Q. Thus far we have seen that in worship there is a subjective part and an objective part. What are these?
A. The subjective part is our attitude and the position of our heart. Our worship must be in spirit, and in the Spirit. To worship God in truth (John 4:24) is to worship Him in the way He has specifically commanded us -- this is the objective part of worship. We have seen that to ignore the objective part and claim acceptable worship is patently ridiculous. Generally speaking, the Church today is guilty of violating these principles. Some churches emphasise the subjective element and the worship degenerates into an emotional experience. Other churches concentrate so on the objective parts that they do not afford the subjective part its proper place. Our aim is to avoid falling into one of these traps. We must apply great attention to the objective part because it is the very command of God which we are to obey.

(Here I use information and verses from the Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism)

Q. What is the second commandment?
A. Read the verses.

Q. What is required in the second commandment?
A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire , all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his word. (Deuteronomy 32:46; Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:42)

Q. Let us dig a little deeper; what is expressly commanded in the directives?
A.The following:

To do all that which God has commanded in His Word regarding His worship and to refrain from doing anything not so commanded (cf. Deuteronomy 4:2; Leviticus 10:1,2; 2 Samuel 6:6,7)
To destroy idolatry in any form in which it manifests itself (Exodus 23:24).
To worship the Lord with all your heart (Deuteronomy 6:6). We must cultivate with great diligence private, family and congregational worship. A common remark made at the close of a service of worship is "Did you get anything out of the message?" While this is important the truly legitimate question is "Did you give anything of yourself in adoration of the Lord?" Man's chief end is not to be happy (despite contrary opinions from the TV, the churches, the government, our own heart -- let God be true and all men liars). The chief end of man is to glorify God. Happiness is a secondary by product of joyful obedience to the commands of God, especially the command to worship Him with all our heart.
To teach the same to our children by precept and by example (Deuteronomy 6:6,7)

Q. What is forbidden in the second commandment?
A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images (Deuteronomy 4:15-19; Exodus 32:5-8), or any other way not appointed in his word (Deuteronomy 12:31,32).

Q. How does this affect us?
A. To worship anything or anyone other than the living and true God is sin (Exodus 20:3).

Q. In His grace, God has established three divine institutions: the state (e.g. Romans 13), the church (e.g. Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 5:22-33), and the family (e.g. Genesis 1:22; 2:24). Unfortunately man has often exalted these institutions above God Himself. Please give examples if you will.
A. STATE--In socialism the state replaces parents in educating the children and the place of God in providing for a cradle-to-the-grave security. "Whatever the problem the federal government must have a solution." Even a democracy or a democratic republic can fall into the same trap. How?

Q. How do we know what is right and wrong in a democracy? Since there is no absolute right or wrong let the people decide by majority vote. The voice of the people is the voice of God. Most modern 'democracies' are however simply dressed up socialist states. This is certainly the case in Canada and South Africa, and to a lesser degree of the United States that degraded from a constitutional republic, to a democracy, to its current position of decay.
A. CHURCH--The Roman church, for example, places the authority of the church above that of the Word of God. In fact, Church tradition sometimes takes precedence over the Scriptures even in Reformed Churches. As an example of a historical anecdote, during the time of the Reformation purity of worship was largely instituted and they sang only divinely instituted songs (i.e. what we call the Psalms) in worship, without a musical accompaniment (since this was part of the old covenant that was abolished--more in later studies). The Dutch Reformed Churches has the organ so inculcated in their tradition that they retained its use, justify its presence by saying that the organ was not a part of worship but present simply to assist in worship. Today the Dutch Reformed Churches in Canada all sport huge organs that form the centrepiece of congregational worship, and some ministers have gone so far as to say that in the musical duties the organist is a prophet of God.
A2. FAMILY--How often have you heard of parents justifying selfish or ungodly behaviour "for the sake of my children." In this form of idolatry everything revolves around what the family wants. There is no higher motive than the good of the family.

* As well, we ought not to condone idolaters, or compromise in any way. To develop a syncretistic (in English: there is the truth, but as long as people are trying it is not important whether they are following the truth) attitude toward true and false religion is an offence to God (Numbers 25:1-3; Joshua 23:7; 2 Kings 5:18; Ezra 4:3; John 14:6).

Q. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God's sovereignty over us (Psalm 95:2,3,6), his propriety in us (Psalm 45:11), and the zeal he hath for his own worship (Exodus 34:13,14).

At this point I wish to remind you that the whole Scripture is binding on our consciences. We cannot say that only the New Testament is applicable because our Lord Jesus said that He did not come to abolish but to fulfil the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17), and it is also written that ALL Scripture is God breathed and its applicability eternal (e.g. 2 Timothy 3:16).

Q. No, from these verses we have studied, what, in your view, is God's opinion of our worship of Him?
A. It is extremely important. The word worship, in its various forms, occurs 257 times in the Bible. It occurs 80 times in the NT, i.e. on average once every 2.3 pages. It occurs once every 3.7 pages. I only bring the statistics up as a further buttress against any who might suspect that worship is not as important in the NT as it was in the OT. No, God is a God who does not change, and His worship is an extremely important and blessed activity. In future we will study, deo volente, specifically some texts showing God's pleasure or displeasure with the worship of people.

6. Principles of worship III

The reading today is from Leviticus 10:1-3.

Q. God is jealous for the purity of His worship (Exodus 20:4,5). We may speak to our friends in different churches as if their manner of worship is a viable option, but this is sin. Against whom is this sin?
A. First, against God, because we are not to hide the truth or conceal it when it goes against the sinful nature. Second, we sin against those we call friends by not warning them of God's awful jealousy for His worship.

Q. Give an example of where we see how jealous God is of pure worship?
A. In Exodus 32 we have a clear example of the jealousy of God, as He expressed his wrath at Israel's worship of a golden calf instead of the true and living God.

Q. In Exodus 25:40 God warned Moses, "See that you make them (the tabernacle and its related articles) after the pattern for them which was shown to you on the mountain." In Exodus 40 the tabernacle has been set up and God filled it with His glory. What is a distinguishing trait of chapters 39 and 40? Browse over it with your eye and see if you notice the clear mark.
A. At least eighteen times in these chapters we are reminded that the work was done "...just as the Lord had commanded Moses."

* In Leviticus 1-7 we have the recitation of "the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering and the ordination offering and the sacrifice of peace offerings, which the Lord commanded Moses..." (Leviticus 7:37,38). Let us look through this and notice the minute detail which God gives in regard to this matter of worship; He does not leave worship and its form to the imagination of man.

Q. What notable thing happens in Leviticus 8 and 9?
A. Aaron and his sons are ordained as priests and the typical tabernacle worship is instituted.

Q. What are we reminded of again in these places?
A. All was done "...just as the Lord had commanded Moses."

Q. How did God signify His approval?
A. By presenting His glory before the people, and by consuming the burnt offering (9:22-24).

* The obedience noted in the previous chapters is in stark contrast to the disobedience of Nadab and Abihu. Read Leviticus 10:1-3. How do you think the events surrounding the setting up of the tabernacle, the ordination of the priests, institution of typical worship, and the appearance of the glory of the Lord affected the people?

Q. The Lord's blessing no doubt greatly aroused and moved the people. What evidence is there of this?
A. Nadab and Abihu being greatly moved took their firepans and offered strange incense. What was their sin?

A2. No one is really sure of what exactly it was they did, what specific act, was the sin. Possibilities are, for example, they lit the fire at the wrong time, or offered incense at a time not commanded.

Q. What is the essence of their sin?
A. Will-worship; worship in which they consulted not the revealed will of God regarding the way in which He would be served, but their own fancies and inclinations. They imagined that the fragrance of their lovely incense would be sufficient to excuse the neglect of strict obedience.

Q. Were Nadab and Abihu sincere in their worship?
A. Yes, that is obvious.

Q. Why then was their worship unacceptable to God?
A. Because it was not in truth it was not acceptable, only worship according to God's prescription is acceptable to Him. "...just as the Lord commanded Moses."

Q. What can we learn from this?
A. The Word of God is that the church has no alternative but to pattern its worship according to the commands of God. She is not free to add to that command even on the basis of sincere feeling.

Q. What evidence is their in this age of God's displeasure with the worship of the people who call themselves Christians?
A. When the church fails to bring glory to god through the God-ordained worship and consequently fails to live in submission to God in all of life, God demonstrates His glory through chastisement and retribution. The chastisement in this event comes immediately to reveal to us the end of such will worship. Though generally in subsequent history God allows time for repentance before executing His judgement (even on unbelievers -- e.g. Ninevah) in such a dramatic way, and eventually over several generations, God's glory will be evident. We may get into this subject in greater detail in another study.

Conclusion

Worship is not a matter of conscience and self-expression, and sincerity does not guarantee God's approval. If man does not honour Him by submission to His prescribed will then God will be honoured by chastisement and in discipline to those who withhold such honour -- Exodus 20:5.

7. Principles of worship IV

Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. Deuteronomy 12:3

Readings: 1 Chronicles 13:9-14; 15:11-15; 2 Samuel 6:6-9.

Q. When the bouncing of the cart nearly upset the ark drawn by the oxen, one man moving the Ark put out his hand to steady it. This angered the Lord and He put Uzza to death immediately. Why was David angry?
A. From a purely human viewpoint this seems like a senseless death, Uzza had good intentions and yet the Lord did not honour Uzza's good intentions or sincerity.

Q. Why did God put Uzza to death?
A1. To touch the Ark was to defile its holiness (Numbers 4:15).
A2. According to Numbers 4 the Ark must be transported by means of staves on the sides, and on the shoulders of Levites, and not on a cart. God has not said that they may not transport the Ark this way, but from His acts what was clearly not commanded was forbidden by God; David came to realise this later. When he later had the Ark brought to Jerusalem, David was careful to see that it was carried "...as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord." (1 Chronicles 15:15) (Read from verse 11).

To many the doctrine of worship is all a matter of conscience and self-expression. Last time I asked you to study the article by Douglas Wilson in Credenda Agenda. What is your response to that article? Can you possibly point out any flaws in reasoning, or omissions?

The error we notice is that he regards the choice of lyrics as a matter of Christian liberty. Nevertheless, he does place the caveat on our choice of lyrics -- Christ must be in their centre. However, worship is not simply a matter of conscience and self-expression, and sincerity does not guarantee God's approval. As we learned in the past three studies, if man does not honour God by submission to His prescribed will then God will be honoured by chastisement and in discipline to those who withhold such honour -- Exodus 20:5. The following words succinctly summarise the crux of the past three studies in the Scriptures: whatsoever is not commanded in worship is forbidden. This is the classic statement of the Scriptural position on worship (often called Reformed position). We know this by the name The Regulative Principle of Worship.

Q. Clearly very few churches claiming to be reformed are reformed according to this principle. What, in your view, is the classic position on worship of most Christians, i.e. of most churches?
A. Whatsoever is not forbidden is permitted.

Q. This is the classic statement of the Lutheran position on the doctrine of worship. How would a Lutheran, and indeed most Christians today, respond to the above reading from Deuteronomy? i.e. what arguments can be used against the statement of the regulative principle.
A. One argument is that, "...you are not under law but under grace " (Romans 6:14). This is just the appeal Luther made to our freedom in and through Christ Jesus. The believer is not justified through works. The gospel teaches justification by grace (e.g. Ephesians 2). The conscience must be free to worship God.

Q. If you are convinced of the veracity of the regulative principle, how would you respond to this, bear in mind Wilson's article also, it may help you.
A. Briefly then, we agree that God has made His people free from sin. The purpose of the Law is to convict us of sin so that we repent and turn to Him for mercy through Jesus (Romans 7:7ff). In fact, it is a dangerous error (known as antinomianism) to argue that we are no longer under the Law. Our faith in the grace of God through Jesus Christ does not nullify the law -- Paul says, Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. Romans 2:31 and Jesus said, Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17

Indeed! We must not construe Christian liberty as license, for even the Christian conscience is not free to worship contrary to the law of God.

Q. The regulative principle in its broadest terms applied to every aspect of life. How is this true?
A. God has authority over the entire world (Psalm 103:19). Chance does not rule, whatever God has determined happens because He has commanded so--nothing more or less. There are some matters of indifference. For example, do you or do you not play tennis?
A. The Lord neither requires nor forbids me to play tennis. The Lord does, however, require me to keep a healthy lifestyle and care for my body (which is God's temple). One of the ways people maintain good health is by playing tennis, but God neither commands nor forbids it. However, as an example, it is not a matter of indifference whether or not you play in a tournament on the Lord's Day.

Q. Can you think of some matters' indifferent relating directly to worship?
A. Time of worship, frequency, shape of building, chairs, pews or no chairs, clothes or no clothes.

Conclusion

God alone has the right to institute forms of worship. We have no right to impose either on ourselves, or on others, forms of worship which God in His Word does not impose on us. For example, if Christ does not require us to sing hymns of merely human composition in His worship, or if there is no Scriptural warrant for their use, we may not feel conscience bound to sing them or to join with others to sing them. Neither are we free to worship Him as we please. True freedom in the Spirit is not freedom from God's will. It is the freedom to do His will. Our worship is not perfect in outward obedience, we strive for this obedience. As we leave now may your joy of worshipping God come from the conviction that you are worshipping according to His own will.

8. Arguments against the Regulative Principles of worship

Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. Deuteronomy 12:32

The Bible clearly teaches that whatsoever is not commanded in worship is forbidden. As is evident in the world, there is a great apostasy of the Church from this principle. Today we will consider some other popular arguments against the application of the regulative principle to worship. There are two reasons for this consideration -- first, it would be remiss of me to assume that everyone believes who hears the Biblical arguments to regulate worship by the Word of God alone. Thus, if you have doubts, today we will be dealing with some of these doubts regarding the absolute authority of the God to dictate to us the terms upon which acceptable worship depends. Secondly, in our walk we will encounter many true Christian brothers and sisters who are sinning ignorantly or wilfully by "will-worship". It is therefore important that, the Lord providing opportunity, we may convince them of the necessity of the need to worship God according to His desire, and the danger of not doing so.

* Today we will begin with a brief word study. What do you understand by the word AMEN?

The English word amen occurs many times in the English Bible, in both testaments, although its root is the Greek word µ (amen). When someone finishes praying Christians typically say, "Amen" as a sign of agreement with the content of the prayers offered to God.

Readings: Matthew 5:17-26; 6:1-5, 16-18

Q. What is the central foundation of the Lord's preaching in his famous sermon on the mount?
A. Truth. This is more apparent when one considers the Greek. The translators who gave us the KJV and NKJV of the Word of God translate the word Greek word amen as "assuredly". The word amen is used in 5:18, 26, 6:2, 5, 16. It occurs also in 10:15, 23, 42 and in 22 other places in the book of Matthew, each time as Jesus speaks. Some translations have more helpfully translated the word "amen" as "I tell you the truth," or "truly".

Q. Our worship of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit must be in Spirit and in Truth to please Him. We sing Psalms only in worship, we read the Bible alone, we pray, we have the sacraments administered, we have fellowship. We may say, "I think that our worship practices are fine." By what standard must this statement be tested before we believe it?
A. This statement must be tested exhaustively by the Word of God.

* Last week we learned that obedience to God is more important than sacrifices or claims of sincerity. Anyone can be called Christian, but Jesus said there is a sign which tells whether the profession is true.

Q. Can you think of a Scripture verse where Jesus endorses this view?
A. John 10:37 shows us Jesus saying that people ought not to believe Him unless He does what His Father does. Unless His works have the sign of divine origin, they should not be believed. So our practices must be divinely endorsed. What we sing is important, it is not a matter of indifference, like the number of chairs we set out. If we are unable to prove our practice from the Scriptures, we are guilty of sin. Let us consider some more justifications for the observing of certain ceremonies and rites in the worship of God.

Q. "These things tend to help and increase the devotion of the worshippers." Many people say this regarding the skilful playing of musical instruments, or the presence of crosses and idols in churches.
A. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). "All acceptable devotion in them that worship God is the effect of faith,"⁷ and faith respects the laws and promises of God alone. Faith respects and obeys the commands of God; for Jesus says, ". . . in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9; Isaiah 29:13). The things which have no divine authority can therefore not promote the devotion of the worshippers. * But what about the feelings of devotion that come, what about the thrill of stirring music played skilfully and the words, "The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord", surely these stir devotion in worship?
A2. As has been said above, Scripture teaches that faith alone, and this expressed in obedience, promotes the devotion of worshippers. You may shake your head negatively, but by what authority do you do this, what is your standard? -- if it is the Bible, then you cannot but be convinced that the only acceptable devotion is that which has faith as its source, and faith is expressed in obedience and trust in Gods' will. What deep feelings may be excited by external rites or ceremonies are no means of stirring up the grace of God in the hearts of believers, or the increase or strengthening of their faith. To suggest that we need something not of God's own appointment is contrary to the Word of God and misunderstands God sovereignty, for He has said that we lack absolutely nothing (e.g. Isaiah 5:4).

Q. "These songs and the music render the worship more decent and beautiful and orderly."
A. Do I need to remind you that these are the arguments the Roman church uses to justify its manifold rites and ceremonies. The beauty and attractiveness of gospel worship does not in the least depend on these things nor their observation. It is true that worship in the Old Covenant was replete with rites and ceremonies. There was a huge musical accompaniment during the sacrifices, special robes were worn and there were all sorts of outward symbols. This was part of the Old Covenant which Paul compares to the New in 2 Corinthians 3:7-18. He compares the two ministrations and the different types of worship of the law and the gospel.

Q. Which does the apostle Paul prefer--gospel worship, or old covenant worship? Prove it!
A. Gospel worship is part of the New Covenant which is most superior (2 Corinthians 3:7-18).

Q. Wherein does the beauty of the gospel lie?
A. Hebrews 10:19-21 explains the beauty and glory of the gospel. It consists in its relation to God in Christ, with the liberty and boldness of the worshippers to enter the holy place, to the throne of grace, under the ministry of their faithful high priest, and being enabled to do this by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). We are fools if we willingly divert our attention to the beauty of the musical instruments and the sounds they make, or the beauty of the ceremonies. These are far inferior to the ceremonies and rites in the Old Testament. Yet the ceremonies and rites of the Old Testament are considered to be "no glory" when compared to the gospel glory.

9. Elements of gospel worship

"...take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." Deuteronomy 12:30-32

Please answer the following questions:

Q. What things are we to include in our service of worship of God?
A. What God commands.

Q. What are we to exclude from it?
A. What God does not command.

Q. State, on the basis of verse 32, what is commonly called the regulative principle of worship.
A. Every element of worship that is not commanded is forbidden.

Q. Consider a child. For what reasons does a child obey its parent? What should be our principle reason for obeying God?
A. The greatest commandment is summed up many times in the Scripture, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." (See also Matthew 22:37-40).

True worship must come from the heart, and the Holy Spirit prompts it (John 4:24-26). In their study of the Scripture, the writers of the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), were able to indicate what are the elements of worship and should be included, and what are not elements of worship and should be excluded. Today we will focus exclusively on the positive aspect of this.

Q. Whom should we worship?
A. People must give religious worship to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to Him alone; not to angels saints, or any other creature: and since the fall not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone.

Proof: Matthew 4:10 with John 5:23 and 2 Corinthians 13:14; remember, worship expresses our desire for communion with God according to His will.

Q. Should we include prayer in worship?
A. Undoubtedly. We are commanded to pray (1 Timothy 2:1) and there are numerous examples given for our instruction (e.g. Acts 6:6, 13:2,3).

Q. What is to be a characteristic of our prayer?
A. It is to be given with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6) in the name of Jesus (John 14:13).
A2. Prayer is also with the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26).

Q. Who is to pray in the service of worship?
A. The men who are to pray in public (1 Timothy 2:8). In this passage you may notice that men are referred to in verses 1, 4, 5, 8, 12. In verse 1 and verse 4 we would probably include all people in the generic term "men". This is proper, since the Greek from which our translations come uses the word (anthropon) (verses 1 and 5) (anthropous) (verse 4), from which our word anthropology derives-- the study of mankind. In verse five, when referring to the man Jesus the word there used is (anthropos), and indicates the human nature of Jesus. Turning to verse eight we see a new word, translated 'men' in the NKJV of the Bible, viz., (andras), which means men, or males. In verse 12 the context makes it plain that the word 'man' is referring to the male of the species, and turning to the Greek we see this is true, for the word used is (andros) -- man. The word used for woman there is (gynae) from which comes our word gynaecology. (The other references to 'woman' in this passage use the same word, in different grammar forms.) Hopefully this in depth study of this passage is sufficient to convince you of this position.

Q. Does this mean that only the men pray?
A. No. The men who pray are the representatives for the whole church, including those men, women, and children who have not prayed out loud. We voice our approval of their prayer by saying "amen," the meaning of which word we studied in detail last week.

Q. Are there limitations on the content of our prayers?
A. Prayer is to be made for all things lawful, and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter: but not for the dead, nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death (cf. 1 John 5:16; John 17:20; 2 Samuel 12:21-23).

Summary

Since our time is short, I think this is a fitting place to conclude today's study. In conclusion, we know the following are elements of worship

Worship is to be given to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
We are to pray to God for all things lawful, with thanksgiving.
There are limitations on prayer -- only men are to pray in public, prayers are not to be offered for the dead, prayers are not to be made for an one who has sinned the sin uno death.

10. Elements of gospel worship II

Last week we noticed that Scripture declares that in our religious worship of God we are to pray, and with thanksgiving. Today we will deal with other elements of worship commanded by God. The command of God is either explicit or implicit. That is, sometimes we are given the direct command of God (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 5:17) and other times the command is implicit, through the example of Christ, say (e.g. His endorsement of the singing of Psalms in the gospel era by their presence in worship at the Lord's Supper).

Q.. The reading of Scriptures is a part of our worship of God. Can you prove or disprove this statement?
A. Yes. Read Revelation 1:3. Also consider Acts 15:21.

Q.. Is preaching an element of worship?
A. You will all say yes, no doubt.

Q.. Please give Scripture references to prove your position that preaching is an element of worship commanded by God. (Discussion for a few minutes)
A. A most striking verse is found in Romans 10 showing that there are to be preachers: For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:13,14

Q.. What is a preacher to preach?
A. Primarily the good news. See that this is indeed what was preached -- Luke 9:6; Acts 8:25, 17:18; Romans 1:9; 2 Corinthians 11:7.

Q.. Is there anything else that should be preached?
A. Yes, there are several things which a preacher should be concerned to preach about. We have the example of Timothy that indicates this. Please read 2 Timothy 4:1-5: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2; But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5
A2. The preacher is to preach the Word! The preacher is thus to convince, rebuke, exhort, teach. Notice, the preacher is not to hold back until a more opportune time. Even when it does not seem the time or place to preach the preacher must preach, sowing the seed. The wind blows where He will (preach out of season). But also the preacher must preach in season. The preacher must take advantage of opportunities to preach. Kent's preaching this morning is an example of preaching in season.

Q.. Who is to do the preaching?
A. Discussion. Appointed men. Consider the importance of dealing correctly with the Word (2 Timothy 2:15). It appears to me that preaching is to be done by those men deemed to have the required qualities. One of the required qualities, Paul emphasizes to Timothy, is the ability to teach sound doctrine. Preaching is therefore not limited to elders alone but to men whom the elders appoint to preach (consider that Paul was an elder of no Church -- can you think of other examples of those called to preach who weren't elders of a particular church).

Q.. May a man or a woman preach?
A. In the light of 1 Timothy 2:8-15, 1 Peter 3:3,4 I conclude that only appointed men are to preach. God appoints men to teach in the church qualifies it. For example women are commanded to teach in certain contexts (e.g. Titus 2:1-5). God does annex reasons for this (cf. 1 Timothy 2:8-15) commandment, but we will not deal with that now since we are not dealing with roles here, but elements of gospel worship.

Summary

Thus far we have seen that the following are proper elements of our worship of God --

Prayer;
The reading of Scripture;
The faithful preaching from the Scriptures.

11. The singing of Psalms in gospel worship

In our studies of worship we have learned that God is free to propose or dispose of aspects of worship as He wishes. That Jehovah has done this is evident in His Word. We have studied the evolution of the worship and seen that "whatsoever is not commanded in worship is forbidden." God's commands are either explicit, clearly stated, or they are implicit, implied as logical, necessary inference from authoritative example, such as that of Christ or His apostles. God's own interpretation of the Scriptural law of worship is not only found in His command, but also in His enforcement of that law.

Thus far we have seen that the following are proper elements of our worship of God --

Prayer;
The reading of Scripture;
The faithful preaching from the Scriptures.
The due administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ;
Singing of Psalms with grace in the heart.

Today I want us to consider whether it is true that the Psalms are divinely authorised to be used as a matter of praise in the formal worship of God. The Psalter was used by the Old Testament church as a manual of praise. The title of the Psalter in Hebrew is Sepher Tehillim, Book of Praises.

Q.. What other evidence is their in the Psalter itself that indicates its use in the OT?
A. Many of the Psalms are assigned "to the chief musician" indicating that their use was in a musical service. As well, large numbers of them have musical terms, notably the Hebrew words mizmor, tehillah, or shir. A further reason is found in the very words of the Psalms -- they contain the language of praise. They exhort to praise the Lord, make a joyful noise, to sing Psalms, to magnify His name with song, and so on.

Q.. What about specific Biblical evidence outside the Psalter?
A. Various references to praise in the OT show conclusively that the Psalms were the matter of the songs. Consider the songs sung at the time of the dedication of the temple, and when the foundation of the new temple was laid (2 Chronicles 5:13; Ezra 3:11,12). The Psalms were sung in the time of the reformations of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:25-30).

Q.. But surely the people of God also sang the songs of Moses, of Hezekiah, and of Habakkuk?
A. They surely did sing them, but the question is -- did they sing them in the public worship of God? Choirs are not forbidden. In my school there was a choir and they sang many fine uninspired (that is, not inspired by the Holy Spirit) Christian songs. The mere existence of uninspired songs does not mean they were used in the public worship of God.

Q.. When Christ came He abolished the Old Covenant. Are Psalms not therefore abolished as songs of praise in the public worship of God?
A. With the coming of the New Covenant changes were made in the public worship of God. For example, the Passover has changed into the Lord's Supper, circumcision was changed to Baptism. But the Sabbath and the Psalter remain unchanged, save the transfer of the Sabbath to the first day of the week.

Q.. The things that were retained have Scriptural proof attached to them. Elements of worship that were part of the Old Covenant were either repealed, abrogated, or terminated. Some were retained, but only by positive Scriptural proof that they were to be retained. Additions also required Scriptural proof. What proof is there that gospel worship is to include the singing of praise with Psalms?
A. We have the Saviour's example in Matthew 26:30. In this passage the Lord's Supper is instituted. Here we also read that the sang a hymn. We do not know which Psalm/s they sang, but they were undoubtedly of the Hallel. These are the Passover Psalms which were hymned exclusively at the time of that feast.
A2. When Jesus ascended He gave gifts -- these gifts were given for the Churches benefit and were needed by the Church. Surely if apostles were needed for leadership, the Lord would give apostles. If new songs were needed for the singing of praise in worship, the Lord would have provided psalmists. The Lord gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, but no psalmist. Among the great diversity of gifts the Spirit imparted the gift of psalmody is not mentioned. Psalmists were appointed by the command of God in the Old Testament (cf. 1 Chronicles 25). If new songs were to be used in the public worship of God's people then God would have provided psalmists, just as He provided for this need in the Old Covenant.
A3. We are also commanded to sing Psalms (James 5:13; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).

Q.. Are not the Psalms made to be read, not to be sung?
A. No, they were made to be sung, not read. Of course, aside from singing them we may read them and use them as teaching. We may do this only because we have again divine approval, as found in Scripture -- e.g., 2 Timothy 3:16.

The final bit I wish us to learn of today is regarding the Septuagint. When Paul reasoned in the synagogues (Acts 17:2) the translation of the Old Testament which he used was the Greek Septuagint. This Greek version had been in circulation for nearly three hundred years. B.B. Warfield has said, "The writers of the New Testament...all had in their hand the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, and derived their Greek religious terminology from it."⁸ The simple point I wish to make here is that to the people of Paul's time, the Psalms, as we call them, were known by different names. The whole book was known as the Psalmoi (Psalms), yet the individual titles were more descriptive. In six titles the word 'hymn' is used, rather than 'psalms'. In thirty-five the word 'song' appears. In sixty-seven titles within the book the word 'psalm' appears. Twelve titles use both 'psalm' and 'song', two have 'psalm' and hymn'. Psalm 76 is designated 'psalm, hymn and song'. At the end of the first seventy two palms we read that "the hymns of David the son of Jesse are ended'. (Psalm 72:20). I have told you this because it is important that when we read Scripture we understand what the readers understood the words to mean, rather than applying some modern gloss to the meaning -- next time, DV, we will study this matter some more.

12. The singing of Psalms in gospel worship

Thus far we have seen that the following are proper elements of our worship of God:

Prayer;
The reading of Scripture;
The faithful preaching from the Scriptures;
The due administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ;
Singing of Psalms with grace in the heart.

The final bit I wish us to learn of today is regarding the Septuagint. When Paul reasoned in the synagogues (Acts 17:2) the translation of the Old Testament which he used was the Greek Septuagint. This Greek version had been in circulation for nearly three hundred years. B.B. Warfield has said, "The writers of the New Testament...all had in their hand the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, and derived their Greek religious terminology from it."⁹ The simple point I wish to make here is that to the people of Paul's time, the Psalms, as we call them, were known by different names. The whole book was known as the Psalmoi (Psalms), yet the individual titles were more descriptive. In six titles the word 'hymn' is used, rather than 'psalms'. In thirty-five the word 'song' appears. In sixty-seven titles within the book the word 'psalm' appears. Twelve titles use both 'psalm' and 'song', two have 'psalm' and hymn'. Psalm 76 is designated 'psalm, hymn and song'. At the end of the first seventy two palms we read that "the hymns of David the son of Jesse are ended'. (Psalm 72:20). I have told you this because it is important that when we read Scripture we understand what the readers understood the words to mean, rather than applying some modern gloss to the meaning -- next time, DV, we will study this matter some more.

13. Songs in Old Testament Worship

Last week we established from Scripture that the Psalms are to be used in worship as songs of praise to God. Our church sings only the Psalms in the worship of God. This does not mean that we are opposed to the singing of uninspired compositions of a religious nature in situations not involving the corporate worship of God's people. In fact, there are many people gifted in music and in poetry who should use these artistic gifts for the edification of God's people. But we are speaking about worship here, and while God has not laid down specifics of what we should sing when we are not worshipping Him, He has laid down specifics for what we should sing in worship of Him.

Q. If we allow uninspired songs to be used in our worship of God what principle must we apply to be sure that we have God's blessing?
A. We must bring the regulative principle to bear upon the question of the content of the songs we sing in the worship of God. If other songs are to be sung, a positive warrant from Scripture, express or implied, must be shown. If the Scripture does not show that we are to sing other songs than those God has provided then we would be sinning by singing uninspired songs. The reason is simple -- Scripture teaches that in the worship of God whatsoever is not commanded is forbidden.

Let us begin this study by cataloguing some possible reasons why we may feel that uninspired songs (i.e. those not given by the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit and found in God's Word). (5 minutes). We cannot simply say, "Is it wrong to sing uninspired songs in worship?" We should hold a positive position to the truth and ask "Is it right to sing uninspired songs in worship of God?" So now let's look to the Scriptures, our final authority in this and ALL matters.

Psalms and the Old Testament Scriptures

Last time we saw that Psalms were sung in both OT and NT worship; their divine authorisation for use in the worship of God's people is beyond dispute. We need to establish clearly what else was sung in the Old Testament worship, whether anything else was sung.

Q. Are their examples of other songs in the Old Testament besides the Psalms?
A. Yes, indisputably. We may list the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10); the psalm of Jonah (Jonah 2:3-9); the song of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:10-20); the song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-43; Exodus 15:1-18); the song of Deborah (Judges 5:1-31); the song of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:1-19); and the songs of Balaam (Numbers 23:7-10, 18-24; 24:3-9, 15-24).

Q. Were any of these songs used in worship?
A. Yes! The passages quoted above make it clear that in some of the cases cited they were used in the worship of God.

Q. Does this then imply that we are free to sing any songs in our worship? More specifically, does this mean that the Old Testament saints were to sing songs that were uninspired by God?
A. No. The Psalter, like the Bible, was a growth. David may be called the father of Psalmody. To the Davidic collection of Psalms (Psalms 1-72) others were added in the days of Isaiah and Jeremiah. During the Exile a great many Psalms were composed. Most of the Psalms were written after the Babylonian exile. Just when the last Psalms were written we do not know, although some authorities place the Seventy-Fourth Psalms and others to be as late as the Maccabean times.¹⁰^,¹¹ The songs themselves cover the span of almost one thousand years, from the time of Moses (Psalm 90) to the period of the Exile (Psalms 126-137). Not until the time of David's reign can we be sure that there was an established order of public praise service and a manual of praise in Israel.

Q. Is there any proof that any songs other than divinely appointed Psalms were sung in OT worship?
A. Yes (e.g. Habakkuk 3:19).

Q. Does this not mean that we are then allowed to sing other songs in worship than those from the psalter?
A. No. The actual question about the exclusive use of the Psalter is out of place until the completion of the final collection of the Psalms and the closure of the Old Testament canon, possibly during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. "To raise the existence of these songs as an objection to exclusive psalmody would make as much or as little sense as appealing to passages like 1 Corinthians 5:9 and Colossians 4:16 for the authority to preach from non-canonical materials."¹² Some songs were sung in the Old Testament which were not finally included in the psalter, just as Paul wrote some letters that were authoritative in the church but which were not included in the final canon of Scripture.

In the interim between our next meeting I would like you to consider the following questions regarding the worship songs of the Old Testament --

1. By what authority were the songs not contained in the psalter included in worship?

2. What principles were used to determine the songs to be sung in the worship of God?

3. How was the psalter used in worship once it had reached its final completed state?

14. Uninspired songs in worship of God?

We have established from the Bible that in our worship of God we are to sing the Psalms. Last week we spent a lot of time simply cataloguing possible reasons for wanting to sing songs in worship that are not inspired of God. We know that we must bring the regulative principle to bear upon the question of the content of the songs we sing in the worship of God. If other songs are to be sung, a positive warrant from Scripture, express or implied, must be shown. We are required to check from Scripture whether we are to do this, just as we were required to prove from Scripture that we are to sing Psalms in worship. If the Scripture does not show that we are to sing other songs than those God has provided then we would be sinning by singing uninspired songs. The reason is simple -- Scripture teaches that in the worship of God whatsoever is not commanded is forbidden. So now we ask, "Is it right to sing uninspired songs in worship of God?" Let us return to the Scriptures, our final authority in this and ALL matters.

Q.. Consider once again the construction of the Temple and Tabernacle, and the worship associated with them. How did the people decide how to do all these things?
A. Everything was very rigidly determined by divine prescription (Exodus 25:1-7ff). David passed on to Solomon the various instructions for Temple worship given him by the Lord (1 Chronicles 28:13, 19), this included directions concerning the details of the Temple music (2 Chronicles 29:25-30).

Q.. Were the songs sung in the temple inspired or uninspired?
A. The songs were written by the prophets appointed for that purpose by David (1 Chronicles 25:1-6) and a number of the temple musicians are given titles that illuminate their prophetic office (e.g. 1 Chronicles 25:5 with 2 Samuel 24:11) .

Q.. The musical aspect of the temple worship was carefully supervised by inspired temple officers, whose work it was to see to these things. We do find other songs in the Bible besides the psalms. However, the fact that the psalter eventually became the exclusive manual for praise in the Temple services proves beyond doubt that if such songs were ever, for whatever reason, admitted to the Temple services, their use was discontinued. What proof do we have that the psalter was the manual of praise for Temple worship?
A. The existence of a manual of praise from the time of David is implied constantly -- consider 2 Chronicles 29:30. The psalter we have today is the final compilation of the manual of praise.

A2. In previous studies we noted the title of the psalm book in the original Hebrew -- Sepher Tehillim, or in English "Book of Praise". To this we can add the specific musical terminology used throughout the psalter, the very words of the psalter (Praise the Lord is an oft repeated phrase). Thirdly, their structure is one of lyrical poetry, the form of poetry specifically adapted to musical rendition.

Q.. On what occasions did the Jews use these divinely authorised songs of praise in their worship of Jehovah?
A. First, in the regular morning and evening sacrifice (1 Chronicles 16:37-42);

A2. Second, they were used at the religious feasts (1 Chronicles 23:31)

A3. Third, they were also used in times of revival in connection with the appointed sacrifices (2 Chronicles 23:13-18; 29:23-35; 30:15,16).

We see then that the psalter was not only used in the public service at the Temple. However, worship is not only worship when it occurs at the Temple, or in the church. Although worship of God was centralised in the Temple during the reign of David, it is wrong to think that all worship of God occurred in the Temple and was terminated there. "The action of our Saviour and His disciples when they sung a hymn at the last Passover indicates unmistakably that families joined in the service of song with the celebration of the feast. And surely the use of these Psalms, so suitable for individual and family devotion, and social worship as well, would not terminate with the public service at Jerusalem."¹³

We do not know whether any uninspired songs were ever sung in Old Testament worship. There are plenty of songs not in the psalter, as have been numbered in last weeks study. Some of these are simply the songs of the psalter, but some are not, such as the song of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:10-20). However, we might have and indication in another place that Hezekiah worshipped according to the command of God, viz. 2 Chronicles 29:23-35. Yet it is still possible that Hezekiah's song was sung in Temple worship; their was great impurity of worship in the Time of Hezekiah. But even if that could be proved, it still doesn't show that we may sing uninspired songs in worship.

Conclusion

It is impossible to show Hezekiah's song, or any other uninspired songs of the Old Testament period were sung in Temple worship. Even if it were possible to show their use in the Temple we still cannot claim that we may use uninspired praise material in worship. This is so because to modify worship practice we require more than simply an example. What we require is divine approval of a worship practice. An example by itself says nothing; an example with divine approval indicates to us the worship that is acceptable to God. To raise incidents like that of Hezekiah's song as an objection to exclusive psalmody is pointless, especially in the face of overwhelming evidence that in the Old Testament period, the production of worship song was the sole prerogative of divinely inspired and commissioned songwriters."¹⁴

In attempting to prove the claim that we may use uninspired songs in worship of God, the existence of uninspired songs in the Bible has been cited. We have seen that this is not in any way a proof. Even the existence of inspired songs other than the psalms does not mean we may use these others in worship song. We require divine approval of their use in that context before we may apply them that way. We have divine approval for the use of psalms. Next time we will consider another reason given for the use of uninspired songs in worship and see whether this reason allows us to conclude that in the worship of God we may use songs other than the psalms.

15. Uninspired songs in worship of God? (III)

Last time we isolated the following New Testament passages that have a direct bearing on the question of praise songs in worship; one who would use songs other than the psalms must inevitably come to these passages if an attempt is made to include other songs in worship by appealing to Scripture --

1. Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33

2. Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26

3. Acts 16:25

4. James 5:13

5. 1 Corinthians 14:14-26

6. Hebrews 2:12; Romans 15:9

7. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

8. The Lucan Canticles

9. The hymns of the Apocalypse

10. Other supposed hymnic passages

Last time we dealt with the first three categories. From a study of these it was clear that these passages can not be used to formulate that requirement that we sing any songs in worship other than the Psalms. There are other passages and other arguments used to justify the singing of other songs, Lord willing we will come to these arguments in weeks to come. I wish to remind you again that we are clearly commanded to sing psalms. The reason we are going into this lengthy stud regarding other songs in worship is that they are used widely in the Christian Church. Just as we considered whether we have divine authorisation (i.e. approval) to sing psalms in worship, so too we must submit the singing of other songs to the scrutiny of Scripture.

4. James 5:13

Here we find general instructions for Christians, not instruction regarding formal worship. "While the matter of formal or informal worship is difficult of definition, there are indications that the Apostles recognized that such distinctions were present in the Christian community"¹⁵ (e.g. 1 Corinthians 5:4; Acts 2:46). The word the KJV and NKJV translate as "psalms" is psallo. This is the same title of the Psalm book in the Septuagint. It might also be translated "sing praises" as some versions do translate it. However, there is no Biblical ground, or extra-Biblical ground, to think that these songs of praise are anything other than the psalms of the Bible.

Q.. What may we learn about our singing, in situations other than worship?
A.. Since this passage does not have in view a worship situation, it seems obvious that whatever else one might do, in expressing one's cheerful spirit, it would be proper to sing Psalms. Of course, some Psalms are not suited for expressing joy (e.g. Psalm 79).

Q.. Did the Jews ever sing psalms in situations other than worship?
A.. Yes, they often celebrated military victories in songs, and some of these songs were appointed for permanent use in worship, some not. "But the fact that the Jew gave credit to God for military victory does not identify their singing as worship. It only demonstrates that they considered that all life is under God's sovereign and providential rule."¹⁶

Q.. Is it important for us to draw a clear line between what is worship and what is not?
A.. Yes, it is.

Q.. Why is it important to draw a clear line between what is worship and what is not?
A.. It is important because we have learned from Scripture that whatsoever is not commanded in Scripture is forbidden. That is, a divine warrant is required for every element of worship in the church.

The following incident will illustrate the importance of making this clear distinction -- "I recall a very buoyant, bouncy G.I. in a camp in France, as troops awaited their turn to return home, after World War II was over, sitting at a piano, and leading a bunch of fellows in singing familiar hymns. I knew one or two of them, and joined in. We had some conversation as to what I considered proper in worship, and he turned to me and said he was surprised that I was singing. I said that I did not consider that to be worship."¹⁷

Q.. What was the view of the author who sang psalms only?
A.. He did not consider their singing to be a strict act of worship.

The other man answered, ""Well, I certainly consider it to be worship." And so he very effectively tuned out one very unprofessional voice in his ad hoc choir."

Q.. Let us ponder the man James. What was his work?
A.. He was the chief pastor in Jerusalem (cf. Galatians 2:9, 12; Acts 12:17). Also, his writings have a very Jewish flavour (consider the introduction to James). James was a strict observer of the Law, and an ardent advocate of retaining the old worship with the fewest possible changes. Remember that James wrote to scattered Israelites, Christian Jews who before their conversion sang psalms only in the worship of God, and after it sang the same songs. From childhood they knew about a Book of Praises. The conclusion is that these Jews would understand James to refer to the songs of the Psalter.

16. Uninspired songs in worship of God? (IV)

We have previously dealt with the first four of the following listed New Testament passages that have a direct bearing on the question of praise songs in worship; one who would use songs other than the psalms must inevitably come to these passages if an attempt is made to include other songs in worship by appealing to Scripture --

1. Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33

2. Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26

3. Acts 16:25

4. James 5:13

5. 1 Corinthians 14:14-26

6. Hebrews 2:12; Romans 15:9

7. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

8. The Lucan Canticles

9. The hymns of the Apocalypse

10. Other supposed hymnic passages

5. 1 Corinthians 14:14-26

This interpretation of this passage has become quite controversial in these times with the rise of the apostolic and pentecostal movement which says that today we still have apostles like Paul and others to guide the Church. We won't go into a detailed exegesis but will consider only those aspects which have relevance to the issue of worship songs. In verse 14, 15 Paul argues that the gift of tongues is inferior to other gifts because it is exercised without understanding (cf. Also 1 Corinthians 13). He therefore goes on to say,

I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also: I shall sing with the spirit and I shall sing with the mind also.

The word used for sing is psallo (). In verse 26 Paul sets down the proper order when the Church meets for worship:

when you assemble, each one has a psalm (µ), has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

Q.. What is Paul saying here?
A1. One interpretation is that he is saying that the references to singing in both passages is to some type of charismatic utterance, similar to speaking in tongues, but musical.
A2. Another interpretation is that Paul's reference to a psalm refers to one of the old Testament Psalms.

Q.. Let us assume for the moment that Paul is speaking of a charismatic hymn singing. Does this prove that we may include uninspired songs in our worship of God?
A. There are at least two reasons why the answer to this is no. First, the charismatic gifts in the Corinthian Church at the time this epistle was written, passed away with the close of the NT canon, and are therefore not normative for gospel worship (cf. Hebrews 1:1). When the perfect comes the imperfect disappears; with the completion of the Bible the perfect had come (1 Corinthians 13). As well, we see that if these are charismatic songs that they are God-breathed, and so those who wish to use man-made songs cannot use this passage for justification of this practice.

Q.. Could these songs ever become the foundation for the Churches hymnody?
A. No, because such songs would have to be interpreted by one with the appropriate gifts, and their very nature implies that they were spontaneous of origin and spirit breathed made it clear that it was not for congregational singing at all.

The second reason why this does not support uninspired songs in worship is as follows: in this passage the charismatic songs are placed in the same category as prophecy or revelation.

Q.. What does this imply about the songs?
A. Only Spirit-inspired songs are to be sung in worship.

Q.. How does this relate to our singing of uninspired songs for worship?
A. A theologian once said that the New Testament is concealed in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. While the NT scripture was incomplete the believers could not understand fully many of the OT prophecies and symbols regarding the completed work of Jesus Christ. The interpretation of the NT canon was required for their proper use. So it is quite possible that God provided an interim measure to fill the gap until this interpretive need was met. He did the same with prophecy, providing speaking in tongues for the edification of the early church. However, just as the tongues and prophecy passed away with the coming of the perfection (cf. 1 Corinthians 13), the charismatic singing passed away. Even if there were charismatic songs, these cannot be used as a justification to sing our own compositions in worship.

Q.. The other interpretation of this passage is that Paul's reference to a psalm refers to one of the old Testament Psalms. This interpretation is based on the fact the words "having a psalm" are placed in a distinct category of their own, apart from having a tongue and its interpretation.. If the reference is to a collection of songs what does this imply?
A. We saw previously that the word psalm referred to the Psalms in the Bible. If this refers to a collection of songs then this collection would have to be the inspired psalms of the Bible since there is no undisputed evidence, historical or otherwise, of the collection and use of uninspired songs during this period.

Conclusion

The overwhelming evidence in this passage indicates that songs of our own composition (i.e. not spirit inspired) are not acceptable for the worship of God. There were two possible interpretations of this passage; 1.) That the songs were charismatic utterances given to the church in the form of song, 2.) That these were the psalms of the Bible. Whichever interpretation is correct makes no difference to our question since in both cases the songs are given by the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit and are not the products of men. We note also that the former interpretation does no violence to the exclusive psalmody position since the songs were placed alongside other evanescent charismatic utterances peculiar to the infant church before the perfection of the completed canon of Scripture came (e.g. Hebrews 1:1 with John 1:1).

17. Uninspired songs in worship of God? (V)

Today we deal with the sixth item on our list of New Testament passages that have a direct bearing on the question of praise songs in worship; the list is as follows:

1. Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33

2. Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26

3. Acts 16:25

4. James 5:13

5. 1 Corinthians 14:14-26

6. Hebrews 2:12; Romans 15:9

7. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

8. The Lucan Canticles

9. The hymns of the Apocalypse

10. Other supposed hymnic passages

6. Hebrews 2:12; Romans 15:9

I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You. Hebrews 2:12, For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to your name. Romans 15:9

Q. Where in the Bible is this quotation taken from?
A. It is taken from Psalm 22:22. This first quotation, from the book to the Hebrews, is taken directly from the Septuagint, except that the apostle Paul changes µ into . These two Greek words are often used synonymously, except that the latter includes the idea of a message. It literally means to declare something from another.

Q. What does this teach us about the affect that Christ has on the believer?
A. When God becomes known to us, his praise sounds in our hearts. But it also sounds in our ears.

Q. Does the example of Christ in this verse teach us anything in regard to our praise of God?
A. Yes, indeed it does. Paul says that Christ Himself sang these words, and so He encourages us by His example publicly to celebrate His praises. Praise to God serves as a stimulant to God's people, and the fact that we sing in the congregation to God has benefit to us, for we stimulate one another as we testify openly of the benefits we received from Christ. Says Calvin, "And it is a truth, which may serve as a most powerful stimulant, and may lead us most fervently to praise God, when we hear that Christ leads our songs, and is the chief composer of our hymns."¹⁸

Q. What does God intend us to learn from Romans 15:9, what is Paul proving with this quote?
A. First, we see that this is a quotation from Psalm 18:49; this Psalms is also recorded in 2 Samuel 22. Paul mentions this Psalm as a prophecy concerning the kingdom of Christ and uses it to prove the calling of Gentiles. In that Psalm we read that God promised that He would call the Gentiles and that the Gentiles would turn to God and glorify Him.

Q. Is it significant that the Psalter is used to show that the Gentiles will turn to God and praise Him?
A. Yes, in this passage we see that praise is one vehicle through which people will hear of God and turn to Him (vv. 9ff).

Q. What can we learn about the power of praise?
A. It has a powerful influence on human emotions, and God can and does use it with His Spirit to turn people to Him. Here we also learn that the Psalter is appropriate for use as an organ of evangelism.

Q. How is it possible that these passages might be used to show that we must sing uninspired songs in worship of our God?
A. These passages have been used to try to prove that uninspired materials are acceptable for worship. For example, Poythress ¹⁹ says that the Psalms cannot "do justice to the unveiled character of Christ's revelation of the name of God in the New Testament." In effect, he says that Christ must sing more than the 150 Psalms to sing or praise the name of God in its fullness.

Q. Is it true that the Psalter is veiled and so perhaps not fully appropriate for Gospel worship?
A. No, the psalter was sufficient for praise in Old Testament worship. It is sufficient now also since the name of God is praised and revealed fully in the psalter. It is revealed fully as its content is understood in terms of the New Testament Scriptures.

Q. We have dealt with this before, yet it is useful to dwell on this again: is there any other proof that the psalter is sufficient for Gospel worship?
A. Yes, there is proof in Matthew 26:30 and other places. Here Christ sings psalms in the midst of the congregation. "If Christ sings along with the church...He is singing the divine praises of the psalter, which His own Father wrote for Him, just as He did in the Temple and in the homes of the disciples while He was here on earth. The only fit songs for the Son of god to sing are those that He through His Spirit has written Himself. He does not sing along with us. We sing along with Him."²⁰

18. Uninspired songs in worship of God? (VI)

This is the second last study regarding the texts below. In future we will consider the psalter God has provided and it is all sufficient and perfectly suited to the worship of God. Today we deal with the seventh item on our list of New Testament passages that have a direct bearing on the question of praise songs in worship. As before, the list is as follows:

1. Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33

2. Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26

3. Acts 16:25

4. James 5:13

5. 1 Corinthians 14:14-26

6. Hebrews 2:12; Romans 15:9

7. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

8. The Lucan Canticles

9. The hymns of the Apocalypse

10. Other supposed hymnic passages

7. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

We must remember that there is a good reason that we have had to engage in a long and rather tiring survey to determine what songs bear God's approval for use in the worship of Him. "If true worship is worship commanded by God, the crux of the matter becomes this; is there a command in the New Testament that, in addition to the inspired psalms, the Church should make use of uninspired psalms, or hymns, or songs, for the worship of God? Does the New Testament provide us with clear and certain proof that God requires or commands the production and use of uninspired compositions, as it certainly does provide us with proof that God requires the use of the inspired psalms?"²¹ For six weeks now we have considered text after text in an attempt to justify the use of uninspired songs in worship, but the exercise has been fruitless in providing such proof. It is necessary that we sincerely consider these texts though, so that we do not fall into mere formalism or tradition where we sings psalms exclusively because 'we have always done it this way'. Now to the texts: --

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.... Ephesians 5:19

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16

Q. What are the 'psalms' mentioned here?
A. The psalms of the Bible.

Q.. What are the hymns, and the songs?
A. These too are psalms. In fact, in the Bible these designate various selections contained in the psalter. Let us consider the Biblical evidence instead of assuming that our modern use of words is the use intended by the author. We now consider several facts regarding these passages:--

Psalmos, humnos, ode are the Greek words used here. These words are used in the Greek version of the Old Testament, available 300 BC. It is useful to consider this translation since there is little doubt that it was used by the writers of the NT, and perhaps even by Christ Himself. The title of the songbook in the Septuagint 'Psalms'. Seventy-six of the titles within the book use the word 'psalm'. Mainly for this reason most people will declare confidently that the 'psalms' spoken of in today's texts refer to the Bible's songbook. But we ought to consider the meaning of the other words also, instead of putting a modern interpretation contrary to the author's meaning. In the Septuagint the word 'hymn' is used in six psalm titles, and in thirty-five the word 'song' appears. What is more important is that twelve titles use both 'psalm' and 'song', and two have 'psalm' and 'hymn' Psalm 76 (Psalm 75 in our Bibles) is entitled 'psalm, hymn, and song'. And at the end of the first seventy two psalms we read that 'the hymns of David the son of Jesse are ended.' (Verse 20).

Q.. Is there any other evidence of this use of words?
A. Yes, in contemporary historical writings we see the terms being intermixed.²² The Jewish historian, who wrote history in the first century AD writes in Greek that the Levites were called "hymn singers," who stand at sacrifice in a circle with the musical instruments and "sing hymns and praise to God as they were taught be David ²³. He says that David "composed songs to God and hymns in various meters."²⁴ Although modern meanings may be different it is apparent that the Biblical writers and their contemporaries used the words 'psalm', 'hymn' and 'song' synonymously. It may be that the difference referred to the musical setting, but beyond that speculation one cannot suppose that they were any different compositions than those found in the book we call Psalms.

Q.. What does this teach us?
A. There is no more reason to think that the apostle referred to psalms when he said 'psalms', than when he said 'hymns' and 'songs', for the simple reason that these terms were used synonymously in the book of psalms itself.

Q.. Is it strange that it seems that three terms would be used for the same thing?
A. The fact is that God has done so, and He has done it in other places too (e.g. Deuteronomy 30:16; Acts 2:22; 2 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Timothy 2:1).

Q.. Is there other New Testament proof of the synonymous use of the words 'psalm, hymn, song'?
A. Yes, there is proof that these words were used synonymously. For example, Matthew 26:30 where there is little doubt that Jesus and his disciples 'hymned' one of the Passover, or Hallel psalms. Matthew called this psalm a hymn because in the terminology of the Bible they are the same. In Hebrews 2:12 the Greek word 'hymn' is quoted from Psalm 22:22. The word 'hymn' is used because the Old Testament makes no distinction between the two. If Scripture makes no distinction between these titles, then neither should we.

19. Uninspired songs in worship of God? (VII)

For the time being this is the second last study regarding the texts below alluded to previously. Today we will complete the second installation of our consideration of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 with regard to the content of worship song. Last week we saw that the passages referred to in no way support the call for uninspired compositions in worship. In fact, we saw that the terms psalms, hymns, and songs refer to the psalms. The Biblical authors and their contemporaries used the words interchangeably.

7. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16

Q. What is the context of these quotes?
A. First, we are commanded to be 'filled with the Holy Spirit', and to 'let the word of Christ dwell' in us 'richly in all wisdom'. These statements interpret one another since being filled with the Spirit requires the indwelling of the Word of Christ.

Q.. Being filled with the Spirit thus requires being immersed in the Word of God. Does the Bible here speak of a filling with any other words than the Word of Christ?
A. No, the Spirit fills us with His own words.

Q.. What are we to do in order to be filled with the Spirit and the Word of Christ?
A. We are to appropriate this by 'speaking to' ourselves, or by 'teaching and admonishing one another'.

Q.. Is there any place for self-expression in being filled with the Spirit and the Word of Christ?
A. No, here we are told to teach and admonish one another by speaking the Word of Christ. That is quite different to self expression expressed in our sentiments and convictions. To express what is in un is quite different to being instructed and admonished.

Q.. What is the instrument God uses for this teaching and admonishing?
A. The Bible says, 'psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs'. We are to teach and admonish one another with 'psalms and hymns and spiritual songs' in order that we might be filled with Christ's Spirit and Word.

Q.. Are the psalms and songs of the Bible the spiritual and inspired word of God?
A. Yes, they are the word of God, the same is most definitely not true of our own compositions, no matter how moved we were at the time we set the down on paper. It is never possible that our words, or the words of our greatest poets, are comparable to the Word of Christ. Only inspired words are appropriate for teaching and admonishing the Church of God. Anything else is wrong.

Q.. Our next consideration is the word 'spiritual'. "One of the most common meanings of the word spiritual in Scripture is derived from the Spirit. Spiritual gifts and spiritual blessings are gifts and blessings of which the Spirit is the author."²⁵ If we didn't already know that the terms psalm, song, hymn are used synonymously, how would this understanding of the word spiritual influence our interpretation of the passages?
A. The Psalms are obviously Spirit inspired, the songs are indicated by the Bible to be Spirit inspired. Sandwiched between these are the hymns. It is necessary that these 'hymns' also be inspired of God. "It would make sense if the Apostle were to distinguish between inspired psalms and uninspired hymns and songs. But it would be absurd to think that Paul would insist that psalms and songs be inspired and the hymns not."²⁶

Q.. Another point is that we are told to 'sing' psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This evidently refers to a source that was available at the time of the writing of the epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians. This does not give us permission to go ahead and make compositions, it speaks of sing psalms, hymns, and songs. There is no evidence of such a compilation other than the psalter, with the title "Book of Praise". What does this imply?
A. We are to use the psalter in for mutual admonition and instruction in song.

Williamson summarises the teaching of these verses as follows:

We are commanded to fill ourselves with Christ's Spirit and Word.
We are to effect this by mutual instruction and admonition in song.
The rule for this instruction and admonition is the psalter, because it contains inspired psalms, hymns, and songs.²⁷

Q. Is there any other view that might be taken based upon these passages?
A. Realising that only inspired materials are here authorised for use in worship song, some believe that other songs in Scripture are authorised for use in worship. Such songs must first be found (!) and reference is typically made to poetic forms in Luke (1:46-55, 68-79; 2:14, 29-32) and the book of Revelations. I don't believe we will learn more by engaging in much more study of these passages (we can do it if you so desire). Instead I have some general comments: -- first, there is certainly the possibility that the poetic forms in the places mentioned might have been songs, but one cannot insist on this in any way. As well, there is no evidence in the text, or the history of the church, that they were ever used, or intended for use in corporate worship. We require divine authorisation for what we do in worship. We require clear teaching of the command of God. In the passages studied so far we have seen time and again that we are commanded to sing psalms. Last week we saw this re-iterated quite forcibly in the Ephesians and Colossians passages. Clearly when we worship God in the congregation we are commanded to sing inspired words only. Beyond speculation, there is no evidence that we are authorised in worship to sing anything but the 150 inspired songs God has provided us in the Psalms.

20. The sufficiency of the Psalter (I)

We have now dealt with the most serious attempts to prove that songs other than the inspired psalms are to be sung in worship. There are other objections, and we will deal with many as we consider the sufficiency of the psalter for Christian worship of their almighty God.

Q. Does anyone question the suitableness and sufficiency of the Psalter for Christian worship?
A. No one would say they question this. The question is found in the sphere of the Churches practice. A large part of the Christian Church has abandoned the use of the psalter in the worship of God, while another large part makes small use of it.

Q. What is the most common objection to the exclusive use of the psalms in worship?
A. The most common argument is that the psalter is somehow insufficient or inadequate for New Testament worship. Isaac Watts, perhaps the most famous hymn writer, writes in his Imitations of the Psalms says, "My design has been to make David and Asaph speak the common sense of a Christian." In another place he quotes with relish the words of Henry Beecher, "David seems at times to have been inspired by the Spirit of the Lord and at other times by the spirit of the devil."²⁸

Q. Were the psalms meant to be sung?
A. Yes, the Psalms are all songs are were intended to be sung.

Q. Can you use this fact to show that we are duty bound to sing Psalms?
A. Certainly, if the Lord himself gives us a book of psalms for singing, and then commands us to praise Him in song we are obligated to use the collection He has provided.

As well, we have seen time and time again our obligation to use only inspired materials for praise. Since the canon of Scripture is closed, the body of admissible psalms is fixed. People would rise up angrily if the preacher were to preach from a book other than the Bible, and we should be indignant if the Psalms are replaced for singing by man made compositions. When God made the Bible it was designed to meet the needs of His people. It was not complete until near the end of the first century AD. After the death of Christ the Lord provided various histories, biographies, instruction and encouragements, and even prophecy. However, no additional songbook was provided.

Q. Was this omission an oversight of God, to make amends for which we need modern hymn writers?
A. No, God knew what He was doing when He made the Psalms. They were fit for permanent use by the Church of Christ.

Q. Do we have other indications of the sufficiency of the Psalter?
A. Yes, Christ and the apostles used the psalter for worship. This not only demonstrates positively the suitableness of the psalter for Christian worship, but also the question of its divine appointment for use in worship.

Q. Could God have inspired each one of His people to be a sweet psalmist of Israel, and to record inspired songs for worship?
A. Yes, God could have done that. Lightfoot says, "He who could have inspired every disciple to have been a David sang the psalms of David."²⁹ What was suitable for Christ and His Apostles ought to be sufficient to the needs of those who would be like Christ.

J.G. Vos answers some further objections ³⁰:

"I like to sing hymns." Answer: In divine worship are you singing to please God or to please yourself? Suppose one of you fellows takes a girl out on a "date." You turn the car radio on and listen to a broadcast of a baseball game. But your "date" does not like to listen to ball games; she would rather listen to music. So you say, "But I like baseball games, so we will listen to a ball game" (!). If you want to please the young lady you will find out what pleases her and forget your own preferences.
"There is nothing about Christ in the Psalms." Answer: This did not seem to bother Christ, the apostles, the early Church, the Reformers or the Puritans! Actually, there is much about Christ in the Psalms. He is their Author, by His Holy Spirit, and He is the real subject of many of them. Only a superficial acquaintance with the Psalms leads to a judgment that there is nothing about Christ in the Psalms.
"The Psalms contain unChristian sentiments." Answer: This is a reference, no doubt, to the so-called imprecatory Psalms. These Psalms are not really unChristian -- they are simply realistic in applying divine judgment to wicked men. Even more terrible statements can be pointed out in the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels.
"The Psalms are hard to understand." Answer: So is every part of the Scripture. God challenges our consecrated attention and effort in dealing with His Word....Religion does not have to be lowered to suit the ignorant and immature; on the contrary, the ignorant and immature are to be instructed and led to appreciate the real treasures of ...God's holy Word. So it is with the Psalms. They are sometimes difficult, but they are always rewarding.

21. The sufficiency of the Psalter (I)

Many Christians reject the sufficiency of the Psalter for Christian worship. This is found in the sphere of the Churches practice. A large part of the Christian Church has abandoned the use of the psalter in the worship of God, while another large part makes small use of it.

Last week the most famous hymn writer of our times was quoted. He expressed his concern that in some places the psalter is certainly inspired of God, but in other places in expresses un-Christian sentiments.³¹ Therefore today we will begin a study of the Christian doctrines contained in the psalter to see whether Watts is justified in his assertion. The Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible.

The doctrine concerning God
A. The perfection of God's Being

1. God is love

(1 John 4:8, 16)
A. Gracious

86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious

111:4 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion

145:8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion

116:5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful

b. Merciful

103:11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy towards those who fear Him

119:64 The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy

c. Longsuffering

145:8 The Lord is...slow to anger and great in mercy

103:8,9 ...abounding in mercy

d. Good

25:8 Good and upright is the Lord

34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good

118:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

119:68 You are good, and do good

2. God is light (1 John 1:5)
A. Holy

22:3 But You are holy

29:2 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

93:5 Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever

b. Truth

19:9 The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether

25:10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth

86:15 Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth

98:3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel

100:5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations

117:2 And the truth of the Lord endures forever

146:6 Who keeps truth forever

c. Righteous

92:15 To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

97:6 The heavens declare His righteousness

145:17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways

d. All-knowing

147:5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite

e. Hating evil

5:4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You

34:16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil

3. God is Spirit (John 4:24)
A. Eternal

90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God

10:16 The Lord is King forever and ever

29:10 The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever

b. Incomprehensible

40:5 Many, O Lord my God, are your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order

97:2 Clouds and darkness surround Him

104:2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment

145:3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable

c. All powerful

72:18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things!

68:34 Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds

d. The only true God

83:18 That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth

86:10 You alone are God

4. God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29)
A. Forgiving sin

51:1 According to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions

103:3 Who forgives all your iniquities

130:4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared

b. Judging the wicked

5:5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity

97:3 A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about

94:2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render punishment to the proud

c. Jealous

79:5 How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?

22. The sufficiency of the Psalter (II)

Today we continue with a compilation of the doctrines contained in the Psalter. These are distinctly Christian doctrine and the accusation that the psalter may have been good for Jews but that we are Christians and require Christian songs is unfounded. Indeed, the Psalter is eminently suited for Christian worship. The fact that the Lord authorises, even commands its use in worship, testifies to its perfection for Christian praise.

The doctrine concerning God

B. The revelation of God's person

1. His name

(Exodus 34:5ff)

9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

48:10 According to Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; your right hand is fill of righteousness.

54:1 Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength.

72:17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.

19 And blessed be His glorious name forever!

75:1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.

100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

111:9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.

135:13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever, Your fame, O Lord, throughout all generations.

2. His face

(Exodus 33:20ff)

17:15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

24:6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face.

27:8 When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, will I seek."

34:16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

51:9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

67:1 God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us....

80:3 Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!

7,19 Restore us, O God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!

3. His right hand

10:12 Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble.

31:15 My times are in Your hand....

89:13 You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.

95:4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also.

136:12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever....

139:10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

145:16 You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

4. His Word

119:11 Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

138:2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

33:4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth.

33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

105:8 He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded for a thousand generations.

89:34 My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.

147:15 He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.

5. His kingdom

45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom.

103:19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

145:11-13 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

10:16 The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land.

24:8, 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty....

47:2 For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

95:3 For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods

C. The Creation and Providence of God

1. The creation of the world

(Genesis 1)

121:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

136:5-9 ....

74:17

134:8

146:6

89:11

96:5

2. The sustaining of the world

(Colossians 1:16)

104:10-18

65:9

85:12

34:10

D. The redemption of God's people

1. The covenant mercies of God

25:14

89:23, 34

105:8, 10

111:5, 9

2. The judgements of God

9:7, 8, 16

96:13

98:9

19:9

36:6

147:19, 20

23. The sufficiency of the Psalter (III)

Today we continue with a compilation of the Christian doctrines contained in the Psalter. The Psalter is eminently suited for Christian worship. The fact that the Lord authorises, even commands its use in worship, testifies to its perfection for Christian praise.

The doctrine concerning God

C. The Creation and Providence of God

1. The creation of the world

(Genesis 1)

121:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

136:5-9 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy endures forever; to Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever--the sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever.

74:17 You have set all the borders of the earth, You have made summer and winter.

146:6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever

89:11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them

96:5 ...the Lord made the heavens.

2. The sustaining of the world

(Colossians 1:16)

104:10-18 He sends the springs into the valleys; they flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. By them the birds of the heavens have their home; they sing among the branches. He waters the hills from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that strengthens man's heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap, te cedars of Lebanon which He planted, where the birds make their nests; the stork has her home in the fit trees. The high cliffs are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.

65:9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.

85:12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase.

34:10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

D. The redemption of God's people

1. The covenant mercies of God

25:14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.

89:23, 34 I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those who hate him....My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

105:8, 10 He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations...and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant

111:5, 9 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant....He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.

2. The judgements of God

9:7, 8, 16 But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgement. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgement for the peoples in uprightness....The Lord is known by the judgment He executes

96:13 For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.

98:9 For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity.

19:9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgements of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

36:6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

147:19, 20 He declares His word to Jacob, His statues and His judgments to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; and as for His judgments, they have not known them.

Next time we will begin to investigate the Psalters consideration of Biblical doctrine concerning man. If you have time during the week, see whether you can collect some Songbook references to this doctrine under the following headings:-
A. Man as image-bearer of God

B. Man as the fallen image-bearer of god: a covenant breaker

C. Man restored to covenant friendship with God

D. Man's as a member of the covenant community (the church of the living God)

24. The sufficiency of the Psalter (IV)

II. Anthropology: The doctrine concerning man³²

A. Man as the image-bearer of God: A Covenant King

8:4-6 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that You visit Him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honour. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet....

144:3 Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?

139:13-16 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made

119:73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me

B. Man as the fallen image-bearer of God: A Covenant Breaker

1. The nations as enemies of God and God's people

2:1-2 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed

74:8 They said in their hearts, "Let us destroy them altogether." They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

46:6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

83:2-5 For behold; Your enemies make a tumult; and those that hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones....

9:20 Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men.

2. Man as an alien from God

39:11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapour

14:1 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt. They have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

37:10,12 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more...The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.

37:14 The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct.

145:20 The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

34:16,21 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth....Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

3:7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

C. Man restored to Covenant Friendship with God

1. The nations as Objects of God's Redemption

86:9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.

66:4 All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name

67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

22:27,28 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord's and He rules over the nations.

102:22 When the people's are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

138:4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord

2:8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.

2. Man's blessedness as a covenant friend

A. God instructs him

32:8 I will instruct You and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide You with My eye.

25:8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

b. God protects him

91:1,2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under te shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust."

17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings

36:7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings

57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.

61:4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

c. God guides him

25:9 The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.

23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

5:8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.

31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me.

25. The sufficiency of the Psalter (V)

II. Anthropology: The doctrine concerning man³³

2. Man's blessedness as a covenant friend

(...ctd.)

d. God receives him

73:24

16:11

17:15

49:14

e. God honours him

8:5

112:9

91:15

f. God hears his prayers

6:9

65:2

66:19,20

88:2

102:17

g. God forgives his sins

32:5

85:2

99:3

103:3

130:4

78:38

h. God chastens him as a son

94:12

118:18

73:14

3. Man's trials as a Covenant Friend
A. The trial of anger

6:1

74:1

78:21

38:49,50

85:3-5

90:7

90:11

b. The trial of fear

23:4

27:1

49:5

56:4

64:1

c. The trial of persecution

7:1

69:26

119:84, 86

143:3

142:6

d. The trial of discouragement

42:5

77:3

69:3

73:26

119:82

143:7

e. The trial of loneliness

22:1

71:9

119:8

138:8

f. The trial of sickness

38:3-8

6:2

147:3

69:26

4. Man's Response as a Covenant Friend
A. The response of hope

16:9

39:7

71:5

31:24

33:18-20

130:7

131:3

b. The response of reverent fear

34:9

72:5

86:11

22:23

33:18

118:4

128:1

147:11

c. The response of obedience

40:8

143:10

62:1

86:11

25:4

26. The Christology of the Psalter (I)

Since all acceptable approach to God is made through Jesus Christ, any song book without Christ is worthless. Thus far we have seen the doctrinal completeness of the Book of Praise. Much has been said about the absence of Christ from the Psalms. Now we need to begin to address this question to determine whether Christ is present in the Psalms. In our Saviour's time the failure to see Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures was because of blindness. It is likely that blindness is the reason for missing the presence of Christ in the Psalms today.

Q. What Scriptural evidence is there that Spirit anointed eyes will see Christ in the Psalms?
A. Consider simply Colossians 3:16, 7 "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Here a clear link is made between Christlike deeds and Christ's word in the Book of Praise.

Q. Who is Jesus Christ?
A. This question is of paramount importance to all people. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We know this because the Bible and the Spirit of God testify to this truth. He is the fullest revelation of God (e.g. John 10:30).

I intend that we will study Hebrews 1 today. First, notice that the Son of God is placed in opposition to the prophets. Up until now the prophets should have satisfied the people, but now a more fuller revelation has come. Since the fall, revelation from God to His people has been progressive. The Lord spoke in various ways, but now in these last days He speaks through His Son. The first two verses can be summarised as follows:

God spoke

formerly to the prophets ... now by the Son

then to the fathers ... but now to us

then at various times ... now as at the end of times

As well, we should note that, since Jesus speaks about "these last days", that there is no longer any reason to expect any new revelation. Jesus did not bring a word in part, but the final conclusion.

v.2. Jesus is given high honours -- He is "heir of all things". Christ is eternal -- this is ascertained by the fact that all things were created by Him (Christ). In other words, Christ existed before anything existed, "in the beginning". The word heir might then seem out of place, for Christ made everything! Yet it is not out of place since "heir" is ascribed to Christ as He was manifested in the flesh.

v.3. Jesus is the brightness of the Father's glory, in the very image of God -- this refers to Jesus' divine nature and to the perfect unity of the Godhead -- the Lord our God is One. Also we read that He purged our sins; this refers to the co-mingling of His divinity with His humanity. As Colossians 1 teaches, Christ is the sustainer of all things. He sits at the right hand of the Father, in the seat of power. This is figurative, for God has no left or right, not being confined to any place. It refers to Christs unity with God.

v.4. Jesus is not created as the angels were. It was a common mistake of the Jews to ascribe more glory and power to angels than was their due. Here the writer restores the proper balance.

v.5. Jesus is the very Son of God!!! The writer quotes from the Old Testament, thus showing the harmony between the new and old testaments. But the quote here is from one of the psalms, and David is being spoken of in the psalm (2:7). "Then the things found in this Psalm must have been shadowed forth in David, but were fully accomplished in Christ"³⁴

27. The Christology of the Psalter (II)

The question, "Who is Jesus Christ?" is of paramount importance to all people. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We know this because the Bible and the Spirit of God testify to this truth. The doctrine concerning the Lord Jesus Christ is sweet to the Christian. Jesus is the

A. Son of God (Hebrews 1:5; 5:5)

2:7 The Lord has said to Me, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten You.'

B. The Suffering Servant of God (Matthew 24:26)

22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

69:9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

69:21 They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

C. The Redeemer of God's Elect (Luke 1:68)

25:22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of their troubles.

26:11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.

31:5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

44:26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies' sake.

130:8 And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

D. The Prophet of God (John 1:21ff)

2:7 "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son....'"

E. The Priest of God (Hebrews 2:17)

110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not relent, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

F. The King of God (Matthew 27:11)

2:6 "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion."

45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom.

24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle....

72 Give the king Your judgements, O God, and Your righteousness to the king's Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice.

G. The Covenant Son of David (Matthew 16:16)

78:68-72 ...but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved...He also chose David His servant....

H. The Holy One of God (Mark 1:24; Acts 2:27)

71:22 Also with the lute I will praise You--and Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.

78:41 Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

89:18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

I. The Anointed (Acts 4:26)

2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed....

18:50 Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore.

45:7 Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You....

J. The Stone (Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11)

118:22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

K. The Shepherd (John 10:11)

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

78:52 But He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness....

80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel....

L. The Mediator (Hebrews 9:15)

40:7,8 Then I said, "Behold, I come...."

M. The Judge (John 5:25-27)

9:8 He shall judge the world in righteousness....

72:2 He will judge Your people with righteousness....

N. He Weeps (John 11:35)

42:2 My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, "Where is your God?"

O. He is Humble (Matthew 11:29)

45:5 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness....

P. He is Prayerful (Luke 9:28)

69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time....

Q. He is Patient (2 Peter 3:9)

40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord....

R. He Loves the Saints (Romans 8:35)

23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

28. The Christology of the Psalter (V)

We have been dealing with the doctrine of Christ Jesus contained in the Psalms.

For the first part of today's study please page through the Bible's Songbook and seek those Psalms which are Messianic in character.

Psalm	Reason for calling this Psalm Messianic (subjectively, objectively, ideally)

Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; tear out, O Lord, the fangs of the lions! Let them vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted. Like a slug melting away as it moves along, like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns--whether they be green or dry--the wicked will be swept away. The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

This quotation sounds like it might come from the Muslim Qur'an. Not so! It is from our Bible (Psalm 58:6-10). Psalm 58 is one of the so-called imprecatory Psalms. There are many of these Psalms of vengeance throughout the songbook ³⁵.

Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly (6:10).

Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man (10:15)

Set a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few, and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children continually be vagabonds and beg....(109:6-10)

1. What comments and reactions have you heard others express with regards to the imprecatory Psalms?

2. Begin to think how you would answer those who question the cries of vengeance found in these Psalms.

29. The Imprecatory Psalms/Christ in the Psalms (VI)

Today we will consider in greater detail one aspect of the imprecatory Psalms. These Psalms contain many hard words and curses against enemies. The list of these Psalms, and the verses that especially indicate their imprecatory nature are 5:10; 6:10; 7:6; 9:19-20; 10:2,15; 17:13; 25:19; 28:4; 31:17-18; 35:1,4-6,8,19,24-26; 40:14-15; 41:10; 54:5; 55:9,15;56:7; 58:6-10; 5, 11-14; 63:9-10; 68:1-2, 30; 69:22-25, 27-28; 70:2-3; 71:13; 74:23; 79:6; 79:10-12; 83:9-18; 94:1-4; 97:7; 104:35; 109:6-19, 29; 119:84; 129:5-7; 137:7-9; 139:19, 21-22; 140:8-11; 141:10; 143:12.

Everyone here is a firm believer in the perfection of the Word of God. Because of that we need not check whether these Psalms are the Word of God; we know they are the Word of God because they are endorsed by Jesus, and contained in the Scriptures. Today, therefore, let us deal with the following question --

Who is praying these Psalms?

This question is extremely relevant, and helps us to understand whether we are justified in using these Psalms as our personal prayers?

Many times we find that we are unable to continue praying a psalm as the words stop us. How can I cry out to God to "deal with me according to my righteousness"?

The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgements were before me, and I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. (18:20-23)

These words cannot be my words personally or those of anyone I know. How could we even pray these words to God who knows our sinful hearts. It is even difficult to imagine how David could pray these Psalms! Remember, David is the same one who admitted that he was a sinner from birth (51:5). Or consider Psalm 22--

For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. (16-18)

Even though his life contained terrible moments this never happened to David? Could we ever pray this Psalm and mean it? If someone has become our enemy what are we to do to them? Jesus tells us to "love" our enemies, to love those who hate us! In that light, can we honestly pray of our personal enemies that God would "pour out" His "wrath" on them and overtake them with His anger (69:24).

1. It is important to note that Jesus applied the Psalms to himself

Read the following Psalms and see that it is indeed Jesus that is speaking:--

6:8 (Matt. 7:23)

35:19

69:4 (John 15:25)

31:5

22:1

69:21; 22:15

22:31

Compare also Matthew 7:23 <=> Psalm 6:8

Matthew 21:13 <=> Psalm 118:26

John 13:18 <=> Psalm 41:9

Matthew 16:27 <=> Psalm 62:12

2. The apostles applied the Psalms to Jesus

Consider, for example, Hebrews 10:5; 2:11-12

3. Consider who authored the Psalms

Jesus authored the Psalms. "His is the great voice we hear in the Psalms crying out in prayer to God the Father."³⁶ The Spirit of the Christ was in the psalmists, speaking through them centuries before Jesus came to earth as Messiah.

There are various ways in which the Psalms speak of Christ. In some we hear of the Father speaking to the Son (e.g. Psalm 2:7). In others Jesus is spoken of as the Good Shepherd (compare Psalm 23 with John 10). He is the King (Psalm 24), the Second Adam (perfect man -- Psalm 1), and the Head of His Church (Psalm 8, cf. Hebrews 2).

According to the witness of the Bible, David is, as the anointed king of the chosen people of God, a prototype of Jesus Christ. What happens to him happens to him for the sake of the one who is in him and who is said to proceed from him, namely Jesus Christ. And he is not unaware of this, but "being therefore a prophet, and knowing that god has sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ" (Acts 2:30f.). David was a witness to Christ in his office, in his life, and in his words. The New Testament says even more. In the Psalms of David the promised Christ himself already speaks (Hebrews 2:12; 10:5) or, as may also be indicated, the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 3:7). These same words which David spoke, therefore, the future Messiah spoke through him. The prayers of David were prayed also by Christ. Or better, Christ himself prayed them through his forerunner David.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible)

30. Vengeance belongs to the Lord -- The Imprecatory Psalms/Christ in the Psalms (VII)

Last time we established that Christ Jesus is the one who is singing these Psalms to God.

These prayers, then, for woes unutterable upon enemies are the prayers of Christ Himself. But the difficulty to many minds about this is that it seems inconsistent with His prayer for enemies, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."...That the two prayers fell from His lips, we know; and that they represent two different things which He received a commission from the Father to do, we know. He has the power on earth to forgive sins, and He has the power on earth to execute judgment upon enemies....The Psalms themselves present both sides of His mediatorial character and work in this respect. James Dick, Psalm-Singers' Conference

Jesus commands us to love our enemies and forgo revenge (Matthew 5:55). He also prays in one place "forgive them" but in another He prays "destroy them" -- this can be very confusing?

The prayers of Christ for judgement reflect God's divine character and will.

How, you may ask, can this be so? Let us examine Jesus Christ in His fullness. He is more than a loving and merciful Saviour who forgives sin. He is also a God of vengeance who will not let the wicked go unpunished. There is no need to reconcile the vengeance of Jesus, and the love of Jesus; friends need not be reconciled. Nevertheless, the harmony may not be so apparent to us. So let us consider some NT texts to see the very essence and fulfilment of the imprecatory psalms:-

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Matthew 23:13, 15, 16, 23, 24, 27, 29, 33 (a sevenfold curse); Matthew 26:23-24 with Psalm 41:8-10; John 17:20-21 (Jesus' prayers of blessing are not for all -- see v.9)

Even Paul who loved the Jews (Romans 9:3) loved also the imprecations:- 1 Corinthians 16:22; Galatians 1:8, 5:12; 2 Timothy 4:14. Note that all those who are not friends of Jesus are His enemies. The spirit of the NT is that God's curse rests on all who oppose the good news of Jesus Christ.

Q. How can perceiving the wrath of the Lamb be beneficial?

The following quote is in keeping with spirit of the NT:--

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them." Deuteronomy 32:35

Q. What is the OT view of vengeance?

Q. What is the NT view of vengeance? (e.g. Romans 12:19-21)

Is it wrong to ask God to bring judgment on the wicked?

This is a very common idea today. But these ideas show a lack of love for God, and a bad understanding of the seriousness of man's sin against God. Robert Dabney wrote:

This age has witnessed a whole spawn of religionists, very rife and rampant in some sections of the church, who pretentiously declared themselves the apostles of a lovelier Christianity than that of the sweet Psalmist of Israel. His ethics were entirely too vindictive and barbarous for them, forsooth; and they, with their Peace Societies, and new lights, would teach the world a milder and more beneficent code.

Dabney goes on to speak of Bible expositors who have "fatigued themselves with many vain inventions to explain away the imprecatory language of the Psalms." He relates a distressing instance when Psalm 109 was removed from the Psalter to be replaced by a modern hymn on "the beauty of forgiveness," and he calls for repentance from the blasphemy of making unreliable ideals the standard for God:

All these inventions, then, must be relinquished; the admission must be squarely and honestly made, that the inspired men of both Testaments felt and expressed moral indignation against wrong-doers, and a desire for their proper retribution at the hand of God.

Jesus is both a loving and a righteous God who rewards those who seek Him and punishes all those who reject Him. He is just to do this, and so it is right for us to desire Him to do it. Time and again in the Scriptures we see godly authors speaking and praying for the righteous judgment of God. Dabney helps again:

Righteous retribution is one of the glories of the divine character. If it is right that God should desire to exercise it, then it cannot be wrong for his people to desire him to exercise it. It may be objected that, while he claims retribution for himself, he forbids it to them, and that he has thereby forbidden all satisfaction in it to them. The fact is true; the inference does not follow. Inasmuch as retribution inflicted by a creature is forbidden, the desire for its infliction by a creature, or pleasure therein, is also forbidden; but inasmuch as it is righteously inflicted by God, it must be right in him, and must therefore be, when in his hand, a proper satisfaction to the godly.³⁷

31. Vengeance belongs to the Lord -- The Imprecatory Psalms/Christ in the Psalms (VIII)

We find in the imprecatory psalms the word Christ breathes out against His enemies. These Psalms encourage us to leave sin, to make us love and value justice, to lead us to commit vengeance into the hands of the Lord, thus strongly deterring us from private and personal revenge, and to show us that God is to be praised for His justice as well as His mercy. We know that one of the characteristics of God is that He is the Righteous judge. God desires to exercise judgement, to reward the one who does well, and to punish the evil-doer. Because it is good for God to desire to repay the evil-doer it is proper that His people desire Him to do this.

The Lord hates evil (Psalm 5:5; 101:3) and we also must hate it -- "You who love the Lord, hate evil" (e.g. Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 8:13). A Christian must be a strong hater and an ardent lover. Each day we are sanctified in Christ we are made more like Him. So we will learn to love the things Christ loves and hate the things Christ hates. But what about our enemies? We are told to love them, and we must indeed. Every impulse to gratify ourselves by avenging a wrongdoing is surrendered to the Lord as we truly follow Him. The Lord comforts His people by reminding them "I will avenge."

Thy Kingdom come...

Q. What is the meaning of these words?
A. The Church that is conscious of the life and death struggle between the two kingdoms will not exclude hatred for Satan's kingdom from its love fro God's kingdom. The church is compelled to show love unto all men and to pray for their conversion. At the same time, with her eye fixed on the promise of the coming day of the Lord in which all God's enemies will be crushed eternally, the church prays for the hastening day of judgment.³⁸

God's kingdom cannot come without Satan's kingdom being destroyed. God's will cannot be done in earth without the destruction of evil. Evil cannot be destroyed without the destruction of men who are permanently identified with it. Instead of being influenced by the sickly sentimentalism of the present day, Christian people should realise that the glory of God demands the destruction of evil. Instead of being insistent upon the assumed, but really non-existent rights of men, they should focus their attention upon the rights of God. Instead of being ashamed of the Imprecatory Psalms, and attempting to apologize for them and explain them away, Christian people should glory in them and not hesitate to use them in the public and private exercises of the worship of God.³⁹

In Christ's teaching on prayer He shows how we should pray for the victory of His kingdom. Martin Luther pointed out that when one prays, "Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done," then:

he must put all opposition to this in one pile and say: "Curses, maledictions and disgrace upon every other name and every other kingdom. May they be ruined and torn apart and may all their schemes and wisdom and plans run aground."⁴⁰

We MUST be candid enough to admit that to pray for the extension of God's kingdom means to pray for the destruction of all other kingdoms. Christians are therefore obligated to pray for the destruction of the kingdom of evil and those who are identified with it. We are also to pray for the conversion of sinners, those who are now identified with the kingdom of darkness. Since we cannot know who are permanently identified with Satan's kingdom, we cannot pray for the doom of known individuals in the way the psalmist did. We must rather show love for all people, even our enemies. To pray for the salvation of sinners is the greatest display of love. Thus as Christians we are to pray that God will remove His enemies, and frustrate their wicked plans. We must pray that the Lord would destroy their kingdom, and we must also pray that the Lord would save those among them who are not yet come to salvation.

Satisfaction in the destruction of God's enemies

Is it not Christ-likeness to be satisfied and glad at the fall of Jezebel and Herod, and all of their issue. If someone murders the guest in my home, then I will never be satisfied until justice is dealt out to him. Not my vindictiveness, but my sense of justice, will prompt me to seek his arrest, and rejoice when the law lays its heavy hand upon him. When men ignore the law and outrage righteousness, are we stepping beyond the limit, when we earnestly desire their overthrow and pray for it?

The example of Christ himself, and the Old and New Testaments, demonstrates time and again that it is the task of Christians to pray against the enemies of God, even to pray the War Psalms of the Prince of Peace. Prayer for the overthrow of wicked men, and the defeat of their wicked devices, becomes sinful only when it proceeds from feelings of private ill-will or revenge, or from a sinful desire of gain or success from their downfall. "Thy kingdom come..."

For self study

Read and study the Psalms with the petitions of the Lord's Prayer in mind and note how they correspond (try Psalm 83 as a start, DV, we will deal wi this next week).
What grand end is in view in the prayers of vengeance?
How should a Christian not use these Psalms?
How do the prayers od imprecation enable the Christian to endure and triumph over persecution?

32. Vengeance belongs to the Lord -- Psalm 83 (IX)

A passionate cry to God heralds the start of this Psalm.

Identify the following:

The adversary recognised in the Psalm.
Against whom the adversary contests.
The specific imprecations in this Psalm.
The purpose of this prayer of justice.

How can we righteously pray these prayers?

The enemy is those who plot against God and against God's people (vv. 2-8).
Jehovah, and His people are the enemy of the adversary (vv. 2, 3).
The imprecations are most clear in verses 9-15.
The purpose of the prayer is that God will deal justly with His enemies, and the enemies of His people. The prayer is that He would "Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord, let them be confounded and dismayed forever; yes, let them be put to shame and perish, that they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, are the most high over all the earth.

Q. Are the forces of evil today fewer in number than when the psalmist wrote these words?
A. No, the forces of evil are no fewer in number than in the days when these words were penned.

Q. How can men attack God?
A. They cannot touch Him with atom bombs, they cannot touch Him with arts or technology. Verses 2 and 3 show their clever mode of attack on God -- they pounce on God's people and seek to devour them.

Q. What is the ultimate end of the attacks on God's people?
A. The enemies of God are bent on destroying the people of God (vv. 4, 5).

Q. Write down some of the ways in which they attempt to attack God and His elect
A. Consider the following:

physical persecution;
attempts to destroy the church of Jesus Christ from within

temptation to sin (e.g. consider some of the TV commercials and programs and other media influences. Or consider the legal system which calls good bad and bad good; e.g. the recent bill C33 declaring homosexuality good and proper, or the abortion laws which parade under the name "freedom")
discouragement in Christian life (e.g. consider the things we are told that we are missing -- the good life; outdated/old-fashioned or just plain stupid beliefs)
jealousy/covetousness (e.g. go after "what you deserve", "don't deny yourself", "how to double your pleasure"

Q. How does Christ pray? (vv.9, 10)
A. Jesus says"As You have destroyed the wicked in the past, do so now." -- The story Jesus refers to is recounted in Judges 4; and so we understand the way Christ desires that the enemies of God's people be judged. Sisera was chased until exhaustion. He was thirsty and tired, he was terrified. Finally, when he thought he was safe a peg was pounded through his head.

Q. Can we say, "Do it again, Lord! Do that to my own enemy!"?
A. NEVER! We need to remember that Jesus told us to love our enemies. Therefore we may never pray out of a spirit of personal vengeance against enemies.

Q. Can we ever righteously pray these prayers without assistance?
A. We can never pray righteously without assistance. And so we can never pray this prayer without intervention. We are too prone to evil to pray this in our own strength. But we are told how to pray by the Lord...Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done -- these prayers must include the destruction of God's enemies, because that is the will of God.

33. To pray in Christ (X)

A continuation of the study in Psalm 83

Q. What does it mean to pray in Christ?

If we cannot offer any prayer apart from Jesus Christ, how much less the prayer of God's wrath and vengeance.

- Romans 8:26, 27

* Consider the author of these words

- 1 Corinthians 2:11

* Without the Spirit we have no idea about prayer

* Nothing but the Spirit can show a man clearly his misery by nature, and so put a man into a posture of prayer. (John 16:7-9)

* When a man is convinced of his sin, nothing but the Spirit can give him the boldness to pray to God. (Cf. Jeremiah 2:25; John 14:26)

* Without the Spirit our prayers are unacceptable

Right prayer must, in the outward expression, as in the inward intention, come from what the soul apprehends in the light of the Spirit; otherwise it is condemned as vain and an abomination⁴²

It is not the mouth that is the main thing to be looked at in prayer, but whether the heart is so full of affection and earnestness in prayer with God that it is impossible to express their sense and desire; for then a man desires indeed, when his desires are so strong, many and mighty, that all the words, tears and groans that come from the heart cannot utter them.

Q. What is the goal of our prayers for enemies?

Consider Psalm 83:16.

What is the reason we are to pray that the Lord covers with shame the faces of His enemies?

We pray so that by means of God's judgment they will be converted. This happened to Saul, for example. We are to realise that God uses judgment to draw men to Himself (e.g. Romans 2:2-4).

Some great truths:-

No affliction or judgment is to great if it causes us to seek the Lord (e.g. Daniel 4:34-35)
If any of the enemies of God's people belong to God's election, the Church's prayer against them giveth way to their conversion, and seeketh no more than that the judgment should follow them, only until they acknowledge their sin, turn, and seek God ⁴³.
The price is not too great even if a country were to be plunged into war that people might be ashamed, turn to Jesus, and repent. Verses 14 and 15 picture a raging forest fire.
All will either be converted or be destroyed
But if they don't seek God's face, they will be destroyed, the Psalm continues.
We should pray that our enemies be converted and become our friends, and if not, that their doing and designing be bound to fail and have no success and that their persons perish rather than the Gospel and the kingdom of Christ. Thus the saintly martyr Anasthasia, a wealthy, noble Roman matron, prayed against her husband, and idolatrous and terrible ravager of Christians, who had flung her into a horrible prison, in which she had to stay and die. There she lay and wrote to the saintly Chrysogonus diligently to pray for her husband that, if possible, he be converted and believe; but if not, that he be unable to carry out his plans and that he soon make an end of his ravaging. Thus she prayed him to death, for he went to war and did not return home. So we, too, pray for our angry enemies. Not that God protect and strengthen them in their ways, as we pray for Christians, or that He help them, but that they be converted, if they can be; or, if they refuse, that God oppose them, stop them and end the game to their harm and misfortune.⁴⁴
There is hope for revival
God's judgment has often caused godless people to seek Him.
The end of our prayer is that God be glorified
Even the wicked were created for the day of evil (Proverbs 16:4). God's glory stands way above any supposed rights of man. 1 Corinthians 16:22

34. The Reformation -- Psalms in recent history

The early church abounds with references to the Psalms. For example, Jerome (d. 419), describing the charms of the Holy Land, writes regarding the psalter:

Wherever you turn, the labourer at the plough sings Alleluia; the toiling reaper beguiles his work with Psalms: the vine-dresser as he prunes the vine with his curved pruning-hook sings something of David's. These are the songs of his province; these, to use the common phrase, are its love ditties; these the shepherd's whistles; these are the labourer's implements.

"In the Church's vigils," says Chrysostom, writing from Constantinople, "the first, the midst, the last are David's Psalms. In the morning David's Psalms are sought for; and David is the first, the midst and the last of the day....Many who know not a letter can say David's Psalms by heart."⁴⁵

During the first two centuries there are no known hymns used by the Church other than the Psalms of David. We have no complete religious song remaining from the period of persecution (i.e. from the first three centuries) except the song of Clement of Alexandria to the divine Logos--which, however, cannot be called a hymn and was probably never intended for public use.⁴⁶

Heretical hymns started to come into the Church after that time. A series of councils dealt with the matter by reasserting the sufficiency of the inspired Psalms and attempting to prevent the introduction of uninspired hymns into the worship of the Church.⁴⁷ The Council of Laodicea about A.D. 381 prohibited the use in worship of uninspired or "private psalms."⁴⁸ The Council of Chalcedon confirmed this (A.D. 451), as did the Council of Braga (561), and the Fourth Synod of Toledo in the seventh century. As late as the ninth century we find earnest appeal to the earlier councils in support of pure psalmody. Abogard of Lyons, for example, reminds his readers that "the venerable councils of the fathers decree that vulgar psalms should not at all be sung in the Church and that 'nothing put together in poetic fashion' should be employed in the divine praises...Let us apply ourselves wholly to divine words in which there is no error, no ambiguity."⁴⁹

So we have testimony that during the early life of the Church concerted efforts were made to encourage the use of the psalter and to prevent the use in worship of uninspired hymns.

For the next ten centuries the world entered what is known as the Dark Ages. The church became corrupt and the church of Rome emerged as a dominant world power. To John Wycliffe belongs the honour of sounding the first clear, unmistakeable challenge to the corrupt Church, which he called "Anti-Christ" and pleaded separation. Following him was Huss who was carried away to the stake where he was burned to death. With his last breathes he repeated Psalm 31, "Into Your hands I commit my spirit." With the coming of the printing press, Psalm-singing began to spread over the Christian world. The church began to reform from the errors of the Roman Church, and the singing of Psalms contributed in great part to this. Martin Luther, a man who contributed greatly to the reforming of the Church wrote: "We intend after the example of the prophets and primitive Fathers to turn the Psalms into the vulgar tongue for the common people, so that the Word of God may remain among the people even in singing."⁵⁰

During the middle ages the true Church of Jesus Christ degenerated and by the time of the reformation psalm singing was virtually dead. The Protestant Reformation was a revival in evangelical religion and was accompanied by a revival of popular hymnody as well. Martin Luther began his teaching career in 1513. Although he was the first to challenge the perversion of the Roman Church, he had no problem with many practices of the Roman Church. He failed to secure the use of the psalter in the worship of the Christian Church. The great reformer John Calvin led the Reformed Church. A visitor to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1557 comments that:

A more interesting sight is offered in the city on the weekdays, when the hour for the sermon approaches. As soon as the first sound of the bell is heard, all shops are closed, all conversation ceases, all business is broken off, and from all sides the people hasten to the nearest meeting-house. Therre each one draws from his pocket a small book which contains the Psalms with notes, and out of full hearts, in the native speech, the congregation sings before and after the sermon.⁵¹

Calvin wrote:

Let us have songs that are not only decent but holy. These will incite us to pray and praise God, to meditate on his works, in order to love, fear honour and glorify him. But what Augustine says is true, that no one can sings things worthy of God, unless he has received them from Himself. Therefore, after we have sought on every side, searching here and there, we shall find no songs better and more suitable for our purpose than the Psalms of David, dictated to him and made for him by the Holy Spirit.⁵²

In Holland, in France, Switzerland, England, and Scotland all the reformed churches sang psalms exclusively until the early eighteenth century. In 1707, Isaac Watts published "Hymns and Spiritual Songs", and in 1719 the "Psalms of David Imitated" was instrumental in the shift from Psalms to man made compositions. A great controversy in the church followed the introduction of Isaac Watts' compositions. By the turn of the past century most reformed churches had all but rejected their heritage as psalms singers.

We will consider briefly the history of one of the mainline Northern American churches. The largest Dutch Reformed Church in North America is the Christian Reformed Church. Prior to 1932 this church used practically nothing but inspired Psalms in worship praise. In 1932 a collection of hymns were added to the psalter, and article 69 of the Church Order was altered to read:

In the churches only the 150 Psalms of David and the collection of hymns for church use, approved by the Synod, shall be sung. However, while the singing of the Psalms in divine worship is a requirement, the use of approved hymns is left to the freedom of the churches.⁵³

Q. Discuss some reasons Churches have spurned the heritage of songs the Lord has given.

1. Pressure from within ⁵⁴:

steady departure from the use of Psalms
failure to understand the real issues, especially from generation to new generation
bringing in of uninspired songs

2. Pressure from without:

misunderstanding of the will of God, the "whatever you prefer" syndrome
fear of angering others rather than fear of God

Q. Discuss some ways that Psalms singing can be encouraged and reintroduced again to the Church.

This completes our study on worship song. On the basis of all that has gone before, we believe that a fair and unbiased examination of Scriptures related to the subject leads to the unavoidable conclusion that praise in song is a matter of divine prerogative, requiring inspired songwriters for the production of acceptable worship song. The presence of the psalter in the Bible requires that we view praise in song as the musical counterpart of the reading of Scriptures in worship.

There is no positive, biblical evidence that constitutes a fair warrant for the production of uninspired compositions of men for use in the religious worship of God. In the absence of this warrant, we are bound by the regulative principle of worship to limit our songs in worship to the only collection of inspired songs that God has set aside for our use.

I trust the studies have been helpful.

Footnotes

1. Calvin, John, Commentary on the gospel of John, Vol. 1, transl. J.H.L. Parker, p.149 back

2. McMillan, W.H., 1992, The idea of worship, in John McNaughter (ed.) The Psalms in Worship, Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton, p.11 back

3. Bushell, Michael (1993), The songs of Zion, Crown and Covenant Publications, Pittsburg back

4. Calvin, John, Commentary on the gospel of John, Vol. 1, transl. J.H.L. Parker, p.149 back

5. McMillan, W.H., 1992, The idea of worship, in John McNaughter (ed.) The Psalms in Worship, Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton, p.11 back

6. Owen, John (1976), Works, Vol. 15, p.448, Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh back

7. Owen, John, In the Worship of God, Works Volume 15, p.467, Banner of Truth Trust,1965 back

8. The Person and Work of Christ, p.443 back

9. The Person and Work of Christ, p.443 back

10. Calvin, John (1993), Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. 5, p.159, Baker Book House. back

11. McClenahan, D.A., The Psalms in the Old Testament Church, in The Psalms in worship (ed. John McNaughter), Still Waters Revival Books edition (1992), Edmonton. back

12. Bushell, Michael (1993), The Songs of Zion, Crown and Covenant Publications, p.58 back

13. Irons, J.D., The Psalms in the Old Testament Church, in ed. McNaughter, John, The Psalms in Worship, Still Waters Revival Books reprint, 1992. back

14. Bushell, M, The Songs of Zion, Crown and Covenant Publications, 1993, p.62. back

15. Kilpatrick, L.E., Psalms for Merriment - James 5:13, in The Biblical Doctrine of Worship, RPCNA Symposium, 1974., p.219 back

16. Ibid. back

17. Ibid., p.222 back

18. Calvin, John, Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. 22, Baker Book House, 1993, p. 66 back

19. Poythress, Vern, "Ezra 3, Union with Christ, and Exclusive Psalmody," WTJ, XXXVII (1974-75), p.85, note 9. back

20. Bushell, Michael, The Songs of Zion, Crown and Covenant Publications, 1993, p.82. back

21. Williamson, G.I., The Singing of Psalms in the Worship of God, publ. Reformed Presbyterian Church of Northern Ireland, p.8 back

22. See Bushell, Michael, The Songs of Zion, p.87, 1993. back

23. Josephus, Antiquities, 7. 364 back

24. Ant., 7., 305. back

25. Hodge, Charles, Comment on 1 Corinthians 10:3. back

26. Williamson, G.I., The Singing of Psalms in the worship of God, Covenanter Bookshop, p.14. back

27. Ibid. back

28. Kennedy, J.A., The Psalms the divinely authorised and exclusive manual of praise, in The Psalms in Worship, (ed.) McNaughter, J, Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton, Canada, 1992. back

29. Henderson, J.A., The suitableness and sufficiency of the psalter for Christian worship, in The Psalms in worship, ed. McNaughter, J., Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton, Canada. back

30. Vos, J.G., Spiritual Songs for praising God, in The Biblical Doctrine of Worship, The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, 1974. back

31. Kennedy, J.A., The Psalms the divinely authorised and exclusive manual of praise, in The Psalms in Worship, (ed.) McNaughter, J, Still Waters Revival Books, Edmonton, Canada, 1992. back

32. In the main this is taken from 'The Biblical Doctrine of Worship', Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, 1974. back

33. In the main this is taken from 'The Biblical Doctrine of Worship', Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, 1974. back

34. John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews, Volume 12, Baker Book House, 1993, p.40. back

35. Index to Psalm Imprecations, from James Adams, 1991, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace, P & R --- 5:10; 6:10; 7:6; 9:19-20; 10:2,15; 17:13; 25:19; 28:4; 31:17-18; 35:1,4-6,8,19,24-26; 40:14-15; 41:10; 54:5; 55:9,15;56:7; 58:6-10; 5, 11-14; 63:9-10; 68:1-2, 30; 69:22-25, 27-28; 70:2-3; 71:13; 74:23; 79:6; 79:10-12; 83:9-18; 94:1-4; 97:7; 104:35; 109:6-19, 29; 119:84; 129:5-7; 137:7-9; 139:19, 21-22; 140:8-11; 141:10; 143:12 back

36. Adams, James, 1991, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace, P&R, p.25. back

37. Dabney, R.L., Discussions Evangelical and Theological, Banner of Truth, 1967. back

38. Harry Mennega, The Ethical Problem of the Imprecatory Psalms, Master's Thesis, Westminster Theological Seminary, 1959, p.93. back

39. Johannes G. Vos, The Ethical Problem of the Imprecatory Psalms, Westminster Theological Journal. back

40. Martin Luther, Luther's Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), 21:101. back

41. Johannes G. Vos, The Ethical Problem of the Imprecatory Psalms, Westminster Theological Journal. back

42. John Bunyan, Prayer, p.26, Banner of Truth Trust back

43. David Dickson, Commentary on the Psalms back

44. Martin Luther, What Luther says, p.1100, St. Louis: Concordia, 1959 back

45. Robinson, G.W., The Psalms in history, in (ed.) McNaughter, J. The Psalms in Worship, p.504. back

46. Schaff, The Greek and Latin Hymnology, 1866, p.680. back

47. Bushell, M., The Songs of Zion, Crown and Covenant Publications, 1993, p.158. back

48. Canon LIX of the Synod of Laodicea, in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, Vol. XIV, p.158. back

49. Abogard of Lyons, "On Divine Psalmody", quoted in Bushell, p.160. back

50. Ibid. p.522. back

51. Quoted in Bushell, Michael, 1993, The Songs of Zion, p.181. back

52. Ibid., p.182 back

53. Quoted in The Banner, Vol. 81, (Oct. 1946), p.1211. back

54. E.g. quote from Wallace Jamison, The United Presbyterian Story (Pittsburg: Geneva Press, 1958), pp.121ff. "Pastors began to complain that their young people were slipping away to Methodist and Baptist Churches where these "gospel songs" were used and loved. It was because of this growing revolt, particularly on the part of the young, that the church was forced to make some radical changes." back

Many thanks to H. Sikkema for making this document available.

Bible study on worship

Contents

(a.) The Edenic period

(b.) The Noachic period

(c.) The Patriarchal period

(d.) The Mosaic period

1. God is love

1. His name

2. His face

3. His right hand

4. His Word

5. His kingdom

1. The creation of the world

2. The sustaining of the world

1. The covenant mercies of God

2. The judgements of God

1. The creation of the world

2. The sustaining of the world

1. The covenant mercies of God

2. The judgements of God

1. The nations as enemies of God and God's people

2. Man as an alien from God

1. The nations as Objects of God's Redemption

2. Man's blessedness as a covenant friend

2. Man's blessedness as a covenant friend

A. Son of God (Hebrews 1:5; 5:5)

B. The Suffering Servant of God (Matthew 24:26)

C. The Redeemer of God's Elect (Luke 1:68)

D. The Prophet of God (John 1:21ff)

E. The Priest of God (Hebrews 2:17)

F. The King of God (Matthew 27:11)

G. The Covenant Son of David (Matthew 16:16)

H. The Holy One of God (Mark 1:24; Acts 2:27)

I. The Anointed (Acts 4:26)

J. The Stone (Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11)

K. The Shepherd (John 10:11)

L. The Mediator (Hebrews 9:15)

M. The Judge (John 5:25-27)

N. He Weeps (John 11:35)

O. He is Humble (Matthew 11:29)

P. He is Prayerful (Luke 9:28)

Q. He is Patient (2 Peter 3:9)

R. He Loves the Saints (Romans 8:35)

1. It is important to note that Jesus applied the Psalms to himself

2. The apostles applied the Psalms to Jesus

3. Consider who authored the Psalms

For self study