Rajesh

The Use of “Elision” in Spanish Hymnody

April 17, 2014

Spanish hymns have an interesting feature that I call “elision.” When a word ends with a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel, the last syllable of a word and the first syllable of the next word are often combined into one syllable.

For example, although “Pen-san-do en ti” has five syllables, through elision this phrase spans only four notes instead of five [“Pen- san- (do en) ti”] in this example:

On beat 3 of measure one in this example, “-do” and “en” are elided.

The following chart shows what vowels are elided with other vowels in songs in Himnos Majestuos: Revised Edition. The integer part of each entry denotes the number of the hymn and the decimal tells in which system the example occurs.

The rows give the first of the two vowels that elide while the columns give the second vowel.

For example, the top left cell of this table has this entry: 1.1; 255.1. This notation means that “a” elides with “a” in hymn #1 in the first system and in hymn #255 in the first system.

Using this table should especially help people who are not native Spanish speakers (like me) know what vowels or combinations of vowels often elide in Spanish hymns.

In Music, Spanish

Spanish Bible Reading Report 4.12.14

April 12, 2014

After 102 days in 2014, I am only a couple chapters behind (304 chapters completed instead of 306 [for reading 3 chapters a day]) in my Bible reading for the year in the Reina Valera:

Books completed – Genesis; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Galatians; 1 & 2 Thessalonians; James; Jude (113 total chapters)
Other reading – Exodus 1-12; Psalms 1-102; Isaiah 1-50; Matthew 1-17; John 1-5; Acts 10, 15; 1 Cor. 13-15 (191 total chapters)
Chapters read – OT – 257; NT – 47; Total – 304

I praise the Lord for His grace in getting this far in this project!

In Bible reading, Spanish

Learning from a Surprising Problem in the Life of David Brainerd

April 11, 2014

Reading in a short biography of Jonathan Edwards, I was surprised to learn that David Brainerd, of whom I have never heard anything negative said, got into serious trouble when he was a student at Yale because he openly criticized the spiritual state of his superiors:

Far worse, some local traveling preachers, and even some Yale students, were saying the same thing. Just before the commencement the Yale trustees passed a regulation saying that “if any student of this college shall directly or indirectly say, that the rector, either of the trustees or tutors are hypocrites, carnal or unconverted men, he shall for the first offence make public confession in the hall, and for the second offence be expelled.” One of the main targets was an intensely spiritual and outspoken student named David Brainerd. Eventually Yale expelled Brainerd after he was overheard to remark that one of the tutors “had no more grace than a chair.”

. . . Even if students like David Brainerd went too far in criticizing their superiors, Edwards admired their deep spiritual intensity.

—George M. Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards, 70

May we all learn from Brainerd’s failures in this regard and pray earnestly and regularly, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips” (Ps. 141:3).

In Exhortation, Quotes

A Wonderful Promise of God Concerning Healthcare!

April 7, 2014

With so many friends of mine going through very serious health troubles right now, my mind went tonight to the wonderful promise of God concerning healthcare that is given in this passage:

Psa 41:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.> Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

² The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

³ The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

Charles Spurgeon provides these glorious comments on the marvelous promise made here for those who habitually care for others in need:

Verse 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing. The everlasting arms shall stay up his soul as friendly hands and downy pillows stay up the body of the sick. How tender and sympathising is this image; how near it brings our God to our infirmities and sicknesses! Whoever heard this of the old heathen Jove, or of the gods of India or China? This is language peculiar to the God of Israel; he it is who deigns to become nurse and attendant upon good men. If he smites with one hand he sustains with the other. Oh, it is blessed fainting when one falls upon the Lord’s own bosom, and is borne up thereby! Grace is the best of restoratives; divine love is the noblest stimulant for a languishing patient; it makes the soul strong as a giant, even when the aching bones are breaking through the skin. No physician like the Lord, no tonic like his promise, no wine like his love. Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. What, doth the Lord turn bed maker to his sick children? Herein is love indeed. Who would not consider the poor if such be the promised reward? A bed soon grows hard when the body is weary with tossing to and fro upon it, but grace gives patience, and God’s smile gives peace, and the bed is made soft because the man’s heart is content; the pillows are downy because the head is peaceful. Note that the Lord will make all his bed, from head to foot. What considerate and indefatigable kindness! Our dear and ever blessed Lord Jesus, though in all respects an inheritor of this promise, for our sakes condescended to forego the blessing, and died on a cross and not upon a bed; yet, even there, he was after awhile upheld and cheered by the Lord his God, so that he died in triumph.

—Treasury of David, http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps041.htm

Matthew Henry also brings out the tremendous promise that God gives here:

The good-will of a God that loves us is sufficient to secure us from the ill-will of all that hate us, men and devils; and that good-will we may promise ourselves an interest in if we have considered the poor and helped to relieve and rescue them. {2.} Particularly in sickness (v. 3): The Lord will strengthen him, both in body and mind, upon the bed of languishing, on which he had long lain sick, and he will make all his bed-a very condescending expression, alluding to the care of those that nurse and tend sick people, especially of mothers for their children when they are sick, which is to make their beds easy for them; and that bed must needs be well made which God himself has the making of. He will make all his bed from head to foot, so that no part shall be uneasy; he will turn his bed (so the word is), to shake it up and make it very easy; or he will turn it into a bed of health. Note, God has promised his people that he will strengthen them, and make them easy, under their bodily pains and sicknesses. He has not promised that they shall never be sick, nor that they shall not lie long languishing, nor that their sickness shall not be unto death; but he has promised to enable them to bear their affliction with patience, and cheerfully to wait the issue. The soul shall by his grace be made to dwell at ease when the body lies in pain.

—Comments on Ps. 41 in Matthew Henry Notes

Both of these illustrious men of God bring out the blessed healthcare promise in Psalm 41:3 that God will be the Divine Nurse in times of debilitating illness for those who have themselves graciously and sacrificially considered others in their times of deep need (including physical sickness) and helped care for them. Although God does not promise here that He will heal such people when they become seriously ill, He does promise to care for them at such times in a marvelous way that no other nurse or healthcare provider ever could or would!

Brethren, let us make much of this glorious healthcare promise!

In Exhortation, Health

The Evangelistic Importance of a Striking Correlation between John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25

April 4, 2014

John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 record evangelistic encounters in two widely differing settings: Jesus’ evangelizing a sinful woman in Samaria versus an unbelieving person who enters a local church and receives prophesying from a congregation of worshiping believers. Despite their differing settings, these passages reveal a striking correlation that illumines a key element of genuine salvation.

John 4:4-42

Jesus conversed about living water with a Samaritan woman who came to draw water from the well where He was sitting (John 4:5-14). The woman responded by saying to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw” (John 4:15).

Instead of immediately giving her that gift of God (John 4:10) when she seemed eager to receive it, Jesus supernaturally confronted her with her sinfulness by telling her how she was currently living in sin (John 4:16-18). Recognizing that He had exposed sinful details of her life that she would have thought that He would have had no way of knowing about her, the woman related that she perceived that He was a prophet (John 4:19).

Through His exposing her secret sinfulness and His further dealings with her (John 4:20-27), the woman became convinced that He was the Christ whom she knew would come and tell them “all things” (John 4:25). Leaving Him and going into the city, she testified to men repeatedly that she had encountered the Christ who told her all things that she had ever done (John 4:29, 39).

By correlating these three statements (John 4:25, 29, 39), we see clearly that her persistent testimony to that specific truth shows that His supernaturally convincing her of the sinfulness of secret aspects of her life was a crucial facet of her coming to genuine faith in Him. In particular, the final statement about her testifying to that truth shows that many others also came to believe because of her testimony to that truth (John 4:39).

1 Corinthians 14:23-25

In the only New Testament passage that explicitly recounts worship taking place in a local church (1 Cor. 14:23-25), Paul provides strikingly similar revelation to what was crucial in Jesus’ evangelism of the Samaritan woman:

1Co 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

²⁴ But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

²⁵ And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

This passage shows that true worship of God by an unbelieving sinner who comes into a local church results from God’s making manifest “the secrets of his heart” (1 Cor. 14:25) and convincing him of his sinfulness (1 Cor. 14:24) through the collective ministry of all who minister to him in that service (see The Consummation of Public Worship for a fuller explanation of this passage).

Discussion

Both John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 teach us about the importance of a sinner having his secret sins exposed supernaturally. To understand further the evangelistic importance of this striking correlation between these two passages, we need to correlate them with key Pauline teaching about his gospel ministry:

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel (Rom. 2:16).

A careful handling of Romans 2:16 shows that Paul is teaching that a key truth that he testified as part of his gospel was that God “in the day” would judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (see this post for a detailed explanation concerning this vital point).

We learn from this statement that Paul evangelized sinners by telling that them that God will one day judge their secret sins and that He will do so through Jesus Christ. Paul thus evangelized sinners with testimony that closely correlates with the Samaritan woman’s testimony to others that Jesus as the Christ had exposed her secret sinfulness and convinced her of that sinfulness by telling her all things that she had ever done.

Furthermore, because Paul tells us that part of his gospel testimony was to tell people about how God will one day judge their secrets through Jesus Christ, we are justified in inferring that this truth was one of the truths that was prophesied to the unbeliever who came into the local church service recorded in 1 Corinthians 14:23-25.

Conclusion

John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 correlate strongly with each other and with Romans 2:16 to reveal the vital evangelistic importance of testifying to sinners that God will one day judge their secrets through Jesus Christ. We who evangelize sinners in our day should testify to this key gospel truth and allow God to use it to expose to them their secrets and to convince them of their sinfulness.

Doing so, we will provide them with vital testimony that God will use to bring those who repent and believe to fall on their faces and worship Him!

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation, Theology

Victory in Jesus

April 1, 2014

Whereas Adam, Eve, and the children of Israel in the wilderness failed when they were tempted in the dietary realm of their lives, praise God our Lord was victorious when He was similarly tempted. Though He “had fasted forty days and forty nights,” still He did not give in to the devil’s temptation of Him to meet His legitimate physical need for food in an ungodly manner (Matt. 4:2-4). Our Lord won His victory through His use of quoting Scripture to the wicked one to overcome him.

We, too, must depend upon the Word of God to give us victory in the dietary realm, as well as in all other realms. We must stop looking to the world and its wisdom for answers to problems in the health/fitness realm, as well as in all other realms of our lives.

We especially should not look to secular dietary authorities for help in being godly in our eating and activity practices. In spite of all the knowledge and multitudes of plans the world has, the incidence of obesity is increasing in the US. Though multitudes know they should be physically active, how many are as faithful as they could be?

Praise God that we have what the world does not have to be successful—we have been given “all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).

If you’re having struggles in the dietary realm, you should consider memorizing Proverbs 30:7-9 and praying through that passage each day, asking the Lord to give you victory by His Spirit:

“Two things have I required [asked] of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient [Heb. of my allowance] for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

In brief, when we pray this prayer, it will be an acknowledgment by us that the Lord must provide for us the proper amount of food each day. Too much or too little food will lead us into wickedness. (Secular experts say that eating smaller portions is a key to effective weight management, but they are unable to give any lasting help in how to deny self to do so).

Only His strength is sufficient to give us victory over the flesh—no amount of self-discipline will be sufficient. As He gave the children of Israel just enough manna in the wilderness for their daily needs (Exod. 16:18), so will He “give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3), when we ask Him.

It is only as we depend on Jesus that we will be triumphant through our Lord who “gave [H]imself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4)!

In Health

“Lord, I Want to Love You”

March 29, 2014

“Au Claire de La Lune” is a French song that many young guitarists learn to play because of its simplicity. “Lord, I Want to Love You” is a new song that I wrote that is sung to the same tune.

Because the song uses only three basic guitar chords (G, D7, and A7) and has an easy to learn melody, it is a good song for any beginning guitarist to use to perfect his playing the chords and the melody notes in treble clef. (This PDF provides the melody notes, words, and guitar chords for Lord, I Want to Love You in the key of G.)

Lord, I Want to Love You

Lord, I want to love you, You a-lone are true.
How I long to please you and be true to You.
All things are become new; I would be like You.
I so want to serve You, teach me what to do.

Lord, I want to love You, give you what you’re due.
You a-lone are wor-thy, make me more like You.
Fill me now with vir-tue that I’d e’er be true.
You a-lone are love-ly, O to walk with You.

Lord, I want to love You, give first place to You.
You are ev-er with me, draw me close to You.
Teach me how to fear You that I’d walk with You;
Give You all the glo-ry that is due to You.

You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it. Please contact me for any other use of the song.

In Guitar Music, Music

“Come, Little Children”

March 26, 2014

“Hush, Little Baby” is a song that many mothers have sung to their little children to help quiet them. Using the same tune, “Come, Little Children” is a new song that I wrote today. It teaches children solid Bible truths about God’s faithfulness to them throughout their lives!

Come, Little Children

Come, lit-tle chil-dren, hear what is right;
God is going to teach you to walk a-right.

When man-y trou-bles come in your way,
God is going to be with you day by day.

When peo-ple hurt you by what they do,
God is going to do what He’s promised you.

When life is sad and you’re feel-ing blue,
God is going to be al-ways true to you.

When life is o-ver, He’ll give you rest;
God is going to do for you what is best.

You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it. Please contact me for any other use of the song.

This PDF provides the melody and words of “Come, Little Children” in the key of G.

In Music

Let Us Pray for the Salvation of the US Supreme Court Justices!

March 24, 2014

In 1973, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued an unjust ruling that has helped to deprive millions of unborn Americans of their lives. Because of that ruling, the blood of more than 40,000,000 innocent unborn American citizens is in part on the hands of those judges who ruled in favor of legalizing abortion in the US.

Soon, the justices who are currently on SCOTUS will issue a landmark ruling that will likely have immense ramifications for Christians in the US. As we pray and wait for the outcome of this momentous case, let us who have received forgiveness of our sins keep in mind the example and teaching of Paul that applies to the spiritual needs of the current justices of SCOTUS.

A Pauline Burden for Their Salvation

When he stood on trial before an unjust king, Paul desired that not only that king but also all the other lost people who were present at that hearing would be saved: “And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds” (Acts 26:29). Through his example on this occasion, Paul teaches that we should have a burden for the salvation of those who exercise judicial authority over us, whether they do it justly or not.

A Pauline Emphasis on Praying for These Who Rule Over Us

Writing to Timothy, who was in Ephesus, Paul exhorted him that they should make prayer for ruling authorities a top priority in the corporate prayer life of the Church (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Paul emphasizes in this teaching that such prayer is vital because God would “have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4).

Keeping in mind that the justices on SCOTUS are key authorities who rule over us, we must pray fervently in our churches for their salvation.

Discussion

Someday, each of the justices who voted in favor of legalizing abortion in 1973 will stand before the true Supreme Court of heaven and earth and give an account for their sins. In that day, these who were justices on SCOTUS will answer to the God-resurrected, God-glorified Jesus of Nazareth, the One appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42).

Any of them who did not repent of their sins and believe in His name while they were still alive here on the earth died in his sins (John 8:24). God did not want any of them to perish (1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9) and offered each one of them forgiveness of their sins.

Moreover, regardless of how the current SCOTUS rules on the monumental case before them now, God wants them to repent of their sins and believe on His Son. If they will do so, He will forgive them of their sins and save them.

We must have a burden for their salvation and pray to that end. Doing so, we will be followers of Paul and Jesus (cf. Luke 23:34; John 5:34), as we must be (1 Cor. 11:1).

Conclusion

Based on Paul’s apostolic example (Acts 26:29) and instruction (1 Tim. 2:1-8), we understand that God would have us to desire the salvation of the justices on SCOTUS and to make praying for their salvation a priority in our churches. Let us pray fervently for the salvation of the US Supreme Court justices, especially because they are on the brink of making a decision that will likely have enormous ramifications for the cause of Christ!

In Exhortation, Interpretation, Prayer

An Excellent Example of the How the NT Helps Us to Interpret the OT

March 23, 2014

Paying close attention to how the New Testament uses the Old Testament is vital for our knowing how to interpret the Old Testament. A specific dimension of how the New Testament uses Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12 provides an excellent example that teaches us a valuable point about interpreting the Old Testament.

The Use of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12

Lining up Psalm 34:12-16 with the corresponding statements in 1 Peter 3:10-12 helps us to compare the two passages and identify important differences:

Psa 34:12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?	1Pe 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days,
¹³ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.	let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
¹⁴ Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.	¹¹ Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.	¹² For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers:
¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.	but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

This comparison reveals two noteworthy points.

First, Peter’s beginning verse 10 of 1 Peter 3 with the word for shows us that he is using Old Testament teaching in Psalm 34:12-16 to support his teaching us as Christians about how we are to live in our day. By comparing the preceding teaching in both Psalm 34 and 1 Peter 3 (Psalm 34:11 with 1 Peter 3:8-9), we learn that Peter is teaching us some specific aspects of how we are to fear the Lord (for further explanation of this point, see this post).

It also provides a good example of teaching that was specifically addressed to believers in the Old Testament that still applies to our lives as New Testament believers. This observation should confirm to us a key dimension of the continuing value of the Old Testament for us (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; for more on this point, see Are You Profiting from the Old Testament the Way God Wants You To?).

Second, in Peter 3:12, Peter inserts the word for between statements (1 Pet. 3:11 and the rest of 1 Pet. 3:12) that correspond to statements that were merely juxtaposed in Psalm 34:14-15. I have previously explained the significance of this important difference this way:

From the citation of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12, we learn that we who would lead a blessed life of fearing God must keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking deceit (1 Pet. 3:10). We must turn away from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it (1 Pet. 3:11).

Peter then explains these directives by inserting for at the beginning of 1 Peter 3:12, which is not in Psalm 34:15. By doing so, however, he does not change the original meaning; he brings out the logical connection that was there all along but was unstated. We are thus called to inherit a blessing (1 Pet. 3:9) through heeding certain directives about fearing God (1 Pet. 3:10-11) because His eyes “are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer” (1 Pet. 3:12a-b), but His face “is against those who do evil” (1 Pet. 3:12c).

Peter’s use of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12 thus supports our carefully examining other seemingly unrelated statements that are juxtaposed in the Old Testament to see if there is a clear but unstated logical connection that we are supposed to understand from the flow of thought in the passage.

This second point is especially noteworthy because the failure to consider such a possibility likely means that we are often missing intended meaning in the Old Testament that God desires would profit us as New Testament believers.

In Exposition, Interpretation, Theology

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John 4:4-42

1 Corinthians 14:23-25

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Conclusion

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A Pauline Burden for Their Salvation

A Pauline Emphasis on Praying for These Who Rule Over Us

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The Use of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12

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