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Natural Revelation, Music Related to God’s Providence, and the Debate about the Morality of Music without Words

January 12, 2013

Whether music without words is moral or not is a question that is widely debated today among believers. This post treats biblical teaching about natural revelation and music related to God’s providence to answer this question.

Natural Revelation

Psalm 19:1-6 provides clear teaching about natural revelation:

Psa 19:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.> The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

² Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

³ There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

⁵ Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

⁶ His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

David teaches that God is continuously providing worldwide revelation of His glory and handiwork.

Paul corroborates his statements and further teaches that all are without excuse because they are suppressing God’s infallible communication of moral truth through His creation:

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

²⁰ For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

Scripture thus makes clear that God is continuously infallibly communicating moral truth to every person through natural revelation that involves no words. Wordless communication of moral truth, therefore, is a pervasive worldwide reality that every human being experiences on a nonstop basis.

Music Related to God’s Providence

Building on the foundation of God’s communication of moral truth through wordless natural revelation, related teaching about God’s providence provides additional relevant information. Psalm 104 highlights God’s creating and sustaining His Creation. In that context, the Psalmist provides an important statement about music related to His providence:

Psa 104:10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

¹¹ They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

¹² By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

¹³ He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

The Psalmist makes known that God provides water to every animal to satisfy its thirst. In that context, he speaks of birds that sing among the branches of trees located by the springs that God sends.[1]

Statements that God satisfies His creation (Ps. 104:11, 13) on both sides of the statement about the singing of the birds show that it is not an incidental “filler” statement. Rather, the clear implication is that the birds sing in grateful response to God’s satisfying them by providing water and habitation (cf. Ps. 104:16-18 and the command for the flying fowl to praise the Lord [Ps. 148:7, 10]).[2]

Furthermore, no humans taught the birds to sing—we thus rightly infer that they continue to do what God created them from the beginning to do. What’s more, He created them (Gen. 1:20) before He created man (Gen. 1:26-27). Because God said that His creation of the birds was good (Gen. 1:21), we rightly deduce that their singing at that time was good, as was also everything else taking place in God’s universe at that time.

Moreover, after He had created man (Gen. 1:26-29), God pronounced that everything that He had made was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). We infer correctly, therefore, that the singing of birds that took place after man was created—but before he fell—was also very good.

Both before man was created and after he was created but before he fell, birds thus sang wordless moral music to the praise of their Creator! Furthermore, even after he fell, Scripture provides revelation about birds (Ps. 104:12) that points to their communicating a wordless moral message through music.

In addition, the clear teaching treated earlier about God’s present-day worldwide communication of wordless moral truth through natural revelation provides a supportive universal backdrop for interpreting the present-day singing of birds as still communicating a moral message without words.

The Debate about the Morality of Music without Words

God is continuously providing infallible moral truth wordlessly to every human being through the heavens and the firmament that He created (Ps. 19:1-4). He is also providing moral truth wordlessly through the singing of the birds that He created (Gen. 1:20) to praise Him (cf. Ps. 148:7, 10) for His providential care for them (Ps. 104:12).

Scriptural teaching about natural revelation and music related to God’s providence thus establishes that the default Scriptural position is that music without words is moral.[3] Christians who hold the position that music without words is amoral thus have the burden of proof to demonstrate the validity of their view from Scripture.

[1] Because the Hebrew here does not use a specific word for singing (cf. “Heb ‘among the thick foliage they give a sound’” [NET Bible translation note on Psalm 104:12]), some hold that this verse does not establish that birds sing music. The context, however, makes clear that singing is in view. Furthermore, Zephaniah 2:14 explicitly uses a Hebrew verb to speak of the singing of birds. See also my post Do Birds Sing Music or Merely Make Sounds for additional explanation of why the position that birds do not sing music is not tenable. Moreover, numerous videos available on the Internet abundantly attest to the fact that birds sing songs with multiple pitches, rhythm, rests, etc.

[2] Many commentators concur with this interpretation: “The birds, also, in their nests among the branches are able to pour forth their melodious notes as the result of the God-directed valley-springs. Singing among the branches should inspire us to sing where we dwell—even if it be like Paul and Silas in a prison cell. . . . Said Izaak Walton, great lover of birds, especially the nightingale, ‘Lord, what music hast thou provided for the saints in heaven, when thou affordest bad men such music on earth?’” (Herbert Lockyer, Sr., Psalms: A Devotional Commentary, 409).

“Among them the fowls of the air dwell. That is, among the trees which spring up by the fountains and water-courses. The whole picture is full of animation and beauty. . . . Which sing among the branches. Marg. as in Heb., give a voice. Their voice is heard—their sweet music—in the foliage of the trees which grow on the margin of the streams and by the fountains” (Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Explanatory and Practical, 9:85).

“’Everything lives whithersoever water cometh,’ as Easterners know. Therefore round the drinking-places in the vales thirsty creatures gather, birds flit and sing; up among the cedars are peaceful nests, and inaccessible cliffs have their sure-footed inhabitants. All depend on water, and water is God’s gift. The psalmist’s view of Nature is characteristic in the direct ascription of all the processes to God” (Alexander MacLaren, The Psalms, 3:116).

“How refreshing are these words! What happy memories they arouse of plashing waterfalls and entangled boughs, where the merry din of the falling and rushing water forms a solid background of music, and the sweet tuneful notes of the birds are the brighter and more flashing lights in harmony. Pretty birdies, sing on! What better can ye do, and who can do it better? When we too drink of the river of God, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life, it well becomes us to ‘sing among the branches.’ Where ye dwell ye sing; and shall not we rejoice in the Lord, who has been our dwelling-place in all generations. As ye fly from bough to bough, ye warble forth your notes, and so will we as we flit through time into eternity. It is not meet that birds of Paradise should be outdone by birds of the earth” (Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, 2:305).

“The music of the birds was the first song of thanksgiving which was offered from the earth, before man was formed” (John Wesley; cited in Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings on 104:12 in Treasury of David, 2:319).

“They sing, according to their capacity, to the honour of their Creator and benefactor, and their singing may shame our silence” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 893).

[3] See also my post David’s Instrumental Music Was Not Amoral for further Scriptural teaching that establishes this point.

In CCM, Exposition, Music, Theology

The Vital Importance of Psalm 31:23 for Every Christian

December 3, 2012

Jesus taught that the first and greatest commandment was to love God with all one’s being (Matt. 22:37-38). Because He made known that loving God properly is the greatest priority of all, believers must focus foremost on loving God in their lives.

In keeping with that supreme priority and based on much Scriptural teaching, contemporary theology, preaching, teaching, and music all highly stress loving God because of what He has done and is doing to provide salvation for sinners through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Similarly, believers today highly emphasize loving God for His care for His own.

Although appreciation for God’s providing salvation for sinners and for His caring for His own are both certainly reasons that we should love God, they are not the only reasons we should do so. To understand why, we must consider a key command that David gave to all believers:

O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer” (Ps. 31:23).

David here does command all believers to love God because He preserves the faithful (31:23a-b). He, however, does not stop there; he adds that all believers must love God also because He plentifully rewards the proud doer (31:23c).

To understand further this teaching from God, we must consider a closely related statement in the Psalms:

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud (94:2).

Psalm 94:2 makes clear that God is the Judge who rewards the proud by judging them.[1] Based on the teaching, therefore, of Psalms 31:23 and 94:2, every believer must love God for His work as the Judge who fully repays proud doers!

Psalm 31:23 thus provides us with a vital insight into an essential aspect of our loving God. Because God gives us this truth in His inspired hymnbook, the Psalms, we must adjust our music so that we teach believers this truth through our singing.

Our theology, preaching, and teaching must also be adjusted so that we properly instruct all believers that loving God properly involves loving Him both for caring for His own and for judging the proud (cf. Paul’s love for the appearing of the Lord, the righteous Judge [2 Tim. 4:8]). Doing so, we will help disciple them fully to be the saints that Jesus wants them to be (Matt. 28:18-20).

Let us all love God properly by loving Him because He is the Judge who plentifully rewards the proud doer.

[1] Many other passages confirm that His doing so is His judging. For examples, see Leviticus 26:19; 1 Samuel 2:3-10; 2 Samuel 22:28; 2 Chronicles 32:25; Psalms 75:7-10; Proverbs 15:25; Isaiah 2:11; Daniel 5:20; and Luke 1:51.

In Exhortation, Exposition, Ministry, Music, Preaching, Theology

Does David's Choice Support Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils?

November 5, 2012

In the upcoming presidential election, many of us who are dedicated Bible-believing Americans may still be unsure about how we should vote. Ultimately, God’s sovereign control of all things has faced us with this situation, and we must decide what to do.

For quite some time, I have been very dissatisfied with the approach of voting for the lesser of two evils, which many have advocated should determine how to vote in such situations. I have been praying over much of that time for God to give me wisdom to know what to do.

Recently, God directed my thinking to a biblical account that seems to have some relevant parallels to some aspects of the upcoming presidential election.

2 Samuel 24 (1 Chronicles 21)

After David sinned by numbering the Israelites (2 Sam. 24:1-10; 1 Chr. 21:1-8), God gave Him a choice of three possible punishments (2 Sam. 24:12-13; 1 Chr. 21:9-12). He was thus unavoidably faced with the necessity of choosing among multiple undesirable choices.

David chose what he believed would be the least unfavorable one for him and entrusted himself to the Lord’s mercies in making his choice (2 Sam. 24:14; 1 Chr. 21:13). Although his choice still brought great suffering for him and his people (2 Sam. 24:15-25; 1 Chr. 21:14-27), he at least knew that he had made that choice believing that the outcome would have been worse with either of the other choices.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

We Americans collectively as a nation have been very sinful. For example, more than 50,000,000 unborn Americans have been aborted since 1973.

Many Christians hold that God is already judging us for our sinfulness. Whether or not we are directly experiencing His judgment in the current political challenge that we face, we know that He has providentially put us in a position that many of us believe forces us to have to make a difficult choice: not voting, voting third party, writing in a candidate, or voting for a Republican ticket about which many of us have serious reservations.

Of these choices, not voting clearly would increase the chances of a Democrat presidential victory, which would be, as best as I am able to determine now, the worst possible outcome of all. Because there is no realistic chance that a third party or write-in candidate could win this election, voting either of these ways would have the same ultimate effect as not voting would.

Choosing to vote for the Republican ticket, we would at least not contribute to a victory for the Democrats in this election. Even if we were to do so, however, God may yet judge us further by allowing the Democratic ticket to win on Tuesday.

Perhaps, however, He will have mercy on us and not allow them to win.

Applying David’s Example to Voting on Tuesday

David chose what he believed was the least undesirable choice among the only choices that he had in his situation. His ultimate trust was not in his choice but in the mercy of God.

In spite of the serious reservations that many of us may yet have about voting for the Republican presidential ticket on Tuesday, the Scriptural record of David’s choosing the least undesirable choice seems to me to provide some biblical basis for doing so. Like David entrusted himself to God’s mercy in making his choice, we too can confidently entrust ourselves to God’s mercy about many of the unknowns that we still will face in making such a choice.

In Theology

Does Pregnancy Caused by Rape Justify an Abortion?

November 4, 2012

Rape is a horrible atrocity that wicked people commit against their fellow human beings. When a woman who is raped becomes pregnant, is her suffering the brutal injustice of rape justification for her to have an abortion?

Many people believe that an unwanted pregnancy caused by rape is a legitimate ground for an abortion. They reason that the woman has already suffered horribly and that her carrying the child would only add to her suffering. What’s more, they argue that her seeing the child would be a perpetual painful reminder of the rape.

Others justify having an abortion in such cases because of the financial burdens having the child would inflict on the woman or because of her inability or unwillingness to accept the weighty responsibility of raising such a child. Ultimately, many assert that the woman’s body is hers, and she is free to do whatever she wants to do with it.

These arguments for aborting a baby conceived through rape focus on various aspects of the mother’s life after the rape. Do they, however, truly justify her having an abortion?

As a Christian who believes the Bible, I believe that the only way to answer this question properly is to allow everything in Scripture that pertains to it to bear on the position taken. Many have previously capably addressed this question from various scriptural perspectives.

This post approaches answering the question from the perspective of the Scripture’s emphasis on God as the sovereign One who alone enables any woman in any setting to conceive a child. Many passages highlight this truth in ways that directly bear on the question at hand.

God Alone Enables Women to Conceive

Human conception is not merely the automatic result of physical relations between a man and a woman. Scripture records the cases of many couples who were unable to conceive children, including the following:

Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 16:1-2; cf. 18:12-14; 21:2)

Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 25:21)

Jacob and Rachel (Gen. 29:31; 30:1-2; 22-24)

Manoah and his wife (Judg. 13:2-3)

Elkanah and Hannah (1 Sam. 1:5, 19; 2:21)

A Shunammite man and his wife (2 Kings 4:14; 16-17)

Zacharias and Elisabeth (Luke 1:7, 24-25)

In each case, only supernatural intervention by God allowed these couples finally to have the blessing that they longed for but did not have for so many years.

These passages clearly imply that God alone enables any woman to conceive. Moreover, in various ways, many other Scriptures confirm the validity of this inference (Gen. 20:17-18; 29:32-33; 30:17; Exod. 23:26; Deut. 7:14; Ps. 113:9; 139:13-16; Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:36-37; Heb. 11:11).

Pregnancy Caused by Rape

Because God alone enables conception, women who become pregnant through rape thus become pregnant in the will of God.[1] God knows all about the horrible circumstances in which they became pregnant. For His sovereign purposes, He has allowed them to become pregnant in that way.

Viewed scripturally, when a pregnancy occurs as a result of rape, the woman can be confident that God allowed it to be so. Because God, who knows everything about her present circumstances (and also everything about what her future circumstances will be) has enabled her to conceive, she can be confident that God has willed for to be pregnant in this way at this time.

As difficult as it may be for her to accept this truth, she should by faith trust God and not abort the child that God has allowed her to conceive. If she truly is unable to care for the child, giving the child to be adopted after it is born is a way for both her and her baby to go on with their lives in the will of God.

Conclusion

For many reasons, including the truth that God alone enables any woman to conceive, a pregnancy caused by rape does not justify a mother’s having an abortion.

[1] Scripture records two instances of woman who were raped without any mention that they became pregnant: Dinah (Gen. 34); Tamar (2 Sam. 13). Although we cannot be dogmatic, the lack of mention suggests that we are to conclude that they did not become pregnant.

In Theology

Divine Wisdom about Human Oppression

October 10, 2012

Psalm 10 provides much wisdom from God concerning human oppression. First, using many different terms, we learn who the people are that are typically oppressed by other people: “the poor” (10:2; 8; 9 [2x]; 10; 14); “the innocent” (10:8); “the humble” (10:12, 17); “the fatherless” (10:14, 18); and, “the oppressed” (10:18).

Second, we learn the root causes of the oppression that they experience. Proud wicked people who do not seek God (10:4) and do not have God in their thoughts (10:4) persecute them (10:2). These evil oppressors vainly assure themselves that they will never be moved and be in adversity (10:6).

They misinform themselves continually by telling themselves that God has forgotten, has hidden His face, and will never see (10:11). What’s more, they contemn God and say in their hearts that He will not requite them for their wickedness (10:13).

Third, the Psalm instructs us that the only true solution for all such oppression is prayer (10:12, 15) to the Lord, the eternal King of all (10:16). He has seen and has known all the wicked thoughts, schemes, and deeds of every oppressor (10:14). He will most certainly ultimately requite all who oppress others (10:14).

He has heard the prayers of the oppressed (10:17), and they must persevere in praying to Him that He would arise to judge on their behalf so that they may no longer be oppressed (10:18). Turning to God in absolute trust in Him is the one true hope for all the oppressed.

Fourth, we must learn to fear God ourselves and treat all others properly, knowing that He will one day “judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to [Paul’s] gospel” (Rom. 2:16). We must not allow ourselves to oppress others because we do not keep God in our thoughts and do not speak the truth in our hearts about His knowledge of our evil deeds and about the certainty of His requiting all oppressors.

Fifth, based on the teaching of this Psalm, we should teach others about the true causes of all human oppression and what is the true solution for it. Our world, which is filled with so much horrific oppression, desperately needs a believing acceptance of this divine wisdom concerning human oppression.

In Interpretation, Theology

Profiting Fully from the Theological and Practical Value of the Final Seven Johannine "Pastoral" Epistles

September 22, 2012

Writing probably sometime between 85 and 95 AD, the apostle John penned at least eight “pastoral” epistles (3 John; Rev. 2:1-7; 8-11; 12-17; 18-29; 3:1-6; 7-13; 14-22).[1] Both from a canonical standpoint (they either constitute [3 John] or are found [Rev. 2-3] in the final two books of the Scripture in its present canonical order) or a chronological standpoint, these epistles comprise the pinnacle of God’s revelation that is specifically directed to those whom He has appointed to lead His churches (3 John 1, 9; Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14).

Because of the many disputes about the exact nature of the book of Revelation and about how it should be interpreted and applied, not a few pastors, teachers, and other church leaders have been dismissive at least to some extent of the theological value of John’s final seven epistles to these church leaders. Such an interpretive stance is a serious mistake and deprives them and their people of a wealth of theological and practical revelation, as demonstrated by the following brief survey of some theological insights provided by these epistles:

Theology Proper and Christology

Jesus profoundly emphasizes to the churches that the Father is still His God (3:12). He also stresses repeatedly that He is God’s judicial agent (e.g. 3:2 and 5). Both of these truths have received insufficient attention in contemporary theological thought, especially in works that are directed to pastors and their congregations.

Pneumatology

Jesus ends every epistle with a directive to heed what the Spirit is saying to the churches (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). These statements underscore the personality of the Spirit and His supervisory role over all the churches. Pastors must instruct their people diligently about these truths.

Angelology

Jesus speaks explicitly about the devil/Satan to three of the pastors (2:9, 10; 13 [2x]; 24) and warns of his work of persecuting them (2:10). Pastors who make light of the reality of possible direct satanic attack on them and their churches thus do not have a correct viewpoint about the Christian life.

Soteriology

Jesus reveals that the salvation of believers will only be complete when He will confess before His Father and before His angels that they have overcome (3:5). Pastors must challenge their people regularly about such aspects of the ultimate salvation of believers and what is necessary for receiving it.

Ecclesiology

Jesus confronts two of the seven pastors about their tolerating false teachers within their own churches (2:14; 20-23). Because the latter specifies that the pernicious influence of a false teacher was promoting fornication and the eating of things sacrificed unto idols among believers, it is clear that Jesus wants his leaders to be concerned not just with false teaching about “the gospel,” but also with false teaching that misleads believers about their morality and their exercise of Christian “liberty.”

Eschatology

Jesus sets forth a profound promise of international authority that He will give to those who overcome (2:26-27). Even more profoundly, He declares that He will grant to overcomers to sit with Him on His throne (3:21)! Lack of pastoral emphasis on such truths deprives believers of crucial God-intended motivators for them to overcome. Pastors must emphasize eschatological truths to their people, even as Christ does in each of these letters.

Based on this sampling of the vital theological and practical value of the final seven Johannine “pastoral” epistles, we should all be diligent to profit fully from them!

[1] Second John is likely also such an epistle.

In Exhortation, Theology

The Remarkable Teaching of Judges 2:1

September 1, 2012

The failure of the Israelites to drive out fully the Canaanites from the Promised Land (Judges 1:19; 21; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; cf. 34-35) led to their being judged by God:

2:1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

² And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

³ Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

⁴ And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

⁵ And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

In this passage, the author of Judges records a statement by the Angel of the Lord that reveals a remarkable truth about God’s dealings with the nation of Israel.

A Remarkable Statement by the Angel of the Lord

The Angel of the Lord declared, “I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers” (2:1a-c). Saying this, He revealed that He was the One who had sworn to their fathers to give them the Promised Land.

Moreover, the Angel of the Lord added that He had promised that He would never break “His covenant” with them (2:1d). To understand the full significance of these statements, we need to look closely at the preceding Scriptural record of God’s covenanting to give the land to the fathers.

The Preceding Scriptural Record about God’s Promising the Land to the Fathers

God covenanted with Abraham to give to him and to his seed the Promised Land (Gen. 15:18-21; 17:8; 24:7) and reiterated that promise to Isaac (26:3-5). Later, He promised the Land to Jacob and his seed (28:13-15; 35:12; cf. 48:4).

Joseph said that God swore to give the Land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (50:24). God rehearsed with Moses how He had appeared to and covenanted with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them the Land (Exod. 6:2-8).

Moses is the first one to say explicitly that God swore to give the Land to the “fathers” of the Israelites (13:5). The same truth is communicated 23 more times (Exod. 13:11; Num. 14:23; Deut. 1:8, 35; 4:31; 6:10, 18, 23; 7:12, 13; 8:1, 18; 9:5; 10:11; 11:9, 21; 26:3; 28:11; 30:20; 31:20; Jos. 1:6; 5:6; 21:43) before the statement in Judges 2:1, including four explicit references to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the fathers to whom God made the promise (Deut. 1:8; 6:10; 9:5; 30:20).

Scripture thus provides us with at least 32 statements prior to Judges 2:1 about God’s swearing to give the Promised Land to the fathers of the Israelites whom the Angel of the Lord addressed (Judg. 2:1).

The Significance of No Preceding Revelation before Judges 2:1 about the Angel’s Promising the Land

Remarkably, however, not one of these prior statements specifically mentions that it was actually the Angel of the Lord who had sworn to the fathers to do so! Judges 2:1 thus supports our understanding that in every instance of the Lord’s appearing to or speaking to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to make that promise, it was the Angel of the Lord who appeared to them or spoke to them.

Although the Angel of the Lord, therefore, was God’s Agent in all those occasions, we are informed of that truth explicitly only in Judges 2:1. The comparison of Judges 2:1 with all the preceding Scriptural revelation about the same truth thus underscores the importance of the agency of the Angel of the Lord in a remarkable way by pointing out to us that His agency goes far beyond explicit statements of His appearing, speaking, or acting.

On how many other occasions in Scripture that we read of the Lord’s appearing to or talking with people or performing some other actions are we, therefore, supposed to understand similarly that it was actually the Angel of the Lord as God’s Agent who did so?

In Interpretation, Theology

The Remarkable Ending of Psalm 104

August 15, 2012

In Psalm 104, the Psalmist exults in the glories of God for the first 34 of the 35 verses in the psalm:

¹ Bless the LORD, O my soul.

O LORD my God, thou art very great;
thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

² Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:

who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

³ Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters:
who maketh the clouds his chariot:
who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

⁴ Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

⁵ Who laid the foundations of the earth,
that it should not be removed for ever.

⁶ Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment:
the waters stood above the mountains.

⁷ At thy rebuke they fled;
at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
⁸ They go up by the mountains;
they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

⁹ Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over;
that they turn not again to cover the earth.

¹⁰ He sendeth the springs into the valleys,
which run among the hills.
¹¹ They give drink to every beast of the field:
the wild asses quench their thirst.

¹² By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation,
which sing among the branches.

¹³ He watereth the hills from his chambers:
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

¹⁴ He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,
and herb for the service of man:
that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
¹⁵ And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,
and oil to make his face to shine,
and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

¹⁶ The trees of the LORD are full of sap;
the cedars of Lebanon,
which he hath planted;
¹⁷ Where the birds make their nests:
as for the stork,
the fir trees are her house.
¹⁸ The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats;
and the rocks for the conies.

¹⁹ He appointed the moon for seasons:
the sun knoweth his going down.
²⁰ Thou makest darkness,
and it is night:

wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
²¹ The young lions roar after their prey,
and seek their meat from God.
²² The sun ariseth,
they gather themselves together,
and lay them down in their dens.

²³ Man goeth forth unto his work
and to his labour until the evening.

²⁴ O LORD, how manifold are thy works!
in wisdom hast thou made them all:
the earth is full of thy riches.

²⁵ So is this great and wide sea,
wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
²⁶ There go the ships:
there is that leviathan,
whom thou hast made to play therein.

²⁷ These wait all upon thee;
that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
²⁸ That thou givest them they gather:
thou openest thine hand,
they are filled with good.

²⁹ Thou hidest thy face,

they are troubled:
thou takest away their breath,
they die,
and return to their dust.

³⁰ Thou sendest forth thy spirit,
they are created:
and thou renewest the face of the earth.

³¹ The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever:
the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

³² He looketh on the earth,
and it trembleth:
he toucheth the hills,
and they smoke.

³³ I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live:
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

³⁴ My meditation of him shall be sweet:
I will be glad in the LORD.

He concludes the psalm by exhorting himself to bless the Lord and then praising the Lord:

Bless thou the LORD, O my soul.
Praise ye the LORD (35c-d).

He thus begins and ends the psalm by exhorting himself in the same way (to bless the Lord).

In the first half of his concluding statement, however, the psalmist expresses his longing for something that at first glance seems remarkably contrary to the tenor of virtually everything else in the Psalm:

Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth,
and let the wicked be no more (35a-b).

What are we to make of these remarkable statements in the ending of the psalm? How do we explain that this one who was so taken with the greatness of God and His goodness to all His creation should end this glorious meditation about God with an intense longing for the annihilation of all the wicked from the earth?

Because these words are not just the words of the psalmist but also words inspired by the Holy Spirit, we are to learn from them that having such a longing and praying for God to do so is not inconsistent with having a heart that loves and glorifies God supremely; rather, it is only supreme love for God that elicits such sentiments from the heart of man.

Let’s allow God to renew our minds so that our longing and desire fully reflect His glory of being the One who destroys the wicked out of His earth so that unrepentant sinners are no more (cf. Ps. 119:119).

In Interpretation, Theology

Learning from the Salvation Experience of Rahab

August 11, 2012

Scripture includes Rahab among those whose faith God highlights for our profit: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace” (Heb. 11:31). The inspired account about Rahab and her dealings with the Israelites (Josh. 2:1-24; cf. 6:25) illustrates several aspects of how a sinner is saved.

First, her faith resulted from her hearing about what the Lord had done in delivering His people and in destroying others (through His chosen judicial agents, the Israelites):

⁹ And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

Rahab was not saved by hearing a message only about the Lord as the One who saves those who are His; she heard a message that also informed her of the Lord as the One who judges those who are wicked. Every sinner should be given clear teaching that solemnly testifies to both truths (cf. Acts 10:42-43; 17:30-31).

Second, her faith included her believing that what the Lord and His chosen judicial agents (the Israelites) had done was righteous. This point is clear from her willingness to receive the Israelites in peace instead of informing the authorities of their presence and turning them over to them.

To be saved, a sinner must be persuaded that God has been and always will be just in everything He has done and will do. In particular, he must be prepared to acknowledge the righteousness of God in how He saves repentant sinners and destroys the unrepentant wicked.

Third, her faith evidenced her turning from whatever her former religious beliefs had been to believing in and confessing the Lord as the God of heaven and earth:

¹¹ And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Such acknowledgement of the uniqueness of the Lord as the only true God is essential for the forgiveness of one’s sins (Rom. 10:9-10).

Fourth, having publicly confessed who the Lord was, she asked for mercy from His judicial agents:

¹² Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: ¹³ And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

With the exception of those who cannot knowledgeably pray to Him, God grants mercy only to those who ask Him for it.

Fifth, they covenanted with her to grant her mercy in the future judgment that would come on the sinners among whom she lived—provided she continued to act in keeping with her initial proper acceptance of God’s message and of His agents:

¹⁴ And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

¹⁵ Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

¹⁶ And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

¹⁷ And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.

¹⁹ And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

²⁰ And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

²¹ And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

Her salvation experience thus included repentance and faith (cf. Acts 20:21), public confession of the Lord (cf. Rom. 10:9-10), a request for mercy from God (mediated through His judicial agents; cf. Acts 10:42-43; Rom. 10:13), and doing works fitting for saving repentance and faith (cf. Acts 2:38; 26:20).

These same elements will characterize the salvation experience of every sinner who repents toward God, believes in Jesus Christ, and manifests the genuineness of his salvation by persevering in the faith to the end. Those who do so will, like Rahab, not perish eternally with those who do not believe.

In Evangelism, Theology

Honor Christ by Honoring Your Pastor!

August 7, 2012

In God’s final revelation that is specifically directed to His churches (the book of Revelation), we learn at least four distinctive aspects about the pastor of a church in relation to Christ.

1. He is a special representative of Christ

John wrote “to the seven churches which are in Asia” (Rev. 1:4). He informed them that the glorified Christ declared to him: “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches” (1:20).

This statement compared with Paul’s teaching many years prior that ministers are “the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 8:23) reveals that because a pastor is one of the stars who are the glory of Christ, he must be one who furnishes people with a right opinion of the unique excellence of Christ. He is thus a special representative of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20-21).

2. He has a special relationship with Christ

In his description of the glorified Christ, John writes that “He had in His right hand seven stars” (1:16). He later reports that Christ Himself spoke of that same fact three times (1:20; 2:1; cf. 3:1).

Although every believer is in Christ’s hand (John 10:28), these four statements suggest that the pastor, the “angel” of a church, is in some special sense in Christ’s right hand. He, therefore, has a special relationship to Christ.

3. He has a special responsibility to Christ

The glorified Christ directed John to write letters to the pastors of seven literal churches in Asia Minor in the first century (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). In those letters, He confronts those pastors in pointed ways about their relationship to Him and their service to Him (e.g., “for my name’s sake hast labored” [2:3]). He demands faithfulness of them (e.g., 2:10, 25) and warns of dire consequences for them and their churches if they fail Him (e.g., 2:5, 16; 3:3).

4. He has a special reward from Christ

The glorified Christ speaks of a crown belonging to the pastor: “Behold I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (3:11; cf. 1 Cor. 3:5-17 and Peter’s instruction to elders: “When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not way” [1 Pet. 5:4]). In view of this special reward, the pastor must persevere in his faithful service to Christ.

Because of these special characteristics of pastors in relation to Christ, we need to continually be mindful that we honor Christ by honoring these who are His special servants whom He has graciously gifted us with (Eph. 4:11ff.). Let us, therefore, diligently honor Christ by honoring our pastors!

In Exhortation, Theology

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