Mozaic Ministries
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Ephesians 5:19 – Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. (NIV)
Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to each other;… (Complete Jewish Bible)
Colossians 3:16 – Let the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in you, as you teach and counsel each other in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God in your hearts. (CJB)
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit… (NIV)
The Science Bit:
A recent brain scan study by Finnish scientists found that listening to music not only activates areas of the brain involved with processing sound but also the limbic system. The limbic system is where emotions are processed. Listening to music also activates the default mode network – this is linked with creativity.
Studies have also shown that listening to your favourite music has a positive impact on your heart by making your blood vessels more elastic.
Lyrics Matter:
I was born in 1968, so my earliest musical memories come from the 1970s. I remember sitting on the back room floor, watching Top of the Pops on our small black and white TV. On came the video for Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. I was blown away by the complexity and captivating beauty of the melody.
Contrasting with the vivid musical colour I heard on TOTP, there was the music that I heard in a church/Christian context.
On the one hand, there was the Scripture in Song tapes that were played in the car and at home. Literally phrases of the Bible set to music. Real soul food. This was how I learned Scripture as a child before I could read it for myself. I couldn’t tell you where the verses where found but I knew with certainty that they were in the Bible. ‘Because He Lives’ by Bill and Gloria Gaither was another track from my childhood.
On the other hand, were some of the songs sung in the multi-church youth group that my parents hosted in our home. One that sticks in my memory had the following lyrics:
“Smile a while and give your face a rest. Raise your hand to the One you love the best. Then shake hands with those nearby and greet them with a smile.”
WHAT!!! Even as a small child of 4/5 years old, I remember being embarrassed by the sentiments expressed and confused as to how this was a worship song. The song implies that Christians don’t often smile. It also suggests that we should all be outgoing types who love shaking hands with strangers and smiling at them. What foundations was this song – and many others like it – laying for my worldview to be built on?
Where have you got your understanding of God from? How have you formed your worldview? I am certain that most of us can’t recall word for word any sermons we have heard that have impacted us. However, I am certain that we can all recall the words of songs that we have heard and sung.
Psalms
150 psalms that cover every topic and situation known to mankind. The psalms themselves range in mood and expression of faith from joyous celebration to solemn hymn and bitter protest.
In Hebrew the word psalms [tehilìm] derivates from the root He-Lamed-Lamed that produces the words to praise; to shine, i.e. the root of the Hebrew words for shining and psalms includes instructions for those who intend to sing psalms.
Often, when we know of someone who is experiencing a trauma in their life, we don’t know what to say. When my first husband was seriously ill, I received a couple of cards from people who knew us, telling me to ‘hang in there’. Those words did not help. I could no more ‘hang in there’ than I could fly. I did not have the strength – physically, emotionally or spiritually – to hang on to anything. What did help me was the words from Psalm 23: “even when I walk through the darkest valley, you are with me…” God reminded me of a scene in the original Superman movie. Superman takes Lois flying. He starts off by holding her tightly in his arms. As she relaxes and trusts him more, he loosens his hold of her. They end up flying side by side, with their arms outstretched and holding hands. Superman did not tell Lois to ‘hang in there’. Instead, he held on to her and didn’t let her go. Lois was not flying by her own strength and ability. She was flying because Superman was sharing his strength and ability to fly with her. God reassured me that I didn’t have to ‘hang in there’ at all. He knew how exhausted I was. All I had to do was to relax and trust him because He was holding on to me.
Psalm 51:17
Psalm 136:4
Psalm 138:5
Psalm 140:4
Psalm 141:8
Psalm 142:6
Psalm 143:8
Psalm 145:12 / 21
Psalm 147: 3 / 10
Use different translations to read the same Psalm from. How does this broaden your understanding? Research the contemporary context of the Psalm.
Hymns
According to hymnologists, a hymn MUST have the following 3 elements:
1. It must give praise to God
2. It must be sung
3. It must be sung by a congregation
Again, from my childhood, I struggled with the words of some of the hymns that I sang at school and at church. My biggest struggle was with the words of The Lord’s My Shepherd. Psalm 23 – again – but the language used was old fashioned and confusing. Why, as Christians, were we singing that we did NOT want God??!!
“The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want;”
I remember thinking, ‘but I DO want God’. I did not ask any grown up for an explanation of this seeming contradiction because everyone else obviously understood the words and it was only me who did not. I did not want to confirm to them my ignorance and stupidity. It wasn’t until years later, as an adult, that I read a different translation of Psalm 23 that clarified that the ‘want’ expressed is linked to need, not desire.
Just because a hymn has been publicly published, this should not be taken as proof of its theological or scriptural credentials and/or correctness. Don’t sing in ignorant bliss. Be discerning. Take responsibility for the words you declare.
Flick through the pages of a hymnbook. Really read the words. Take time to ponder them.
Spiritual Songs
By definition, these are more general in their content than hymns. They can express joy at one’s salvation; honour to God; the comfort of fellowship… Like hymns, just because a spiritual song has been publicly published, this should not be taken as proof of its theological or scriptural credentials and/or correctness.
I have always struggled with the line: “Like a rose trampled on the ground, you took the fall and thought of me, above all”. It’s the image of a thrown away rose that bothers me. Jesus was rejected – yes - BUT he chose to offer his life. Jesus was NOT murdered – his life was not taken without his permission. The rose, once it is cut from the bush, has no control over where it goes. Jesus had total control AT ALL TIMES as to where he was taken, by whom and when.
Spiritual songs are not meant to be pleasant platitudes put to music. They are valuable tools for reinforcing biblical principles. If you want to sing phrases that tickle the tongue and ears without challenging the heart, learn nursery rhymes.
Look at the lyric sheets in your CD collection. Use a search engine to bring up the lyrics of the songs you’ve downloaded. What visuals do the words paint in your imagination?
Conclusions
I am aware that culture and personal comfort play a large part in our enjoyment of music.
Don’t shirk your responsibility for the songs you sing. Don’t blame someone else for your unstable faith foundations.
Singing has such a unique way of bringing your heart, soul, mind and strength together to focus entirely and completely on God. Remember that science is now proving that music stimulates emotional processing.
When we address one another with God’s Word, through using psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, we release encouragement and edification.