Psalm Singing

“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

We sing Psalms in our home. We sing them in our vehicle. We especially sing them around our table. I’m yet to meet someone who would discourage the practice but you’re more likely to find a ‘tongues’ speaking Calvinist than a Psalm singing Calvinist in these parts. This is where the hurt comes in. The blessings should be obvious to anyone. Never will you be asking yourself when singing, “Is this doctrinally accurate?” The lyrics will always be pleasing to God in their content. You are being obedient to God’s word in singing Psalms. There is a reorienting of your mind and emotions towards godliness. You are memorizing Scripture. Really? Why is it that we don’t sing the Psalms?

“Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.”
1 Corinthians 14:19

One reason why Psalm singing is not practiced, I dare to suggest, is because we do not understand them. I don’t want to bash all contemporary music—that is not my intent. I think “How Great is Our God” is a good song. Doctrinally, it is sound, the melody is enjoyable, it is easily remembered, and it is moving. It is also quite rudimentary. Again, this is not a bad thing, we need rudimentary songs. Better to sing five words that the congregation understands than 50 they don’t know what to think of—did David really say that? But we cannot settle here. That is a fear I have. Evangelical churches that meet on the Lord’s Day sing their songs and when a new song is added to the liturgy it is undoubtedly yet another from the top 40 Christian hits. And the usual chant is heard, “God is good, God is great, I need you, I need rescued, save me, God is powerful, God is my God, Jesus is my redeemer, Jesus paid for my sins, Jesus loves me, I love Jesus.” Like I said, nothing bad and nothing to lay aside and forget but there just happens to be more human need than conversion.

“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”
Hebrews 6:1, 2

I now am familiar with about 50 Psalms, many of these I have memorized. There was a time in days of old that a man could not be ordained in certain Reformed churches until he had the entire Psalter memorized. That is my goal. This is also my hurt. Our boys love to sing Psalm 133, they refer to it as “the guy song” or “the beard song” and we are currently learning Psalm 19. We only are able to sing these as a family. As much of a blessing as it is it also brings a bit of sorrow as these are never sung in church. The Psalms are as an unknown tongue in Evangelical churches. But this unknown tongue is our native tongue for it is the very word of God from which we are instructed in all things pertaining to righteousness. Currently I listen to the Psalms more than I listen to any other music, when choice is before me. I encourage you to do the same brother, sister. Oh that our voices could join together and lift up the Holy Spirit inspired songs of our God!

 

 

Psalm 100 (1st Version) Old 100th Scottish Metrical Psalter 1650

Resources:
https://psalter.org/
https://www.christkirk.com/music-library/ (scroll to ‘P’ for Psalms)
https://www.crownandcovenant.com/product_p/cm100dp.htm