I'm sure that there are many other reasons (some more significant than others) for numerous well-intended Christians to insist that the Psalms are just not enough for us to sing in church. Perhaps the most important argument to deal with, is that there's hardly any mention of Christ and his work. Sure, there's the numerous Messianic psalms (Ps 2, 22, 110... to name a few), but nothing in the Psalms revival the clarity and unambiguous nature of some of our great hymns ("When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "Rock of Ages," "Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted," etc.). Why should we as believers living in the New Covenant, on this side of the cross and resurrection, be restricted to singing the Psalms which are full of only types and shadows? In response, let me first say that I am not an exclusive Psalmist. Secondly, there are many New Testament songs that the church can and should avail herself of (the Magnificat, Zechariah's Prophecy, the song of Simeon, Phil 2, Rev 4 & 5, etc.).
But to address the problem directly, I would have to assert that the Psalms DO NOT lack references to Christ, but on the contrary, that is who the Psalms are all about! The Psalms are Christ's Psalms, and I'm not just referring to the clear Messianic ones. Granted, it's not always clear and it does take more work, so to speak, to fully appreciate them. Yet, I think that with a little instruction from the pulpit (I typically say a brief comment before or after the singing of each Psalm) and a few general guidelines to follow, a congregation can fruitfully sing the Psalms with praise and appreciation for the person and work of Christ. Here's how: we need to see the Psalms in light of the big picture of Redemptive History. Christ is to be seen as both the Lord and the Servant of the covenants. Not only is Christ the "Good Shepherd" who watches over us (Ps 23), but he is also the triumphant Warrior who defeats all his foes (Ps 18). He is also the Servant of the Covenant of Works who faithfully obeys God's law (Ps 1) as well as patiently suffers (Ps 22). Sure, we can appreciate the original context (David's personal experiences, for example), but we must also follow the hermeneutic of the New Testament (eg. Acts 2, Heb 1-2) in finding the personal experiences of the Greater-than-David, our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 comments:
right on! Thanks for the recent posts. Very encouraging and thoughtful
I don't think anyone with half a brain would object to Messianic Psalms being sung, nor especially if a little paraphrase is allowed such as Isaac Watt's used in his "Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament" when he paraphrased the Psalms into metre and explicitely put the name of Christ and many Christian expressions into his renderings of the Psalms. That would be a wonderful thing.
But exclusive Psalmody is nothing but a tool of the Devil to lock Christians into teaching Judaism and Judaizing in their singins.
The Law of Moses itself is Scripture, just like the Psalms, but would you suggest singing the Genealogy of Genesis 5 in church??? Or do you think that the Kosher rules of Leviticus 11 make a good Christian hymn?
Isaac Watt's very reasonably objects to exclusive Psalmody in his preface (which you can read here), a short except of which is this:
"In all places I have kept my grand Design in View, and that is to teach my Author to speak like a Christian. For why should I now address God my Saviour in a Song with burnt sacrifices of Fatlings and with the Incense of Rams? Why should I pray to be sprinkled with Hyssop, or recur to the Blood of Bullocks and Goats? Why should I bind my Sacrifice with Cords to the Horns of an Altar, or sing the Praises of God to high sounding Cymbals, when the Gospel has shewn me a nobler Atonement for Sin, and appointed a purer and more spiritual Worship? Why must I joyn with David in his legal or Prophetic Language to curse my Enemies, when my Saviour in his Sermons has taught me to love and bless them?...What need is there that I should wrap up the shining Honours of my Redeemer in the dark and shadowy Language of a Religion that is now for ever abolished, especially when Christians are so vehemently warned in the Epistles of St. Paul against a Judaising Spirit in their Worship as well as Doctrine?..."
Can we argue with that? It really more or less approaches on heresy to sing certain of the Psalms, because they contain admonitions to offer animal sacrifices, and Jesus has already given himself as the once for all sacrifice for sin! Now when we read these Psalms from the pulpit, we explain that, because they are read in the context of a sermon. But when you sing them, you leave these statements without comment, and essentially teach Judaizing heresy in song.
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