Home > Church Family > Sermon Summaries > 9 Apr 2005, Dr Barry Wright - Israel's Special Hymnbook

Israel's Special Hymnbook

9 Apr 2005, Dr Barry Wright

(Barry is Thornleigh's Church Pastor)

In the year 1528, during a time of major upheaval for the Christian Church in Western Europe, the German Reformer, Martin Luther, penned the following words. LET US LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.

'Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is a mistress and governess of those human emotions…which control men or more often overwhelm them… Whether you wish to comfort the sad, to subdue frivolity, to encourage the despairing, to humble the proud, to calm the passionate, or to appease those full of hate…what more effective means than music could you find?'

Preface to Symphoniae jucundae [1528], transl. Ulrich S. Leupold, in Luther's Works LIII (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1965), 321-324.

Luther also recognised that there were very few better alternatives for fixing the Word of God in the memory than repeating them in song. It is also of interest to note that the only two religions throughout history that seemed to have embraced singing as part of worship for this purpose are believed to be Judaism and Christianity (Tan, 1979:877).

When the great American Agnostic, Robert Ingersoll, died in 1899, his funeral notice stated that: 'There will be no singing'. It would seem that Atheism has nothing to sing about. Ingersoll, during his life, popularised the higher criticism of the Bible, as well as a humanistic philosophy and a scientific rationalism.

It was the psalm singing of Christian martyrs going to their deaths in the Roman arena that alerted the Roman Empire to the fact that a new and revolutionary force was coming into being. In 112 AD, Pliny the Younger, governor of the Roman province of Bithynia wrote to the Emperor Trajan asking for advice on how to handle these Christians. In his letter to the Emperor, he told of their rapid growth and how they sang hymns to their leader Christ (Bruce, 1969:156,157).

Many being burnt at the stake for their new found beliefs used singing to witness and provide comfort in their last moments of life. It was this spirit of confidence and joy expressed by the early Christians that greatly influenced the unbelieving world and was to see the Gospel spread rapidly in its first 100 years. These scenes, we are told, will be repeated again in that final conflict before Jesus comes again.

Four hundred years before the birth of Christ, two of the great Greek Philosophers, Aristotle and Plato, believed that the influence of music was so strong it could reach into the very 'inward places of the soul' and into the character of its listeners.

If this is all true, then it should not be surprising to find that music had its origins in heaven and that God, the originator of all creative works, should use it as an essential part of His worship.

Before sin entered the Universe, you could just imagine around the throne of God, the angels, with Lucifer as their conductor, singing their majestic anthems, the words never ceasing to thrill the participants. It would seem they never tired of hearing them and each performance seemed to surpass that of the last. In this heavenly place of light and movement, of song and of mystery, the Angelic beings are drawn together by an irresistible force of love that emanates from the very presence of God. YOU JUST IMAGINE IN YOUR MIND'S EYE WHAT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE.

We are told in Job 38:4-7 that when this world was being created '…the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. This joyful response from the Angelic beings in heaven at that time would happen again when Jesus Christ was born and we are told that these anthems of praise will take place again when the earth is made new. PP: 65; 6T: 456. 'THE MORNING STARS SANG TOGETHER, AND ALL THE SONS OF GOD SHOUTED FOR JOY'

As we study the Scriptures we find that many of the recorded events of human history have been linked with song (White, 1952:161).

TO HELP US UNDERSTAND ITS IMPACT MORE FULLY, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE YOU RIGHT BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF TIME

While our knowledge of life in the days before the flood is limited, we do know that music had its place in the culture of these ancient peoples. In Gen 4:21 we read of Jubal, a son of Lamech and descendent of Cain, who ' …was the father of all such as handled the harp and organ - Instruments that involved String and those involving reeds or Pipes.

Those who accept the Bible story, and understand that the people of that antediluvian world were greater in stature and intellect than those now living, would have no difficulty in accepting that God himself was man's first instructor in the art of music. For nearly a thousand years Adam lived among men, and during that period, he not only treasured carefully what God had revealed to him, but he repeated it to succeeding generations. The passing of this oral history and knowledge could only take place successfully because of the length of life God had given to those who lived before the flood.

As noted by author Ellen White: 'There perished in the flood greater inventions of art and human skill than the world knows of today. The arts destroyed were more than the boasted arts of today' (SDA Bible Commentary Vol 1:1089).

LET US FURTHER COME DOWN IN TIME TO THE EXODUS OF THE ISRAELITE SLAVES FROM THE GREAT CIVILIZATION OF EGYPT.

Singing was to become a major part of the Hebrew faith commencing as far back as the time of Moses. If you could just imagine for a moment that vast helpless throng of slaves unused to war, with their women, children and cattle moving towards the Red Sea and with the mighty armies of Egypt coming from behind, you could understand the peril they were in and the fear they were to experience.

ISRAEL WAS NOW TO LEARN THE TRUTH OF MOSES' WORDS expressed in Ex14:14, 'The Lord will fight for you: there is no need for you to do anything'.

The opening of that path through the Sea and the fact that their enemies were totally destroyed was to bring overwhelming relief and a sense of gratitude and praise to the God of Heaven who alone was responsible for their deliverance.

Their emotional response was now to be expressed in a triumphant song of thanksgiving. It was first led by Moses, under the Spirit of God, and then taken up by his sister Miriam and the Israelite women. This SONG OF MOSES was a song of VICTORY and a song of DELIVERANCE (Ex 15:16).

AND IF EVER A VICTORY DESERVED TO BE RECORDED FOR POSTERITY THIS ONE SURELY DOES.

- The song of Moses was to provide for the Church of God down through the ages a pattern for praise in all its struggles with the powers of darkness.

- This song was one of the earliest and one of the most heavenly and magnificent anthems ever known to man.

- This song was to make such an impression on the Hebrew people that it was forever etched into their memories. Consequently:

- Its theme was to be echoed by the prophets and singers of Israel down through their history as a people. AND WE ARE TOLD IN REV 15: 3,4 THAT:

- This song, along with the song of the Lamb, will be sung again at the end of time. It will be sung by the heroes of faith standing upon the sea of glass - those who have gained the ultimate and final victory over the forces of evil.

LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF REV 15: 3,4

V3 'Great and marvellous are your deeds, Lord, God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.'

V4 'Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. Rev 15:3,4. (NIV)

THIS SONG, COMMEMORATING GOD'S VICTORY OVER THE FORCES OF EVIL, REINFORCES AGAIN THAT THERE ARE FEW MEANS MORE EFFECTIVE FOR FIXING…(GOD'S) WORDS IN THE MEMORY THAN REPEATING THEM IN SONG. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF IMPRESSING THE HEART WITH SPIRITUAL TRUTH (White, 1952:159-168).

When one recognises that '…music was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts to that which is pure, noble and elevating, and to awaken in the soul devotion and gratitude to God, it contrasts greatly with those forms [of music] that tend to exalt self…' and lead to moral (decline) depravity (White, 1858: 594).

This use of music for a holy purpose was no better illustrated than during the time of David. King David was the greatest national figure in Israel after Moses and a great songwriter. He was one of the first to organise schools of music and was responsible for writing many of the Psalms used at this time. The Hebrews, during this period, apparently had some form of music for every important occasion and it was to be David who led out in the development of that music for their worship. This was to involve choirs and orchestras as a regular part of the worship program. 'Four thousand praised the Lord with their instruments which I made (provided), said David in 1 Chron. 23:5. Consequently, it is very natural today that when we think of worship, music and the Psalms, we think of David.

The function of sacred music in ancient times could be summed up in the words of Ps 150 LISTEN TO WHAT IT SAYS: 'Praise ye the Lord… Let everything that has breath praise the Lord'

THE BOOK WE CALL THE PSALMS COULD BE CONSIDERED ISRAEL'S SPECIAL HYMNBOOK, AUTHORED AND INSPIRED BY THE GOD OF HEAVEN.

GOD'S SPECIAL BOOK.

IN FACT, IT HAS OFTEN BEEN CALLED THE HYMNBOOK OF THE AGES. (Lockyer, 1986: 734)

In the early days of Protestantism the Psalms formed the mainstay of congregational singing.

Luther referred to the book of Psalms as a little Bible because he recognised that Jesus quoted from this book more than any other in sacred Scripture. He also wrote that the Lord could often be heard singing the beautiful songs He had inspired its authors to write and died with the words of Psalm 22 on His lips. 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'

The apostles frequently used the Psalms to support their preaching of Jesus because some of the greatest Messianic prophecies are found there. Reformers such as Luther and Calvin prized the book of Psalms, especially in times of distress and trouble. It is here that we find comfort for the lonely and the broken-hearted and encouragement for the troubled and oppressed.

These songs that have come from the personal experience of fellow human beings present to all of us those model prayers that are able to meet every felt need and every experience of the human heart. They not only teach us how to praise God but also reveal divine principles of true worship.

God is revealed in a special way in the Psalms. Nowhere else does the Bible more majestically and gloriously set forth Israel's Yahweh as the Lord of creation and the Lord of history than in the Psalms. Where else are we frequently reminded of the great covenant keeping God, His faithfulness, His mercy and loving-kindness? His justice and His equity.

The Psalms not only serve as the interpreter of Israel's worship- their sacrificial system, their sanctuary, and their liturgy- but also virtually touch on every major Christian doctrine. In a unique way the psalms reveal the issues of the great controversy between good and evil and the final outcome - the eventual triumph of Christ over His enemies. Consequently, as a Church we should find much needed messages of warning and instruction as well as rich promises of consolation and hope that will help us through the times that lie ahead.

Music in the earliest Christian communities were known to involve 'Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), but they were mostly unaccompanied by musical instruments, especially during times of persecution. Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us to 'Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

Paul in these verses was appealing to the church to develop real Christian fellowship through the use of hymns and songs recognising the difference between the two. Generally, hymns are attributed to God and may involve praise, prayer, or deep devotion while gospel songs are often addressed to our fellowman. Gospel songs tend to express the Christian's own experiences or feelings about God and the Christian Life. The place of the psalms in worship during this period of the early church were to become an inspiration to all those assembled there and their praise and hymns were eventually to be taken to their gentile neighbours (Rom 15: 5,6, 9-11,13).

Dear friends, SING - Have a song in your heart- you will be amazed at its power to lift your spirits from the depths of discouragement and despair to reach those greater heights that God intended for you.

While Christians of the early church had been singing the Old Testament psalms and hymns, they were now to add new hymns and gospel songs to express their victory in Christ. The 'Jehovah of the Jews' was now being hailed by them, as 'the Lord of all Nations'.

Unfortunately, with the changes that were to take place in the Church over the next one thousand years, congregational singing practically ceased, with the only singing being carried out by the organised choirs of the monks. This situation continued with the medieval church until the beginning of the fifteenth century when John Huss of Bohemia, a musician as well as a great preacher, wrote hymns for his people. This was one of the factors that eventually led to his martyrdom in 1415. A century later Martin Luther with his enlightened colleagues changed the whole pattern of worship in Europe. His famous hymn, 'A Mighty Fortress is our God' based on Psalm 46, became the watchword of the Reformation. A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD.

Three years ago I had the opportunity of visiting the Bunhill Fields Cemetery, a former dissenter's burial ground of four acres in the southern part of the London borough of Islington. This cemetery is the last survivor of London's once numerous, small, unconsecrated burial grounds found outside the normal churchyard so common to that age. The name 'Bunhill' is believed to be derived from a corruption of the word 'Bonehill' since the site was originally used as a repository for bones before 1549 when more than a thousand cartloads were removed from the charnel house in St. Paul's churchyard not far distant.

In this historic cemetery are buried such notable non-conformists as John Bunyan of 'Pilgrim's Progress' and Daniel Defoe, known for his writing of the classic book 'Robinson Crusoe'. However, there are two graves that we visited where the lives of those who names have been recorded had, directly and indirectly, a major influence on the development of modern hymnody in church worship.

Dr. Isaac Watts, who was born in England on July 17, 1674 and died in 1748 at the age of 74, wrote some of the most beautiful and best-loved hymns sung in the Christian church. He was often called the father of English hymnody. In 1719, after reading Psalm 96:1-3, which says: ' O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth…' Isaac Watts was inspired to do just that. He was one of the first hymn writers to paraphrase the Psalms into the common language of the people and is said to have written a hymn for every Psalm. Most Church Hymnals currently contain a large selection of these beautiful compositions one of which, based on Psalm 90, is considered one of his finest and the grandest in the whole realm of English hymns (Osbeck, 1982: 183).

LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE WORDS.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!

Under the shadow of Thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure;
Before the hills in order stood
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guide while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

Isaac Watts was born the eldest of nine children. At this point in time, his father, a learned deacon in a dissenting Congregational church, was in prison for his non-conformist beliefs. This loss of his father's liberty was repeated on many occasions throughout Isaac's young life. During these periods, his faithful mother would take this little boy to the prison and, seated on a stone mounting block opposite her husband's cell, would feed her baby while conversing with his father. Out of the trying circumstances of his life, Isaac developed a beautiful Christian character and strong religious convictions. As a young boy Isaac displayed literary genius, writing verses at an early age. It is said that he had the most annoying habit of using rhymes in his everyday conversation. One day he was scolded by his irritated father for this practice and he cried out, 'O Father, do some pity take, and I will no more verses make' (Ibid: 184).

If there is one lesson to be learned from Dr. Watt's life, it is that our physical appearance need not, in fact, must not, be permitted to affect our spiritual experience. Isaac has been described as small of stature (just five feet tall); he had a massive head, a hooked nose, small piercing eyes, and a frail body (Ibid: 112).

The story is told that when he was a young man a beautiful young lady fell in love with him through reading his poetry. When the two finally met she was completely disillusioned - but with Watts it was love at first sight. After refusing his proposal of marriage, she made a comment, probably with the best of intentions, by saying: Mr. Watts, I only wish I could say I admire the casket as much as I admire the jewel'. WHILE WATTS NEVER MARRIED THEY REMAINED GOOD FRIEND FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS.

Isaac's ambition, according to his own words was as follows: 'My design was not to exalt myself to the rank and glory of poets, but I was ambitious to be a servant to the churches, and a helper to the joy of the meanest Christian.

His call to 'sing a new song' was to find fruit in the 500 beautiful hymns he left as a legacy to the Christian Church.

The other grave in the Bunhill Fields cemetery that is of particular note does not belong to a hymn writer, but is the mother of two of the most prominent during the eighteenth century. Her love and faithfulness to her children resulted in John and Charles Wesley becoming involved in the great evangelical revival of this period - A movement that was characterised by 'an outburst of song'. Those great doctrines of free grace and universal atonement that were emphasised during this time called for new songs of faith, hope and love.

Charles Wesley, the poet of the movement, wrote more than 6,500 hymns, many of which emphasised the mercy and judgment of God. Wesley seemed to cover the whole message of the Bible in his hymns many of which were based on the Psalms. 'Jesus, Lover of my Soul' is generally considered his finest contribution (Ibid: 129). JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL.

THIS HYMN REINFORCES THE FACT THAT GOD LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU IN THE KINGDOM - JESUS LOVER OF MY SOUL.

John Wesley's contribution to hymnody was the editing, organising and publishing of his brothers 6,500 hymns while contributing around 27 of his own original works (Ibid: 181).

The importance of the work of his mother and the influence of his father can never be underestimated in the flowering of the lives of these two boys. John Wesley, who is buried in the chapel he founded just across from this cemetery, placed this stone over his mother's grave:

Here lies the body of Mrs. Suzanna Wesley (widow of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, M.A., late Rector of Epworth, in Lincolnshire), who died July 23rd, 1742, aged 73 years. She was the youngest daughter of the Rev. Samuel Annesley, D.D, ejected by the Act of Uniformity, from the rectory of St. Giles Cripplegate, August 24, 1662. She was the mother of 19 children, of whom the most eminent were the Revs. John and Charles Wesley, the former of whom was, under God, the Founder of the Societies of the people called Methodists.

JOHN WESLEY WAS CLAIMING A PLACE IN THE KINGDOM FOR HIS MOTHER AS WE SEE IN THE FINAL WORDS WRITTEN ON THE HEADSTONE.

'In sure and certain hope to rise, And claim her mansion in the skies;

A Christian here her flesh laid down, The Cross exchanging for a Crown.'

LET US NEVER FORGET THE IMPORTANT INFLUENCE OF GODLY PARENTS AND PARTICULARLY THAT OF A CHRISTIAN MOTHER.

Singing should not be just reserved for those days when everything seems to be going right. Jesus said: 'Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day…' (Luke 6:22,23). The power of music to lift the human spirit is difficult to comprehend.

Out of the brutality of the Second World War comes a story that pays tribute to the human will to live and is a testament to music's lasting power to heal and uplift. The scene for this dramatic story is set in a Japanese concentration camp for Dutch and English speaking women on an island in the pacific region. Most of the women were survivors of a Japanese bombing attack on the ship, 'Prince Albert' which was being used to evacuate women from Singapore to Australia. The ship was crammed with women of all backgrounds, including a large number of Australian nurses along with English and American civilians Berardinelli, 1997: 1).

After the sinking of the ship, the waterlogged and weary survivors were to spend the next three and a half years in a prison camp on the Japanese occupied island of Sumatra. Thinking that the worst of their ordeal was over, they were to discover that their time in the prison camp was to become their harshest test of survival. In the camp were Dutch women from the East Indies, English women from Singapore and Malaya, Protestant missionaries and Catholic nuns and others who were as diverse in nationality, race and social status (Nelson, 1999: 4). Over the course of their three and a half year internment in this brutal prison camp they fight to survive and not lose hope and the means that the prisoners devise to lift their spirits is unique. This was to see the formation of a 'vocal orchestra' - a chorus that was not only to enthral and astound audiences of fellow prisoners but was to captivate their Japanese guards as they performed hummed renditions of the work of Mozart, Dvorak, and Holst (Berardinelli, 1997: 1). Margaret Dryburgh, who was a missionary prior to her capture, and Norah Chambers were the two women prisoners responsible for developing this musical phenomena, which took place in the midst of a wasteland of physical deprivation and emotional suppression.

It came into being after September 1943 when the women were shifted to the thatched atap huts of what had been the men's camp in Palembang. The orchestra's success was to depend on Dryburgh's amazing memory for music. With little more than prompting by those able to hum a few missing sections, she painstakingly wrote down the music to at least thirty classical orchestral pieces. Norah Chambers, who had trained at the Royal Academy in London, copied the scores, and, after combining their skills, Dryburgh and Chambers arranged them for voices. The women did not imitate instruments, but by humming on selected consonants and singing sounds rather than words, they created their own unique art. Dryburgh and Chambers combined other qualities to persuade and inspire forty women to train for long hours, and then perform at such a level that they could momentarily liberate themselves and their listeners from the squalid and depressing life of the camp surrounding them (Nelson, 1999: 8).

IT PROVIDED HOPE WHERE HOPE WAS NOT TO BE FOUND AND IS A TESTAMENT TO THE LASTING POWER OF MUSIC TO UPLIFT AND HEAL.

It tends to confirm Luther's statement that we read at the beginning where he says:

God knew this power and the need of music in our lives and I believe that it was this in mind that he provided for the Church in all ages the book of Psalms, Israel's special Hymnbook, because, '…in these sacred poems we hear the cry, not only of the Hebrew, but of universal man, ascending to God for help, and see the hand of Omnipotence reaching down to bring relief' (SDA Bible Commentary, Vol 3: 619).

The importance and influence of the Psalms in the evolution of music in the Christian Church can not be easily measured. The true author, influencing the writers of these powerful messages of song, has enabled the Christian Church to bring to memory the many wonderful characteristics of God and his special plan of salvation for humankind. It has enabled feeble man to have words of encouragement and faith to help him endure his daily walk to the kingdom of God. The songs that were written under inspiration during the Hebrew period and later paraphrased by those in more modern times show God revealing himself to us.

ISRAEL'S SPECIAL HYMNBOOK WAS TRULY TO BECOME THE HYMNBOOK OF THE AGES.

REFERENCES

BERARDINELLI, J.(1997) Paradise Road - A Film Review, http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/p/paradise_road.html

BRUCE, F. F. (1969) New Testament History, London: Oliphants

DOUKHAN, L. (1995) CHMN 519 Worship and Church Music, Conference Notes, Avondale College, Cooranbong NSW

LOCKYER SR.H.(Ed)1986) Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, USA: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

NELSON, H. (1999) A Map to Paradise Road: A Guide for Historians, Journal of the Australian War Memorial, Issue 32

OSBECK, K. W. (1982) 101 Hymn Stories. Michigan, USA: Kregel Publications

TAN, P. L. (1979) Encyclopaedia of 7,700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Hong Kong: Nordica International Ltd.

WHITE, E. G. (1958) Patriarchs and Prophets, Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association.

WHITE, E. G. (1952) Education, Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association.

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