Hymns4Him

Every year countless folks make a new Year’s Resolution to read through the entire Bible in the year ahead.  They launch into Genesis and find themselves freshly challenged with the familiar stories of Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood, Abraham and Isaac, and Joseph with his coat of many colors.  Then Exodus holds their attention around Moses, with the plagues in Egypt, the burning bush in the wilderness, the Ten Commandments at Sinai, and the instructions for the tabernacle and its furnishings.

But then people hit Leviticus, and it’s like hitting a brick wall.  Within a few days they feel overwhelmed by all the legislation and are overcome with the frustration of not understanding what value is to be found.  And so they give up there and forsake their intention of reading through the Bible that year, becoming content with just a few devotional verses here and there every few days throughout the rest of the year. If that’s been your experience, I hope you’ll find fresh encouragement to look at the book again with this hymn study that focuses on the central theme of Leviticus: holiness.  

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Each summer, Protestant denominations in America hold their annual meeting.  Depending on the polity (church government) of each, different types of representation from local churches gather to review how their bodies are carrying out the Great Commission.  This includes addressing such things as expanding the effectiveness of missions abroad and church planting at home, responding to doctrinal challenges that threaten their biblical integrity, overseeing their educational ministries in colleges and seminaries, overseeing the work of local congregations and regional bodies, and managing printing of educational and training resources.

These assemblies range from delegated meetings of just a few hundred to thousands of delegates coming from every church across the nation, from 150 to 15,000 commissioners.  Secondarily, these assemblies are occasions of fellowship as friendships of colleagues are renewed, training in specialized areas of ministry are provided, and perhaps best of all there is corporate worship with great singing, focused prayer, celebrations of the Lord’s Supper, and of course excellent preaching from some of the best pastors in the land. 

But among the denominations that will meet, there are significant branches of the church today that have embraced such serious heresies as to be legitimately considered apostate, having become no longer a true church of the Lord Jesus Christ.  One of the most blatant examples of this is the way too many have capitulated to cultural pressures in the area of sexuality.  Whether it’s abortion, so-called same sex marriage, homosexual clergy and lifestyle, or the absurd woke ideologies of the transgender movement, those of us who love the Lord, the Word, and the gospel, weep to see this widespread abandonment of the truth, something Al Mohler has called theological treason.

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Paul wrote in Philippians 2 that, as a result of Jesus’ having humbled Himself and being obedient even to death on the cross, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  What a glorious day that will be, and with so much misery and chaos and confusion and sadness in our world today, how we all long for that day to come soon!  It all brings to mind that thrilling description in Revelation 4 and 5 of all 24 elders (representing the church of all the ages, from the 12 tribes of the Old Testament to the 12 apostles of the New Testament) falling down before the enthroned Son of God, worshipping this one who lives forever and ever, casting their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”

It is the name of Jesus, a name which includes all that He is and ever has been, all that He has done, and all that He has promised to do, which is truly the central message of the Bible.  That’s what must have been involved in that amazing conversation He had with the disciples from Emmaus as He sat there at the dinner table, explaining what the Bible was all about. “And He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

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Christians are on a journey through life, and our destination is heaven, where we will forever be with the Lord.  But this is not an easy journey.  It is one that demands perseverance and determination, as well as the struggle against temptations and distractions.  Of course, none of us are able to do this on our own.  We need the Savior who has promised to lead us all the way home.  “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psalm 32.8). There are many spiritual obstacles on the way, but Jesus has promised to lead us “all the way.”

One of the beloved hymns of Fanny Crosby says exactly that: “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.”  Frances Jane Crosby (1820-1915) is remembered as “the Queen of Gospel Hymnody” for the ten thousand gospel songs she composed, almost all of them during the last half of her 95 years!  When Fanny was about six weeks old, her parents realized with alarm that something was wrong with her eyes. The local doctor was away, but the Crosbys found a man, no one afterward recalled his name, who claimed to be a physician. He put a hot poultice on the baby’s inflamed eyes, insisting it would draw out the infection. The infection did clear up, but white scars appeared and in the months that followed the baby registered no response to objects held before her. As it turned out, Fanny was not totally blind, but her eyes were severely damaged. Even in old age she could discern day and night. But any clarity of vision was gone.

When we think of Pentecost Sunday, our minds naturally focus on the event as recorded by Luke in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.  But we ought also to recall Jesus’ promise to give the Spirit as the “other” comforter in His Upper Room Discourse in John 14 and 16.   And we should certainly also turn to the statement in John 20:22, that “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

The concept of His breathing matches the Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma) words for spirit which have the root meaning of wind or breath.  And it is that imagery which we find in the hymn “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” by Edwin Hatch (1835-1889), first published privately in 1878 in a pamphlet entitled “Between Doubt and Prayer,” giving it the Latin title of “Spiritus Dei” (Spirit of God).  It was later published publicly in 1886 in Henry Allen’s “The Congregational Psalmist Hymnal,” and then republished posthumously by Hatch’s widow in 1890 in “Towards Fields of Light: Sacred Poems.”

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Of all the Christ-centered events in the biblical account of Jesus’ life, probably the one least celebrated in the Church Year is that of His ascension.  The details of the event are clearly described in Scripture as the concluding step in His earthly ministry, and also as the culmination of that work of redemption in His heavenly ministry.  We find it in the Gospels, in Acts, and in the epistles.  It is especially prominent in the book of Hebrews as the author relates it to Jesus’ coronation and continuing intercession for us, as a Savior, who in Herman Bavinck’s words, has much remaining to do for the kingdom.

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“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is often sung on patriotic occasions across America.  The music, especially in the famous anthem arrangement by Peter Wilhousky, is absolutely thrilling!  When choir and brass and percussion unite in this awesome setting, nationalistic pride swells in our hearts.  It’s a delight to sing, and to hear.  But is it an appropriate hymn for a Christian worship service?  Is it faithful to Scripture?  Does the text correctly portray the attributes of God?  Does it exalt the Lord Jesus Christ?  Is it accurate in presenting the gospel?  Will someone who sings and/or hears it have a clear understanding of the central message of the gospel?

When questions like these are faced, the song falls woefully short.  That’s why in many instances it has not been included in hymnals and is deemed unacceptable for singing in a Christian worship service.  In fact, a closer examination of the text (and the author’s intent) leads to the possible twin charges of idolatry and blasphemy.  Idolatry because it makes the military force of a nation at war the object of devotion of a kind due only to the Lord.  And blasphemy because it makes the arrival of such an army synonymous with the coming of Jesus in conquering victory.

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When we are in the midst of some terribly painful experience, we find great comfort from a friend who stays nearby.  It may be our pain while suffering in a hospital bed, or our grief while weeping beside the casket of a loved one, or our heartache while realizing that a close friend has turned against us.  In any of those hard times we gain strength from that special, loyal friend whose presence assures us that we don’t have to deal with this alone. 

That principle has been pointed out many times by those who have taught from the book of Job.  The enormous pain that crushed that godly man’s soul, emotionally (and then his body, physically) motivated his friends to come near and sit with him (Job 2:11-13).  He was helped, though very imperfectly and sometimes incorrectly, not by what they said, but just by not leaving him alone in his hurt.  We have all known how much having a friend stay with us amidst our tragedies has meant to us.

The best friend we could possibly have is Jesus.  In John 15:15, He has called us His friends. In Hebrews 13:5 He promises never to leave us.  In Ephesians 1:11, He assures us that He is in total control. In Romans 8:28, He promises that He will cause all things to work out for His glory and our good.  His friendship is better than any mere human being.  He doesn’t just make us feel better by His presence, but with power and love actually works to carry us through our hard times, and to bring good from our troubles.  And so we sing of that in such hymns as “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners” and “I’ve Found a Friend, O Such a Friend.”

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God is the author of the Psalms, through the Holy Spirit’s work of inspiration, guiding the human authors to write what He intended, as we read in 2 Peter 1:20-21 … ^“knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” And in addition to that, through divine providence He is also the arranger of the contents of the Psalms.  It is by His design that the collection of 150 Psalms is divided into five groups, with chapters 1-2 serving as an introduction. The rest of psalms are arranged as Book 1 (3-41), Book 2 (42-72), Book 3 (73-89), Book 4 (90-106), and Book 5 (107-150).  And each book concludes with some kind of doxology.

And it is also by His design that Psalms 1 and 150 are placed where they are, as an introduction and conclusion to the whole collection.  Our praises begin by acknowledging that the only path to blessing is that which honors the Lord by loving and walking in accord with His Word. Doing so will insure that we will eternally enjoy the favor of the Lord.  And our praises end with the jubilant praise in His presence that will last into eternity, praise that is supported by glorious music from every kind of musical instrument, indeed, from everything that has breath! All of the Psalms, like all of scripture, are ultimately Messianic, in part, because Jesus not only sang all these Psalms in His day in Israel, but as God, He actually wrote them!

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