Month: June 2011

Question #16: Please tell me, where is singing out of the Bible in scripture?

Question #16: Please tell me, where is singing out of the Bible in scripture?

John states the following under Question #15:

“I could produce *many* examples of where “reformed churches” cleave to the traditions of men, so please do not take it that I am making a mountain out of a molehill over the issue of hands (that was only an *example*). Since the topic is the Psalms, let me provide just one more example; one that, if you are not *truly* committed to the regulative principle of worship, you will likely never have even thought of before:

Please tell me, where is singing out of the Bible in scripture? The truth is, nobody ever sung out of the Bible in Bible times! They didn’t have enough Bibles to go around! They sang the Psalms from *memory*. They didn’t have personal Psalm books or hymn books or anything of the kind. They leaned the Psalms from the communal Bible and taught and sang them from memory. They also taught the other songs of the Lord (such as the song of Moses), and were to know them off by heart. This was even a command of the Lord. The Lord never said, “Sing the song of Moses from a prompt”. Rather, the Law states that men must *teach* the song to all the people: “: “teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths”. As we all know, after Jesus and his disciples had broken bread, they sang a Psalm, but they did so *from memory*! No mention of a Psalm book is made *at all*! Psalm books and hymn books in comunal worship are the inventions of men. The Lord has given all men a truly remarkable ability to remember words when put to a tune. Unfortunately, very few people in the church seem to want to worship God with it.

I hope this post has been challenging, and I pray that we will all learn more of the Lord.

“Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, all ye lands. Serve Jehovah with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” (Psalm 100:1-2)”

John, thank you for the question, we’ll get to it very soon.

Psalms from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia

I received two wonderful CDs last week from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia’s Launceston congregation. The first is entitled “Through Him Are All Things” found here. It includes 22 different tracks with some beautiful arrangements of the 1650 Scottish Psalter.

The second CD is entitled “Psalms, Hymns and Songs of the Spirit: A Collection of 17 Psalms from the 1650 Scottish Psalter” performed by the Launceston Quintet, EPCA, prepared by the Pilgrim Covenant Church of Singapore.

Here is a link to the EPCA Youth as they sing some of the arrangments, also YouTube videos are linked.

Here is information regarding the Launceston EPCA congregation and the times and locations of their worship services.

It is so encouraging to hear congregations committed to the singing of the Songs of Zion. It is especially a blessing to hear young folks taking pleasure in singing as well.

Thank you so much to Christine Coleburn from Tasmania for sending these CDs to me.