Psalm 58 (ESV) To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David. 1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. 3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter. 6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. 8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.” Ice Breaker: “What have you been listening to/reading”? Song vs Song Gratitude: Brandon Lake Verse 1 All my words fall short I got nothing new How could I express All my gratitude? Verse 2 I could sing these songs As I often do But every song must end And You never do Chorus So I throw up my hands And praise You again and again ‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah Hallelujah And I know it’s not much But I’ve nothing else fit for a King Except for a heart singing hallelujah Hallelujah Verse 3 I’ve got one response I’ve got just one move With my arm stretched wide I will worship You Chorus So I throw up my hands And praise You again and again ‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah Hallelujah And I know it’s not much But I’ve nothing else fit for a King Except for a heart singing hallelujah Hallelujah Bridge (x3) So come on, my soul Oh, don’t you get shy on me Lift up your song ‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs Get up and praise the Lord Chorus So I throw up my hands And praise You again and again ‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah Hallelujah And I know it’s not much But I’ve nothing else fit for a King Except for a heart singing hallelujah Hallelujah Babylon Bee – Worship leader driving over the bridge Worship Leader Late To Church After Repeatedly Driving Over Bridge | Babylon Bee 4 issue: Problem with Perspective Lens of reader vs lens of writer There are two lenses through which to view this song. If you look through the lens of the reader (i.e. “me”), there is a logic that makes sense and contains some truth. For instance, it is true that I hold in tension the two facts that I desire to fully express my gratitude for Christ’s saving grace and my inability to perfectly magnify the thrice holy God of the universe. The logic breaks down, however, when you look at the song through the lens of the writer (specifically, “Brandon Lake”). The opening line makes very little logical sense when you see Brandon Lake specifically saying “all my words fall short.” He acknowledges that his words are not the best words to offer God in praise, but then he goes ahead and does it anyway. When “I’m” singing the song, it is easy to overlook this issue, but thinking about Brandon Lake writing that line raises some questions: If he knew that his words fall short, why not sing a Psalm or a hymn that has stood the test of time? If he knew that his words fall short, why knowingly offer God what he himself considers to be an insufficient song? Lake has no problem offering God a second best option, especially when they are his words. He even goes out of his way to proclaim that the song is a second best option, since he could have easily written an alternate first line. As it is, the song comes off as a “humble brag”. Settling for his own words rather than choosing a song God wrote (a Psalm) or a song tested by the church over time (a hymn), results in a final product that elevates Brandon Lake more than it elevates God. Words be 2 cas(ual) The second line of the song is “I got nothing new” and the first line of the course is “So I throw up my hands”. Both of these lines are placed in such a way to set the mood of the song. The rest of the song is built on the foundation of those two lines, and those two lines are incredibly casual. It reads like you are talking to your buddy, not the thrice holy God of the universe. There is a reality that Jesus calls us “friend”, but that does not diminish the fact that Jesus’ glory will obliterate any sinner in His presence. The proper response to being in the same space as Christ is to fall prostrate on your face and say “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Even when compared to the hymn What A Friend We Have In Jesus, there is not the same feeling of casualness. The hymn, while exulting in the fact that we can call Jesus our friend, never divorces the fact that He is God. In fact, the song proclaims “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!” This over casualization of our relationship with God has a two fold effect of both lowing Christ below His position and raising ourselves above ours. Salvation conflation Justification vs Sanctification The song conflates the idea of fallen sinners bringing nothing to their justification and bringing an appropriate offering of praise. It is true that no one can contribute to their salvation; that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is not true, however, that we have nothing of value to bring God in worship. This is because as we are Sanctified, we have more and more Christ-like behavior. In Philippians 2:12b-13, it says “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” The language and theme of “fear and trembling” is seen elsewhere in the Bible in the context of proper worship of the thrice holy God of the universe (Psalm 2, Isaiah 6). As such, we can learn that we are called by God to contribute to our worship through the process of Sanctification. Throughout the story of King Saul and King David, the theme of obedience over sacrifice is repeated (1 Samuel 15:22, Psalm 51:16-17). Paul brings the same idea up in 2 Corinthians 7:15: And (Titus’s) affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. As we grow to be more and more like Christ through Sanctification, we have more and more to offer God in worship through obedience. Failed attempt to appeal to Psalm 42 Lack of Scripture use in general The bridge of the song switches from speaking to God to speaking to “my soul”. This is an odd shift, but there is biblical precedent in Psalm 42. In Psalm 42, the speaker is not speaking directly to God throughout, but rather the whole thing reads as introspective. There is a marked shift from the “verses” to the “refrain” in that the Psalm switches from no direct recipient to the direct recipient of “my soul”: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. In Gratitude, the change in recipient from “You” to “my soul” is similar to the shift on Psalm 42, but it is important to see how different these passages are. In both the bridge of Gratitude and the refrain of Psalm 42, the soul is troubled. This reflects the soul of everyone, believer or not. All of humanity can relate to one another through our troubled souls. However, the remedies are starkly different in these passages. In Gratitude, the remedy for the troubled soul is to white knuckle your way through it. The passage is a pep talk to find your strength from within, to “get up and praise the Lord”. This is especially odd considering the foundational concept of having nothing of worth to offer. In contrast, the refrain from Psalm 42 offers a different remedy for the troubled soul: “hope in God.” Don’t place your hope on the lion that resides inside of your lungs, but hope in God! Only then will you praise Him. More than the failed attempt to appeal to Psalm 42, the song Gratitude fails to appeal to any Scripture. There is exactly one accurate theological concept: the never ending nature of God. Every other theological statement is the invention of man, most commonly as a conflation of terms, such as “all my words (of praise) fall short” being conflated with “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. This song ends up being a poster child for “doxology without theology”, which Shai Linne identifies as “idolatry”. 1 Timothy 6 (KJV) 16: who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 1 Peter 2 (KJV) 9: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who cal
