On the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

This week on the forty-first anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I had the privilege of joining hundreds of thousands of others in the annual March for Life, the largest pro-life event in the world. It was amazing to see those who are, like me, dedicated to the value of human life. I went to the March because it is evil that our Supreme Court has ruled that it is lawful to end innocent life. I’m not willing to sit down and become apathetic while thousands of defenseless children are sacrificed to the gods of our culture every day. We must pray for repentance and restoration for our country in this respect.  

The Psalms have a lot to say about human life, as does the Bible in general. The Psalms speak of the joy that children bring and what a gift they are. My pastor (and dad!) preached on Psalm 127 last Sunday and it stood out to me as it speaks of a Christ-centered household. We are looking forward to our final home in the new heavens and earth. Our homes now are not our final destination, but God’s house is. Psalm 127 paints a picture of the ideal home, also stressing the blessing that children are in verses 4-5.

Psalm 127

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,

   those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

    the watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is in vain that you rise up early

    and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

    for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

    the fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

    are the children of one's youth.

5 Blessed is the man

    who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame

  when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

God is the giver of life and the one who formed each of us in the womb, knowing every one of our days before even our parents knew of our existence. God cares about the life He has created in His own image. If God knows even about the death of sparrows (Matthew 10), we can be certain that He does not think lightly of the millions of legalized murders in our nation. Life is valuable to the one who has created it.

Young ones were never hated by Jesus throughout His earthly ministry, nor does God intend them to be shunned by society. They are a gift from Him that should be treated as such. Psalm 8:4-5 speaks of the worth and dignity of human life of any age and stage: What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Mankind was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and therefore life has intrinsic value.

Life should be defended because you and I were once in the womb as well.

So was the eternal Son of God.

Throughout the Bible, the value God assigns to human life is evident. It is clear in the Psalms, and it’s clear in the incarnation of Christ. The Word became flesh. Not only were you and I once at this early stage of development, but God Himself was once in the womb. Christ’s incarnation began roughly nine months before his birth.

Life is precious to God, and it should be precious to us. Let’s defend those who can’t stand up for themselves yet. Loving our neighbor as ourselves begins with our neighbor in the womb.

Note: Angela Kim wrote a beautiful pro-life article for this blog on Psalm 139 about a year ago. Please check out her thoughts here. 

I also recommend taking ten minutes to listen to John Piper’s podcast from Wednesday: Roe v. Wade Assaults the Incarnation of Christ. There are many wonderful resources online on this subject as well if you desire to be better informed. 

Righteousness Endures Forever: Psalm 112

 112:1 Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

Who greatly delights in His commandments.

2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;

The generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house,

And his righteousness endures forever.

Psalm 112 is a depiction of the righteous man’s behavior and characteristics. Righteousness is ultimately shown to us in Christ, and we are to be imitators of Jesus. In this Psalm, the author describes the blessings the righteous enjoy. The first is the joy of delighting in the Lord’s commands which will lead to wealth and mighty generations. This reminds me of righteous Job’s life at the beginning of the book of Job. He was “blameless and upright” with ten children and thousands of livestock and servants. “He was the greatest man among all the people of the East” (Job 1:3). Because of this man of God’s holy lifestyle, he was blessed immeasurably with family and earthly riches. Job recognized that beyond these ephemeral treasures were eternal riches that far outweigh his wordly possessions. Likewise, God’s word and works have captured the righteous man’s heart in Psalm 112, and he lives his life accordingly.

Further, notice how family is connected to prosperity. In today’s culture, it seems that having many children is not a blessing but a burden. However, in the Bible family is considered a gift from God and a reward from Him (Psalm 127:3). This Psalm promises that the righteous man’s children will be blessed because of him. In a society that is living for instant gratification and rarely thinks generationally, this Psalm is a crucial reminder that our influence now will affect the lives of many who will come after us.  Spurgeon said of this verse, “The children of the righteous man commence life with greater advantages than others, and are more likely to succeed in it, in the best and highest sense…the race of sincere, devout, righteous men, is kept up from age to age, and ever abides under the blessing of God.”

  

4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright;

He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.

5 It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;

He will maintain his cause in judgment.

In verse 4, the blessing and righteousness of this man overflow to those around him. There are many temptations that come with wealth and prosperity, and this man deals with them appropriately. He flees from being miserly, greedy, unfair, ungrateful, or afraid. He recognizes that he must be a good steward of what he has been given, and that the greatest wealth is found his contentment in God. 

6 For he will never be shaken;

The righteous will be remembered forever.

7 He will not fear evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

8 His heart is upheld, he will not fear

Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.

9 He has given freely to the poor,

His righteousness endures forever;

His horn will be exalted in honor.

10 The wicked will see it and be vexed,

He will gnash his teeth and melt away;

The desire of the wicked will perish.

Alternate ways of life are ultimately futile. The final verse of the Psalm contrasts the righteous man with the life of the wicked. The Psalm has stated twice of the righteous, “His righteousness endures forever,” but the wicked will simply melt away, soon forgotten. In Derek Kidner’s commentary on Psalm 112, he noted, “In this Psalm, where the accent is on things that last, the man who dares to be generous is seen as the one who will be remembered, whose good deeds will never lose their value.”

It’s important for us as Christians, striving to follow the model of the righteous man (and ultimately Christ, the only one who gave us the perfect example of sinlessness), to make sure that our focus is still on lasting riches. What we do now will have an impact on eternity and on the souls of others. This Psalm shows that the fleeting desires of the world will come to nothing, while the righteous man knows how to spend his days and money in a way that glorifies God and helps those in need. He invests in the lives of others, and this does not go unnoticed. In fact, his righteousness will endure forever.

"Light arises in the darkness for the upright."

Why Should We Sing the Psalms Exclusively?

If you are new to the Reformed Presbyterian church or even if you grew up in it your whole life, you probably harbor in your mind some questions concerning Psalmody. Such questions may vary from why we sing Psalms at all to the peripheral application of Exclusive Psalmody. Nevertheless, it is important that we examine RP worship principles in accordance with the scriptures. As younger members of the RP church, the authors of the Selah Psalm blog sincerely challenge everyone, particularly other young people in the RP church, to consider specific questions and objections that are commonly brought up about or against Psalmody. Our goal is not to provide exhaustive arguments but to introduce the subject through insights from the Scriptures. All opinions expressed on this blog are ours alone and not necessarily those of the Reformed Presbyterian church of North America.   

Why should we sing the Psalms Exclusively?

“The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.[1] But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.” Westminster Confession of Faith 21.1

(Deut. 12:32; Mat. 15:9; Acts 17:25; Mat. 4:9-10; Ex. 20:4-6)

            The Reformed Presbyterian Church believes, as stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, that every part of worship requires warrant from scripture, and this principle extends to the singing of songs to God. Though we believe that the scriptures as a whole teach this principle, the most convincing argument for singing the Psalms can be found by simply singing the Psalms themselves. Michael Bushell states it in his book Songs of Zion, “The question of what songs we ought to sing in worship is not complicated. It is ultimately no more complicated than the question of whether the songs of God are better than the songs of men. God deserves the best. The Psalms are the best.” (13) The first half of the article will address the benefits of singing the Psalms and the second half the biblical reasons to sing the Psalms.

What are the Benefits to Singing the Psalms?

There are many reasons why we sing the Psalms. If you are part of the RP Church, then you probably know several of these reasons. We believe that the Bible commands the singing of Psalms in worship. We sing the Psalms because God tells us to do so.  Sadly, because of this we can easily treat the Psalms like a chore and forget the joy and beauty that takes place in singing them. God has given us the Psalms for many purposes, and one of these purposes is to express our emotions in a godly and beautiful way. The Psalms make it clear to us that it is okay to express our joy and thanksgiving, but the Psalms also make clear that it is okay to express our fear, sadness, and frustration. God has given us emotions for a reason, and He gives us the Psalms so that we can express these emotions in a righteous way.

Psalms of Praise

Praise songs in our society today have become very popular, and many of these songs are written by fine Christians. However, God has already given many beautiful Psalms of praise and rejoicing. For example, Psalm 136 praises God because of His love and His power. Verse one of this Psalm says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.” God is the definition of goodness and His love never ends! What an amazing thing it is to sing these powerful words and to know with full certainty that they are true because God Himself has written them!  The Psalms of praise in the Bible are perfect with absolutely no misconceptions about who God is.

Psalms of Comfort

When we are having feelings of loneliness or when it feels like the whole world has turned against us, God has given us Psalms to comfort us and to remind us of His great power. Psalm 18 is a beautiful Psalm that reminds us that, as Christians, God is our fortress and He is our rock. “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.” What a great blessing we have to be able to sing this Psalm in full confidence that it is true and that it is right.

Psalms of Lament

God has graciously given us the Psalms of Lament, which contain much that is absent from most hymns and praise songs today. What a blessed thing it is to have these Psalms in which God gives us permission to come before Him in our sadness, frustration, and confusion.  Psalm 42 and Psalm 88 are great examples.  “I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength.”  “My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” As you can see, God wants us to express our sorrow to Him as well as joy. The most beautiful example of a Psalm being remembered as a crying out to God was when Jesus was in anguish on the cross and quoted Psalm 22. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”   

Praise, comfort, and sadness are only three of the many different emotions that we find in the Psalms. We must always remember while singing the Psalms that they are not a chore but rather a precious gift from God! We are able to express our deepest emotions through singing.  God gives us Psalms that we can sing to express these emotions and know in full confidence that God is pleased with what we are singing. When singing the Psalms, remember that we are given the opportunity to express our deepest emotions in a righteous way to a God who truly listens and cares.

What are the Biblical Reasons to Sing the Psalms Exclusively?

            The controversy over exclusive Psalmody often times can be tangled and confusing with a plethora of arguments and counter arguments on every minute detail. However, at its core, the argument for exclusive Psalmody is extremely simple.

·         We are to obey God. (Deut 6:1-2; Ecclesiastes  12:13-14)

·         We may not add our own inventions to the worship of God. (Deut 12:31-32)

·         God commands us to sing Psalms. (Col 3:16; Eph 5:19)

·         God does not command us to sing uninspired hymns.

·         Thus we should only sing the Psalms of the Bible in worship.

Although each of these statements can be (and has been) contested, the second statement is really at the heart of the issue. Exclusive Psalmody hinges on what is known as the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW), which can be summarized as follows: Every part of worship with religious significance must have warrant from Scripture.

Similar to the doctrine of the Trinity, the RPW cannot be explicitly shown through a single passage. Yet, like the doctrine of the Trinity, we believe that the RPW can be “deduced from the word of God by good and necessary consequence”. (Bushell 162) One simply must meditate on Scripture as a whole, and ask if God regulates how He should be worshiped. Furthermore, God provides a book of songs in the Bible, so the burden of proof is not on Exclusive Psalmody. Considering the Scripture’s teachings of our relationship with God, Old Testament temple worship, God’s demand for obedience, and the frailty of man’s wisdom, it is a difficult task to validate the idea of God giving us flexibility and room for creativity concerning His worship.

The main proof text for the RPW can be found in the Ten Commandments and is expounded by the Westminster Larger Catechism.

   

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exodus 20:4-6

Q. 109. What sins are forbidden in the second commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising (Num 15;39), counseling (Deut 13:6-8), commanding, using, and any wise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself(Deut 12:30-32); the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever; all worshiping of it, or God in it or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God (Malachi 1:7-8), adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves (Ps 106:39), or received by tradition from others (Matt 15:9), though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever (1 Sam 13:11-12); simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.

Westminster Larger Catechism

The Ten Commandments are a summary of the entire moral law, and just as Jesus classified anger as murder, unacceptable worship must be classified as idolatry. “Idolatry is simply one of the most egregious examples of unacceptable worship.” (Bushell 163) An example of this is given in Exodus 32 when the Israelites tried to worship God through a golden statue.

And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” Exodus 32:4

Another example is found in Exodus 20:25 when God teaches Israel to not improve upon His worship.

And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. Exodus 20:25

Other main proof texts include:

Leviticus 1:1-3                        The Offering of Strange Fire

1 Chronicles 13:9-14               The Death of Uzza

Deuteronomy 12:29-32           Warnings Against False Worship

            So why should we sing the Psalms exclusively? Is it acceptable to decide for ourselves how God should be worshipped? It is important to make sure that we are asking the right questions, since incorrect questions do exist. Today many people ask, ‘What type of worship makes me feel the closest to God?’ However the chief purpose of worship is not to appeal to our senses, but to bring glory to God. (1 Cor 10:31) At the end of the day, we sing Psalms out of obedience to God, embracing the benefits, but with the main goal of glorifying Him.

“Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” Deuteronomy 12:32

Special thanks to Eden Schaefer for writing the section on the benefits of singing the Psalms!

Bushell, Michael. The Songs of Zion. Pittsburgh, PA: Crown and Covenant Publications, 1980. Print.

When Praise Sounds Weak and Warbly

Psalm 67 is a beautiful, awe inspiring 7 verses that I’ve been memorizing recently. It’s a Psalm of gratitude, asking God to keep His promises to His people. It’s a Psalm that stirs up the soul toward excitement for missions and for the church globally and generationally. Phrases like, “the peoples,” “the nations,” and “all the ends of the earth” declare the mission of the gospel and where it is headed.

Psalm 67 (ESV): Make Your Face Shine upon Us

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
 and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 that your way may be known on earth,
 your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
 for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God
let all the peoples praise you!

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.

7 God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

As a side note, Psalms were meant to be sung. Don’t just take my word for it. I highly recommend you whip out your trusty copy of “The Book of Psalms for Worship” (or buy a copy here!) and sing this beautiful Psalm. I’m partial to the 67C version myself.

My study Bible notes on this Psalm, “May God’s favors to His people be so obvious that all the world takes notice.” God promises every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) so that “all the ends of the earth may fear Him.” When God blesses us abundantly, the watching world can’t help noticing and glorifying our gracious and loving Father. This is part of the Christian’s witness to the world. Pray that praise from every corner of the earth will resound to God and that His blessings on us will be so plentiful that the world will have no other option than to respond with rejoicing and worship.

I wanted to add some related verses from the two Psalms directly before 67.

Psalm 65:8: They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs, You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

All people will ultimately see God’s saving acts on behalf of His people and therefore will bend their knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:11). All creation will rejoice (see Psalm 19), joining in the human chorus to celebrate the blessings of God in creation and redemption. What an exhilarating thought! All earth from the farthest corners will be praising the Almighty with us. If it seems to be just your small congregation with feeble, quavering voices in worship on Sunday morning, keep in mind that one day we will join in an everlasting refrain of praise to God with the dawn, the angels, and the people of God throughout the generations. It will sound incredible to be glorifying God as we see Him face to face with the church triumphant. John Boys said, “The servants of the Lord are to sing His praises in this life to the world’s end; and in the next life, world without end.”

How should we await this eternity of adoration? As Psalm 66:1-2 says, let us, “Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.” We are called to give honor and worship to our Holy God. Let’s be overflowing with His glory and declaring what He has done for us. Make His praise glorious, not just half-hearted, timid, and occasional. Our praise should be constant and glorious, because our God alone is worthy of all glory. With this knowledge, we should be driven to missions, whether across the street or across the ocean. The vision of Psalm 67, “That your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” should drive us forward in fulfilling the Great Commission. 

Psalm 28: Prayer Transformed to Praise

I'm Lydia Goerner from Christ Church RPCNA in Utica, NY. I'm excited to be the newest author of Selah and to be able to share what God is teaching me through the marvelous book of Psalms. Recently, I've been meditating on Psalm 28, so without further ado, here are my thoughts. Let me know why you love Psalm 28 in the comments!

To you, Lord, I call;
you are my Rock,
do not turn a deaf ear to me,
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who go down to the pit.

It is futile to call to rocks for deliverance, but our Rock will save us and give us peace. It is vain to rely on words to rescue us from judgment, but the eternal Word died so that we could have eternal life. We can call on our Rock: a steady, immovable deliverance. This verse starts on a desperate note, pleading with God to hear and answer the Psalmist’s prayer. If God remains silent, if he does not answer our prayers and cries for mercy, we will be no better off than those who are dead. Spurgeon said of this verse, “We must have answers to prayer: ours is an urgent case of dire necessity; surely the Lord will speak peace to our agitated minds, for he never can find it in his heart to permit his own elect to perish.” 

Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.

The Psalmist is distraught and fervently petitions God to be his salvation. Many of us can probably relate to these desperate cries for mercy in times of illness or despair. When hard times hit, it's crucial to turn to the only thing that can deliver us. Nothing else can fully answer our calls for help. At these times, we can beseechingly lift up our empty hands to God our refuge. 

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.
Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work,
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back on them what they deserve.
Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.

God is just and will repay men for the evil things they have done; justice will be done to the men who “speak cordially with their neighbors” and wear a mask of righteousness while their hearts are full of malice. God sees the hearts of men and no thought, word, or deed escapes his omnipresent gaze. Even if the wicked seem to prosper in this life, God will deal justly with them in the life that is to come. He won’t reward them for their cordial speech but according to their evil thoughts and deeds. They have no regard for the works that God has done, so He will have no regard for their work, but will make it futile. It's probably not news to many that we live in an evil and perverse generation. Psalm 28 is a prayer that we would not be like those who go down to the pit but that we would be spared from being judged along with the wicked. 

Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me,
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.

The Psalm of prayer turns to praise, illustrating the Puritan William Jenkyn’s words: “Praise shall conclude that work which prayer began.” The trusting, reliant soul will find an answer and be lead to joyfully worship God for His marvelous provision. We can be certain that if we pray fervently and unceasingly now, joyous and unending praise will follow, if not in this sin cursed world then throughout eternity. God heard the prayers of Jesus Christ, and we have assurance that He hears our prayers as well if we are God's anointed. Psalm 34:15 confirms: "The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry." Our Rock will hear us and deliver us from His and our enemies.

The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.

God grants to His people these two main things: salvation and blessing. He saves us from death and our sin and blesses us by making our lives and labors fruitful. The answer to this prayer is fully answered in the ministry of the good shepherd. Christ shepherds, teaches, and guides us as God protects and makes our labors flourish. We also learn that we shouldn't just pray that God will bless us and our personal life, but all His people—the church militant. Spurgeon said of this verse’s petition: “Carry them in thine arms on earth, and then lift them into thy bosom in heaven. Elevate their minds and thoughts, spiritualise their affections, make them heavenly, Christlike, and full of God. O Lord, answer this our petition, for Jesus' sake.”
This one brief verse in a relatively short Psalm holds enough promise and hope for a lifetime- even for an eternity. I pray that God will continue to carry us forever, guiding us constantly even to death (Psalm 48:14).


Resource: The Treasury of David by C.H. Spurgeon.