Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

I Kings 4:29-31 details the gift of extraordinary wisdom God gave to Solomon. He is compared favorably to a handful of men, among them “Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman…” It is implicit in the immediate context that those who first wrote and read this book knew exactly who these men were and were no doubt impressed that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed theirs. 

I Chronicles 15 details how David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. In the account, David directs the Levites to appoint singers and musicians to play and lead the Israelites in worship. Among those listed are Heman, Asaph, and Ethan in verses 17 and 19.

Heman is credited as the writer of Psalm 88 and Ethan the writer of Psalm 89. Asaph wrote Psalms 50 and 73-83. 

At least two of the men listed in I Kings 4 as holding the high standard of wisdom that Solomon surpassed were priestly worship leaders.

It seems that God took worship in ancient Israel very seriously. The men appointed to both write and lead it were heavy hitters.

Nowadays, it’s become fashionable to relegate to the Psalms to a category along the lines of “marginally poetic.” Many of the Psalms contain language and sentiment unsettling to our modern notions of Christian love and meekness. And while plenty of verses in the Psalms are still drawn upon as inspiration for contemporary worship music in the churches, plenty more of them are more-or-less ignored entirely. 

But we all know from experience that music is more easily digested and remembered than sermons or Scripture reading. Average people can remember the words to thousands of songs, and all of us can probably recite from memory the lyrics to songs we don’t even like due simply to the number of times we’ve unwillingly heard them. Music is powerful and our brains are built to retain it. 

This should do away with any notions we might have as to the allegedly secondary importance of the Psalms. If music was as potently impressionable then as it is now (and there’s no reason to think that it wasn’t), and if the men appointed to do the work were men of the utmost wisdom and earnestness (as the Bible indicates that they were), then our response should be to take the Psalms seriously, even when they happen to rub our modern moralities a bit rough.

Check yourself before sitting in judgment on the Psalms. They are divinely inspired Scripture and as weighty and powerful as the rest. Take them seriously. God definitely does.