Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): A learned divine, a little while ago, discovered that no hymn ought to be sung unless it was distinctly directed and addressed to God, and was intended to be full of praise throughout. Well, we do have some remarkably wise men nowadays—at least, in their own estimation—but it appears that the Apostle Paul thought that “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” were to be used for instruction and admonition as well as for the praises of God!—Several of these psalms have little or no praise in them, and were not addressed directly to the Most High, and yet were to be sung in public worship.
THE EDITOR: In my last post, I did say that “Songs of worship should be directed primarily to God, not to man’s attention.” But remember that I was speaking about the worship services of many contemporary churches, where an excessive instrumentality, certain unsuitable musical genres, and inappropriate lyrics are used which are not conducive to godly edification, or to a reverent spirit of worship. I don’t deny that psalms, hymns and spiritual songs can teach doctrine and Christian experience. But notice how Paul frames his instruction: on one hand, he says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,” which shows us how our musical lyrics ought to be tempered; and on the other hand, he says that our singing, with grace in our hearts, is to be directed primarily “to the Lord.”
A. W. PINK (1886-1952): “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the Lord,” Exodus 15:1. And what did they sing about? Their song was entirely about Jehovah. They not only sang unto the Lord, but they sang about Him! It was all concerning Himself, and nothing about themselves. The word “Lord” occurs no less than twelve times within eighteen verses! The pronouns “He,” “Him,” “Thy,” “Thou,” and “Thee” are found thirty-three times!
C. H. SPURGEON: This is the very first of those sacred songs preserved in Scripture and, in some respects, it is first in merit as well as in time…The first verse of this song, Exodus 15:2, was quoted by David. I think you will find it in almost the same words three times in the Psalms, but especially in in Psalm 118:14, you have the exact words, “The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.” As if the Holy Spirit, when He furnished David with his noblest minstrelsy, could not excel the earlier strains of Moses. Isaiah himself, in Chapter 12, has the same words—“Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation.” It is evident that this patriotic song was interwoven with the life of Israel and that when good and gracious men would express themselves in praise at their very best, they fell back upon this Song of Moses and they sang unto the Lord who had triumphed gloriously!
A. W. PINK: How significant and how searching is this! How entirely different from modern hymnology! Many hymns of the past fifty years—if “hymns” they deserve to be called, are full of maudlin sentimentality, instead of Divine adoration. They announce our love to God instead of His for us. They recount our experiences, instead of His mercies. They tell more of human attainments, instead of Christ’s Atonement—a sad index of our low state of spirituality in the churches; while the jingling tunes to which they are set, and the irreverent speed at which they are sung, witness only too plainly unto the low state of present-day religion. Christian singing has been carnalized both in its conception and its execution.
C. H. SPURGEON: The world is very pleased with singing of a certain sort. Tuneful airs are tacked on to trashy words. What foolishness we hear in the popular songs of the day! I have been quite unable to understand the sense when the sound has jingled in my ears.
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): Really good hymn writers are exceedingly rare.
ROBERT HAWKER (1753-1827): I think it important to remark on what the Apostle says, concerning psalms, and hymns, and spiritual Songs, that he evidently means, all such, as are in the Word of God. It is not to be supposed, that the Holy Ghost prohibits the use of all others. But it is to be supposed, that the Spirit draws a strong line of distinction between the psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs of the inspired writings of Holy Scripture; and the uninspired songs, or hymns, of the most godly men whatever. We may speak to ourselves, and to one another in words, which tend to godly edification. But when we speak to the Lord, we cannot be too careful to use the Lord’s own words. By the Psalms, are meant those which go under the general name of David’s Psalms, though some of them were written by other persons. By Hymns, are meant such as are also scriptural. Jesus sung an hymn, it is said, before He went to the garden. And we have many spiritual songs in the word of God. The Song of Moses, Deborah, Hannah, etc. are of this kind.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): By “hymns” may be meant such others as were confined to matter of praise, as those of Zacharias, Simeon, etc. “Spiritual songs” may contain a greater variety of matter—doctrinal, prophetical, historical, etc. Observe here, the singing of psalms and hymns is a gospel ordinance: it is an ordinance of God, and appointed for His glory.
J. C. RYLE: Good hymns are an immense blessing to the Church of Christ. They suit all, both rich and poor. There is an elevating, stirring, soothing, spiritualizing effect about a thoroughly good hymn, which nothing else can produce. It sticks in men’s memories.
C. H. SPURGEON: To my mind, there is no teaching that is likely to be more useful than that which is accompanied by the right kind of singing! When I am preaching, I often find a verse of a hymn the very best thing I can quote, and I have not the shadow of a doubt that, frequently, a verse of sacred poetry has struck a man who has been altogether missed by the rest of the sermon. Think how compactly the truth of God can be taught by means of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” and how likely it is to be remembered when the very measure, and rhyme, and rhythm help the memory to treasure up the message! I shall never forget what repentance is while I can say—“Repentance is to leave,
The sins I loved before,
And show that I in earnest grieve,
By doing so no more.”
C. H. MACKINTOSH (1820-1896): Are not “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” divinely recognized? And, if so, for what are they designed? Is it not as a vehicle for the worship of Christians?
C. H. SPURGEON: Do you think, dear Friends, we sing enough? I do not think we do.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): In our deepest miseries let us sing cheerfully, as Paul and Silas in the dungeon―as did many martyrs in the flames, and as Luther did in a great conflict with the devil.
