One of the first songs that appears in the Bible was requested by God. He asked Moses to write a song of law for the Children of Israel to remind them that it was He that would lead them into the promised land and that, when they forsook Him, His anger would be aroused (Deut 31:14-30). This song, inspired by God, contrasts the greatness, justice and life-giving power of God with the perverseness and corruption of His people. The message of the song is that He would prove by their rebellion that He is the only rock who can provide refuge. He would bring disaster and calamity upon them and His sword would devour the flesh of His enemies, but He would have compassion on His servants and provide atonement for His people (Deut 32:1-47). God holds no punches when it comes to the lyrical content of His songs.

The bulk of the songs in the Bible, however, are found in Psalms which is in the heart of the Bible. The late Walter Russell, former professor of Bible exposition at Talbot School of Theology, describes how, if Psalms is a book of poetry set to music, then it becomes lyrics.⁴⁴⁹ Therefore, Psalms is a great resource to turn to as an example of lyrical content. Unlike the style of music, we have a great wealth of information in the Bible about what God expects of the lyrical content of our songs. The depth and breadth of the topics covered in Psalms is striking. A few examples will be presented briefly in this chapter.

 

Lament

The largest category of psalms is the laments which express sadness to the Lord. There are at least 60 lament psalms, which is 40% of the total content of Psalms. Some are personal, while others are communal laments. We can all relate to them in our own lives from time to time, either individually or collectively. Psalm 3 is a personal lament of David’s when he fled from his son Absalom:

“O Lord, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
   ‘There is no salvation for him in God.’” (v1-2)

How often have we also felt like this! But he does not leave us in despair:

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy hill.” (v3-4)

And the outcome:

“I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
   who have set themselves against me all around.” (v5-6)

How often do we have restless nights because of our worries and concerns! The answer to our sleepless nights is to turn to the Lord in faith. But first we have to acknowledge our laments to God – songs help us to achieve this. If only we sang and listened to more sacred lament songs at church and on our earbuds, we might all get a better night’s sleep. There is much healing in songs of lament.

When was the last time we lamented over our sins? Our songs these days tend to deny God’s wrath, but David acknowledged God’s rebuke and openly expressed his sorrow for his own foolishness in Psalm 38:

“O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath!
For your arrows have sunk into me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
    like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.” (v1-5)

Our sins do not only affect our relationship with God, but they cause others to shun us, as David experienced:

“My friends and companions stand aloof from my
    plague,
and my nearest kin stand far off.” (v11)

However, he does not leave us to wallow in despair:

“But for you, O Lord, do I wait;
    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.…” (v15)

“Do not forsake me, O Lord!
    O my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my salvation!” (v21-22)

What harmony there is in this psalm between the despair of our sins and the grace of God! Whereas contemporary songs tend to emphasise God’s forgiveness without acknowledging the extent of the effect of our sins and God’s anger toward wrongdoing.

How often have we as a church felt increasingly oppressed by a secular world that wants to erase Christianity from every aspect of our lives? This is not a new experience for God’s people. But what is new is that we no longer sing songs of regret over the torment of our foes as expressed by Asaph in Psalm 83, a song:

“O God, do not keep silence;
    do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
    those who hate you have raised their heads.
They lay crafty plans against your people;
    they consult together against your treasured ones.
They say, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
    let the name of Israel be remembered no more!’ (v1-4)

The psalmist calls on God to put to shame their enemies:

“so may you pursue them with your tempest
    and terrify them with your hurricane!
Fill their faces with shame,
    that they may seek your name, O Lord.
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
    let them perish in disgrace,
that they may know that you alone,
    whose name is the Lord,
    are the Most High over all the earth.” (v15-18)

Notice that the desire is for the enemy to be put to shame so that they may turn to the Lord and seek after Him.

Today, Christian songs with substantive content of lament is virtually absent. The lyrics of our tunes are out of harmony with Psalms as equally as the constant triumphant beat of our tunes and the lopsided emphasis on upbeat celebration. As discussed in a previous chapter, science has shown that happy occasions can make us sad. The absence of lament in Christian song betrays the reality of our lives. Science has also demonstrated that sad emotions expressed by instruments such as the harp, flute and guitar can actually be quite soothing and has the paradoxical effect of lifting us up and making us happier. The harp (or the lyre) was the primary instrument of the musical culture of ancient Israel, which naturally expresses the emotions of the psalms of lament. Songs that express sadness to God in the lyrics and tunes bring spiritual, emotional and physical healing to our souls. Therefore, we should sing more spiritual songs like Louis Armstrong’s, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen:

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Nobody knows my sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Glory, Hallelujah
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Nobody knows but Jesus
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Glory, Hallelujah
Sometimes I’m up
Sometimes I’m down
Oh, yes, Lord
Sometimes I’m almost to the ground
Oh, yes, Lord…”

 

Diet & Self-control

Another thing that affects our spiritual, emotional and physical health is our diet. Psalms touches on the topic of gluttony. It teaches us to be carefully selective and self-controlled in our actions:

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
    keep watch over the door of my lips!
Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
    to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
    and let me not eat of their delicacies!” (Ps 141:3-4)

 God gave the Children of Israel manna to eat (Ex 16:15) but they grumbled about His diet plan (Num 11:4-6). They craved the meat; therefore, God’s wrath was kindled against them as recorded in Psalms (Ps 78:17-31). This story of God’s anger toward the Children of Israel for their lack of control over cravings is a warning to us also. Mrs White spoke much about what she claimed to be God’s diet plan for Christians in our time. God’s anger toward the Israelite people in the wilderness who rejected His diet plan ought to be a sobering warning for those of us today who reject His counsels on diet as found in Scripture. Perhaps this is a reason for also studying Mrs White’s writings carefully. If her visions and inspiration were from God, as she claimed, then we would be neglecting God’s instructions for us if we ignore what she says. Psalm 78 suggests that this is not something we should take lightly and hence the reason why this book has tried to examine the genuineness of her prophetic gift. According to Mrs White, we are to return to the diet God originally intended for us:

“Again and again I have been shown that God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to His original design – that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth. Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet. We should ever keep this end in view, and endeavor to work steadily toward it.”^{280 (p450)}

The very first sin involved yielding to appetite because “the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes (Gen 3:6).” Even for those who do not believe in Mrs White’s prophetic gift, knowing that our bodies are the temple of God should be motive enough to put the purest and most healthy foods into our bodies. From the ceremonial laws given to Israel, we know that God cares deeply about the diet of His people. Do we care?

We also know from the Old Testament that sacrificial animals were to be without blemish. Paul says our bodies are for the Lord (1 Cor 6:13-15) and that we are to offer our ‘bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1).’ That means we should offer the healthiest body we can possibly give to God for His service. Science is increasingly demonstrating the health benefits of a plant-based diet – the diet God originally designed for humankind. Jesus gave up His life for us, why would we not want to give Him our very best? Besides, as with any of God’s rules, when we live a life according to the way He designed, we receive much benefit in physical, mental and spiritual health, instead of living a life of gluttony.

When we put our full trust in the Lord, we no longer crave food:

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Ps 34:8-10)

There it is, the health message in the song book of the Bible! How long since we have sung about caring for the body God has blessed us with?

 

The Poor & Needy

While the focus of contemporary lyrics tends to be on what God has done for us, Psalms often focuses on what God is doing for others and on our duties to God and others. Psalm 82 petitions God on behalf of the needy:

“God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
‘How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’” (v1-4)

Apparently, God wants us to intercede for the poor in song. But how often do the poor in our neighbourhood come to mind, let alone the needy on the other side of the world? Psalm 41 reminds us of the many blessings received by those who serve the poor:

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
    In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;
the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
    he is called blessed in the land;
    you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;
    in his illness you restore him to full health.” (v1-3)

When we consider the poor and determine to help them, we are being likeminded with Christ, for he also is concerned for the afflicted:

“I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the
    afflicted,
    and will execute justice for the needy.” (Ps 140:12)

“Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
    praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised!” (Ps 113:1-3)

And why should we praise the Lord? Because:

“He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
    with the princes of his people.” (Ps 113:7-8)

When was the last time God’s people broke forth in praise to God because of His concern for the poor? Since almost half the world lives on less than $6.85 per day and since almost 700 million people live in extreme poverty of less than $2.15 per day,⁴⁵⁰this is a message the world needs to hear.

 

The Law

God’s law is another major theme covered throughout the book of Psalms. In fact, the opening stanza of the song book of the Bible reads as follows:

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Ps 1:1-2)

How wonderful is God’s love and how beautiful His law! Jesus said:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (Jn 15:9-10)

There is perfect harmony between obedience to God’s law and abiding in God’s love. But we seem to have developed a discordance here: we sing and talk a lot about Jesus’ love for us, but little about our love for His law. If God’s law is in our hearts and minds (Jer 31:33), it should flow out of us in song as it did with King David.

Psalms and hymns of old sung often of the law of God. The first stanza of hymn 198 in The Seventh-Day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book published in 1886 reads as follows:

“O law of God! blest and divine! Penned by the Everlasting Hand! Long shall thy sacred precepts shine, Firm as the eternal hills shall stand.”⁴⁵¹

If sung with a dreary tone, this would not be an inspiring hymn. But if the singer truly believes that God’s law is blest and divine, it will be sung with joy emanating from the heart. Martin Luther wrote a hymn titled The Ten Commandments Are the Law. Each verse sings of a different commandment. The eleventh verse reads as follows:

“God gave these laws to show therein, O child of man, your life of sin, And help you rightly to perceive How unto God you should live. Have mercy, Lord!”

The longest Psalm and chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119 and is all about God’s law and righteous living. The first stanza of this Psalm reads as follows:

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts
    to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast
    in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
    having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
    when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes;
    do not utterly forsake me!” (Ps 119:1-8)

God said: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10).” In the light of the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection, God’s law should be embedded in our hearts. It is to be a primary characteristic of God’s people. They are in love with His law, constantly dwelling on it. It guides their thoughts and actions and the motives of the heart.

By contrast, if we disregard or treat indifferently God’s law, His commands, statutes and counsel, we are in danger of incurring His wrath. This is an important message of Psalms, the song book of the Bible, yet it is conspicuously missing from most contemporary Christian music (CCM). Psalms does speak much of the blessings we receive from God, including blessings that come from obedience. However, blessings are always contrasted with warning and judgement for disobedience. For example, the first Psalm continues with a promise of blessing to those who delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His law day and night:

“He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.” (Ps 1:3)

If we obey God merely out of a desire to win his favour, it becomes a burden. But if our obedience flows from love and appreciation for our creator and saviour, it is a blessing and a delight. However, as we see throughout Psalms and the Bible as a whole, the blessing of obedience is immediately contrasted with judgement against disobedience:

“The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Ps 1:4-6)

This is something missing from CCM, which sings much of the blessings of following God but essentially never warns of the consequences of disobedience. If the theology of our worship is a constant message of unconditional grace to all who are believers, we can be living an ungodly life and not even realise that the warnings in the Bible are directed against us. We think of the ungodly and the sinners as a different group of people than ourselves who do not go to church and who commit sins far greater than our own. Eventually, we can drift out of church thinking we are good enough – we are not hurting anyone and Jesus loves us unconditionally so what is there to be afraid of. We feel our eternity is secure though we are not truly living for God. However, if we are not living according to God’s commands, we are counted amongst the wicked unless we sincerely repent. Repentance is a genuine repugnance of sin and a deep conviction of the need to live righteously. Psalms makes it very clear the consequence of unrepentance:

“God is a righteous judge,
    and a God who feels indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
    he has bent and readied his bow;
he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
    making his arrows fiery shafts.” (Ps 7:11-13)

Contemporary Christian songs almost never talk of the flip side of mercy. A message of blessing which is not balanced with warning is a false message – a message of false hope for those living in unrepentant sin. God’s method in Scripture is to balance promises of grace and mercy with warnings of severe judgement against the disobedient. God’s method is fair and just – He gives clear and unambiguous warnings so that nobody should be caught unaware.

Psalms is filled with many warnings of God’s wrath. We must love fellow sinners as Jesus loved, showing compassion and mercy, while never condoning sin but urging all to turn to God in deep repentance for the suffering that our sin has brought on others and for the sacrifice that our creator had to make for us. The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Position Paper states:

“However sincere love may appear, it is not love if it stands silently watching a blind man walk toward a precipice. Love runs! Love shouts a warning! Love leads him safely away from peril.”^{452 (p19)}

As with the watchman, the trumpet is to be sounded to warn the people! Isaiah declared, “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins (Is 58:1).” We are to say with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come (Rev 14:7).” This warning should be pronounced from the pulpit, from the written Word, from the internet and from the lyrics of our music for all the world to hear.

 

Prophecy

Fortunately, despite the warnings of God’s wrath and judgement and the consequences of sin, Psalms is balanced with much hope of God’s forgiveness and protection. Jesus told His followers that he was fulfilment of that which was written in Psalms:

“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Lk 24:44)

Psalm 22, for example, is a messianic prophecy with striking parallels to the crucifixion of Jesus, set to ‘The Deer of the Dawn’ by the Chief Musician:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words
of my groaning?… (v1)

But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
‘He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!’… (v6-8)

I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
    it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
    you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs encompass me;
    a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
    and for my clothing they cast lots… (v14-18)

You have rescued me… (v21)

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
    May your hearts live forever!… (v25-26)

Posterity shall serve him;

    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a
people yet unborn,
    that he has done it.” (v30-31)

Jesus even repeated part of this psalm as He hung on the cross and portions of this song were written into the gospels. No doubt, some of the Jews who were familiar with this Psalm, who had perhaps sung it many times previously, might have recognised Jesus as the promised Messiah because of the lyrics of this Psalm. Prophecy in Psalms put to music pointed to Jesus’ first coming as the sacrificial lamb. We should also sing of the prophecies which point to Jesus’ second coming! In song, we can let the world know that He will come as King to rule all nations of the earth and crush the unbelieving rulers:

“I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
    and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break[a] them with a rod of iron
    and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Ps 2:7-12)

The Complete Gospel

Psalms proclaims the gospel message – the whole gospel. The messianic prophecies, for example, include the Messiah’s lineage and divine nature, His suffering and rejection, His death and resurrection, His universal reign and glory and also His judgement. As discussed in a previous chapter, trumpets, shouting and loud music in the Psalms and in the sanctuary service symbolises proclamation of the gospel. Therefore, in our songs, it is primarily the lyrics which is doing the trumpeting and shouting, because it is the lyrics which clearly communicate the gospel message. We usually simplify the gospel to the death and resurrection of Jesus – the heart of the gospel message – but the good news is even more than that – much more!

Does Jesus only deserve our praise because he died for us? The angels were praising Him long before He gave up His life for anyone. Mark said that Jesus came “preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mk 1:14 NKJV).” When Jesus began His ministry, He said to the people “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 4:17)” and He “went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom (v23).” As with any kingdom, God’s kingdom includes a King (the Ruler), a Conqueror (the Saviour), Laws (God’s commands), Citizens (God’s people) and Land (the Promised land).⁴⁵³Proclaiming the gospel means proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom, which includes all of these elements. The book of Psalms harmoniously balances all of these aspects of God’s kingdom. It is not only good news that Jesus died for us. It is also good news that God is King. It is good news that there is a promised land awaiting His people and it is good news that His magnificent law will be the rule in that land.

One of the first things Jesus did when He came to preach the gospel of the kingdom was to re-establish His law when He gave the sermon on the mount (Matt 5-7). He declared that whoever keeps and teaches His commandments would be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:19) but He characteristically follows up with a warning: “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (v20).”

Having said that, because of the temple imagery and the focus on mercy and salvation, Christ’s work of redemption is interwoven throughout all of Psalms. Despite the emphasis in Psalms on law and justice and on righteousness and lament, the reader or singer of Psalms is left without any doubt where their salvation comes from. From the beginning to the end of Psalms we are repeatedly reminded that our protection is in the Lord:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27:1)

“God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of
the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” (Ps 46:1-3)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.’” (Ps 91:1-2)

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1-2)

Praise & Thanksgiving

Scattered throughout Psalms are bursts of praise. Lament is perfectly balanced with thanksgiving. Sorrow never ends in despair but in hope. Psalms teaches us the depth of our sin and the intensity of God’s wrath which is poured out against sinners. Yet, He has mercy on the repentant. Therefore, we shout for joy:

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”
(Ps 95:1-2)

Yet, we praise Him, not only because He has rescued us, but also because He is the great God above all gods:

“For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.” (Ps 95:3-5)

And we praise Him because He is our Maker and He has made us His own:

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.” (Ps 95:6-7)

Psalm 107 tells us to give thanks to the Lord because He is good, His mercy endures forever. He delivers His people out of their distresses and brings them forth by the right way. We give thanks to the Lord for His wonderful works because He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. We thank the Lord because He brings His people out of darkness, breaks their chains in pieces and cuts the bars of iron in two. Fools are delivered from their destructions when they cry out to the Lord. We thank the Lord because He brings His people out of the stormy sea, stills the waves and guides them to their desired haven. He turns a wilderness into pools of water and dry land into water springs and makes the hungry dwell with blessings. He brings low the oppressors and sets the poor on high, far from affliction. In this one Psalm alone, we are given many reasons to thank and praise the Lord! God is wonderful in so many ways, therefore:

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Ps 100:1-5)

That is just a small taste of the broad content of Psalms. Other topics of Psalms, include: our wretchedness, God’s glory, creation, God’s sovereignty, wisdom, guidance, trust, petitioning God, enemies, justice, righteousness, repentance, peace, holiness, and many other topics. It is a complete message, the whole story, found in one song book. Psalms is in perfect symphony with all Scripture, revealing Jesus and harmonising with God’s character and the condition of fallen humanity. It uncovers the work of the enemy and how God is dealing with sin and evil. It is an example of how we should write our songs today. Yet, the lyrical content of our songs today has changed significantly. We sing very little about laments, self-control, the poor, God’s law, the wicked, judgement, our wretchedness and many of the other topics covered in the lyrical content of Psalms. In fact, some themes are completely absent in CCM. In the next chapter, we will explore some reasons for this change.