Balm in Gilead

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.”

“What have you been listening to/reading”?

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: 

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: 

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.

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.

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.

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 called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Song of the Risen Son: As Isaac (Album: Headed for My Home)

You hold the keys

Of heaven and earth

From eternity

Eternity

You are complete in perfection so sweet

You are otherly

Otherly

Holy Holy

God Almighty

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

Holy Holy

God Almighty

Worthy is the Lamb who will reign

You humbled Yourself

To death as a man

To redeem Your own

Redeem Your own

You will appear and return on the clouds

And all flesh will see

And bend their knee

One generation

Will tell of Your works so

Another can know of Your infinite worth

All of Your works here

In heaven or earth or

Above or below will come tremble before

And bring blessing to Him who is 

seated on high

Who alone dwells in fierce unapproachable light

Until children from every nation and tongue

Will join in the song of the risen Son

My only complaint with this song is that they didn’t work a third “holy” into the chorus…

I do have serious thoughts, but I’m cool with doing more of an off the cuff review. Lots of great Scripture references. The whole thing is unwaveringly focused on Christ, with no mention of “me” at all. Instead of saying “I throw up my hands and praise you”, the song simply, boldly, and explicitly praises Christ, for who He is and what He has done.

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.

Psalm 57

What have we been listening to… since February

(old hats)

(really old hats)

(new hats)

Special Mention: Spencer Parsons (Forget Not All His Benefits, A Wise Son, A Wise Son (Instrumental, Piano Version), You’re My Joy)

State of Christian Music according to John Cooper and Alisa Childers:

Note the importance of more influential voices speaking especially to the idea of blanket rule rejecting Bethel and Hillsong

The Porter’s Gate

V1

Breathe in, reach out

Touch the hem of your garment now

Help me, heal me

My mind, my body, and soul

Chorus

Let the king descend, living word made flesh

Lift this heavy heart to your throne o god

In his wounds I find room for all of mine

When from grace I fell, Christ was lower still

V2

Humbly, lowly

Jesus waits in the valley

My Savior suffers with me

With Him, I’ll rise again

Chorus x2

Til the earth is filled, Christ is lower still

Bridge

We lift it all up to you Lord

We lift our heads we lift our hands

We lift our dreams we lift our plans

We lift our sorrow and our pain

We cast our cares on you again

We lift it all up to you Lord

Chorus x2

Til the earth is filled, Christ is lower still

Some notes on this song
“Fell from grace” – Galatians 5:4 and some commentary from Got Questions.

You Me & The Bread

(based on this hymn)

V1

Nothing either great or small

Nothing sinner, no

Jesus died to pay it all

Ever long ago

When he from his lofty throne

Stooped to do and die

Everything was fully done

Hearken to his cry

Chorus

And rest in the hands of the Savior

Rest in him

Rest in the grace of his labor

Rest in him

V2

Weary working burdened one

Wherefore toil you so?

Cease your doing, all was done

Ever long ago

‘Til to Jesus’ work you cling

By a simple faith

Doing is a deadly thing

But by His work, we’re saved

Chorus

V3

It is finished, yes indeed

Finished we were bought

Sinners, this is all we need

Tell me, is it not?

We cast our deadly doing down

Down at Jesus’ feet

Stand in him and him alone

Gloriously complete

Chorus

(oddly enough, the hymn that inspired this song also inspired It Is Finished by Bifrost Arts–the same people that later formed The Porter’s Gate–so we could have done a Pre-Deconstruction V Post-Deconstruction comparison)

How Can We Take the Lord’s Supper in a Worthy Manner? | Monergism

“So, the best and only worthiness which we can bring to God, is to offer him our own vileness, and unworthiness, that his mercy may make us worthy:

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.

Psalm 56

“Hello and welcome back to the Balm in Gilead podcast, where we explore all things Christian music and worship. I’m your host, Bryan, and as always, I’m joined by my co-host, Grant. Today, we have a fascinating and thought-provoking topic to dive into – Artificial Intelligence and Christian worship music.

What happens when AI writes Christian songs? Can machines truly capture the essence of worship, or is there something unique about human creativity and expression? We’re excited to explore these questions and more as we delve into the intersection of technology and faith.

But that’s not all – we’ll also be discussing where worship comes from, and whether worship written by those outside the faith has a place in Christian worship. It’s a complex and nuanced topic, but we believe it’s important to engage with it as we seek to deepen our understanding of worship.

So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and join us for this exciting and thought-provoking episode. Let’s dive in!”

(Yes, that’s written by ChatGPT, along with the title, and the excerpt. And the image #DallE)

Philippians 1:15-18

English Standard Version

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice,

This, coupled with the idea that a song does not need to be born out of worship to be useful for worship (which is a form of mysticism), allows for the use of any useful song in worship (so long as it has been proven useful based on its own merit through discernment).

write a worship song that focuses on lament turning to praise

“The Lord commands us to worship him in a simple and unadorned manner, not in ways that are flashy, showy, or designed to impress others. Therefore, we should always be wary of using technology or other means to enhance or manipulate our worship. Instead, we should focus on the pure and sincere worship of God that comes from the heart.”

ChatGPT, when asked, does give reference to Institutes of the Christian Religion Book II, Ch. 8, Section 17.

The Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 2 Chapter 8

17. As in the first commandment the Lord declares that he is one, and that besides him no gods must be either worshipped or imagined, so he here more plainly declares what his nature is, and what the kind of worship with which he is to be honoured, in order that we may not presume to form any carnal idea of him. The purport of the commandment, therefore, is, that he will not have his legitimate worship profaned by superstitious rites. Wherefore, in general, he calls us entirely away from the carnal frivolous observances which our stupid minds are wont to devise after forming some gross idea of the divine nature, while, at the same time, he instructs us in the worship which is legitimate, namely, spiritual worship of his own appointment. The grossest vice here prohibited is external idolatry. This commandment consists of two parts. The former curbs the licentious daring which would subject the incomprehensible God to our senses, or represent him under any visible shape. The latter forbids the worship of images on any religious ground. There is, moreover, a brief enumeration of all the forms by which the Deity was usually represented by heathen and superstitious nations. By “any thing which is in heaven above” is meant the sun, the moon, and the stars, perhaps also birds, as in Deuteronomy, where the meaning is explained, there is mention of birds as well as stars (Deut 4:15). I would not have made this observation, had I not seen that some absurdly apply it to the angels. The other particulars I pass, as requiring no explanation. We have already shown clearly enough ([[OSIS:Calvinst.1.11.12]]) that every visible shape of Deity which man devises is diametrically opposed to the divine nature; and, therefore, that the moment idols appear, true religion is corrupted and adulterated.

Link: https://www.relight.app/resource/Calvinst.2.8.17

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.

Psalm 55 on Relight

The Rev. Aaron De Boer (Associate Reformed Presbyterian, ARP) joins us this week. Follow him on Twitter at @DutchPresby and visit Friend of Sinners church that he pastors in Everson and Maple Falls, WA. For more info visit their website FriendofSinnersReformed.org

Andrew Remillard

Join us on Discord, follow on Spotify, or Last.fm

Plumb is a CCM artist closer to the fringe than the mainstream. Formed by singer/songwriter Tiffany Arbuckle, Plumb’s first album debuted in 1997 and her latest was the album Behold that released in 2020.

At some point along that journey, she describes herself as deconstructing, a phenomenon we’ve talked about on our show before, particularly regarding former CCM artists or evangelical figures. “Deconstructing” begins from the belief that there is no one way we can decide what is true. Since Christianity relies on a divinely inspired and inerrant text, it too must go and be replaced by something new. The concept of deconstruction was developed by philosopher Jacques Derrida in 1967 and came into more popular use in the 1980s. Today it is a favorite tool of the Critical theorists. As the term suggests, it is a tearing down of institutions, but his goal was not anarchy. John Feinberg says, 

“Instead, the goal of deconstructing so as to admit the coming or entrance of the other is to reconstruct society to be a new society that empowers all people and hears equally all different perspectives.

 Feinberg, J. S. (2001). No One Like Him: The Doctrine of God (p. 143). Crossway Books.

This is what Arbuckle says essentially this about her faith in a recent Facebook post writing, “deconstructing for the purpose of reconstructing our faith.” At first, it might sound harmless, maybe even a positive step. Yet as Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 1:19, rejecting the prophecies handed down to us results in a “shipwreck in regard to their faith.”

 Modern English Version (Thinline Edition, 1 Ti 1:19). (2014). Passio.

@DutchPresby

FriendofSinnersReformed.org

Initial thoughts: 

Examining what you believe with discernment in order to weed out false theology that has crept in (in order to purify your faith system) is fundamentally different (almost 180⁰ different) from deconstruction. Deconstruction, at its core, seeks to break down orthodox teaching and rebuild something new that fits into today’s culture but still has an “orthodox” feel to it. I will keep all of the teaching where Jesus talks about loving your neighbor, but I will reject that he said “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”. I will then be able to redefine loving my neighbor as “affirming the sin in all my lost friends’ lives” and label “not baking the cake” as bigoted and hateful.

Martin Luther, reexamined his faith system by comparing his beliefs with the foundation of Scripture, keeping the blocks that matched up while nailing the ones that didn’t to the church door. 

Check these other episodes out

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.

Psalm 54

We love talking about music on the show and this week we talk about our top picks from 2022. Do you agree with us? Find something interesting? Let us know, follow us on Spotify or Last.fm and drop a comment below.

Chortles Weakly and Wresby of the excellent Presbycast podcast join us to talk all things Christian music—from the business, to worship, to personal devotions and even for entertainment purposes. We had a lot of fun…maybe a little too much! Be sure to subscribe to their show: https://presbycast.libsyn.com/ Watch the show: https://youtu.be/s_aOPPt1gc4

We begin our discussion with Brett McCracken’s recent article for TGC, Best Christian Music of 2022, and we have a few questions.

Is the music coming from an earnest desire to glorify Christ and an authentic, unapologetic love for God’s Word? Even if it’s not in the “worship genre” (whatever that is), does the music cultivate in listeners greater love for the Christian God? If yes, we can call it Christian music.

“I disagree with his definition of Christian Music, though I think it is a good attempt to capture and include what the majority of people would label Christian music. I think a better definition would be “songs that carefully consider Scripture and theology and apply these truths rightly to the world, to the people in the world, and especially to the Christian life”. This takes the focus off of “earnest desires” or misguided intentions and puts it on measurable objective content markers.

Most CCM would not fit that definition, but any song that does not do what my definition requires is actually a syncretistic work of paganism, so I stand by my definition.”

We also discuss instrumentation in worship, especially considering the places like Psalm 150 where it says to praise God with the clashing cymbals. This also leads into a discussion of contemporaneity and what music is good to listen to or perform in worship to in the car. There is a good chunk of this subject that falls into Christian Liberty. In any case, we had a great time and hope to see you again soon!

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.

Balm in Gilead host Bryan Emerson and his wife Renee Emerson discuss their Advent Playlist as well as their thoughts on Christmas/Seasonal Music.

Worth noting, we added an Advent Birmingham album after the recording.

Bryan got to hang out with Grant and we decided to turn on the camera and see what happens. Credits due to O Creative One by Providence, Eustace Scrubb by Sarah Sparks, Saints by Poor Bishop Hooper, and Behold the Man by Spencer Parsons. We also sang Psalm 42D from The Book of Psalms for Worship and How Firm a Foundation.

Watch this one on YouTube!

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.

Psalm 53 in the ESV – Hey, did you see that Relight now has the ESV and the KJV?

This is our first episode back from our “summer” hiatus. Thanks for sticking with us. We start out by talking about what we’ve been up to and listening to. A big shoutout to Poor Bishop Hooper who has just completed their EveryPsalm series with Psalm 150.

A brief peek behind the curtain…

For the rest of this episode I want to share some of the details of the rabbit hole that very nearly led to the end of this podcast.

Ultimately, the conversations I had led to three perspectives on how to interpret the Kensrule. The boring part of the conversation is that all three of these perspectives handedly said “there is no tension to hold between the royalties argument and the Kensrule: don’t play songs that pay real money to people who are using it against the kingdom of God”.

I agree with this assessment, even more after having had these conversations. However, what I was really trying to pin down was this question: “Royalties aside (think “public domain”), does it take glory away from God to worship Him by singing a song that was written by an unregenerate, yet sincere church member in good standing with the church community and leadership?”

This question is a big question, because it includes songs like “It Is Well With My Soul” which has been sung by many Christians for many decades, and it challenges the legitimacy of believers’ worship when they do choose these songs. It also raises the question of “how can I know for certain that this particular songwriter from 1873 was actually a Christian, and if he wasn’t a Christian, am I blaspheming God unknowingly by singing it?”

These questions made me reconsider Psalmody Exclusivity once more, but ultimately I could see that there is a gnostic element to that line of thinking at its core, though on the surface it seems legitimate.

Contemplating the question through months of conversation, I settled on three possible answers:

This is a more or less original thought. It makes sense to me based on my understanding of the Covenant as well as my personal experience. However, since it is an original idea, and since there is no such thing as new doctrine, just old repackaged heresies, I was very nervous to keep promoting this idea, especially as Truth.

For more information on what we believe about God’s Covenant with us, see Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 7

This thought comes from a more Reformed Baptist view of Covenant membership and rejects the idea of Covenantal abandonment. This is also taken to its logical conclusion regarding the glory of God.

With both of these first two thoughts, however, we fall into the trap of seeing music as more mystical than it is. It can actually be very easy to treat music and songwriting as a sacrament! The final thought rejects the view of sacramental songwriting.

This third view is the view I now hold. The Royalties (and the Guilt By Association) Arguments are still major things to consider, but as far as “The Origin Element” goes, nothing about a song’s origin gives it “worship legitimacy” nor does it take legitimacy away from the song.

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.

As we close out season 4 of the Balm in Gilead podcast, Bryan takes to the airwaves to discuss the phrase “Mistakes were made” and how it relates to the recent Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

We’re taking a break as we’re all pretty busy, but are already planning our next slate of episodes. In the meantime, join us on our brand new Discord channel, we’ll see you there!

The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis balmcast com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.