{"id":2460,"date":"2023-10-08T18:04:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T23:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/?p=2460"},"modified":"2023-10-08T18:04:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T23:04:09","slug":"psalms-hymns-and-spiritual-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/biblicalpath.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/08\/psalms-hymns-and-spiritual-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cLet 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.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Colossians 3:16)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following is an excerpt from \u201cThe Biblical Path of Life \u2013 Year One Quarter Four\u201d, Lesson 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany of the Psalms were written when different men approached God in prayer because of circumstances surrounding them. You can see instances of great sorrow, admitted sin, repentance, hope and trust in God, faith, and a great love for God. Throughout Psalms, man\u2019s prayers from the heart turn to singing in that prayer, ending with man praising God, revealing that the Psalms are not only prayers from the heart but songs as well. Some were written in praise and adoration of who God is versus who man is. So many of these hymns are rich in Israel\u2019s history. If we know the history, we will better understand the circumstances surrounding many of these songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the book of Psalms, we find God is infinite, sovereign. Yet despite man\u2019s failings, God still communicates with man, and allows man to communicate with Him…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the most important things we can recognize from the first book of Psalms is the recognition of God and His dealings with mankind. Not only does God care about man, but He is in constant contact with him. We will look at Psalm 8 to help us understand just one recorded instance of God\u2019s specific love and care for man. \u201c3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things<\/em> under his feet: 7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever<\/em> passeth through the paths of the seas. 9. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is<\/em> thy name in all the earth!<\/strong>\u201d (Psalm 8:3\u20139).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDavid began by reflecting again on God\u2019s creation of the world. Such power; how could God even consider any dealings with man, let alone have a one-on-one relationship with man? (Visited<\/strong> here means \u201can action on the part of God which produced a profitable result for His people. The first time that word was used was in Genesis 21:1 when God \u2018visited\u2019 Sarah. She conceived the promised son, Isaac, when she was very old.<\/em>\u201d) God chose to reveal Himself to the people who became the nation Israel, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. He chose this family\u2014Abraham and his wife, Sarah, who had no children\u2014and gave them a child to show Himself mightily to them and to all of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDavid then recognized that God made mankind just \u201ca little lower than the angels.\u201d Not only that, but He \u201ccrowned him with glory and honor.\u201d God made man very special. He even gave mankind dominion over the creatures of the world (see Genesis 1:26; 9:2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDavid ended this acknowledgement of God\u2019s choosing to have a special relationship with man with these words: \u201cO LORD our Lord, how excellent is<\/em> thy name in all the earth!<\/strong>\u201d (Psalm 8:9).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding these things, consider the following verse: \u201cLet 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<\/strong>\u201d (Colossians 3:16). The following definitions can help in the understanding of this verse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n