The Psalter in Calvin's Piety

A friend of mine, Warren Cruz, posted this on his own blog and was kind enough to allow me to share it here as well. This is really, really good and worth your time to read.

"Calvin views the Psalms as the canonical manual of piety. In the preface to his five-volume commentary on the Psalms—his largest exposition of any Bible book—Calvin writes: 'There is no other book in which we are more perfectly taught the right manner of praising God, or in which we are more powerfully stirred up to the performance of this exercise of piety.' Calvin's preoccupation with the Psalter was motivated by his belief that the Psalms teach and inspire genuine piety in the following ways:

• As the revelation from God, the Psalms teach us about God. Because they are theological as well as doxological, they are our sung creed.
  
• They clearly teach our need for God. They tell us who we are and why we need God's help.
  
• They offer the divine remedy for our needs. They present Christ in his person, offices, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension. They announce the way of salvation, proclaiming the blessedness of justification by faith alone and the necessity of sanctification by the Spirit with the Word.
  
• They demonstrate God's amazing goodness and invite us to meditate on his grace and mercy. They lead us to repentance and to fear God, to trust in his Word, and to hope in his mercy.
  
• They teach us to flee to the God of salvation through prayer and show us how to bring our requests to God. They show us how to pray confidently in the midst of adversity.
  
• They show us the depth of communion we may enjoy with our covenant-keeping God. They show how the living church is God's bride, God's children, and God's flock.
  
• They provide a vehicle for communal worship. Many use first-person plural pronouns ('we,' 'our') to indicate this communal aspect, but even those with first-person singular pronouns include all who love the Lord and are committed to him. They move us to trust and praise God and to love our neighbors. They prompt reliance on God's promises, zeal for him and his house, and compassion for the
  suffering.
  
• They cover the full range of spiritual experience, including faith and unbelief, joy in God and sorrow over sin, divine presence and divine desertion. As Calvin says, they are 'an anatomy of all parts of the soul.' We still see our affections and spiritual maladies in the words of the psalmists. When we read about their experiences, we are drawn to self-examination and faith by the grace of the Spirit. The psalms of David, especially, are like a mirror in which we are led to praise God and find rest in his sovereign purposes.

Calvin immersed himself in the Psalms for twenty-five years as a commentator, preacher, biblical scholar, and worship leader. Early on, he began work on metrical versions of the Psalms to be used in public worship. On January 16, 1537, shortly after his arrival in Geneva, Calvin asked his council to introduce the singing of Psalms into church worship. He recruited the talents of other men, such as Clement Marot, Louis Bourgeois, and Theodore Beza, to produce the Genevan Psalter. That work would take twenty-five years to complete. The first collection (1539) contained eighteen Psalms, six of which Calvin put into verse. The rest were done by the French poet, Marot. An expanded version (1542) containing thirty-five Psalms was next, followed by one of forty-nine Psalms (1543). Calvin wrote the preface to both of those, commending the practice of congregational singing. After Marot's death in 1544, Calvin encouraged Beza to put the rest of the Psalms into verse. Two years before his death in 1562, Calvin rejoiced to see the first complete edition of the Genevan Psalter.

The Genevan Psalter is furnished with a remarkable collection of 125 melodies, written specifically for the Psalms by outstanding musicians, of whom Louis Bourgeois is the best known. The tunes are melodic, distinctive, and reverent. They clearly express Calvin's convictions that piety is best promoted when priority is given to text over tune, while recognizing that Psalms deserve their own music. Since music should help the reception of the Word, Calvin says, it should be 'weighty, dignified, majestic, and modest'—fitting attitudes for a sinful creature in the presence of God. This protects the sovereignty of God in worship and conduces proper conformity between the believer's inward disposition and his outward confession.

Psalm-singing is one of the four principle acts of church worship, Calvin believed. It is an extension of prayer. It is also the most significant vocal contribution of people in the service. Psalms were sung in Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon services. Beginning in 1546, a printed table indicated which Psalms were to be sung on each occasion. Psalters were assigned to each service according to the texts that were preached. By 1562, three Psalms were sung at each service.

Calvin believed that corporate singing subdued the fallen heart and retrained wayward affections in the way of piety. Like preaching and the sacraments, Psalm-singing disciplines the heart's affections in the school of faith and lifts the believer to God. Psalm-singing amplifies the effect of the Word upon the heart and multiplies the spiritual energy of the church. 'The Psalms can stimulate us to raise our hearts to God and arouse us to an ardor in invoking as well as in exalting with praises the glory of his name,' Calvin writes. With the Spirit's direction, Psalm-singing tunes the hearts of believers for glory.

The Genevan Psalter was an integral part of Calvinist worship for centuries. It set the standard for succeeding French Reformed psalm books as well as those in English, Dutch, German, and Hungarian. As a devotional book, it warmed the hearts of thousands, but the people who sang from it understood that its power was not in the book or its words, but in the Spirit who impressed those words on their hearts.

The Genevan Psalter promoted piety by stimulating a spirituality of the Word that was corporate and liturgical, and that broke down the distinction between liturgy and life. The Calvinists freely sang the Psalms not only in their churches, but also in homes and workplaces, on the streets and in the fields. The singing of Psalms became a 'means of Huguenot self-identification.' This pious exercise became a cultural emblem. In short, as T. Hartley Hall writes, 'In scriptural or metrical versions, the Psalms, together with the stately tunes to which they were early set, are clearly the heart and soul of Reformed piety.'" (Dr. Joel Beeke, Calvin's Piety, Mid-America Journal of Theology 15 [2004], 51-55)

Warren's entire blog is excellent and can be found by a permanent link in my blogroll or by clicking here: Underdog Theology.

Psalm 5 Introduction and Title

Title: If you were to read Augustine on the title of this Psalm you would find he follows the translation of the Septuagint and renders it, “For her who receiveth the inheritance.” This is not a good translation of the title it would seem as almost every commentary I looked to on this would disagree with that translation; Calvin and Delitzsch even address that specifically and say it is wrong.

As for the rest of the title, properly rendered “To the chief musician upon Nehiloth,” they are all in basic agreement with some making more pronounced assertions as to what kind of instrument it may have been than others. We will look at what the various men have said concerning this.

¨ Some translate the Hebrew word Nehiloth, heritages, and others, armies… But not approving of the conjectures of many who speak upon these inscriptions of The Psalms as if they were riddles, I adopt the opinion of those who hold that it was either a musical instrument or a tune; but of what particular kind I consider it of little importance to ascertain. JC
¨ [The words used here] always [have a] reference to the music. [If we were to change where Nehiloth] came from… it might according to the biblical use of this verb signify “inheritances”, or according to its use in the Talmud “swarms”, and in fact swarms of bees; and ought to be the beginning of a popular melody to which the Psalm is being adapted. Hai Gaon understands it to denote a melody resembling the hum of bees… Or is… equivalent to… excavatæ and this is a special name for the flutes. The use of the flute in the service of the sanctuary is attested by Isa. 30:29. K&D, Franz Delitzsch
¨ This psalm… is inscribed and sent to him who had the direction and management of the musical instruments used in religious worship in David's time, and afterwards in the temple service, called "nehiloth"; as the preceding Psalm is inscribed to him who presided over those called "neginoth", and as they seem to be such instruments as were played upon with the hand, stringed instruments, so these seem to be wind instruments, such as were blown with the mouth; as the flute… the word being derived from the same root as "chalil", the pipe, is, and signifies hollow, and so designs such hollow instruments as above. JG
¨ The Hebrew word nehiloth is taken from another word, signifying “to perforate,” “to bore through,” whence it comes to mean a pipe or flute; so that this song was probably intended to be sung with and accompaniment of wind instruments… However, it is proper to remark that we are not sure of the interpretation of these ancient titles… The best scholars confess that great darkness hangs over the precise interpretation of the titles; nor is this much to be regretted, for it furnishes an internal evidence of the great antiquity of the Book. CHS
¨ This is nowhere else used in Scripture. It is generally… thought to be a term belonging to music, and to signify either some type of tune, or rather and instrument, and particularly a wind-instrument, as Neginoth in the title of the last Psalm signified stringed instruments. MP

While there is not a great deal of importance to the title in this Psalm, and appears by any measure to be instruction on how the Psalm is to be played, it is at least important that where we see varied translations of the title we are able to know what is right or wrong; especially where it is attempted that the title be used to set the tone for the Psalm. But even then this should only be a problem when using the Septuagint as the modern translations render it “wind-instruments” or “choirmaster over the flutes” or just “flutes.”

Introduction
¨ David being grievously oppressed by the cruelty of his enemies, and apprehending still more mischief, earnestly beseeches God for help. And the more easily to obtain what he asks, after having, by the earnestness of his prayers, manifested the greatness of his grief, he first brings forward the intolerable malice of his enemies, showing how inconsistent it would be with the character of God, were they to be left unpunished. He next speaks of his own faith and patience, and even comfort; having no doubt whatever of a happy issue. Finally, he concludes, that when he shall be delivered, the benefits resulting from his deliverance would not be limited to himself, but would extend to all the godly. JC
¨ This Psalm is a prayer, a solemn address to God, at a time when the psalmist was brought into distress by the malice of his enemies. Many such times passed over David, nay, there was scarcely a time of his life to which this Psalm may not be accommodated, for in this he was a type of Christ, that he was continually beset with enemies, and his powerful and prevalent appeals to God, when he was so beset, pointed at Christ’s dependence on His Father and triumphs over the powers of darkness in the midst of his sufferings. MH
¨ The evening prayer is now followed by a second morning prayer, which like the former ends with [For you oh Lord]. The situation is different from that in Ps. 3 [also a morning prayer]. In that Psalm David is fleeing, here he is in Jerusalem and anticipates going up to the Temple service. K&D, Franz Delitzsch
¨ The Psalmist is here at his devotions. If David in the first instance of the petitions had an eye to his own personal persecutions, yet, there can be no doubt but that the Holy Spirit designed to instruct the Church, through David, as a type of the Lord Jesus, that what is here said had a more immediate reference to Christ, and God the Father’s gracious attention to him. RH
¨ Throughout the first, second, third, and fourth Psalms, you will have noticed that the subject is a contrast between the position, the character, and the prospects of the righteous and of the wicked. In this Psalm you will note the same. The Psalmist carries out a contrast between himself made righteous by God’s grace, and the wicked who opposed him. To the devout mind there is here presented a precious view of the Lord Jesus, of whom it is said that in the days of his flesh, HHHHe offered up prayers and supplication with strong crying and tears. CHS

Personal Summary:

Normally I don’t have much if anything to say when sharing the notes on the title and introduction. But let it be clear that here we have an example that applies to a current day situation that cannot be ignored.

A heartbreaking evil is taking place right now in Iran. Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani is about to be killed by a Muslim controlled theocracy simply for being a Christian. Could any situation more clearly fit the words in Calvin’s introduction when he says, “David being grievously oppressed by the cruelty of his enemies, and apprehending still more mischief, earnestly beseeches God for help.” This man is being oppressed by evil men for proclaiming the name of Christ. We sit here in a nation where freedom of religion gives us the right to worship God openly. But this man doesn’t have that luxury. Then to add insult to injury the wicked men about to slaughter this fellow saint have now claimed he is a rapist in order to alleviate international pressure. Oh the depths the wicked will go to in order to persecute God’s people!

I am sure that Pastor Nadarkhani has, like David, earnestly sought the Lord in prayer. Perhaps the words of Ps. 5:8 – 10 are still on his lips as I write this, “Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, because of mine enemies: make thy way plain before my face. For no constancy is in their mouth: within they are very corruption: their throat is an open sepulcher, and they flatter with their tongue. Destroy them, O God, let them fall from their counsels cast them out for the multitude of their iniquities, because they have rebelled against thee.” If these words cannot be found on his lips then let it be said of his fellow Christians around the world that they will be found on ours!

Please remember my fellow Christians, we have a very good life in America and in many other countries, but not all have been given our lot and they pay dearly for their faith. As we venture into this Psalm let us see how David was persecuted as a type of Christ, let us see how our Lord was persecuted for our sakes, and let us see how Christians around the world are still being persecuted today. We have received our salvation by grace through faith as a free gift from God, but it was not without a cost even though we did not pay it. These persecuted Christians will not pay the cost they owe, that is sure; but oh how they pay indeed! At the hands of evil men around the world to walk with Christ places a bounty upon their heads. Let us lift up our voices in prayer and ask the Lord to save this man, and so many like him, from martyrdom and persecution! Let us lay aside our problems and with gut wrenching cries petition the Lord with prayer! Our sovereign God is in control of this situation and all others, may His will be done. May He strengthen this man and his family and deal with their oppressors; for as Calvin said it would be entirely inconsistent, “with the character of God, were they to be left unpunished.” Laus Deo.