Great hymns . . . in a world of woe

Coming in the door this evening my mom had on “The Five” talk show on FOX News. As they broke for commercial after a segment about the plane accident at LaGuardia, a snippet of nearly indecipherable rock music playing in the background included the lyrics (I caught a few words and Googled them right away):

“I'm getting drunk on a plane Buyin' drinks for everybody
But the pilot, it's a party Got this 737 rocking like a G Six.”

Just one little example of how the news media “secretly” mocks its viewers as well as news they cover.

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Psalm 45 is a classic psalm written for the “head choir director,” hence its heading: “To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil. A Song of Loves.”

Psalm 45:6 is quoted in Hebrews 1:8 as a direct reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.

[6] Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Hebrews 1: [8] But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

The “He” in the verse is God the Father. Notice how God the Father calls God the Son “God”? That’s one of the proof texts of the deity of Christ, explains Richard Jordan.

He’s fully God as well as truly man. He’s the God-man. God the Father calls Him God.

Psalm 45 continues: [7] Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
[8] All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

You read down through the psalm and you can easily spot songs we sing. It’s where we get the great old hymn that goes:

“Out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe, only His great eternal love made my Savior go. My Lord has garments so wondrous fine, And myrrh their texture fills; Its fragrance reached to this heart of mine With joy my being thrills.”

That’s what the verse is talking about. Hymn writers often write hymns right out of the Scripture. I know sometimes people chafe a little bit at the poetic license that people sometimes use in the hymns . . .

There’s another great hymn that starts out, “Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature, O Thou of God and man the Son, Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.”

That comes from Psalm 45:2: “Thou art fairer than the children of men.” The greatness of the king talks about how God the Father looks at Him and He sees Him as one in whom He finds all His joy and the greatness of who He is.

That’s the first thing you do when you talk about a king on his coronation day; you talk about what a great hero he is.