Open Your Bibles and Sing!

Introduction

This article is being written on October 31st, 2023 aka All Hallows Eve (the day before All Saints Day) or as many Christians refer to it, Reformation Day. 

Over the past few weeks, one of the great Solas of the Reformation has been on my mind, Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). And in lieu of it being Reformation Day today, I am writing on a specific application of this Reformation principle.

Not only do I want you as the reader to hold to Sola Scriptura, that everything you say, believe, and do must be governed and grounded on Holy Scripture, but I also want you to be able to sing Sola Scriptura.

All Reformed Christians tip their hats to singing the Psalms (that’s Sola Scriptura, right?). But for most Reformed Christians, singing the Psalms is singing the Psalms metrically. We have taken the Psalms and have reworded, re-thought, and re-arranged them to fit a metrical hymn tune, and have dubbed it “Psalm singing.” I have no issue with the church doing this. I think it is meet and right to do! But I am simply asking the question, is it possible to sing the Psalms (or any song in Scripture) directly from the text? Another way to ask the question, is it possible to simply open your Bible and sing it?

The answer to that question is a hearty yes and amen! It is possible to open your Bibles and sing directly out of them, and I believe that is another true, good, and beautiful way of living out the principle of Sola Scriptura. But to be able to do this, we need to look outside our Reformed tradition, and look to our Lutheran brothers and sisters for help!

Lutheran Psalm Tones

In the Lutheran tradition, there are eight “Psalm Tones” with which the Lutherans can sing the Psalms directly from the text. The eight tones have been around for thousands of years, and our Lutheran brothers and sisters have grabbed them and run with them!

(8 Psalm Tones)

Using any of these tones, any Christian, anywhere, with any translation, can open their Bibles and sing the Psalms (or any song in Scripture). Here is one example:

Psalm 91, Tone A

Tone A

 1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High

dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say concerning the LORD, who is my refuge and my fortress,

my God in whom I trust:

3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,

from the de-structive plague.

4 He will cover you with his feathers;

you will take refuge under his wings.

His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

…

14 Because he has his heart set on me, I will de-liver him;

I will protect him because he knows my name.

15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble.

I will rescue him and give him honor.

16 I will satisfy him with a long life

and show him my salvation. —Psalm 91:1-4; 14-16 (CSB)

As you can see, most of each line is singing the first note, and either the last three syllables or the last three words carry the rest of the notes. The key takeaway is to feel the rhythm of the words. Let the words control the tone (no pun intended).

In most Psalms, there is an exchange of ideas. It is as if one person says one line of the Psalm and another answers back. One says, “I will say concerning the LORD, who is my refuge and my fortress,” and another responds, “my God in whom I trust.” Both lines are saying the same thing. “God is our refuge and fortress,” is the same thing as “I trust in my God.” When singing the Psalms, look for these exchanges of ideas, and that will help you to know how to sing it. Tone A has two lines of music. Two lines of music, two exchanges of ideas. Sometimes, you will see in the Psalms three exchanges of ideas. One says “He will cover you with his feathers.” One responds, “You will take refuge under his wings.” ANOTHER responds, “His faithfulness will be a protective shield.” In these situations, simply sing the second line of music twice.

Here is another example. Note that it is a different song, but we’ll use the same tone, Tone A.

Revelation 4 and 5, Tone A

Holy, holy, holy,

Lord God, the Almighty,

who was, who is, and who is to come. 

11 Our Lord and God,

you are worthy to receive

glory and honor and power,

because you have created all things,

and by your will

they exist and were created. 

You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slaughtered,

and you purchased people

for God by your blood

from every tribe and language

and people and nation.

10 You made them a kingdom

and priests to our God,

and they will reign on the earth. 

Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered

to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and blessing! 

Blessing and honor and glory and power

be to the one seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb, forever and ever! —Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:9-10, 12-13 (CSB)

This Takes Work

This is not easy to do. But just because it is not easy, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. Doing this takes work. Not everyone is musically inclined. Not everybody is comfortable with this chanting music style. But for those who are interested and want to sing more of their Bible, here is where you can start:

The first step is to save the picture of the Lutheran Psalm Tones above, print it to fit, and put it in your Bible.

The second step is to learn the Psalm Tones. If you have a piano and are somewhat literate in music, play these tones, learn them, and memorize them. Write out the sight music on your sheet if it helps. Tone A is “Mi, Re Do So, So Fa Mi Do.”

If you are not musically inclined, look up the Psalm tones on YouTube, there are plenty of resources there! A great one is this channel here.

The third step is to just start doing it. You will probably find yourself re-singing the same psalm over and over again until you feel comfortable with which tone to use, where the exchange of ideas is, etc... 

I read the Psalms monthly, and a good rule of thumb for me is that I pick one Psalm tone a day, and sing all the Psalms to that tone if possible. It helps you become familiar with the tone, and you don’t feel like you’re popcorning throughout the Psalter. There are seven days in a week, but there are eight tones. So from month to month, the Psalms you sang with one tone will now be sung with a different tone, which helps with reading the Psalter monthly, and keeps things spicy and different!

In summary, this is going to feel different, it will have its challenges, and you’ll want to give up before you start. In short, it will take work. But that is a good thing. Work heartily as unto the Lord and not for men (Colossian 3:23). So play the man, and get to work!

Conclusion

It is Reformation Day today. We are Reformed Christians. We hold to Sola Scriptura. I don’t want you to hold to Sola Scriptura just in principle, but I want you all to put your Psalms where your mouth is. Instead of singing forms of Psalms and songs from Scripture, open your Bible and sing them in your devotions. Sing them with your families, and if possible, sing them in your church! We have brothers and sisters from different traditions who have helped pave the way for us to do this. It is new, not easy, and requires hard work and diligence, but the payoff is glorious!