Songs for a Summer Pandemic, 2020

Luke 11:1-13; James 5:13-20, English & Italian: "The Prayer" (05/18/20)

Readers seemed to enjoy the Songs of Summer that we did last year, so we're going to do it again. I urge you most strongly to listen to every song all the way through – even if it's not your type of music – for two reasons:

The lyrics, and sometimes the dances, are an integral part of the study tip, and
Fair is fair! I listened to these songs half a dozen times each; plus many songs not included – some good, some awful; I read a few Wikipedia articles about the artists; and I even watched three or four interviews about the songs and one kitten video, all on your behalf. You ought to be able to watch them once.

In the past couple of months we've been intensely concerned with the welfare of our neighbors next door and around the world, so we're going to start with five songs in seven languages. Did you notice that for a while people stopped saying, "Have a nice day," and replaced it with "Be safe"? In this year's invocation, "The Prayer," listen for the lines

and pray that God will keep us all safe.

Psalms 148:1-14, Zulu: "Hallelujah" (05/19/20)

I didn't like last year's "Hallelujah," by Leonard Cohen, because the scriptural references were a mish-mash. I can't find a translation of the Zulu words in this year's "Hallelujah," by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but I expect they are fine, because whenever I see a translation of their gospel songs, it's good stuff.* (I myself can translate the two Hebrew words.) In any case, I suspect the best translation of Ladysmith's "Hallelujah" is Psalm 148, whether or not the rest of the words are exactly the same. As we all remember, halelu is Hebrew for "everybody praise," and Yah is Hebrew for Yah, one of the names of God. Note that LORD is the normal English representation of the Hebrew YHWH, which is the most sacred name of God, never spoken. Instead we say adonai, which is "Lord."

* The one "translation" I did find appears to be for a different song.

Reader Response:

Hallelujah

Luke 15:11-32, Tagalog: "Child" (05/20/20)

I've got a soft spot for Tagalog, because the most beautifully accented English I ever heard was spoken by a bilingual Filipino woman I met at work. Nothing I can say would add to the lyrics of "Anak" as a study tip for the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

1 Samuel 17:54 – 18:4; John 15:11-17, Spanish: "Guantanamera" (05/21/20)

Scripture shows us that true friendship doesn't necessarily have to be between equals. Jonathan was the son of the king of all Israel; David was a nobody from the sticks. Jesus was the son of God; the disciples were nobodies from the sticks. "Guantanamera" is a Cuban song of loving friendship.

Exodus 2:5; Leviticus 19:36; Matthew 22:17-21, 26:53; Mark 15:15-16, 39; "Japanglish" (05/22/20)

I'm including "Japanglish" mainly because it's just so darn cute. Even so, it's about loanwords – words adopted from one language and put into the form of another – and there are quite a few loanwords in the Bible. Apparently they come mostly from Egyptian and Chaldean (because the Jews spent time in Egypt and Chaldea) and Latin (because the Romans spent time in Palestine). Here are a few of the Old Testament "Hegyptian" and New Testament "Lateek" words in the Bible. The words translated Pharaoh, river, ark, reeds, ephah, and hin are Hebrew words borrowed from Egyptian. The words translated tax, Caesar, money, denarius, legion, whipped, Praetorium, band, and centurion are Greek words borrowed from Latin. Some of the words are loaned again into English. I give you first the original language, then the Hebrew or Greek, then the English.

pr-‘o/paroh/

’io’r/yehore/

T-b-t/tebah/

twfi/suph/

oipi/ephah/

hin/hin/

census/kensos/

Caesar/Kaisar/

census/kensos/

numisma/nomisma/

denarius/denarion/

Caesar/Kaisar/

legio/legeon/

fragellum/phragelloo/

praetorium/praitorion/

spira/speira/

centurion/kenturion/

Reader Question: What is the significance in the different translations in the King James Version, which says "the son of God" in Mark 15:39, and the Bible in Basic English, which says, "a son of God"?

Genesis 37:25, Jeremiah 8:119-22, 46:11, "There is a Balm in Gilead" (05/25/20)

This week's songs are about healing. I always wondered where the scripture says that Jesus is the balm of Gilead, and the answer is: nowhere. Who knew? So I looked for the source of this idea, and apparently the first connection between Jesus and the healing herb is the African-American spiritual "There is a Balm in Gilead." Here is a lovely traditional version by Paul Robeson, and here's an absolutely rockin' version by Karen Clark-Sheard.

Note that Mr. Robeson says "balm" the way I do, pronouncing the l, but sometimes it sounds like Ms. Clark-Sheard is saying "Jesus is the bomb." That's true, too.

Matthew 15:29-31, "What a Healing Jesus" (05/26/20)

"What a Healing Jesus" walked beside the sea!

By the way, the word "dogs" is actually "little-dogs." When Jesus says it isn't right to give the children's food to the puppies, the Canaanite woman doesn't get huffy. She just turns his words around: Even puppies get some crumbs! I love this lady! I think she gave Jesus a good laugh on a day when he needed a laugh. Besides that, he was impressed by her confidence that even a crumb from him would heal her daughter.

Exodus 25:17-22; Hebrews 4:14-16; John 14:15-18, 16:19-22, "Come Ye Disconsolate" (05/27/20)

"Come Ye Disconsolate" is packed with scriptural content about healing. First, listen carefully for

The "mercy seat" is the cover of the ark of the covenant, as translated by the King James Version. If you're reading a more modern translation, or a translation other than English, you're more likely to see "lid" or "cover" than "mercy seat." The mercy is seat is the place where God meets Moses; the holy place for forgiveness for all the people, but not even the high priest may enter more than once a year, lest he die (Leviticus 16); and the place from which God speaks (Numbers 7:89). However, Jesus, our high priest, has led the way for us to approach the throne.

Next, listen for

Depending on your translation, the "Comforter" may be called the Helper, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, or even the Paraclete (loanword from the Greek parakletos !). We aren't alone.

Approach God and obtain mercy, forgiveness, and comfort in sorrow, because

Earth hath no sorrow but Heaven can remove.
Note on Translations (07/16/20): I just got off Zoom with a Chinese friend who is in seminary. He said – all on his own, no prompting from me! – that it's really important to read more than one translation. He said it's often impossible to translate a word from one language to another exactly, so reading two translations can give you a much better idea of what the Bible really means to say. (He reads a Chinese translation and an English translation.) He also said – no prompting from me! – that in China, most people are using a translation that is a hundred years old, and Chinese has changed. So! It's not just me saying that you should read at least two unrelated, modern translations. Teachers all over the world are saying you should read at least two unrelated, modern translations! (And I'm not even requiring that one be in a foreign language – you should be grateful.)

John 14:25-29; Philippians 4:1-9, "Peace in Christ." (05/28/20)

These are pretty stressful times, but even in times of distress, we have "Peace in Christ."

Ezekiel 37:1-14, "Dry Bones." (06/01/20)

God can put life even into "Dry Bones." Remember that Ezekiel is seeing a vision, not a landscape. The LORD is showing his prophet Ezekiel that no matter how spiritually dead people are, the voice of prophecy can turn them back to God and to life.

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12; Galatians 6:1-5; Matthew 11:28-30, "Lean On Me." (06/02/20)

We're all in this together, so "Lean On Me." And when I'm not strong enough, we'll both lean on Jesus.

Here's a little translational note on Galatians 6:2 and 6:5. In the King James Version (and many others), these two verses either have the same word, like "burden," or two similar words, like "burden" and "load." This makes no sense. We are supposed to bear each other's burden, but each carry our own burden? How does that work?? Well, in Galatians 6:2, the word translated "burden" is related to "weight" or "load." I need to help you when your load is too heavy, and vice versa. In 6:5, a different word, also translated "burden," is more related to "task" or "service." I need to do my own part of the job whenever I can. So I like God's Word here: "Help carry each other's burdens...Assume your own responsibility."

Luke 12:35-40; Matthew 25:1-13, "Are You Ready?" (05/29/20)

This week's song have been about healing, but sometimes there is no healing in this life. It's a pandemic – "Are You Ready?"

Mark 8:22-26; John 9:1-7; Mark 10:46-52; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 9:27-31 "The First Thing I'll See Will be Jesus" (07/11/20)

Bonus Song: I mentioned before that the song studies take a long time to plan, mainly because I spend so much time

Looking for suitable songs and listening to each one of them several times, often in several different versions;
Looking for lyrics if I think some of the words are hard to understand;
Listening to songs that I like but can't figure out how to use;
Listening to songs that turn out to be unsuitable;
Spending time on Wikipedia and YouTube investigating artists through articles and interviews; and
Getting sidetracked onto kitten videos.

This process continues to a lesser extent throughout the study, but this week it really paid off.

Our artist Terri Gibbs is blind from birth, and she says, "The First Thing I'll See Will be Jesus." What a great song, and what a great study tip for some of Jesus' miracles!

Matthew 10:34-39; Luke 21:9-19,"Rose Garden" (06/08/20)

I never cared for (I Never Promised You a) "Rose Garden," although even as a kid I realized that it takes a solid New Testament position about life. Far from promising us that everything will be wonderful once we are Christians, Jesus tells us that we will have trouble precisely because we are Christians. (Just don't come whining to me if the car in front of you has a Darwin bumper sticker. Let me know if you are beaten, kidnapped, jailed, or murdered for the faith, like many of our brothers and sisters around the world are, all too often.)

Genesis 1:1-31, "Everything is Beautiful" (06/10/20)

Ray Stevens got a Grammy for "Everything is Beautiful." Since God made everything beautiful, maybe God should get a Grammy, too.

Hosea 1:1 – 2:1; 3:1-5, 11:1-4, 8:8, "You Are Loved" (06/11/20)

The Bible is a love letter from God to us, and love for God and our neighbor is our letter back. Today and tomorrow we're going to listen to a couple of love songs.

The prophet Hosea married an unfaithful woman, who gave birth to three children. It's not exactly clear that the second two were Hosea's children, and they were named Not-Loved and Not-My-People. Gomer deserted Hosea and eventually fell into slavery. Hosea couldn't stand it. He loved Gomer so much that he bought her back (Hosea 3:1-5). He loved the children he had raised so much that he changed their names to Loved and My-People. Hosea realized that God loved his people Israel even more than he loved Gomer, and God couldn't stand losing them. God was saying, "You Are Loved."

Matthew 8:19-20; Luke 10:1-9, "Would Jesus Wear A Rolex?" (06/03/20)

"Would Jesus Wear A Rolex?" No.

Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 7:28; 2 Timothy 1:1-5; Hebrews 11:32 – 12:1, "Drop Kick Me Jesus" (06/04/20)

When I heard of the song "Drop Kick Me Jesus" (Through the Goalposts of Life), I naturally assumed that it would be silly and full of bad theology. Then I listened to it! Not only is the song catchy, but it has surprisingly good theology. My favorite line is "I've got the will, Lord, if you've got the toe." HAHahahaha! However, the chorus and the three verses each make a specific, scriptural point:

Chorus: Lord, keep me on the right path, going in the right direction.
Verse 1: Make me part of your master (game) plan and give me the strength that I need to play my part.
Verse 2: Let the example of those who came before me in the faith help me succeed.
Verse 3: Even benchwarmers in heaven are important.

Matthew 5:1-12, 6:25-34, "Don't Worry Be Happy" (per Wikipedia: "It was the first a cappella song to reach number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart") (06/05/20)

Jesus said "Don't Worry Be Happy" before Bobby McFerrin did. I have always liked this song, in spite of all the flak it has taken from people who think it's not serious enough. I don't think it's telling us to take a Pollyanna attitude about everything that happens or not to make a prudent plan for tomorrow. I hear, "Be content with your lot, and don't fret." Pay special attention to the line "In every life we have some trouble; but when you worry you make it double." This is exactly what Jesus says in Matthew 6:34.

Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 3:1-5, 5:25-34, "Personal Jesus" (06/29/20)

Sometimes Jesus reached out and touched someone who had faith, and sometimes someone who had faith reached out and touched Jesus. Once, Jesus just had a man reach out! Reach out to your "Personal Jesus" and touch faith.

Ezekiel 13:1-23, "God Thinks" (06/30/20)

WARNING: If you don't like or understand satire, do not listen to today's song, because it will annoy the heck out of you. Most of the lyrics are offensive; sadly, many of them are offensive statements that have actually been made by foolish, misguided Christians and foolish, misguided people who merely claim to be Christians. That's the point of satire: to attack vice or foolishness through irony, derision, or wit. And sometimes to attack vice or foolishness simply by quoting it!

Ouch. Voltaire is growing on me, even though this particular satirical song is directed at me. Too many people – like me! – tell you what "God Thinks." When they are actually telling you what they think, it annoys the heck out of God. This was the situation in Israel, and God directed His prophet Ezekiel to go out there and give the false prophets a piece of His mind. This is – or should be – a very scary passage for anyone who teaches or preaches about God.

This is a good time for me to remind you of our most basic study habit: don't take my word for anything; read the Bible for yourself to find out what God thinks! Today's song and tomorrow's form a pair, so be sure to read both emails, even if you don't usually read the scripture emails every day.

Isaiah 55:6-11, "The love of God is broader/ Than the measure of our mind." (07/01/20)

I currently have an ant problem. I come out in the morning, and there are ants on the kitchen counter. Evil villain that I am, I simultaneously kill them and clean the counter with dish detergent. I'm perfectly okay with ants who go about their business outside, but I'm death on ants inside. Why am I telling you this? Because the ants don't understand me or my simple message, which is, "Stay outside!"

Yesterday's song was about people who are always telling us what God thinks. The fact is, we are like ants compared with God, and we have no idea what God thinks! We know what God wants, because the Bible tells us over and over again what God wants: Turn back and love God, and love your neighbor. But we don't and can't know what God thinks, because

The love of God is broader/ Than the measure of our mind

The first two lines of this verse reflect today's scripture, and the last two lines describe exactly the attitude that yesterday's song is satirizing.

More Songs for Summer

Songs for Summer, 2019
Invocation, Angels (mostly badly represented), and Good theology
Mixed, Bad, and Truly Weird theology and My Favorites

Songs for a Summer Pandemic, 2020
We're All In This Together, the Great Physician, and more Good theology
The Devil, Bluegrass and Country, Show Tunes, and Our Future

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