Worship as Warfare

Warfare: It is a gruesome thing. Movies like Saving Private Ryan and Hacksaw Ridge try to depict the horrors of war, but they can only do it so much justice. Many are the memoirs of military generals and commanders who have also written their own tales—long military expeditions, with no food, little sleep, and many thoughts of home. And of course, there are many in our church, for whom war is far more than a cinematic experience.

When we think of the Christian life in Scripture, it is also likened to warfare. From the moment of conversion until the day our Lord takes us home, we are constantly in a grueling fight with the world, the flesh, and the devil. And while spiritual warfare is usually highlighted in individual terms and in places outside the gathered church, when we gather with the saints to worship God we are going to war. For as we will see,  Sunday worship is a battleground.

Worship as Warfare in Church History
The Church Fathers were certainly aware of this, and we can see this in their hymns. In fact, early Christian hymns were often used for warfare—of the doctrinal variety! In the fourth and fifth centuries, orthodox churches only used biblical psalms for in their corporate worship.. But, as the church came into conflict with those who followed Arius and his denial of the Son’s eternal nature, the church redeemed hymns for their own use as they went to war (both spiritually and physically).

Notably, Arius’s disciples were also singers and would often sing in the public square at night, promoting the doctrine that Christ was a created being. In response, John Chrysostom of Constantinople (c. 347–407) helped to lead nightly processions of Christians who sang hymns as a counterforce to correct this. Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310–367) was known as “The Hammer of the Arians” for his nightly polemical hymn-singing, and Ambrose of Milan (340–397) composed short marching hymns for his disciples to stay awake during their watches against Arian forces.^[1]
 
 Yet, this is not the only era where we see this type of warfare. In the Reformation, Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” became a favorite. And during the years of Protestant and Catholic conflict, what is known as the Thirty Years War, German hymnody exploded, producing over 25,000 hymns.^[2] Certainly, in dark times throughout church history, spiritual warfare has brought about some of the most God-glorifying hymns for corporate worship.

Worship as Warfare in the Old Testament
Moving from church history to the biblical text, we find worship as warfare in Scripture, too.

From the beginning, there has been a spiritual warfare. As soon as Satan deceived Eve and invited Adam to rebel, Satan has been at work to destroy the image of God. Failing to serve the Lord and protect the garden, God’s first royal priest defiled himself and all humanity with him, so that he could not remain in God’s presence—not without a blood sacrifice. Accordingly, the spiritual warfare between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman would center on the service of the priest.

In ways that develop the original man, priests took on the duty to keep and to guard God’s temple with swords and spears. We see this most clearly in Exodus 32 and Numbers 25. Exodus 32 recounts the Golden Calf incident, where Aaron concedes to the demands of the rebellious Israelites in making a golden calf to worship, and in doing so the rest of the camp breaks loose into false worship and immorality. As Moses sees this, he calls those who are on the Lord’s side to join him. And it is the Levites who gather around him to strike down the false worshippers. Moses then commands them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side, each of you, and go to and fro from the gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor’” (v. 27).

In Numbers 25, as Balaam uses the daughters of Moab to seduce the Israelites to come and sacrifice and bow down to idols, and to commune with pagan feasts, one Israelite brings a daughter of Moab with him towards the camp in the sight of Moses and the congregation (Num. 25:6), implying this is towards the Tabernacle. In the midst of this, one zealous priest  [DS3] rises up and strikes through the Moabite woman and the Israelite with a spear. God’s wrath is abated, and worship could continue as prescribed, as Phinehas, through this act of both worship and warfare, brings about a covenant of peace (the Levitical Covenant) and atones for Israel’s iniquity.

Changing Keys in the Old Testament: From Sword to Song
During the wilderness days of the tabernacle, the priests bore the sword, but they also carried the trumpets—a precursor of things to come. We get a hint of this as early as Numbers 10, where the sons of Aaron (v. 8) blow the trumpets to assemble the people, and even prepare them for war. As verses 9–10 read,


Here we see that as the Israelites brought their sacrifices, the Levites were to rejoice with praise, using trumpets to assist them in this sacrifice of praise. This points forward to what David and Solomon will bring forth in the Temple.

In one man, David embodied warfare and worship. For instance, he is famous for killing the giant Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, but he is also called “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1). In this way, we see how David was a great warrior king and one who gave us 73 psalms that can be used for every season, including times of war.

Always attendant to God’s dwelling place (Psalm 132), David would establish Levites within the temple of God to sing these war songs as they gathered on Mt. Zion. It is here where they trade in their swords for psalms. Specifically, 1 Chronicles 22–26 shows how David prepares the materials and workers to help Solomon build the temple of the Lord, andhe leaves this charge with the leaders of Israel,


Through God’s anointed king, peace has come to the land of Israel. And that means the people of Israel can worship in peace and sing! Yet, they can only do that because the Levites are established in the temple service. First Chronicles 23:30–32 says,


In this time of peace, instruments will even multiply as sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. Warfare leads to peace, which leads to a more fruitful praise.

Additionally, the story of Jehosophat in 2 Chronicles 20 gives another picture of how Israel’s weapons of warfare have moved from sword to song. In the midst of being surrounded by enemies from the Moabites, Ammonites, and the Meunites, King Jehosophat humbles himself before the Lord and prays for deliverance. Amazingly, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Jahaziel, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, and he prophesies for the people to stand firm, for the Lord will deliver them.

In response, the King, Levites, and whole city of Jerusalem worship and praise the Lord. As they rise early the next day, they praise the Lord singing a familiar refrain, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” At the same time, as all of Jerusalem is singing to the Lord in glorious harmony, the Lord sets dissonance and discord among all the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, as they turn against one another and destroy themselves. Incredibly, the Lord has delivered his people through song!

The Israelites are then able to plunder the many dead armies, and gain they return to worship, As 2 Chronicles 20:28 says,  “They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord.” In all, warfare through song leads to peace and rejoicing.

Worship as Warfare in the New Testament
Finally, as we turn to the New Testament, Jesus Christ is a worshiping warrior like his father David. Only he fights foes of even greater strength. For instance, our greatest warrior-priest went to war with Satan and his armies as he came in his earthly life declaring the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Similarly, during his ministry demons surrendered and bowed before him as he took dominion and inaugurated the new creation.

In these ways, Jesus shows us he is the greater David who leads his people into spiritual battle. And of course, this battle centers on his death and resurrection. Yet, one facet of his trek to Golgotha that can easily be missed is his singing. For as Jesus prepared to be arrested en route to the cross, he was singing a hymn^[3] (Matt. 26:30). Likewise, as he hung on the cross, he quotes Psalm 22.
 
Instead of using brute force to win the victory, Jesus lives out, in perfect obedience to his Father, the song of the suffering servant of Isaiah. As Isaiah 53 “sings,” Jesus was pierced instead for our transgressions, making the perfect covenant of peace that even Phinehas and the Covenant of Levi could never accomplish. And it is through this great sacrifice and resurrection that the seed warfare has been won. Though Satan thought he had triumphed over God’s Messiah, Jesus’s death ironically conquers over sin, death, and Satan himself. Gloriously, Jesus lived out the war song of Psalm 68 in his ascension, and he continues to live out that song, as he gives the gifts of his people throughout history (Eph. 4:7–11).

In Christ, we too have war songs to sing. Now as we gather, we come to proclaim the Gospel, “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10). Peter calls us royal priests in his letter (1 Pet. 2:9–10), and if that is true, we too have the duty to use the weapons of our warfare to combat the enemies of God. By means of offering spiritual sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15), we bring the incense of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:18–20) before the altar of our God (Mal. 1:11). In this way, we both guard the flock and build up God’s holy temple, the Church, through the singing of the saints.

Three Applications
So, what does this mean for us as we gather? Well, for one thing: First, realize there are spiritual powers at play as we gather. We have our rock and fortress in God, as Psalm 144 says, because he meets us in a special way through the gathering. But, this does not mean we put our guard down. We are not to take on a passive consumer mentality as we come to worship on the Lord’s Day. Rather, because we know there are spiritual powers at play, we are to be on the offensive. Like the priests and Levites, David and Jehoshaphat, and Jesus too, we are to take ownership in defending God’s honor and proclaiming his holy name through song.

Second, don’t discount the weapons of our warfare. Music has the power to inform, instruct, exhort, remind, and provide a means of comfort or confession. We are not only teaching ourselves as we sing to one another, but we are also instructing the nations and authorities about what we believe about Christ. And further, as we declare the gospel, we are actively guarding, defending, and building up the temple of God through song.

Most importantly, because the gospel is being declared through song, it is one means by which God saves! When the gospel is declared, even in song, God uses that to draw people to himself and plunder the dominion of darkness, bringing people from death to life. We need to remember there is great power in the church’s song. As a hymn we often sing says, “Shout on, pray on, we’re gaining ground– glory hallelujah! The dead’s alive and the lost is found– glory hallelujah!”^[4]

Third, this active participation should begin the night before we gather for worship. As we pray and plan for Sunay, we should come prepared, ready for battle. Prepare your heart the night before and train for war, so that as we use the weapons of our warfare God will subdue our enemies under our feet.[5] Read the scriptures and the confessions that we will hear on Sunday. Remember: a link to Sunday’s bulletin is always attached to the Friday email.

Likewise, listen to the battle songs beforehand, so that as you gather you can proclaim a shout of victory over spiritual and earthly forces. Truly, when we gather we do so as those who can and should have a spirit of confidence, victory, and hope, knowing that Christ has won the victory. And though battles remain in this Christian life, we can remember, we do not have to fight these battles alone. We have our priesthood of the believers and Great High Priest with us in the fight. And so, let us sing with loud shouts, because our worship is warfare.

For His glory and your joy in Christ,

Matt Wood
 
   <sup>[1] Harry Eskew and Hugh T. McElrath, Sing With Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Hymnody. (Nashville: TN, Church Street Press) 85-86.

   [2] Ibid. 101.

   [3] Some theologians say in Matt. 26:30 that psalm is a better translation, and that this was most likely a Hallel Psalm, probably Psalm 118. See Sing a New Song: Recovering Psalm Singing for the Twenty-First Century, eds. Joel R. Beeke and Anthony T. Salvaggio (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books). 2010. 84.

   [4] Samuel Medley, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives–Glory Hallelujah” Trinity Hymnal. (Suwanee, GA: Great Commission Publications) 1990. 281.

   [5] See The Baptist Catechism, “Q.30: How does Christ execute the office of a king? A: Christ executes the office of a king, subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies.” We don’t conquer our enemies, it is through the means of our singing and spiritual sacrifices that Christ conquers our enemies for us.</sup>