Here is the second half of my interview with Don & Ryan Clark from the band Demon Hunter. In this second installment we get into their graphic design work and how they work as a different kind of missionary in the art and design world.

Also, Don and Ryan will be premiering their new, feature length documentary about Demon Hunter called "45 Days" at Mars Hill Church Ballard Campus this Friday, November 21st at 7pm. The evening will include an acoustic performance of some of their songs and is free.

For more information go to the Mars Hill Ballard site.

From time to time I will have a series of guests contribute as we dig into the Psalms. This week we will hear from my dear brother Joel Brown from Mars Hill. Joel and I have been working together at Mars Hill in one way or another since I came to Seattle 9 years ago. He is a record producer, drummer, guitar player, singer, songwriter, sound engineer, the leader of MH band “Red Letter,” and currently serves as my “Director of Band Development.” If that weren’t enough he’s also in our elder process. Here are his thoughts on Psalm 3...

What’s going on in Psalm 3?

This Psalm begins with a note of context: “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” David wrote this prayer to the Lord while under an incredible attack on his kingship in the land of Israel. There is far too deep a plot to explain here, but the story (see 2 Samuel 13-19) is well worth the read and gives us a great perspective on Psalm 3. We see David’s abdication as a father, the rape of his daughter Tamar at the hands of her half brother, followed by David’s son Absolom’s fury over the event, and the drama that ensues as David flees Jerusalem from Absolom’s hostile takeover of the country.

At this time, despite his fear, conviction, and shame, David unwaveringly trusts in God. As he’s leaving town, people are throwing rocks and dirt, cursing him saying, “there is no salvation for [him] in God.” David knows that God holds the cards and will deal what he will (2 Samuel 16:5-14). David has a peace in God’s sovereignty. He cries out to the Lord and, freeing him of his anxieties, the Lord allows David to rest in comfort.

David is not our ultimate example

Though David ultimately trusted in God, looking to him as our example is unsufficient—our ultimate example is Jesus, as in all things. Jesus had far greater foes rise against him than David could have imagined. I am reminded of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane praying “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus, living by the Spirit in full submission to the will of the Father, had nothing to fear in what was the most terrifying of human experiences. He was abandoned by everyone. He was wrongfully tried and sentenced to the most gruesome punishment man has conceived. Most importantly, the Father turned his back on the Son and laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). What could be more terrifying? What could be a heavier weight to carry?

Yet, despite his circumstances, Jesus identified deeply with David’s prayer, “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” In complete trust in His Father, He walked in silence to His death, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7)! All of this was brought upon him not as a result of his actions but out of the Father’s wrath, which Jesus willingly accepted in spite of asking that it be removed.

I wrote about this in my song “One Righteous Man,” inspired by Isaiah 53.

Learning how to be more like Jesus through the Psalms...

My first reaction to this Psalm was: Who are my foes? If I’m really honest with myself I don’t really have any ‘foes’ to speak of. Not in the David-against-Absalom/Nation sense anyway.

There isn’t anything inherently wrong with this approach, but if Christ is the center of the scriptures (John 5:39-40), I have to look deeper. Seeing Christ here allows me to have the perspective that God intended when He inspired David.

David’s trust in God is a calm reminder to us all that true rest and peace only comes from God (Matthew 11:28-30; Ephesians 2:14). We often pour ourselves out in an effort to find comfort in created things, but nothing created ever lasts (Isaiah 40:6-8). In thinking about this, I realized that true worship—living every aspect of our lives in full submission to the Father’s will—is comfort and rest and peace and all things that we most deeply desire.

Looking at Jesus’ example, “The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom” has new meaning (Proverbs 9:10). If you truly fear God you needn't fear anything or anyone else. God is sovereign over all and with complete trust in Him, fear of created things no longer exists. Wisdom is where the fear of the Lord begins and the fear of creation ends.

Father,
Thank you for Your salvation and blessing! Thank you for Your love and steadfastness! Thank you for Your wisdom, which transcends human understanding!
Help me to not fear man and seek comfort in created things. Help me to seek You in all things. Allow this to affect my heart so deeply that I would even willingly and fearlessly go to my death if Your will required.

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“One Righteous Man” written by Joel Brown, performed by Red Letter, taken from the album “Death to Life” available early ’09 from Re:Sound (Resurgence music)

Here are a few things you may not know about Don and Ryan from the band Demon Hunter:

1. Demon Hunter is not their day job. They actually have a very successful design business called Invisible Creature.
2. Don and Ryan have been nominated for numerous dove awards and three Grammys for their work. Their clients have included the Foo Fighters, Will I Am and Underoath. We will get into this in part 2 of my interview with them.
3. They have a feature length documentary coming out this month called 45 Days. Don and Ryan will premier their documentary at Mars Hill Church Ballard Campus Friday, November 21st at 7pm. The evening will include an acoustic performance of some of their songs and is free. For more information go to the Mars Hill Ballard site.

How the Interview Happened

A couple months ago my friend and fellow pastor at Mars Hill Matt Johnson suggested that my next interview should be with Don and Ryan Clark from the band Demon Hunter. I knew Don a bit as he did the design for our album “Rain City Hymnal” and I have always been intrigued by their unique brand of metal. It turned into a great conversation covering Jesus, Godly anger, the gospel and what it means to be metal missionaries.

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From time to time I will be asking a series of guests to contribute as we dig into the Psalms. This week we will hear from my old friend Pastor Matt Johnson from Mars Hill. Matt might be better know as the drummer for bands such as Roadside Monument, Blenderhead, and 90 Pound Wuss, but he has a lot to share when it comes to a life and theology of worship. Here is his reflection on Psalm 2...

The Context of Psalm 2

Psalm 1 establishes that there are two types of people in the world: the righteous, who are firmly planted near refreshing waters of the word, and the wicked, who disappear like chaff in the wind. Where Psalm 1 focuses on individuals, Psalm 2 gives a wide-angle panoramic shot of the nations.

At the time of Psalm 2’s writing, the name of the game for Near Eastern nations was to wage war and expand territories, and Israel was just one puny nation among others to be conquered.

Some say that King David composed this psalm after he had taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites, as described in 2 Samuel. While the psalm may very well have been written to celebrate Israel’s military victory, the more important issue is that King David is typified as Jesus by the Apostles, as Acts 4:25-27 states.

Every Human Heart Has a Ruler

The biblical concept of the Kingdom of God is a whole study in itself. The kingdom is a future and present reality, but the point is that the Kingdom is the kingship, rule and authority of God. Jesus said we must receive the Kingdom of God (his rule) as little children (Mark 10:13-16). So in order to enter the future kingdom (The New Jerusalem, Rev 21), we have to submit to his rule in the here and now.

The ruled heart has many options in our culture. Whether it’s comfort, possessions, fascination with “the new,” six-pack abs, or achieving the greenest lawn on the block, we are a nation steeped in self-worship. There’s nothing wrong with personal health or gardening, per se. But these are the kinds of things that can very easily rule our lives. Think about it: what kinds of non-essentials, besides food, water, and shelter, cause you anxiety or make you angry if you don’t get it? What makes you feel like a failure if you can’t attain it? Fear, anger, anxiety, the desire to belong; all these things are a normal part of human existence. But when these things begin to rule our behavior, we are enslaved in idol territory.

Fortunately for Christians, Christ’s kingdom is the most glorious, liberating, and just citizenship anyone could ever ask to live in. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). We were traitors to his kingdom and we get exactly what we don’t deserve: grace! (Eph 2:8)

Two Kinds of Fear

Terror-fear, which is detailed in Hebrews 10:26-27, is fear that comes from deliberate disobedience despite knowledge of truth. This is getting-caught-with-your-hand-in-the-cookie-jar-type fear. But here in Psalm 2:11, fear is described as a call to love and trust in the Lord (serve the Lord…rejoice…kiss the Son). Though this kind of fear still produces “fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), it’s a fear based on reverence and awe without the threat of looming retribution, as verse 12 promises, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Jesus Is Preeminent In All Things

Nevertheless, the nations are still “his heritage” and “the ends of the earth” are Jesus’ possession, whether people worship him or not. According to Col 1:15-18, Jesus is preeminent over all. And when the apostle Paul says “all things,” he really means it.

"[In him] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together".

Jesus reigns on his throne in a universal, cosmic sense. But this rule extends to our individual lives on a day-to-day basis. How does he rule your life? Are there areas of your life that are kept hidden from Jesus’ rule and reign?

A Prayer to Faithfully Walk In the Light

As 1 John 1:5-10 says, “walk in the light as he is in the light.” As I ponder these verses I’m reminded of Psalm 139:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24)

Amen.

Pastor Matt is enjoying his first year as a pastor at Mars Hill and has been serving at the church since ’97. He has his fingers in both the music and biblical living (counseling) departments and likes sharing ideas and resources between the two.

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Most good books have a preface or introduction of one sort or another. The first book of the Lord of the Rings begins with a chapter entitled, “Concerning Hobbits”. Star Wars always begins with, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” Without them we would not know that hobbits are small agrarian creatures with hairy feet, we might think Luke Skywalker is from Iowa rather than Tatooine. Psalm 1 serves this same purpose as the preface to the book of Psalms building a foundation on which the rest of the book comes to rest.

Delight or Destruction? Your choice

The psalm begins with a challenge: do not take the counsel of the wicked, be counted with sinners or join in with those who scoff (v1). Rather, delight yourself in God’s law, the whole of scripture in our case, and meditate on it day and night (v2). This is a challenge to a very high standard and is the qualification for the blessing that follows. If, and only if, the word of God becomes our delight, we will be blessed. We will be like a fruitful tree, well watered and nourished, we will not wither and all we do will prosper (v3).

However, if we we fail to delight in the scripture the opposite will be true. We will wither and die and the wind will blow us away (v4). God knows our hearts. We will not stand as righteous in the judgment and all our ways will perish (v5-6).

Your Best Life Now? Not necessarily...

I find that there is still a strong desire in my heart to adopt the “bible promise book” mentality I spoke of in my introduction to this series. I want to hold onto the promise that “all that I do will prosper” above all the rest of the prohibitions and cautions, but the psalmist will not let me. I have access to that blessing only to the extent that I delight in God’s word and keep it close in meditation. The great english preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon says it well:

“How few among us can lay claim to the benediction (blessing) of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you - Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God's Word? Do you make it the man of your right hand - your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing does not belong to you."

from the “Treasury of David - Psalm 1”

Martin Luther also drives this home:
"...one does not meditate on the law of the Lord unless his delight was first fixed in it. For what we want and love, on that we reflect inwardly and diligently... Therefore let delight be first sent into the heart as the root, and then meditation will come o fits own accord."

from “Luther’s Works - Vol. 10 - Lectures on the Psalms”

Delight is much more than duty

I would take Luther’s comments a small step further to say that unless we delight first and foremost in Jesus we will not delight in his word. The scripture reveals the glory of the Father in the face of Jesus Christ through the illumination of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 3:18-4:6). Jesus is the only man who has ever, or will ever, fulfill the righteous requirements of Psalm 1. He has never walked in the counsel of the wicked, stood with sinners or sat with scoffers. He delights in the law as the one who inspired it (Jn 1:1). As such, he experiences the fullest blessing possible as an eternally fruitful, everlasting tree of truth and righteousness. To be in the truth of the word is to be in Christ. Apart from him there is no truth at all.

I have a tendency to work from the outside in; to first ask, “what should I do?” before I ask, “who should I be?” But to “delight” in God’s word requires much more than a regular “quiet time” or daily devotional reading of the scripture. This could be a part of it but to delight requires a change in heart that is only possible through the the Holy Sprit. It means that we value, love, desire and take pleasure in the word. When this happens is becomes perfectly natural to meditate on scripture day and night. It also follows that what we do in that state would prosper as our hearts are unified with Jesus.

The Challenge

I would challenge you to ask the hard question, “where do I truly delight?” Ask the Spirit to search your heart for anything you delight in before Jesus and His word. Ask the Spirit to show you how to walk away from those idols and to place an insatiable desire for God’s word in their place. This is the heart of Psalm 1, Psalms 2-150 and the whole of Scripture.

Heavenly Father... Open the eyes of my heart that I might truly see your glory revealed in Jesus by the Holy Spirit in the pages of Scripture. Reveal anything that opposes this and give me a deep delight in Your word. Grant that Jesus, as revealed in Your word, would be my deepest source of satisfaction, rest, comfort, pleasure and identity. Remind me that anything that prospers in my life ultimately comes from You. Amen.

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It’s not all about you...

When we look to the Psalms first and foremost to console and validate ourselves, we selfishly put ourself at the center of the purpose of scripture. Instead we must first ask what is the Psalmist praying and, most of all, what does it tell us about Jesus. In his excellent little book “The Prayerbook of the Bible” Dietrich Bonhoeffer says:

“If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible, and especially the Psalms, we must not, therefore, first ask what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ... Thus it does not matter whether the Psalms express exactly what we feel in our heart at the moment we pray. Perhaps it is precisely the case that we must pray against our own heart in order to pray rightly. It is not just that for which we ourselves want to pray that is important, but that for which God wants us to pray.”

The Psalms are all about Jesus...

In Christ the Psalms take on a whole new meaning. Jesus is truth incarnate (Jn 14:6) and as such there is no truth apart from Him. We are called to view all of scripture, both old and new testament, as by Him, through Him and for Him (Col 1:16). Martin Luther even went as far as to say:

“Every prophecy and every prophet must be understood as referring to Christ the Lord, except where it is clear from plain words that someone else is spoken of. For thus He Himself says: ‘Search the scriptures, ... and it is they that bear witness to Me’ (John 5:39)... “

Jesus speaks directly to this when, after his resurrection, He taught the disciples that the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms all taught about Him (Matt. 24:44).

However, Jesus not only inspired the Psalms to be written, he also identified with them in his humanity. Jesus sang the songs of lament and abandonment more deeply than any other human being ever will. He bore the wrath of God and the sin of the world in our place as he suffered on the cross. And, rising victorious over Satan, sin and death, he proclaims the Psalms of praise inviting us to do the same. Jesus lived the full range of human experience and he did it all to the glory of His Father. He is the perfect worshipper and the fulfillment of all the Psalms.

Three questions to unlock the Psalms...

So, when we come to the Psalms, there are always three narratives at work: that of the Psalmist, that of Jesus and then our own story. We must ask what is the Psalmist praying, then what is Jesus praying and, only then, what should we pray in response.

I invite you to dig in deeply to the book of praises. That is exactly the purpose of the book; the the word Psalms is literally translated "praises". I invite you to dig in to the heart and mind of the Psalmist. I invite you to wrestle with how Jesus experiences the same things to the continuous glory of His Father. And I invite you to be transformed as your heart is unified with His. Only then do we begin to understand the message of the Psalms.

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Church-kid syndrome...

Growing up as a total church kid I remember having a “bible promise book”. It was a small, hardback book filled with various situations and bible verses to address each one. If you were depressed it took you to something like Psalm 10 which begins, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?” If you were struck by the beauty of creation it would cite Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God...” If you found yourself impressed by the music of Arcade Fire go to Psalm 150, “Praise the Lord... with... trumpet... lute... harp.. tambourine... strings... pipes... cymbals!”

Not Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul

I think that many of us approach the book of Psalms in a very similar way. In many ways we use the book as a sort of “Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul” as we look for a Psalm to comfort or validate what we are feeling at any point in time. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach at first glance. Certainly it is not wrong to seek solace and comfort in the scripture. However, if we look at the Psalms exclusively from this narrow perspective, we sacrifice two very important truths; without which we may just loose the meaning of the entire book.

The sum is greater than the parts...

When we look at the Psalms one at a time to validate or console our emotions, we miss the message of the Psalms as a whole. The Psalms engage with the entire human condition and they do it all to the glory of God.

From Psalms of lament, sorrow, abandonment and betrayal to Psalms of praise, thanksgiving, joy and celebration; the Psalms cover it all. Across the entire book there is a movement from lament to praise. You see the theme of lament in the opening 20 or so Psalms, culminating in Psalm 22 which Jesus quoted in his moment of ultimate loneliness, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

We also see songs of joyful praise gathered at the end of the book in Psalms 145-150 with the final verse of the book resounding, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” In the middle we have Psalms of confession (Ps. 51), Psalms of righteous anger and a desire for justice (Ps. 3:7 and many more), Psalms beholding the glory of creation (Ps. 19, 104), as well as Psalms of thanksgiving, celebration, deliverance and hope.

In all these expressions, from “praise the Lord” to “break the teeth of the wicked” we believe that every word is inspired by God Himself and they are all for his glory. Therefore, anyone seeking God’s glory in their life must take the whole book of Psalms into account. When we take the book as a whole we are forced to wrestle with things we would otherwise avoid.

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