Dr Paul Allen

The Bible isn’t a songbook, but did you know there are at least 185 songs in the Bible? Battles, coronations, funerals, cities being sacked, and seas splitting up—you can find songs in the Bible for all kinds of occasions. Granted, 150 of these songs are in the book of Psalms , which actually is a songbook. But you can find 35ish more songs, chants, dirges, and hymns scattered across the Old and New Testaments . (I say 37ish because some of those songs are very similar to Psalms, and other pieces of poetry may or may not have been sung.) I’ve pulled those non-Psalms together in one place for your reference. Your worship leader will probably give you a high five if you share this with them. =) We’ll kick things off with a few stats about the songs in the Bible, then examine each of the non-psalms one by one. And just in case you’re curious, you’re welcome to check out the piece I wrote on the different kinds of Psalms . Only 185? Well … You may read through these and notice a few

Image via Wikipedia "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." ( Luke 1:46-47 ) Two Jewish ladies, each carrying children recently conceived, met to discuss their circumstances. Perhaps billions of mothers, before and since, have had similar encounters, but since this meeting between Mary and Elizabeth was so special and precious, perhaps we can all profit by its study. The first thing we notice is that their conversation turned immediately to God, to praise of Him for His goodness and grace. No doubt each one experienced all the common difficulties and discomforts of these months, but chose instead to dwell on their blessings and the greatness of God. Mary especially, in the discourse introduced by our text, burst forth in a torrent of praise, singing of the virtues of her Savior and reveling in His grace ( vv. 46-55 ). He had chosen her despite her unworthiness. Her present misunderstood circumstances were not in vi