I am reading a defense of singing the Psalms, written by J.G. Vos.  He makes excellent points for the retaining of the Psalms and their appropriation for worship in the church of Jesus Christ.  The first point Vos makes is the historicity of God’s dealings and how redemption is always concrete.  He writes,

The history of Israel was a history of redemption by the almighty power of God; it was a history of overcoming powerful enemies by the almighty power of God.  The enemies were real; they were contemporary manifestations of Satan’s kingdom.  They were terribly real.  But they were crushed by the wonder working power of almighty God, the covenant God, Jehovah, the God of Israel. This was the importance of Zeba and Zalmunna.

Our religion today, if it is Biblical Christianity, is a religion of overcoming powerful enemies by the supernatural, almighty power of God.  We should always think, when we read or sing about Zeba and Zalmunna, of how salvation is not be our might, nor by our power, but by the almighty power, the supernatural grace, of God.

Evil is not abstract, but concrete; it is identified with particular persons.  To destroy the evil, the persons must be dealt with by God’s almighty power and righteous judgment…

It is important to remind ourselves that Christianity is a historical religion, carried through the generations and conquering real peoples’ hearts and transforming lives.  Along with this is the concrete confrontation that takes place.  May we never deal with vague people about vague needs but strive to touch hearts and lives with the Gospel’s power.