By and large, the lyrics to this song are amazing! But two phrases have caused a bit of debate:
“Cause praise is the waters my enemies drown in.”
and
“Oh, my praise is the shout that brings Jericho down.”
As someone who prefers a more literal approach to lyrics and also one who doesn’t prefer to sing about Old Testament miracles as being prescriptive for us today, I struggled with these lyrics. Not in the sense that I thought they were unbiblical, but they didn’t resonate with me at all, and they certainly clashed with my preference. I also know the dangers of reading ourselves into Scripture and the “Jericho” line in particular struck the wrong chord with me. I simply feel new Christians may be misled into thinking their praise can speak things into existence or, in this case, out of existence. Side note: This is where solid, orthodox bible teaching can bring out the strength of a lyric like this and guard against the danger. We don’t have to avoid these lyrics if our teachers/pastors are properly expositing the word. 😉
If you’re at all in the same boat as me, maybe my perspective will help. I’ve decided to think about the lines in the following way, and I’m quite comfortable with my conclusion (i.e., I’m not begrudgingly settling on this.):
“Cause praise is the waters my enemies drown in”
First, let’s settle it at the outset: We aren’t saying that we want our enemies to literally drown. I doubt the writers meant it this way, and I certainly don’t when I’m singing it. To mean that would be a clear contradiction of the New Testament command to love and pray for our enemies (Matthew 5).
The line is metaphorical; this is my interpretation:
Praising God when people around me vehemently oppose God and his statutes is beneficial to me and is a faithful witness to Christ. It’s beneficial to me in that my praise and obedience drowns out the noise they make, and teaches me disciplined worship and devotion to God. It’s a witness to them because it shows my Holy Spirit-enabled devotion to the Lord and that I am willing to walk the walk, despite their attempts to malign him and me. This may help them see that our God is real and alive, and they should take time to consider what this means for the present and eternity.
“Oh, my praise is the shout that brings Jericho down”
I think it’s critically important to understand that our praise doesn’t do anything in and of itself. It’s not the power of our praise; it’s the power of the God we are praising! The story of Jericho highlights the importance of heart-motivated belief and obedience in the Christian’s life. When we obey God because we love and trust God, we are clearly in the will of God. Being in the will of God (i.e., walking by the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5) brings peace, victory and joy, even in the midst of trial and adversity. In this context, trial and adversity can be likened to Jericho. It’s important to embrace that it’s not the outcome that matters; it’s trusting, obeying and loving God despite the outcome—that’s real victory (John 16:33, 1 Thes 5:16-18, Paul’s entire ministry, etc.). And that’s a large part of our Christian walk: simply trusting and praising God through our circumstances, which this song also sings about. Love it!
Significant side note not related to the lyrics
I have spoken with many people who struggle with the performance-driven style of Elevation Worship’s most recent offerings. I’m having a difficult time with this as well. At the same time, I am trying to be more charitable in these situations than I have in the past. As such, I’ve taken more time to consider this before coming to a conclusion or judgment. Here are my thoughts.
I’m sure because the cameras are always on them, it’s hard to resist “looking the part”, as this environment appeals directly to our flesh and pride. In my view, the words of the songs say one thing; but the actions, at times (read: NOT ALL THE TIME) say “look at me, look at us.” The rowdiness and the constant interaction between band members reminds me of a rock concert. Of course, I may feel differently if I actually spent time with them and knew them as people. I realize this. I’m simply sharing what I’ve been feeling the last few years. Transparency is important.
Here’s how I am dealing with this: I, too, love to express joy by singing, shouting and moving. Without doubt, I believe the believer has the liberty for expression in worship, provided it’s motivated by a love for God; a joy over who he is and what he’s done in redemption; a gladness to be singing with his people; and a desire to have all we do point to Christ. By default, this means our expression must be governed by the fruits of the Spirit. I’m simply cautioning against emulating their style of worship in the attempt to “look the part.”
The danger is in looking and acting a certain way from a place of idolatry and pride, rather than the way we look and act simply being a result of genuine expression in worship.
I try to keep the constraints I mentioned at the forefront:
- Love for God
- Joy over who he is and what he’s done in redemption
- Gladness to be singing with his people
- A desire to point people to Christ
- Governed by the fruits of the Spirit
If you’re struggling with this like I am, I hope it’s helpful to know you’re not alone. In the end, I can’t at all judge their style of expression; it’s not sinful. I also can’t judge the hearts of the individuals, despite the overall theme of Elevation’s public ministry being prosperity-gospel focused. They’re not rolling on the ground, convulsing, screaming uncontrollably or any of the other expressions that are clearly in contradiction to the fruits of the Spirit. If it ever comes to that, a line must be drawn.
I try to force empathy and charity by creating the following scenario: If a few of my good friends, who I know belong to God and believe true things about him, acted in a similar way, I wouldn’t doubt the authenticity behind their actions. This is because I know them and, based on the fruit in their lives which comes from an orthodox understanding of Scripture, I conclude they believe in and belong to the one true God; it’s really that simple.
In the end, this is a case of my personal preferences colliding with another’s. In these situations, it’s my responsibility to be charitable. I also know that the truth contained in the song is God’s truth; it doesn’t belong to man. I don’t care what the intent is—if the lyrics are God’s truth, I’m completely okay with singing the song with God’s people.
My goal in bringing this up was to be transparent with my struggles in hopes of helping someone else who may be feeling a similar way. I hope it did just that.
Coram Deo,
Troy, GuitarforHISGLORY
Hi Troy, I am glad you expressed your feelings and outlined them as well as you did. I am 67 years old, a worship musician, thus from an old school mindset and have also struggled with performance based worship. I have heard this preached often and have taken the approach that when we are at sport events we can get really emotionally loud and expressive as well as if we were at a rock concert. We love the music loud and ‘get into the music’. And I resolve myself to think as Christians, we have all the more reason to get excited about our faith than any of the afore mentioned, so why shouldn’t we express ourselves in that way? It’s true what you said we don’t know many of those that perform these songs, but as long as it’s done with a heart of keeping God first and bringing glory to Him, I guess that’s what really matters. And many are coming to God being blessed by these bands and their songs. So who am I to judge? Thank you for your post, it helped my resolve to hear your perspective.
And thank you for your guitar tutorials, they are my first choice in watching to learn new songs. It beats having to decipher the parts myself and takes hours off of my learning! Blessings and keep up the good work!!
Thanks for this comment, my brother. This was very encouraging. I apologize for the late reply. I didn’t realize there was a comment section. 🤣
Hey Troy,
First thank you for your work for the Kingdom. Many churches are blessed because of the work you do, mine included.
I wanted to give a slightly different approach to this discussion by approaching the lyrics from a little different angle. in my opinion (which is just that, an opinion), i think this song and these specific lyrics may be coming from a more biblical POV than some are seeing. The term ‘my enemies’ seems to be stirring people up but the confusion seems to stem from who our enemies are. Something important to remember is to keep all of scripture in mind and take everything within context. Humans are not our enemies (even those who do harm toward us). If a human becomes an enemy we have lost sight of the driving force behind what caused the human to do whatever it was that made us think of them as an enemy in the first place.
Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Scripture also give a clear message, even in the NT, that we are to resist the devil (our true enemy), that we should not give him any place in our lives (James 4:27), and that we should put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6). While none of these specifically say the words ‘fight’ the enemy it does give a clear indication that we are fighting an enemy and should do so, just not humans. Some have taken the song to encourage violence and as such have decided its unscriptural, however, taken within the context of satan and his demons being our enemies, and within the context of God inhabiting the praises of His people, along with the idea of God coming in like a flood (Isaiah 59:19 with the comma adjusted slightly), it is easy to see the our enemies need to be met with an overwhelming response that floods them with a praise that they cannot understand. If our enemies (remember satan and demons) aren’t met with force and defeated then we will be forced into surrender. Just a thought. Thanks again for your work in the Kingdom. Be blessed!
Hey dude! Sorry for the late reply. I didn’t realize comments were turned on for these blogs. Just stumbled on that. Thanks a bunch for writing this out. It seems we had a similar approach to this one.
what are the effects your using to this song praise elevation
Hello there! I explain the effects I use in the video. Have you watched it?
Hi Quinton (I agree with Troy, too, but this is really a reply to Quinton),
I think you are spot on with what the Bible has to say about the “Praise” lyrics (“waters my enemies drown in” and “my praise is the shout that brings Jericho down”).
Our enemy is a spiritual one… even when we are talking about praying for our enemies (as in people), the problem is not that person, the problem is their free will decision to follow the devil or to purposely fall into the devil’s trap because of “our own evil desires” (James 1:13-15). Those bad decisions will be dealt with by God (Romans 12:19), not us. If God wants to use our voices of praise as a symbolic weapon to change someone’s heart or instruct them towards a better way, that’s His business. Our job is to praise/worship God.
When I lead songs/worship, I always try to make sure I do not lead anyone down a wrong path with bad theology. The Bible is full of poetry, symbolism, parables and such. So certainly, the idea of using poetic license is not a new one. Psalm 106:9-12 speaks of water covering adversaries, and Israelites singing praise as something that really happened. Certainly, the story could have ended differently if the elements of praise and obedience were rejected by the Israelites prior to their crossing of the Red Sea.
When we praise God with our lives, we are obedient disciples, we are in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27 and Romans 6:1-11), we are a part of His body (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14). This means we stand up for Christ as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Scripture gives us plenty of leeway within these types of commands on how to represent Him. There are many methods we can use to resist the devil, and keep from being misled, as long as we walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7) and do all (words and deeds) in the name of the Lord (Colossians 3:17), obeying Christ’s commands (Matthew 28:19-20).
God’s Holy Spirit gives disciples of Christ a variety of Spiritual gifts which are to be used for the building up of His body and His kingdom. Praising God is a vital tool Christians use to express our faith in Jesus as the Son of God and our only hope. Certainly the powers of darkness can feel God drowning them in our praise of the One who gives us hope.
It is never the job of a disciple of Christ to use violence on our enemies (Romans 12:19), whether you’re talking about those who mistreat you, or the dark powers behind them. It is clearly God’s power that wins spiritual battles just as happened in the fall of Jericho, Jonah and the big fish, the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, and David defeating Goliath. The obedient Christian is just along for the victorious ride.
Here are just a few verses that provide support for the lyrics of “Praise” and direction for spiritual warfare:
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Matthew 10:32-34 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. 34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Ephesians 5:15-20 15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:16 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Ephesians 4:27 Do not give the devil a foothold.
James 4:7 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Corinthians 15:58 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
Ephesians 5:7 Do not partner with them.
Romans 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Philippians 4:4-8 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.