Just found this over at Samshua. Quite possible the most hilarious and distrbing song of all time.
As you listen to the song, you’ll see that saying God is sovoriegn yet gives us a free will is such an oxymoron. These people sing about God?s control and power and glory over everything and then say that God is ultimately powerless with us because He has given us free will. Some of the most disturbing lines…
“This next song gives us God’s perspective on the freedom that he gives us.”
“I could demand your love – I own you twice”
Lyrics courtesy of jvmoore
I Give You Freedom (The Whippoorwill Song)
I set the boundries of the ocean vast,
Carved out the mountains from the distant past,
Moulded a man from the miry clay,
Breathed in him life, but he went astray.CHORUS:
I own the cattle on a thousand hills,
I write the music for the whippoorwills,
Control the planets with their rocks and rills,
But give you freedom to use your own will.And if you want Me to, I?ll make you whole,
I?ll only do it tho? if you say so.
I?ll never force you, for I love you so,
I give you freedom – Is it ?yes? or ?no??I hold the waters in My mighty hand
Spread out the heavens with a single span,
Make all creation tremble at My voice,
But My own children come to Me by choice.
(chorus)Even the oxen knows the master?s stall,
And sheep will recognize the shepherd?s call
I could demand your love – I own you twice,
But only willing love is worth the price!
(chorus)My holy word now I give to you,
As a shining lamp to guide you through,
My yoke is easy and My burden is light,
Keep looking up, your Heavenly home?s in sight.
(chorus)
What the heck is a “whippoorwill”?
By the way, I tried to listen to the song. But the bad singing on top of the bad theology was just too much torture.
Whip-poor-will is a BIRD
The Whip-poor-will or whippoorwill, Caprimulgus vociferus, is a medium-sized (22-27 cm) nightjar, a type of nocturnal bird. The Whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen. It is named onomatopoetically after its call.
In New England, legend says the Whip-poor-will can sense a soul departing, and can capture it as it flees. This is used as a plot device in H.P. Lovecraft’s story The Dunwich Horror
So… not sovereign? Or no free will? Or none of the above because I misunderstood?
I’m thinking (c)…
;-)
where is the mute button on this thing??
I fully enjoyed this song! It is a joy to know that God loves us and yet gives us freedom to make choices. I know it is possible to be more powerful and still give freedom, because in a marriage a man is stronger than his lady, but he can love her and still give her the freedom to be who she is. For true love includes freedom. I wouldn’t really love someone if they demanded it from me!
Went looking for this song just love it. Heard it on Rejoice Radio Keep up the good work for the Lord.
only those that truly know God and have experienced His love for us can understand that He does not demand obedience, yet He expects it. But a Holy God can demand it, because He is perfect and His desire is for us to be obedient. If you have never had an experience with Jesus, trusting Him for your salvation, you will never know Him as He wants you to. Imagine an all powerful God who is capable of anything except sin, now imagine a perfect, loving Being who wants your fellowship and your followship. How would you get someone to do what you wanted. Salvation can be turned in slavation just by moving one letter. By forcing one letter out of place, you change the idea of the first word into something totally unintended. If you truly love something set it free, no matter what it costs. If it returns, you have true love, if you force it out of place you have slavation. The mere reminder of who you are and what you have done should be enough to give light to the object of your affection. Obedience is something to be expected from a perspective of love not judgment. However, you reap what you sow, judgment from disobedience, from the choices you make. Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived, for God is not mocked, for whatsoever an man soweth, that shall he also reap.” you can choose your sin, but you cannot choose the consequences.
archshrk responds: I think a good follow up on this post can be found here – Once saved, always saved.
The longer I know the Lord, and the more I understand about His character, and the true meaning of things in the Bible, the more I realize how many things in the Christian life seem to be oxymorons. But they are such beautiful truths, showing the tender love of God, and His desires for a relationship with us. If He wanted to, He could program all the people in this world to obey Him, but what pleasure would there be in a universe full of robots that love and obey you without wanting to? “Only willing love is worth the price.” Think about it- would you rather have a robot that walks around all day saying, “I love you” and does everything you tell it to do, or have a person that chooses to love you and obey you?
This is an important issue to struggle over and think about because of its vast implications. Of us who are of the reformed theology, will reject this song, and its “Theology” and the “Free willers” as I like to call them, will sing this song and gloryify God. While it is good to gloryify God, I want to remind everyone that Mulsims believe they are glorifying God through there worship of Allah, and their 5 pillars of faith. They are bringing Glory to their false god so to speak, however, the glory is meaningless because it isn’t a correct understanding of God. So everyone who thinks they have this issue hammered out and is obsessed with a man salvation centered view of the word, and is quick to tell God how he is most glorified (I.E. through our free choice of choosing him) please note that the bible doesn’t say that. We have choices and our choices matter, but lets not forget that the Bible calls us the “Chosen, not the choosers.” We must find joy in the way the Bible represents scripture and God, and look to reconcile that within our sinful, vile hearts. Also, if it is all us choosing, then I would have to disagree with that being in line with God’s love, and glorifying him. If we can will our selves to beleive, which Romans 3:9-18 really rules out, then we are not reliant on God for faith, which once again is called a gift which is received, AND NOT TAKEN, beacause if it was taken then it would not be a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9) The Bible in my opinion represents us giving God glory through our 100% dependence on him for everything! Phil 2:12-13. I pray God uses this post to affect you free willers out there, and I hope you come to a God glorifying conclusion, which I don’t feel I am qualified to discern, because hey, I’m just a man. But one of the best lessions that an Elder told me was to quit argueing with my mind, and start argueing with scripture. That being said I pray you all have a God glorifying day.
From the first time I sang this song as a camp counselor, my eyes swell up with tears until they stream down my face at the words
(To not confuse the children they sing it in the third person–so we are singing about God, not as God.) I begin to weep because God is such a gentleman. He never forces Himself on anyone. He let me go my own way in drugs, alcohol, cars and women for 22 years. It was not until I responded to his gentle leadings that I committed my life to Christ and He has freed me from all my addictions. The little camper sitting next to me saw the tears streaming off my face and asked “are you okay?” All I could choke out without bursting was “I love God.”
Christopher, I’m glad to hear your love of God is so heartfelt. And I don’t want to take anything away from your testimony, because I believe God uses our sinful nature to reveal our need for him.
Since the fall of Adam, we have been unable to seek after God because our sinful nature simply cannot obey. Your will is the servant of your heart, and your heart is evil. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). “There is NONE that doeth good, no, not one” (Rom 3:12). No power forces man to sin contrary to his will, but the descendants of Adam are so evil that they always choose the evil.
The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (See also 1Corinthians 2:14). But when we are born again, by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to not sin, for “sin will have no dominion over you” (Romans 6:14). Note that I did not say we would never sin, but that we are finally able to not sin (vs. sin continuously)
One of the biggest arguments against this position (which is the position of God’s Sovereignty) is that we are not robots. They ask, “how is it love if it isn’t a choice” but if we praise God for being good and hate the devil for being evil (which is their nature), then why should we treat our nature any different?
God overcomes our resistance, gives us life, wakens our dead inclination for Christ, and freely and irresistibly draws us to himself (John 6:44, 65; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 2:5; 2 Timothy 2:25-26). We can not and will not seek after God of our own will. So God, in his infinite sovereignty, changes our heart so that we can and will seek after him.
I’ll probably expand on this further in a post soon, but until then, you may want to read Walter Chantry’s Myth of Free Will.
I will leave you with this thought. If our will is free, what is it free from? Every decision we make is influenced by something – something we don’t control. When God makes a decision, it is free of any outside influence and is purely made of his free will.
To believe we can resist God’s calling, says that he is not sovereign and thus, unworthy of worship. But to recognize his power over all creation, recognizes his irresistible grace.
I can’t understand why the idea of God being sovereign and yet giving us free will is seen as a conflicting idea or even an oxymoron. Don’t parents have total sovereignty over their children and yet they choose to give them free and let them choose their own way in many areas of their lives? God can control anything and anyone he wants to and he would even have the right to do so. However he chooses not to control us, but rather lets us choose our own way.