Okay, so this song may not exactly be your cup of tea. Frankly, this band isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. From the way their music is produced/written to the thinking behind their lyrics, Showbread tends to be a little edgier than most, even if they’re not even what one might call “hardcore.” But their lyrics always cause me to think, and today’s song is no exception. The opening track to their album “Who Can Know It?”, “A Man With A Hammer” is a song that sums up the gospel of Jesus in a way that leaves some people uncomfortable. The verses talk about people doing horrible things, while the chorus speaks of being set free by a God who loved us before we could ever love Him.
The first time, I didn’t like the song. It made me uneasy. Who could want to forgive a man who kills his family, or a woman who cheats on her husband? It doesn’t seem fair, it doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t appeal to my INFJ sense of justice. But then I realize the things that I have done are all the same in God’s eyes; the hateful thoughts I’ve had toward people and the way I’ve viewed them as inconveniences like the woman who sought an abortion. To God, I am the murderer, the liar, the cheat, the whore.
Thus, I realize three things to be true. Firstly, I could never, by any of my own means, appease God. I am guilty and His justice is absolute. On my own, I’m eternally doomed. Secondly, the love of God poured out on the cross through Jesus to all people is the only thing that can wash me clean. Thirdly, I have been ransomed by His love for me. I can rest knowing that He came and found me, and that if I stay close to Him, I’ll never find myself lost.
I hope this song can encourage you as much as it does me.
Lyrics:
A man at home with a hammer in hand
Is thinking about his life
Deciding that it would be best
To kill his children and his wife
A woman at home with a ring on her finger
Is thinking about herself
Her husband is a good man
But she has sex with someone else
Oh the thought of what sets a person free
Before I could ever love you back
You gave Your love to me
Now I see my sentencing reprieve
You offer me your everything
Even though I am still me
A woman with lots of money
Whose plans were left in doubt
Because of the baby in her womb
So she pays to have its brain sucked out
A man in desperation
A girl in his bed
She doesn’t want to make love
So she will get raped instead
Oh the thought of what sets a person free
Before I could ever love you back
You gave Your love to me
Now I see my sentencing reprieve
You offer me your everything
Even though I am still me
Thieves and liars
Murderers and whores
Homosexuals, extortionists
Pedophiles, abortionists
Junkies and rapists
Adulterers and terrorists
Every woman, every man
All ransomed by Your love for them
Epitome of Toast 