CHURCH HYMNS’ HAVE FALLEN ON HARD TIMES. SOME ARE TRYING DESPERATELY TO RESUSCITATE THEM OR TRYING TO RESURRECT THEM DEPENDS ON HOW YOU READ THE HYMN’S VITAL SIGNS. SOME ARE SIMPLY WAITING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR PASTORS TO PRONOUNCE HYMNS DEAD, AND ANNOUNCE PRAISE AND WORSHIP AS THE NEW LEADER OF OUR WORSHIP SERVICES. I’M NOT SURE IF WE CAN RESURRECT THEM OR RESUSCITATE THEM OR EVEN IF IT’S TIME TO PRONOUCE PRAISE AND WORSHIP AS THE NEW LEADER. THE REASON IS BECAUSE THE HYMNS HAVE SO MUCH POWER AND POTENTIAL, BUT I THINK THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH SOME OF THE CHURCH’S HYMNS IS THE TEMPO. PERHAPS IF WE COULD PICK UP THE TEMPO A BIT, THE WORDS WOULD HAVE THE SAME IMPACT ON THIS GENERATION THAT IT HAD ON PAST GENERATIONS. “I LOVE THE LORD, HE HEARD MY CRIES, AND PITIED MY EVERY GROAN” THAT CAN SPEAK TO ANY GENERATION. “GUIDE ME O, THOU GREAT JEHOVAH.” MY CHILDREN NEED TO FEEL THE WAVES OF SECURITY THAT HYMNS FLOODS INTO ONE’S SOUL. WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH THE HYMNS OF THE CHURCH, WHO HOLDS OUR HISTORY IN HER ARMS, DO WE TAKE THE EXAMPLE OF THE WORLD AND KEEP THE PAST IN THE PAST AND PUT THE HYMNS OUT TO PASTURE? WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH THE HYMNS, SHOULD WE ALLOW HER TO TEACH OUR YOUTH HOW TO SING A SONG, FULL OF THE FAITH THAT THE DARK PAST HAS TAUGHT US? NOW I DIDN’T MAKE THAT SUGGESTION UP, I THINK IF WE COULD LEARN FROM ISRAEL AND THEIR ANCIENT HYMNBOOK WE CAN RETAIN THE WORDS EVEN IF WE CAN’T RETAIN THE MUSIC AND THE TEMPO. THIS IS WHAT THE BOOK OF PSALMS REPRESENTS FOR ANCIENT ISRAEL. THEY ARE HYMNS WITHOUT THE MUSIC. THE TEMPO HAS BEEN LOST AND ALL THAT REMAINS ARE THE LYRICS, BUT THEY ARE SO MUCH MORE NOW THEY ARE INSPIRED WORDS, AND HAVE AN IMPACTED OF GENERATIONS AFTER GENERATION.
DAVID WANTED TO SHARE WITH ALL BELIEVERS IN ALL TIMES A LESSON, AN IMPORTANT LESSON THAT HE LEARNED AND EVERY BELIEVER NEED TO KNOW. HE COMMUNICATES THIS IMPORTANT LESSON IN THE FORM OF A HYMN. IN THIS WAY THE LESSON COULD BE EASILY LEARNED AND RETAINED, LIKE LEARNING YOUR ALPHABET BY SINGING THE ABC SONG. THIS LESSON OF DAVID IS RECORDED IN PSALM 124.
(READ PSALM 124 – LISTEN TO THIS HYMN WITHOUT MUSIC, THIS PSALM OF DAVID)
After returning home, after the parade and the award ceremonies. After hearing all the people talk about not only his bravery but the bravery of his men. People were saying, “What a leader, what a general, what a great strategic mind David has.” The women was singing and teaching their children to sing the praise of David and David’s men. They were brave, they were courageous, and they were valiant. Once David got back home and was alone and had time to think about the battle. Once David had time to reflect of the previous experience, he knew it was not his bravery, nor his plans, not even his leadership that had gotten them the victory. Alone, a dark cloud settles in David’s mind, bringing a certain aftershock of fear and dread. Questions race through his mind, what could have been, how things could have turned out, how close they were from been utterly destroyed, what was the turning point in the battle? As David reflected he recognized that it was not their bravery, their courage nor their valiant effort. As David sat there in the dark, David pondered in his mind that it was not his planning, because many times he had to think on his feet, it was not his leadership, because there were times he just yelled, “I’ll go, even if I have to go all by myself”. No, as David brood over the previous day’s journals a cool breeze of clarity blew away those dark clouds of fear and dread. It was like seeing a rainbow after the heavy rains. David knew what the difference was and he want Israel to know it.
David reflects over the battle and the Provincial Protection of the Lord, and question what made their great escape possible. To express this David used Litotes. Litotes is an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary or stating the negative to express the positive. The most famous Litotes is in the Model Prayer, “Lead us not into Temptation” stating the negative to express the positive meaning, “Lead us away from temptation.” Or Luke when he described Paul missionary journey in the book of Acts, “Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.” Meaning there were a lot of Greek men and women. Or Jesus used John 6, All that the father has given to me, will come to me, and they that come to me, I will not cast away” meaning those that the father gives to Jesus he will preserve, He will hold on to, He will retain. That’s a Litotes stating the negative to express the positive. I overheard a couple of ladies in the Elevator one day. One said, "So your daughter is getting married what kind of man is he?" The other said, "Yes, he is a recent graduate from the universary and have accepted a great paying position at the computer company. They are suppose to buy a house in the suburbs, I’m happy for her." "But what kind of man is he?" "He’s not a bad fellow" That’s a Litotes, stating the negative to express the positive. David expressed this in Litotes; “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side” stating the negative to express the positive, “The Lord was on our side”.
Principle: When we reflect over our lives we can see the hand of God springing the traps that the enemy has set. When David Reflected over his situation he saw the Provincial Protection of the Lord
Application: When we reflect over our lives and really think things over, we should see the Provincial Protection of the Lord. The presence of God on our side in some of our heated battles.
If some of us who have been married for more than a minute was honest with some young couple we would have to admit that it was not because of our leadership, nor our strategic planning. Some parent whose child is grown and gone was honest would have to admit that it was not because of our parenting skills nor our disciple policy. This church should reflect over the last couple of years and see the Provincial Protection of the Lord and like the psalmist when we reflect together, we see that there were some situations that could have trapped us, should have, and would have trapped us, if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side. When we look back, when we reflect, we see times when defeat was sure, destruction was certain, our enemies were on the attack, but the unseen hand of God was on our side. If it hand not been for the Lord, who was on our side we would not have escaped.
SECOND MOVE: DAVID REALIZE THE ENEMY SETS TRAPS
In verses 3-5 David gives graphic description of life void of the presence of God. He begins verses 3-5 with “Then” – If Then If the LORD, Then our Enemies: a conditional clause, how you handle one has a direct affect on the how you will handle the other. How successful your enemies is in your life depends on how your relationship with the Lord. If the Lord had not protected us, Then our enemies would have swallowed us up alive. If the Lord had not been our levees, Then the flood would have swept us away. If the Lord had not been on our side, Then we would surely fail. Many of us need constant reminders in our lives that without God we will surely fail. All our hard work, our strategic planning, our leadership and our follower-ship will not be enough. We have to sure that we are on the Lord’s side, and the Lord is on our side. Because if the Lord is not on our side then when we face these same devastating possibilities, then we face these same overwhelming odds we will be overtaken. We can get all caught up and forget that we have a real enemy. This real enemy doesn’t care if you are male or female, he don’t care if you are black or white, democrat or republican. This real enemy doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, live in Del Valle or in Pflugerville. All this real enemy care about is you are a child of God, All he cares about is you on the Lord’s side. If you are on his side he doesn’t care, if you are sitting on the sidelines he doesn’t care but if you are on the Lord’s side, he cares and is waiting to attack, seeking to devour, plotting to destroy you. This real enemy is a trap setter, this real enemy is a ditch digger, and this real enemy loves to bait and switch. This real enemy is setting you up for a fall; fatten you up for the kill, and building you up for a let down. We can’t see him until it is too late, we can’t see his tricks until it too late, we can’t see his deceit, often until it is too late.
David realize that their escape from the snares of their enemies, their escape from the traps of the trapper, their avoiding the net of the hunter was not because of their wit or their cleverness but because if the Lord was not on their side, then they would have been trapped, If the Lord was not on their side then they would have been clutched If it had not been for the Lord on their side then they would have been tangled in the net of the hunter. In Proverb there is a bit of wisdom that says, “The net is not spread in the sight of the bird.” Simply, even a bird brain would avoid a snare if they saw it. The Bird knows this and the Trapper knows that too.
Principle: Behind the trap is the trapper, behind the net is the hunter, behind the snare is the enemy, and behind the lie is the one who is the liar from the beginning. David wanted Israel and every believer to realize the Provincial Protection of the Lord saved them from certain destruction from their enemy.
Application: The enemy knows that we will not fall into traps, snares, nets or lies that we can see, so the enemy sets traps, snares, nets or lies in such a way that we cannot see. We have to depend on the Lord to lead us away from traps, provide an escape hatch for us. Believers should realize the Provincial Protection of the Lord can save us from the traps of the Enemy.
THIRD MOVE DAVID RESPONDS
After David Reflects on their situation and Realizes that the Lord delivered them from the Evil One. David begins to Praise, David Responds by saying “Blessed be the Lord”. While David is sitting in that darken room, alone, he wanted to share this message, because he knows the history books would record a great victory that day. The history books would not tell the whole story. David knew that the history books would only record the events but not the lessons. David didn’t want to write history but a hymn. Without musical accompaniment David wanted to write the words, the lines, and lyrics of this hymn to teach generations after generations how they should respond to the Provincial Protection of the Lord.
Because we have been rescued from certain disaster, because the Lord has not given us as prey. How should we respond? In praise! Shout his holy name, Praise the God of our salvation. Let everything that has breath praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Although, the enemy who is trying to trap us knows how to hide, conceal, and veil the snares he has set for you and me, Blessed be the Lord who have broken the snare and provided an escape. Behind the trap is a trapper, but we can pray, "Deliver us from the Evil one." Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to our Enemy. Although the trapper hides his traps, although the hunter conceals his nets, although the enemy camouflages his snares from our view, but not the Lord, Bless His name. God sees what we cannot see. God spots what is hidden from us, Bless His name. God catches that which we miss, Bless His name. Thank you Lord, for all of your goodness and mercy. We can truly say, Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
This should be our Response. We should respond with rejoicing. Let us rejoice because our Great Escape is in the name of the Lord, when the Enemy had us cornered, when the Enemy had us pinned down, when the Enemy had us surrounded and we could not see on way out. Our Help is in the name of the Lord. The name of the Lord is our way out of no-way, the name of the Lord is the door to our freedom, and the name of the Lord is the key to our liberty. Our Great Escape is in the name of the Lord, let us rejoice.
Principle: David and Israel’s response to the Provincial Protection of the Lord was praise.
Application: Believers should response to the Provincial Protection of the Lord with praise.
CONCLUSION: This psalm should teach us to reflect, realize and respond to the Provincial Protection of the Lord. As we sing or even say the hymns of the church, they should motivate us to Bless the Lord. Remember that the difference between defeat and victory is in the name of the Lord. Remember that the difference between failure and success is in the name of the Lord. All these songs remind us the Provincial Protection of the Lord. We can share from Generation to Generations the great messages of the hymns. We can teach our children and our Children’s children these powerful words. “I love the Lord, he heard my cries, and Pitied my every Groan. Long as I live, while troubles rise, I’ll hasten to His throne”. “Guide me O, thou Great Jehovah. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more; feed me till I want no more.” Teach them as a hymn, teach them as a poem, teach them as a song, but teach them the words.
Perhaps the words of those hymns will inspire generations after generations to Reflect over the traps that if it had not been for the Lord on our side the enemy would have won. Perhaps the words of those hymns will help generations after generations Realize that the Lord delivered them. Perhaps generations after generations would Respond in praise to the goodness of the Lord and recognize that our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Perhaps this hymn of David can inspire us that because the Lord is on our side, the enemy is a defeated foe. This hymn of David can inspire us that in the darkness of the night, in the snares of the enemy, fiery furnaces of life, in the lion den of haters, Our help is in the name of the Lord. We can escape, we will escape and what a Great Escape it will be.
