Exodus 15:1-21
What do you sing about?
In his book "Psalms of the Heart," George Sweeting tells of two Moody Bible Institute graduates, John and Elaine Beekman, who, in 1951, began missionary work among the Chol Indians of southern Mexico. Sweeting reports that they rode mules and traveled by dugout canoes to reach this tribe. They labored 25 years with other Wycliff missionaries to translate the New Testament into the language of the Chol Indians. Today the Chol indian Church is thriving with more than 12,000 members that make up the Chol Christian community, which is also financially self-supporting. One thing that is interesting, Sweeting says, is that when the missionaries came, the Chol Indians didn’t know how to sing, (or at least it was rare among them). With the coming of the gospel, however, the believers in the tribe became known as "the singers". Elaine Beekman translated hundreds of Christian songs into their language.
"They love to sing now," Sweeting commented, "because they have something to sing about." (illustration from Jeff Strite’s sermon: The Singing Sister)
Here in Exodus 15, Israel has something to sing about! So Moses and Miriam teach them a song.
This is the first recorded song in the Bible. It is a song of praise and thanksgiving to God who delivered Israel from the Egyptian army. There is the appearance that Moses teaches this song to the men and his sister, Miriam, to the women.
What do you sing about?
Singing as worship to God has a rich history in the Old and New Testaments. God even saw fit to include a song book in the Bible for us, the book of Psalms. Music in the Bible goes as far back as Genesis 4:21 when Jubal, the sixth generation from Cain, is said to be the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.
Music and singing has moved in all sorts of directions in human history with untold millions of songs having been written and sung for all kinds of purposes.
But today, in light of what we see in Exodus 15 and all that follows about singing in the Bible, one thing is clear: God gives us the highest and best reason to sing, and He also gives us the highest and best things to sing about. The Bible tells us that Jesus sang with His disciples – Mark 14:26 and we read in Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
What does God sing about? You! He rejoices over you who are His children with singing! And God wants us to have such a relationship with Him as our Father through Jesus that we will rejoice in singing about Him and to Him!
The Bible talks about the song of fools. We hear those being sung all around us, don’t we? The world is full of songs that celebrate sin and lust, songs that degrade human dignity and exalt the flesh while ignoring God, songs that mock righteousness and promote wickedness. Our fallen world is full of the music and celebration of darkness and death. For some, it is the only music that they know. The enemy of God is deceptive and clever. He calls us to join in the world’s song. Oh, not seriously, just in fun! As if you can fill your mind with the world’s message and not be infected by it. In fact, I am sure that Satan would be very pleased for us to join in with the songs of fools even if we continue to sing the songs of praise to our God. Then we will be like James says: “out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing, my brothers this should not be!”
Next time you hear a song, listen to the words carefully. Ask yourself this question: Is this song pleasing to God or not? Does it have a message that Jesus would sing about? If so, go ahead and enjoy it and sing along if you please. But if not, don’t. Consider Psalms 19, a song from God’s word that ends with these words, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” And remember the words of Jesus who said, “Man shall give an account for every idle word he speaks, for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” And remember Paul who wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” And Peter who wrote, “If any man speaks, let him speak as it were the very words of God.”
What do you sing about?
Let me change gears here as we finish this lesson today. Take a pencil or pen and piece of paper.
Imagine your life as a song in four verses. The first verse is about your beginnings, your family, your growing up years. Birth to 18 or so. What did you learn and who had the greatest impact? How would you describe your relationships with God, with family, and with friends? There is a verse that describes Jesus’ childhood is Luke 2:52 – And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Simple, but profound. Does this verse in your life find it’s center in Jesus Christ?
The second verse is about leaving home and building an identity of your own, your occupation, your relationships, marriage, children, and walk with God through the first 20 or so years of adult life. For those of you who are not here yet or perhaps you are in the middle of this verse, write a description of what you hope this will be. Will your song’s verse here speak of your faithfulness and service to Christ, will it include your dedication to build a faithful Christian home and sacrifice to bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?
The third verse of your life’s song is about the empty nest, taking care of your parents and watching the generation ahead of you face the difficulties of age and the end of their lives. Your career is peaked, thoughts of retirement or long term care enter your mind. Will your song’s verse speak of how you honored your father and mother in these years? Will it tell of your example of care and devotion as a Christian leader in your family, church and community?
Finally, the last verse of your life’s song, should you live to see it, is about the declining years as we lose our strength and capacities of our younger days and face the mortality of our flesh and fall under the care of the hands of others. It is a time of letting go as friends and peers pass away, and as our very bodies fail to function. Will your song’s verse speak of courage and readiness to see your Savior’s face? Will your final words in this life be a praise as you finally go to meet the Lord?
What will your song of life be? Which verse are you writing as you live today?
In Christ we have something to sing about.
We have been bought with the price of blood. We have been delivered from darkness and sin by God’s mighty hand. We have an eternal hope beyond the grave. We are given the gift of opportunity to repent and receive forgiveness of our sins and deliverance from the yoke of darkness and judgment. God has given us a song to sing, a life to lead before Him and an eternal home to enjoy together with Him. God calls us to join Him in this song of life.
