A Sermon on Songs

Introduction

Colossians 3:15–17 LSB

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Im left with nebulous instruction as to different christian virtues Im supposed to embody;

The peace of Christ is to rule in my heart—> How?

Let the word of God dwell in you richly! Richly?! I dont want to do it poorly!

Sing together in psalms hymns and spiritual songs.

A similar message is found in:

Ephesians 5:18-19 describes something like this and rather than saying “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” he says “be filled with the spirit.” There are intentional paralells between those to. We are looking to singing being richly filled with the spirit and the spirit works through God’s word, let me be clear, but nevertheless we are still singing being led by the spirit (again through God’s word.)

That will be the subject of our lesson this morning: speaking with one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. According to this verse there are at least three characteristics of “spirit led singing”

Spirit led singing is done to teach

Spirit-Led singing is done to admonish

Spirit-led singing is done to the Lord.

Spirit Led singing is done to teach

Firstly, our singing is done to teach. There are certainly other ways teaching can be done. What I would like to suggest to you, however, is that there is innate instructive power in songs or poems.

This is perhaps something lost on us, but really it has always been true. Songs have an effect on us that simple speech cannot! And not just when its a positive, word of Christ message.

Genesis 4:23–24 LSB

23 And Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give ear to my word, For I have killed a man for striking me; And a boy for wounding me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Youll notice that in your bibles this formatted differently than the surrounding text thats because this passage is a song/poem. It is one of the earliest songs we have recorded.

And this song is particularly interesting to me, because it seems to be a weird thing to sing about. In my mind, singing is something to be done for experiencing emotion. Here however it seems to be done for altogether different reason.

It is done to communicate to a specefic person (His wives; Adah and Zillah)

It is done with the understanding that what he is about to say is important (Hear my voice; give ear to my word)

It is done to communicate a specific fact (I have killed a man for striking me)

With a sepecific purpose/end in mind (“Dont cross me”)

All in all, this song is written to instruct.

Our poems and songs today, outside of the church, are not like this!

I reflect on my reflection And I ask myself the question What's the right direction to go I don't know Am I a man or am I a muppet If I'm a muppet then I'm a very manly muppet Am I a muppet or am I a man If I'm a man that makes me a muppet of a man

Man Or Muppet

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves        Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:  All mimsy were the borogoves,        And the mome raths outgrabe.  “Beware the Jabberwock, my son!        The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!  Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun        The frumious Bandersnatch!”  He took his vorpal sword in hand;        Long time the manxome foe he sought—  So rested he by the Tumtum tree        And stood awhile in thought.  And, as in uffish thought he stood,        The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,  Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,        And burbled as it came!  One, two! One, two! And through and through        The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!  He left it dead, and with its head        He went galumphing back.  “And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?        Come to my arms, my beamish boy!  O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”        He chortled in his joy.  ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves        Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:  All mimsy were the borogoves,        And the mome raths outgrabe. Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll

What on earth are these teaching(not to say that all inall its totally wrong to have a song written for enjoyment: but its important to recognize that in the Bible, even these are written to instruct!)??

I think we have a view of song that is that they are a fun, albeit uneccesary, pleasantry, written only to be enjoyed.

Bible songs and songs written in and around Bible times are instructive. I think thats because they recognize a truth that has become lost on us. Let me show you:

Deuteronomy 31:16–19 LSB

16 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the foreign gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have cut with them. 17 “Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?’ 18 “But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods. 19 “So now, write this song for yourselves and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.

Here we are in Deuteronomy 31 and weve come to a sort of (what we would view as) odd instruction given by the Lord. After Moses has just spent the better part of 31 chapters begging the people not to fall away, reminding them what happens when they obeyed the word of God and when they disobeyd, repeating the law, giving blessings and curses of the covenant, God comes to him and tells Moses that that wont be enough.

He tells him that “You are about to die, and in spite of your efforts these people will not listen to my voice, tehy will forsake me and break the covenant, and I will be angry with them. Thus, I need a witness for me against Israel, so write a song”

And we might ask “Will not all of the speeches of this book serve the instructive purpose your after?”

We’re shown in this passage that God, who made men’s mouths, knows something abut speech we dont.

In our minds, we consider song/poetry to be superflous in communciating truth. Like, you could have just said it, but in this context it is apparent that that is not enough. Certainly as we read through Moses’ song we see things that dont seem fit to sing:

Deuteronomy 32:41–42 LSB

41 If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. 42 ‘I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’

Like, what? Take me back to Jesus loves me.

This message is something God wants ringing in the ears of the Israelites in Moses’ absence and certainly through all generations. Thus, he deems it necessary to communicate in song form:

It has long been the understanding that poetry is not just for pleasure and self-indulgence. People used to believe that song had communicated truths that could only be told poetically.

This is what you see in the song of Moses

Where the instructions of speech and legal code

Firstly, to allow the word of Christ dwell in us richly we must realize that songs in and of themselves are instructive

This is perhaps a neglected idea, but has, nevertheless, always been the case.

Thus a consistent pattern is set forth throughout scripture: singing is constantly being used to teach

Deuteronomy 31:16–19 LSB

16 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the foreign gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have cut with them. 17 “Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?’ 18 “But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods. 19 “So now, write this song for yourselves and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it in their mouths, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel.

I think to us this seems to be a pecuilar instruction. As Moses is about to die, God commissions him to write a song it seems to be a weird time to burst out in song!

Throughout human history songs are used to instruct, and to instill messages in people.

Our moden minds tend to have a view of poetry that is largely that it nonsensical and unimportant pleasantry, invented by humans to allow their minds to shut off!

This is not the historical view of poetry and song: we have in our minds the sort of conception that comes from attending a silly community theatre production where people sing purely for entertainment. That really and truly poetry is mostly unneccesary and superfluous. After all, you could have just said it without musical notes.

Dating back to antiquity, poetry and song was not just for pleasure and self-indulgence. It was once believed that it could tell truths about teh real world that could only be told poetically.

There is real power in song. It really is so very helpful in bringing down the ethereal realities of the rule of Christ in our hearts, and allowing the word of Christ to dwell in us richly.

When mathmatical equations and long illustrious pontifications fail us, we are able to fall back onto the beautiful melodies that God has created and let them guide into the idea we’re trying to arrive at: even when our thoughts fail us!

How strange! Moses has just spent 30 chapters in diatribe against Israel’s dissension, he has just spent 30 chapters pontificating polemically about the peoples harlotry, urging them and trying his best to instill in them covenant fidelity. And at the end of it all God says that its not quite good enough.

God comes and tells Moses, “You are about to die, and inspite of your efforts and speeches, these people will turn to false gods. And I will be angry with them. So I need you to write a song for Israel, teach it to the sons of Israel, and let this song be a witness for me against the sons of Israel.”

God wants these truths to be among the final words of Moses that will ring in the ears of Israelites. And as we read it we find truths that we certainly wouldn’t sing!

Deuteronomy 32:41–42 LSB

41 If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. 42 ‘I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.’

But God, who made men’s mouths, recognizes that singing holds such weight, and has the power to sound truths out for generations. A single song has the power to call cosmic forces, namely the heavens and the earth, to bear witness against a people. He recognizes the instructive power that a song carries in and of itself!

Genesis 4:23–24 “23 And Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give ear to my word, For I have killed a man for striking me; And a boy for wounding me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.””

This song is used to instill a very evil message, The point of Lamech using poetry and likely song, is to strike fear into the hearts of everybody he comes into contact with.

I think this is largely the basis on which Paul makes his case!

Colossians 3:16 LSB

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.

The word of Christ cannot dwell in us as powerfully and as richly as it might if accompanied by teaching done is song form.

And so when we think about the power a song has biblically, we must recognize that with great power comes great responsibility.

When we teach in such profound ways, we must be sure that we are teaching the right things!

The song of Moses sends a message, the song of Lamech to his wives also sends a message. One very positive, the other very negative.

Certainly when we are trying to teach in song we ought to do it with more carefulness than we might in saying something.

Singing To The Lord Yahweh

It is helpful to notice first off who we are singing unto at the end of the verse: the Lord

Now one thing we want to appreciate really is that everything we do is unto the Lord.

This is Paul’s point in Col. 3:17

Colossians 3:17 LSB

17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

And throughout scripture that’s how God’s people are set apart. They are the ones who consider God in everything they do:

Genesis 17:1 LSB

1 Now it happened that when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me and be blameless,

There were other people who lived their lives Before Yahweh:

Genesis 10:9 tells us Nimrod was a mighty hunter before Yahweh and yet were told he’s the first king of babylon in Genesis 10:10.

Thus, I take it to be that what God is saying to Abram is to walk with the recognition that everything you do is before Yahweh

Psalm 139:1–4 LSB

1 O Yahweh, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Yahweh, You know it all.

Psalm 139:7–9 LSB

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I lift up the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

And being ever before the Lord ought to make us extraordinarily thoughftul!

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 LSB

6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.