To Sing Praise

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Why does the Adonai ask us to sing? Why is singing important?

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To Sing Praise

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The Scriptures Chapter 96

Sing to יהוה a new song,

Sing to יהוה, all the earth!

2 Sing to יהוה, bless His Name,

Proclaim His deliverance from day to day.

3 Declare His esteem among the nations,

His wonders among all peoples.

1  Sing to ADONAI a new song!

Sing to ADONAI, all the earth!

2  Sing to ADONAI, bless his name!

Proclaim his victory day after day!

3  Declare his glory among the nations,

his wonders among all peoples!

David wrote and the majority of the Psalms. He wrote them throughout his life. David was known for his musical ability and was a very prolific writer. He is also called a man after God’s own heart. Many good writings and meditations have been created about this concept and it maybe that singing, making music and writing songs is one of the ways he is like God.
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Music and song are part of every culture. The full spectrum of human emotion is represented in song. Their are songs for every occasion. The number of instruments and ways to make music is expansive. Music is used to lull babies to sleep, celebrate birthdays and lead armies to battle. Is their ever a method of expression as versatile as song and music?
When we combine them together for the purposes of serving our God we call this praise. Praise is a very simple thing that can be hard for us to do. Sometimes we can feel self conscious about praise and allow our own self judgement keep us from praising God in song. Sometimes we may feel we need to have a level of excellence before we can engage in praise. Their are times in which praise is hard because of the other things going on in our lives at the time. Loss and guilt can make it very hard to praise, but they do not have too. Some of the most beautiful music has been written out of the most tragic of events.
Singing praise can be as simple as a child singing a simple hymn or it can be something as complex as orchestras and choirs. The most important thing we do is praise Adonai with songs and music. We know that Adonai does not accidentally do anything and so he made music and songs and the concepts behind them on purpose. They have a role and function. When we participate in this role and function we too are fulfilling this purpose. As music is literally involved in every aspect of creation there is lots of opportunity to participate in its various purposes.
Let us look at 3 of these purposes today. 1st we will look at a concept I call echo of creation. All of creation sings praises to Adonai. Some may think of this as metaphorical and some may think of this as literal. Interestingly everything makes noise, everything has resonates that can create sound. From particles oscillating in time to each other to Stars larger than our entire solar system everything make a tone. We have heard the hum of distant galaxies and been able to record grains of sand rubbing against each other to create sound. All life does something to create a noise. Wolves howl, birds chip and whistle, and whales sing. Even the wind through the wheat and corn creates a noise that is copied in songs. When we look at the things we have created machines and engines. Even those make a noise that has been used in songs and music. The chopping of an axe or thumping of a hammer is the basis for many traditional work songs. Every marching song is done so to the sound of boots stomping on the ground. The point is to stress that everything makes a noise and every noise can be used in music and so can be related to praise. David writes about this kind of concept at the end

Let the heavens rejoice; let the earth be glad;

let the sea roar, and everything in it;

12  let the fields exult and all that is in them.

Then all the trees in the forest will sing

13  before ADONAI, because he has come,

he has come to judge the earth;

he will judge the world rightly

and the peoples with his faithfulness.

Whether one would consider this metaphorical or literal. There is a sound that is made by all creation we participate in that song when we lift our voices in Praise to Adonai. IN a way we echo back what he said when he first spoke creation in to being.
Next we can look at what might be the most common type of song that we can participate in and that is the love song. Now I really enjoy a good love a song especially those ballads that tell a story about love. That is not the only type of love song. We can sing songs of love for our country, our family, and in some country music cases even our pickup trucks and dogs. Then even more so should we sing a song of love to our God and his kingdom and his people. We see this behavior in David when the ark of the covenant, the very seat of Adonai, was brought to Jerusalem.
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13 When those bearing the ark of ADONAI had gone only six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened sheep. 14 Then David danced and spun around with abandon before ADONAI, wearing a linen ritual vest. 15 So David and all the house of Isra’el brought up the ark of ADONAI with shouting and the sound of the shofar.

When I read this I imagine a procession like a parade with the cheering and blaring of the shofar. I imagine a marching song being played and David is dancing in front of the procession. I know this is not the typical love song that we imagine but this is love of his God and King. This is love of his people and the kingdom they have been allowed to inhabit.
We see David also write about this love of the kingdom in

13(12)  But you, ADONAI, are enthroned forever;

your renown will endure through all generations.

14(13)  You will arise and take pity on Tziyon,

for the time has come to have mercy on her;

the time determined has come.

15(14)  For your servants love her very stones;

they take pity even on her dust.

He writes of the love for the stones in the kingdom. If David loved the stones how much more so the rest of the kingdom?
Lastly let us look at the songs of prophecy or the songs that hope in the Messiah as King. Jeremiah has singing in the prophecy of the return of Israel in

For here is what ADONAI says:

“Sing with joy for Ya‘akov!

shout for the chief of the nations!

Proclaim your praise, and say:

‘ADONAI! You have saved your people,

the remnant of Isra’el!’

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Zechariah 2:14–15 also includes a prophecy with song about the coming Messiah.

14(10) “Sing, daughter of Tziyon; rejoice! For, here, I am coming; and I will live among you,” says ADONAI. 15(11) When that time comes, many nations will join themselves to ADONAI. “They will be my people, and I will live among you.” Then you will know that it was ADONAI-Tzva’ot who sent me to you.

Even in revelation we have prophecy with song
The Scriptures Chapter 14

And I looked and saw a Lamb standing on Mount Tsiyon, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s Name written upon their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice out of the heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder, and I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

3 And they sang a renewed song before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders. And no one was able to learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

When we join in with song and singing praises we are participating in a great many things. Sometimes we may know what that is and other times we may not. We never sing alone, even if ours is the only voice we can hear. When we consider that Adonai is timeless and when we pray we are praying with everyone that ever was and all of creation, then is it a stretch to say when we sing we are singing with all of creation and everyone that always was?
We know what thinks about praise to him it was not an option. After all of the psalms that are written the last one says the most about music and song with praise.

150 1  Halleluyah!

Praise God in his holy place!

Praise him in the heavenly dome of his power!

2  Praise him for his mighty deeds!

Praise him for his surpassing greatness!

3  Praise him with a blast on the shofar!

Praise him with lute and lyre!

4  Praise him with tambourines and dancing!

Praise him with flutes and strings!

5  Praise him with clanging cymbals!

Praise him with loud crashing cymbals!

6  Let everything that has breath praise ADONAI!

Halleluyah!

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