1 Chron. 16
Music is a big part of worshiping God. Music speaks to our souls, somehow; it is a gift from God and we worship Him by offering it back to Him. It is a God ordained part of Temple service and the designated Holy Feasts. This is why David “appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers” (1 Chron 16:7). As it turns out, Asaph is the recorded author of many of the Psalms included in the Bible.
Another thing about music is that it makes things easier to remember. It sticks with us somehow. That is why we so often see Psalms, like this one of David’s included in this chapter, that speak of the great wonders that God has done for His people. God instructed His people to remember these things and to pass them along to generations yet to come. Music allows for both of those things to take place.
“Sing to the LORD, all the earth!”, the Psalm says (1 Chron. 16:23a). Ricky Skaggs has a song that I absolutely love titled, “Voices Singing”. In the song he dreams that he hears everything in creation lifting its voice in one big united song of praise to God. As he hears the voices singing, he is compelled to add his own voice to the praise. May it be the same with us. May our very lives join in the song of creation, singing praise to the God who made us.
Ps. 42, 44
We can, and should, praise God even in our distress. Such is the case with both of these Psalms. The Psalmist feels forgotten and rejected by God, and longs for a return to the days when God performed His mighty deeds for His people and His people praised Him with “glad shouts and songs of praise” (Ps 42:4). “By day the LORD commands His steadfast love, and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” (Ps 42:8). I love that! When it gets dark, God’s song is with me. And His song is my prayer to Him. This song keeps me connected to God’s love, even when I feel forgotten.
1 Cor. 10:1-18
Everything in scripture is there for a reason. Paul once again confirms this by saying that the things that happened to the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness happened as an example for us. We can see the sins they committed – the idolatry, the sexual immorality, testing God and grumbling – and the consequences of those sins. “…They were written down for our instruction”, Paul says in verse 11. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12).
As I have mentioned before, it is easy for us to read these stories and to judge the actions of the people, but the truth is that every one of us is susceptible to the same human nature that pulls us away from God and drives us to make the same poor decisions. Not a single one of us is immune from this pull. Which is why we must be diligent in our efforts to seek and to strive after God.