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XIII.
Prayer and Public Worship
Chapter 148
:
The Value of Song
1. HOW early
in the world's history do we read of singing?
"Where wast thou when
I laid the foundations of the earth? . . .
when the morning stars sang together, and all
the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job
38:4-7.
2. What did Israel do
when delivered from Egypt?
"Then sang Moses and the children of
Israel this song unto the Lord, . . . The Lord
is my strength and song, and He is become my
salvation: . . . and I will exalt Him." Ex.
15:1,2.
3. How did the angels
manifest their joy at Christ's birth?
"And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke
2:13,14.
4. How are we told to
come before the Lord?
"Serve the Lord with gladness:
come before His presence with singing." Ps.
100:2. See 2 Chron. 29:30.
5. How does David say
such service is regarded by God?
"I will praise the name of God with a
song, and will magnify Him with
thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord
better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and
hoofs." Ps. 69:30,31.
6. What instruction did
Paul give concerning singing?
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in
your hearts to the Lord." Col. 3:16. See
also Eph. 5:19; James 5:13; Ps. 149:5,6.
NOTES.-Music, like poetry and flowers, is
elevating and refining in its nature, and
should therefore have its place in the
worship of God, and in the life and
experience of God's people. It is adapted to
every mood and feeling of the human soul,
and many times has reached hearts when other
means have failed. Next to prayer, music
seems best adapted to worship.
"The history of the songs of the Bible is
full of suggestion as to the uses and
benefits of music and song. Music is often
perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it
thus becomes one of the most alluring
agencies of temptation. But, rightly
employed, it is a precious gift of God,
designed to uplift the thoughts to high and
noble themes, to inspire and elevate the
soul. As the children of Israel, journeying
through the wilderness, cheered their way by
the music of sacred song, so God bids His
children today gladden their pilgrim life.
There are few means more effective for
fixing His words in the memory than
repeating them in song. And such song has
wonderful power. It has power to subdue rude
and uncultivated natures; power to quicken
thought and to awaken sympathy, to promote
harmony of action, and to banish the gloom
and foreboding that destroy courage and
weaken effort."- "Education," pages
167,168.
"O that we might sing evening and morning,
and let song touch song all the way through!
O that we could put songs under our burden!
O that we could extract the sense of sorrow
by song! Then sad things would not poison so
much. Sing in the house; teach your children
to sing. When troubles come, go at them with
song. When griefs arise, sing them down.
Lift the voice of praise against cares.
Praise God by singing; that will lift you
above trials of every sort. Attempt it. They
sing in heaven, and among God's people on
earth song is the appropriate language of
Christian feeling."- Henry Ward Beecher.
7. What instrument did
John see the saints have?
"I saw. . . them, . . . having the
harps of God." Rev. 15:2.
8. And what song are
they to sing?
"And they sing the song of Moses
the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,
saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord
God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou
King of saints." Verse 3. See Ps. 87:7.
OUT
of my heart I sing a song,
O world so great and grand!
But hearts are weak, and hands reach out
For the touch of a kindly hand.
O
song that I sing, I pray you bring
To some sad soul thy balm;
Fall soft, I pray, like the breath of May,
Or the touch of a loving hand.
I
sing for hearts that ache and break,
I sing for hearts that are true;
O world so vast, O world so wide,
I sing my song for you! |
