Five Reasons to Sing

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In our current series on the Psalms of Ascent, we’ve been singing along with the ancient Israelites. In fact, God’s people have always been a singing people: “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”(Psalm 95:1). And the first recorded song of the Israelites, which Moses led just after God rescued them from the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea, reminds us of many reasons we have to rejoice.

1. Sing about salvation.

Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, saying, “I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. Yahweh is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:1-2)

Moses reminded the Israelites that even though he’s the one who stretched out his arms over the Red Sea and held the waters back all night, it wasn’t him who saved them. It was God.

Many people in our culture believe only we can save ourselves. “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” Then there are billions of people around the world who believe only fate can save us. Earlier this year, I was on a bus in a developing nation, and we passed by a motorbike accident. There was a man laying on the asphalt in a pool of blood, with his arm reaching up. There was a crowd of people around him, but none of them were doing anything. Nobody gave him any help because they all believe that fate rules everything. They were thinking, “If this guy’s going to die, that’s his fate. If he gets saved, then it’s fate that did it. There’s nothing I can do either way to make any difference, so I won’t even try.”

But Moses said, “No, it’s not fate that saves us, it’s God! He’s not just some faraway distant deity. He’s not the Force. … This is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” The Israelites rejoiced often that God saved them from their slavery to the Egyptians, and we should sing every morning about how God saved us through Christ from our slavery to sin.

2. Sing about God’s wrath.

Yahweh is a man of war; Yahweh is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. (Exodus 15:3-10)

Maybe you’ve never praised God for his wrath before. We don’t have a lot of songs that talk about God’s judgment on people. That makes us a little queasy. In fact, it even offended some of the ancient rabbis who read this passage. One of them read this song and thought God was horrified by it, writing what he thought God would have been thinking: “The work of my hands are drowned in the sea, and you want to sing songs?”

Moses would say, “Uhhhh…. yes.” I want to praise God for the fact that he won’t just sit back and let evil go. Praise God that he wouldn’t allow Hitler to keep sending Jews to the gas chambers. Praise God that he wouldn’t allow Osama Bin Laden to keep crashing planes into buildings. Praise God that he wouldn’t let the Boston marathon bombers keep blowing people up and shooting cops. Praise God that he won’t put up with evil. That’s a good thing!

Many kids have been abused, and the person who abused them never got punished. He got away with it. Many women have been taken advantage of by a guy on a date, and he never expressed any kind of remorse. He got away with it. Many workers have had a boss pin the blame for something that wasn’t their fault, just because he didn’t want to take the blame himself. And he got away with it. But praise God that he won’t allow evil people like that to get away with it forever!

As Moses said, “Yahweh is man of war!” He won’t let injustice go forever. He’ll go to battle against evil. That’s not a shameful thing, that’s a beautiful thing.  That’s something to sing about! God’s wrath is part of his majesty and beauty.

3. Sing about God’s majesty.

Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. (Exodus 15:11-12)

Our God is a God of majesty. Beauty. Glory. When God allowed Isaiah to see him in person, one thing that immediately struck Isaiah was his majesty. He said, “The train of his robe filled the whole temple.” When you go to a fancy wedding, why does the bride have a long train coming off the back of her gown? She’s saying, “This day is all about me! I’m the most beautiful woman in the world! None of you other ladies have trains! Just me!”

When she comes down the aisle with that train flowing behind her, every eye in the whole room is on her. It makes her beautiful and majestic, and the same is true about God’s train. It points to his beauty and majesty.

4. Sing about God’s steadfast love.

You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. (Exodus 15:13-17)

The ESV translation calls it God’s “steadfast love,” but other versions might call it “loving-kindness” or “unfailing love.” You can’t really translate it with one word, because there’s so much wrapped up in the idea. The way God shows his love is by leading his people and redeeming his people, and protecting his people, and planting his people. As Moses sang, “You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.”

Remember being in middle school? Always wishing you could be part of the popular crowd? And if you were part of the popular crowd, wishing you could be part of the ultra-popular crowd? Some people never shake that feeling their whole lives. They always feel like they’re on the outside of things. They never feel accepted. But Moses said you’re not excluded anymore. In his steadfast love, God “brought you in” to his house.

Some people feel like their lives are so unsteady and uncertain, like they’re just rolling from one wave to the next.
But Moses said that in his steadfast love, God “planted” you on his mountain. You’re rooted. You’re secure. You’re steady. That’s something to sing about!

5. Sing about God’s kingship.

Yahweh will reign forever and ever. (Exodus 15:18)

He’s not just a savior. Not just a redeemer. He’s the king! He’s not just your friend, definitely not your co-pilot. He’s the king!
He’s sovereign over everything. And that’s something to sing about.

Because when you remind yourself regularly that God is sovereign over everything, that changes everything. When you’re facing a big decision in life, you won’t get all stressed and worried … “Should I go to this school or that one? Should I pursue this job or that one? Should I buy this house or that one?” … because you’ll know that no matter what happens, God is the king and his will is going to be done. Even if you make the wrong decision.

When something bad happens to you, you won’t have a pity party for yourself and wallow in how unfair life is. You’ll respond like Job did when he lost everything: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

When other people hurt you, even intentionally, you won’t get bitter and angry. You won’t focus your attention on getting back at them. Instead you’ll be saying, “I know God’s the king, and he allowed that to happen to me. So what does he want to teach me?”

When you sing to God, it’s not just for God’s benefit. It’s for your own.