Sing The Praises of The Lord So I May Remember
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 31:14-23 (NASB)
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the time for you to die is near; call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, and I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. 15 And the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tent. 16 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the prostitute with the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they are going, and they will abandon Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger will be kindled against them on that day, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will find them; so they will say on that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have found us?’ 18 But I will assuredly hide My face on that day because of all the evil that they will have done, for they will have turned away to other gods.
19 “Now then, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. 20 For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it will come about, when many evils and troubles find them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their descendants); for I know their inclination which they are developing today, before I bring them into the land which I swore.” 22 So Moses wrote down this song on the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.
23 Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
SUMMARY
As Moses comes closer to the end of his life, God tells him to present himself and Joshua at the tent of meeting. God tells Moses that the Israelites will fall away by worshipping other gods and breaking their covenant. Because of this, God will be angered and hide His face from them. Even though God knows this will happen, He tells Moses to write a song and teach it to the Israelites. The song is made to be a witness to God's providence. So Moses writes and then teaches this song. Then he encourages Joshua to be strong and reassures him that he will be with him.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
As I see how the Israelites fall away time and time again, I question why it's so easy to fall back into worshipping other things that are not God. In verse 20, it says that God will bring them into a land of abundance and satisfy their needs. Yet they will turn to other gods and serve them. Why would they turn to other gods in times of abundance? This shows me that it's easy to forget God's goodness. It's easy to take it for granted. Once God gives me what I want, I live like I can do things on my own. I live like I have the freedom to do whatever I want. But songs have a way of moving my heart and points me back to the fact that God is the center of it all. Songs help me remember things. Songs move hearts. Songs tell stories. Songs carry information. I realize that when I sing, it's proclaiming what God has done for His people as well as passing information to the next generation. It's a way of communicating something that is a witness of God's power and grace.
APPLICATION
Since joining the praise team, I've been hungering to give God good and pleasing worship. I've been thinking about the reason why singing is crucial and the importance of worshipping together as the body of Christ. Today's qt showed me that I need to be intentional with the songs I sing and use them as a daily way of surrendering and turning my heart to God. I will meditate on the words I sing and actively remind myself of God's providence and sovereignty over my life.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving me a way to turn my heart towards you. Thank you for teaching your people what to sing so that we can have a tool to remember you. Lord, as I sing these songs to you, give me a heart of surrender. I want to have a full understanding of the importance of singing and worshipping you in every season of my life. May your songs be sung by every generation as we tell of your power and goodness. May your songs pierce our hearts and move us to turn back to you. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
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