TruthPoints

01.24.08

Why we sing!

                Psalm 40:1-3 tells us that we were created to sing.

   “I waited patiently for the Lord;

    And He inclined to me,

    And heard my cry.

    [2] He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

    Out of the miry clay,

    And set my feet upon a rock,

    And established my steps.

    [3] He has put a new song in my mouth--

    Praise to our God;

    Many will see it and fear,

    And will trust in the Lord.

                This explains why a nation has its national anthem, the Armed Forces march to the songs of military cadence, a college has its alma mater, and each of us has a favorite song.

            When we come to the Bible, we find that the God of creation and redemption is the God of song.  When the universe was brought into existence “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).  When God brought His people out of the bondage of Egypt, the children of Israel sang the song of Moses (Exodus 15).  One day, when God’s purposes of redemption are consummated, we are all going to sing the Song of the Lamb. 

                So we see that the joy expressed in our singing is an evidence of our life and no one helps us to understand this better than the Psalmist David.  He could testify: “He has put a new song in my mouth - Praise to our God.”

                 You see, This New Song Speaks of a Life of Deliverance.  (40:1-2) “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay’ (Psalm 40:2).  Here David is describing in graphic terms what it means to be delivered from the guilt and grip of sin.  Whatever historical events occasioned the writing of this Psalm is incidental to the basic principle that he is enunciating.  This shepherd-king could sing because he knew a twofold deliverance.

                He knew Deliverance from the Guilt of Sin:  (40:2a) “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit” (Psalm 40:2).  The Hebrew reads; “He brought me up out of a pit of noise” —and this is most suggestive.  David has in mind the pits that were often dug to capture wolves, bears, or lions, but occasionally thieves and robbers were also trapped this way.  The pit was so shaped that every cry for help would echo and reverberate.  A trap of this kind was truly a “pit of noise”.

                How graphically this illustrates the guilt of sin.  Until we know the deliverance of God, we are forever haunted by the accusations of the devil, as well as the voice of our self-condemnation.

                David’s song also suggests that he knew Deliverance from the Grip of Sin.  (40:2a) “He brought me up…out of the miry clay” (Psalm 40:2b).  We are told that the bottom of these pits was often covered with a miry clay, or sticky sediment, which impeded attempts to escape.  The more the victim struggled to get free, the deeper he sank into the miry clay.

This is the gospel in a nutshell.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, laid aside the glory of heaven in order to save us not only from the guilt of sin, but also from the grip of sin.

By Christ’s death (Crucifixion), we can know deliverance from the guilt of sin.

By Christ’s life (Resurrection), we can know deliverance from the grip of sin.

To struggle in our own strength is to sink deeper and deeper into trouble, but to trust the saving life of Christ is to know deliverance day by day.

                So the next time you attend a worship service and the leader says, “Please stand and sing with us”, perhaps with much more excitement and enthusiasm you will stand and you will sing the “new song” – the song of deliverance.

Pastor David