Let the music begin

DEVOTION

PSALMS

LET THE MUSIC BEGIN

Ps 81

81:1 For the director of music. According to gittith.  Of Asaph.

Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2 Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre. 3 Sound the ram's horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast; 4 this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. 5 He established it as a statute for Joseph when he went out against Egypt, where we heard a language we did not understand.   6 He says, "I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. 7 In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah 

8 "Hear, O my people, and I will warn you — if you would but listen to me, O Israel! 9 You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. 10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. 11 "But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

13 "If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, 14 how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! 15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. 16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

NIV

Again we can see this strictly from a historical view of the condition of Israel and how they had the hand of God in their lives and he would fulfill their every need, if only they would not look to other gods. But we know they did, and he was not happy with them. He reminded them of their exodus at his hand, but they would not submit to him so he gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. What about us? Can we see anything in this song that resembles anything in our lives? Oh yes, we do sing for joy to God our strength. We do shout aloud to the God of Jacob. Well at least we sort of do that. Then again it might depend on which church we are in. Some might get a little more excited about worship with music then others. Then again how many of us are actually singing with joy or really shouting aloud? Although we were not Israel in Egypt, we were nevertheless under a burden placed upon us by the prince of this world. We were captives to sin, and we needed an exodus moment, a way out, we needed to hear a voice we had not heard or understand before. We needed the voice of God calling us out of the bondage of sin into a place he has prepared for us, a land flowing with milk and honey. This is the life of a believer, this is our life, if we would but follow our Lord where he leads us. This is our life if we do not bow down to other gods. We know all about those other gods, the world is full of gods we could bow to. But not doing that there is far more to gain. If we but open our mouth, he will fill it. That could imply supplying all our needs, or it could imply he will gives us the words to praise him. Within the context it has to mean that he will give us all we need, as because the Israelites would not submit to him, having stubborn hearts, he gave them over to their own devices. That is he stopped supplying their needs and they had to make their own living, struggle to make ends meet, work hard for their needs. Again if they would but listen to him, follow his ways, he would quickly subdue their enemies and he would feed them with the finest wheat; with honey from the rock he would satisfy them. This can be our story, we can be fed by God, and we can have that honey from the rock. That could imply Jesus. Nevertheless our lives could be so perfect, so well satisfied if we would just listen to God and not all those other voices; voices of those other gods screaming for our attention. How fulfilled we can live, just feeding from the words of his mouth, listening and following the way he has set before us. Being stubborn, wanting to do life our way, always wanting, always chasing after whatever it is we think we want, when all the time we only need Jesus; the honey from the rock. We are his people, we should live in the land flowing with milk and honey, blessed beyond measure, content within him, singing with joy in our hearts his praises. Making music with our whole life. Let the music begin.