| Why_We_Sing
by Micah Gaylor
Why do people sing? Have you ever asked yourself that
question? Throughout every nation, from the most primitive tribes to the
most “highly advanced” cities, song and music are defining characteristics
of the people. Likewise the different styles of song and music throughout
the world vary as widely as do the cultures. The lyrics and melody you
would hear while walking through a mall in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
certainly contrast the seemingly wild rhythms and exuberant shouting you
might encounter at a tribal dance deep in the jungles of South America.
Each of these cultures, like the thousands of others on earth, have different
methods of making music and diverse material about which they sing. The
country-western vocalist may sing a sad song of lost love upon his steel
string guitar. The primitive jungle tribe may celebrate the early rain
season around a bonfire with complex dance and joyful yelling. Different
cultures. Different experiences. Different expressions.
Despite these vast differences one thing is clear. Regardless of race,
social status, or age, people sing about the things that are in their
hearts, the things they love. In Matthew 15:19 Jesus explains it this
way: “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the
heart…” And He should know. Jesus, the very One who Himself
is the Word of God, orchestrated the creation of the universe with the
words of His mouth, as He spoke into existence the very object of His
love. Out of the abundance of His heart sprang forth you and I.
In the same way, we sing out of the abundance of our own hearts. A young
woman newly engaged might be heard singing songs of romance and expectancy.
A widower mourning the loss of his dearest friend and wife of 50 years
may listen exclusively to melancholy music for the remainder of his life.
In both cases the music springs forth from that which filled the heart.
What we set our hearts upon, and give our time to will proceed from our
mouth, when we speak and when we sing.
The Heart of David
Like Jesus, King David was intimately acquainted with this principle.
Throughout the book of Psalms David’s heart is laid bare as he sings
praises unto the Lord. There are songs of thanksgiving played with cymbals
and tambourines; songs of repentance picked upon stringed instruments;
songs declaring the goodness of the Lord to the nations, proclaimed with
trumpets and shofars. At times David cried anxiously unto the Lord for
His unfailing love and redeeming hand. Often he would sing unto himself,
commanding his own soul to bless the Lord. Everything David sang was an
expression of the deepest desire of his heart: “One thing I have
asked from the Lord, that I shall seek. That I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord
and to meditate in His temple” Psalm 27:4.
Because of the singularness of David’s heart the Lord said of him,
“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will
do all My will” Acts 13:22. David understood that “…man
looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”
1 Samuel 16:7 and even sang unto the Lord, “Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my
Rock and my Redeemer” Psalm 19:14. David’s one desire, the very
thing that motivated his life, was to be near to the Lord and to honor
Him with his heart. David’s heart was honoring to the Lord, and out
of the abundance of his heart he brought forth a lifestyle of worship
and praise to the entire nation of Israel.
The Tabernacle of David
The very things that were in the heart of David did not only come out
of his mouth in song; they also sprang forth from his life in deeds and
in action. David’s very first act after setting up his throne on
Mount Zion in Jerusalem was an incredible example of this. In a stunning
display of burning passion for God, and reckless abandon in displaying
that passion, David brought the Ark of the Presence of God up to Jerusalem,
right into his own back yard. For the entire 9 mile trip from Obed-edom’s
house to Jerusalem, David danced with all his might before the Ark as
the Levites carried it to Mount Zion. As he poured out his heart to the
Lover of his soul, he proclaimed the goodness of God with loud shouts
of joy and wild dancing, singing:
“The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and
those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas and established
it upon the rivers. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who
may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not lifted up his soul in falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God
of his salvation” Psalm 24:3-5.
Singing! Dancing! Celebration! The proclamation of the righteousness of
the Lord as a gift to all those who dwell in the earth! This was the foundation
David laid as he brought the Ark up to Jerusalem. This was the foundation
that the Tabernacle of David would be built upon.
However, David was not satisfied merely with having the Ark of God in
Jerusalem. His love for the Lord compelled him even further. In his passion
to behold the Beauty of the Lord, David did something that was unprecedented.
David took the Ark of the Presence of the Lord and placed it inside a
tent pitched by his own hands, in his own back yard. This was incredible!
According to the law of Moses, the Ark was supposed to dwell in the Holy
of Holies, behind a veil, inside the Tabernacle of God (Exodus 26:33).
At David’s time the Tabernacle of God was in Gibeon not Jerusalem
(1 Chronicles 16:39). In an unprecedented move David, the man after God’s
own heart, displayed the very heart of God for his people. As David danced
with his entire being, bringing the Ark of the Presence of the Lord to
dwell in his own back yard, he showed forth the burning passion that was
in the very heart of the Lord to dwell in the hearts of His people. This
constant dwelling of the Lord among His people was the essence of the
Tabernacle of David. That was why David sang!
Perpetual Praise
Upon delivery of the Ark, David set aside musicians to offer sacrifices
of praise before the Ark on a continual basis (1 Chronicles 16:37 and
1 Chronicles 25). Every hour on the hour for thirty-three years a fresh
set of musicians would begin ministering to the Lord, singing spontaneous
songs of thanksgiving and love, prophesying upon their instruments as
they gazed at the beauty of the Lord, and proclaiming His everlasting
love to the creation. Seven times a day David would offer a sacrifice
of praise to the Lord. Regardless of his circumstances he would sing forth
his heart to God. When he was hurting he would cry unto the Lord for help.
In times of joy he blessed the name of the Lord for all his wondrous deeds.
When David sinned he cried out for mercy, knowing the righteousness of
the Lord would cover him. In ALL that he did he praised the Lord. The
Tabernacle of David was a place of constant singing out of continual thanksgiving
for the gift of the righteousness of God.
Raise It Again
“In that day I will raise up the fallen Tabernacle of David, and
wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as
in the days of old’ Amos 9:11.
The Lord promised to build again the Tabernacle of David. Likewise the
Lord gave David the following promise through the prophet Nathan:
“It shall come about when your days are fulfilled that you must go
to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after
you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall
build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will
be His father and He shall be My Son; and I will not take My lovingkindness
away from Him, as I took it away from him who came before you. But I will
settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and His throne shall
be established forever” 1 Chronicles 17:11-14.
After David died his son Solomon built a glorious temple for the Lord.
However, it was not the Tabernacle of David, and when Solomon died and
his temple eventually torn down, it was clear that it could not fulfill
the promise given to David. How then would the tabernacle of David be
rebuilt?
The Fulfillment
All that transpired under the Old Covenant was a prophetic shadow of the
truth which is realized in the life of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17;
Hebrews 8:5; 10:1). Jesus, the son of David by virtue of His natural ancestry,
has come that He might fulfill all that was prophesied in the Old Testament.
Even the Lord’s promise to build again the Tabernacle of David and
to raise up a descendant of David to rule forever is fulfilled in Jesus.
However, what is pictured in the Old Covenant in the natural is fulfilled
in the New Covenant in the spirit. The Apostle Paul explained it this
way:
“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
The first man is from the earth, earthly; the second man is from heaven”
1 Corinthians 15:46-47.
While David was a man after God’s own heart, Jesus is the very heart
of God. Just as the words of David were an expression of his heart, the
Word of God is an expression of the very heart of God. For this reason
Jesus is the One able to build again the Tabernacle of David in a way
that will last forever. He is able to build the Tabernacle in our hearts!
The Bride
The ultimate passion of God for His people went far beyond anything that
even David could express. Only Jesus, the Son of God, could express the
full extent of His love. Not only did He express it, but He was compelled
by it:
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who
for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2.
Jesus knew His death on the cross and resurrection to the right hand of
the Father would produce something that was far greater to Him than the
price it would cost Him. In the Book of Revelation we see the consummation
of His sacrifice, and the very object of His love and joy:
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage
of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given
her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen
is the righteous acts of the saints” Revelation 19:7-8.
It was in the passion of God that Jesus allowed Himself broken and bruised
for His creation. And when He rose again and sent His Holy Spirit to dwell
in His people, He was betrothing them unto Himself. The Spirit was like
a ring, signifying the coming Marriage (Ephesians 1:13-14). The joy set
before Him was His own Marriage Feast, to be married to the spotless and
clean Bride whom He created and loved. That was the passion in the heart
of Jesus. This was the ultimate expression of the Love of God.
The New Jerusalem
Unlike in the Old Covenant, the house where the Lord dwells is no longer
one made by human hands (1 Corinthians 3:16). At the end of the Book of
Revelation we see another picture of the Bride:
“And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a
loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God
is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people,
and God Himself will be among them’” Revelation 21:2-3.
The Tabernacle of David in the Old Testament was only a picture of what
the Lord wanted to do with His people. We are temples of God, even now
being formed into what will eventually be a perfect and spotless bride,
made ready for Jesus. At that time there will be singing and dancing and
celebration the likes of which we can not even imagine. We shall see the
Lord as He is, and He will dwell among us.
Though we do not see Him as He is yet, the time is coming quickly when
Jesus will return to gather together all those who are His own. He will
marry His Bride, and thus we will be with Him forever! That is the very
passion that is in our hearts. That is the very Love that compels us.
Like David we pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation
of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Like David we ought to dance with all our might, sing praises with all
our heart, and offer continual thanksgiving to Jesus. Like David, we ought
to proclaim the mercies and the righteousness of the Lord with song and
dance as the time when He will dwell continually in our midst draws closer!
Like David, that is why we sing!
Copyright 2003
NOCOMPROMISE
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