“I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously:
The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He is 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. (Ed 162.2) MC VC

“Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power,
Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy....
Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:6, 11. (Ed 162.3) MC VC

“The Lord shall reign for ever and ever....
Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously.” Exodus 15:18, 21. R. V. (Ed 162.4) MC VC

Great have been the blessings received by men in response to songs of praise. The few words recounting an experience of the wilderness journey of Israel have a lesson worthy of our thought: (Ed 162.5) MC VC

“They went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” Numbers 21:16. “Then sang Israel this song:” Numbers 21:17. (Ed 162.6) MC VC

“Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:
The well, which the princes digged,
Which the nobles of the people delved,
With the scepter, and with their staves.” Numbers 21:17~18. R.V. (Ed 162.7) MC VC

How often in spiritual experience is this history repeated! how often by words of holy song are unsealed in the soul the springs of penitence and faith, of hope and love and joy! (Ed 162.8) MC VC

It was with songs of praise that the armies of Israel went forth to the great deliverance under Jehoshaphat. To Jehoshaphat had come the tidings of threatened war. “There cometh a great multitude against thee,” 2 Chronicles 20:2. was the message, “the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside.” 2 Chronicles 20:1. “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 20:3, 4. And Jehoshaphat, standing in the temple court before his people, poured out his soul in prayer, pleading God’s promise, with confession of Israel’s helplessness. “We have no might against this great company that cometh against us,” he said: “neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee.” 2 Chronicles 20:12. (Ed 163.1) MC VC

Then upon Jahaziel a Levite “came the Spirit of the Lord; ... and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.... Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord.... Fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:14-17. (Ed 163.2) MC VC

“And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa.” 2 Chronicles 20:20. Before the army went singers, lifting their voices in praise to God—praising Him for the victory promised. (Ed 163.3) MC VC

On the fourth day thereafter, the army returned to Jerusalem, laden with the spoil of their enemies, singing praise for the victory won. (Ed 163.4) MC VC

Through song, David, amidst the vicissitudes of his changeful life, held communion with heaven. How sweetly are his experiences as a shepherd lad reflected in the words: (Ed 164.1) MC VC

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters....
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:1~2, 4. (Ed 164.2) MC VC

In his manhood a hunted fugitive, finding refuge in the rocks and caves of the wilderness, he wrote: (Ed 164.3) MC VC

“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee:
My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee,
In a dry and weary land, where no water is....
Thou hast been my help,
And in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.” Psalm 63:1, 7.
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God:
For I shall yet praise Him,
Who is the health of my countenance,
And my God.” Psalm 43:5.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1. (Ed 164.4) MC VC

The same trust is breathed in the words written when, a dethroned and crownless king, David fled from Jerusalem at the rebellion of Absalom. Spent with grief and the weariness of his flight, he with his company had tarried beside the Jordan for a few hours’ rest. He was awakened by the summons to immediate flight. In the darkness, the passage of the deep and swift-flowing stream must be made by that whole company of men, women, and little children; for hard after them were the forces of the traitor son. In that hour of darkest trial, David sang: (Ed 164.5) MC VC

“I cried unto the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me out of His holy hill.” Psalm 3:4. (Ed 165.1) MC VC

“I laid me down and slept;
I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people,
That have set themselves against me around about.” Psalm 3:5~6. (Ed 165.2) MC VC

After his great sin, in the anguish of remorse and self-abhorrence he still turned to God as his best friend: (Ed 165.3) MC VC

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving- kindness:
According unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies
blot out my transgressions....
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:1, 7. (Ed 165.4) MC VC

In his long Life, David found on earth no resting place. “We are strangers before Thee, and sojourners,” he said, “as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.” 1 Chronicles 29:15, R.V. (Ed 165.5) MC VC

“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” Psalm 46:1~2. (Ed 165.6) 2 I MC VC

“There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the City of God,
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved
God shall help her, at the dawn of morning....
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.” Psalm 46:4~5, 7. (Ed 165.7) 2 I MC VC

“This God is our God for ever and ever:
He will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14. R.V., margin; (Ed 165.8) 2 I MC VC

With a song, Jesus in His earthly life met temptation. Often when sharp, stinging words were spoken, often when the atmosphere about Him was heavy with gloom, with dissatisfaction, distrust, or oppressive fear, was heard His song of faith and holy cheer. (Ed 166.1) MC VC

On that last sad night of the Passover supper, as He was about to go forth to betrayal and to death, His voice was lifted in the psalm: (Ed 166.2) MC VC

“Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same
The Lord’s name is to be praised.” Psalm 113:2~3. (Ed 166.3) MC VC

“I love the Lord because He hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Because He hath inclined His ear unto me,
Therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1~2. (Ed 166.4) MC VC

“The sorrows of death compassed me,
And the pains of hell gat hold upon me:
I found trouble and sorrow.
Then called I upon the name of the Lord;
O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yea, our God is merciful.” Psalm 116:3~5. (Ed 166.5) MC VC

“The Lord preserveth the simple:
I was brought low, and He helped me.
Return unto thy rest, O my soul;
For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes
from tears, and my feet from falling.” Psalm 116:6~8. (Ed 166.6) MC VC

Amidst the deepening shadows of earth’s last great crisis, God’s light will shine brightest, and the song of hope and trust will be heard in clearest and loftiest strains.
“In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah;
We have a strong city;
Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Open ye the gates,
That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.
Trust ye in the Lord forever:
For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:1~4. (Ed 166.7) MC VC

“The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10, R.V. (Ed 167.1) MC VC

“They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the goodness of the Lord: ... and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.” Jeremiah 31:12. (Ed 167.2) MC VC

The Power of Song VC

The history of the songs of the Bible is full of suggestion as to the uses and benefits of music and song. Music is often perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring agencies of temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a precious gift of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to inspire and elevate the soul. (Ed 167.3) MC VC

As the children of Israel, journeying through the wilderness, cheered their way by the music of sacred song, so God bids His children today gladden their pilgrim life. There are few means more effective for fixing His words in the memory than repeating them in song. And such song has wonderful power. It has power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort. (Ed 167.4) MC VC

It is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with spiritual truth. How often to the soul hard-pressed and ready to despair, memory recalls some word of God’s—the long-forgotten burden of a childhood song,—and temptations lose their power, life takes on new meaning and new purpose, and courage and gladness are imparted to other souls! (Ed 168.1) MC VC

The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another. (Ed 168.2) MC VC

As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer. If the child is taught to realize this, he will think more of the meaning of the words he sings and will be more susceptible to their power. (Ed 168.3) MC VC

As our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with the glory of God, we may catch the themes of praise and thanksgiving from the heavenly choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the angels’ song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts will be drawn closer to the heavenly singers. Heaven’s communion begins on earth. We learn here the keynote of its praise. (Ed 168.4) MC VC