Psalm 96:1, 2
There is an important difference between speaking and singing. In both of them we express what is in our souls; but singing is expressing thoughts that fill us with joy. And in Psalm 96:1,2 we are exhorted to do that. There we read: "O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; shew forth His salvation from day to day."
Worth taking note of here is the fact that we are to sing unto the Lord. That certainly means that we have Him in our thoughts when we sing at home, in the church services, or in the choral society. And it must not be the music that makes us happy and pleases our souls. It must be the truth we are expressing. And our singing must not simply be expressing the truth about God. It must be singing the truth unto Him.
That we sing a new song unto Him means that a change has come in our lives. Our old man of sin used to sing the songs of the world with the world. Now, as born again children of God, we are thrilled by spiritual matters, the things of our salvation. We sing what the holy angels sing, and the saints already in heaven sing. As the psalmist states it, we bless God in our singing.
Notice that the psalmist literally exhorts us to shew forth in our singing His salvation from day to day. The singing of the child of God is characterized by that singing. Christ is the center and heart of our singing. What God did for us in Him makes us so happy that not only do we sing unto God, but we want others to do so as well. Here then is our versification of the psalmist's words (PRC Psalter):
Sing to the Lord, sing His praise, all ye peoples,
New be your song as new honors ye pay;
Sing of His majesty, bless Him forever,
Show his salvation from day to day.
Is that the kind of singing your mouth and vocal cords produce? Are your songs those of the old man of sin, or of the new man in Christ? Drop, push aside those of the world and bless God in your singing.
Read: Psalm 96
Psalter versification: #259:1
Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism
Song for Meditation: Psalter #25
Why not sing along??
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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Job 40 ; Job 41 ; Job 42:1-17
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Psalm 45:1-17
Proverbs 22:14
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Quote for Reflection:
"… Peter’s tears, which he shed in secret, testified before God and the angels that his repentance was true; for, having withdrawn from the eyes of men, he places before him God and the angels; and, therefore, those tears flow from the deep feelings of his heart. This deserves our attention; for we see many who shed tears purposely, so long as they are beheld by others, but who have no sooner retired than they have dry eyes. Now there is no room to doubt that tears, which do not flow on account of the judgment of God, are often drawn forth by ambition and hypocrisy." ~ John Calvin
Additional Info
- Date: 1-September
Heys, John A.
Rev. John A. Heys was born on March 16, 1910 in Grand Rapids, MI. He was ordained and installed into the ministry at Hope, Walker, MI in 1941. He later served at Hull, Iowa beginning in 1955. In 1959 he accepted the call to serve the South Holland, IL Protestant Reformed Church. He received and accepted the call to Holland, Michigan Protestant Reformed Church in 1967. He retired from the active ministry in 1980. He entered into glory on February 16, 1998.