We have been made to sing; that is, the Lord God had this in mind in making us in His likeness, He Himself rejoiced in the habitable part of his creation, His delights were with the sons of men, and He made us spirit, soul and body so as to be able to sing His praises. As I write this article, I sing out loud each song. May I suggest the reader do the same beginning with the following:
“Awake, each saint, in joyful lays,
To sing the great Redeemer’s praise;
He justly claims a song from thee:
His loving-kindness, oh how free!” (Little Flock #118)
When the Lord said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” and “formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” man became a living soul, capable of making melody in the heart and singing (Gen. 1:26; 2:726And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)
7And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)). We are unique in this relationship with God; no other creature has this likeness with God. Other creatures make pleasant sounds, and angels may shout and praise, but only man, a tripartite being of spirit, soul and body, can combine spiritual thoughts with emotional feeling and singing voices to praise God as He has created us. This ability along with the history of man’s fall into sin and God’s plan of salvation have given us the wonderful theme of redemption to sing. So it was that the children of Israel were prompted to sing for the first time when they were delivered from Egypt. There are many other motives to sing, but this reason is first (see Rev. 5:99And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9)).
“O Lord, we adore Thee,
For Thou art the slain One
That livest forever,
Enthroned in heaven;
O Lord! we adore Thee,
For Thou hast redeemed us;
Our title to glory
We read in Thy blood.”
(Little Flock #8)
When the Lord God conceived the plan of creation in the eternal past, His relationship with man was before Him, as it says concerning “Wisdom” in Proverbs 8:30-3130Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (Proverbs 8:30‑31), “Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and My delights were with the sons of men.” Moreover, to Job the Lord said of that time that “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:77When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)). It is evident that God found His delight in preparing a place and means of relationship with mankind. There was singing and shouting before God at that time and the Bible ends with the completion of that plan by our Lord Jesus Christ. We do well to realize what our place and relationship with Him is and to answer to that purpose. “Sing without ceasing, sing the Savior’s present grace.” The following hymns say it so well:
Ere God had built the mountains,
Or raised the fruitful hills;
Before He filled the fountains
That feed the running rills;
In Thee, from everlasting,
The wonderful I AM
Found pleasures never wasting,
And Wisdom is Thy name.” (Little Flock #4)
“Thy deep eternal counsel
Chose us in Christ the Son,
Before the earth’s foundation,
Or sin had yet begun;
That we might all the nearness
Of the Beloved know,
And brought to Thee as children
Our children’s praises flow.
We worship Thee, our Father;
Soon shall Thy children be
At home in heavenly glory,
Thy house their home shall be;
We worship Thee, our Father,
And praise Thy perfect love;
Soon shall we chant Thy glory
In better strains above.” (Little Flock #265)
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph. 3:1717The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)). May we each respond according to His desire.
D. C. Buchanan