Good Tuesday to ya!!!!
Welcome
to September and the month of change!!! It seems that everything gets a
bit topsy turvey in September. The weather begins its transition to
autumn, students really begin to get into the normalcy of life back at
school and hopefully your favorite college football team sees incredible
improvement as they wage the gridiron war through the month. We love
this time of the year!!! Welcome to it. Welcome to September and
Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!
Regardless of the weather, I love this time of the year!!! It seems
natural that things should change. We lived in Florida for a time and
the first Autumn/Winter we spent there didn't seem the same because we
didn't see the distinct change in the weather that we have here in
Arkansas. As we lived there longer, we could tell that there was indeed
a change, but it was more subtle than the seasonal changes in which we
were accustomed. It seems no matter where you live, the longer
you are there the easier it is to see that everything has a time to every purpose under
heaven...
Part
of the popularity of today's feature song comes from the fact that it
was featured 4 times by different artists from 1959, when it was written
by Pete Seeger, to 1965. The most popular singles of "Turn! Turn!
Turn!" (credited as "To Everything There Is A Season" by the
Limelighters (of which Jim (Roger) McGuinn was a backing vocalist) on
their 1962 Folk Matinee album and by Seeger on his The Bitter and the Sweet album later that same year. It was also released by Judy Collins on her Judy Collins 3
album in 1963.
3 years later a group that had formed originally as a a folk trio known as The Jet Set (Jim McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby), would officially organize as The Byrds (adding Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke) and take "Turn! Turn! Turn!" to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in December of 1965. The song soared up the charts after entering at #80 by its appearance on 2 different records by The Byrds (Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, Turn! Turn! Turn!) in 1965.
3 years later a group that had formed originally as a a folk trio known as The Jet Set (Jim McGuinn, Gene Clark, and David Crosby), would officially organize as The Byrds (adding Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke) and take "Turn! Turn! Turn!" to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in December of 1965. The song soared up the charts after entering at #80 by its appearance on 2 different records by The Byrds (Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, Turn! Turn! Turn!) in 1965.
If
you think about it, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" features the oldest lyric by
any #1 song. Seeger added 9 words to the passage from King Solomon's
Ecclesiastes, "...a time for peace, I swear it's not too late..." and "...turn, turn, turn..."
with the intention of making the song primarily about peace in the
world. The bulk of the lyric is found almost verbatim in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 King James Version of the Bible
While
the Biblical text has been rearranged for artistic purposes, the
meaning is no different than when King Solomon penned it. There are
cycles to life. Each of these cycles serve a purpose. If you live long
enough you may see history repeat itself. This is the way God intended
it. I find it interesting that while Pete Seeger probably meant the
phrase; "Turn, Turn, Turn" as a reaction to our changing with our life cycles through peace not war, it
could also be considered a plea to repent of those things that cause us
to stumble during the harder parts of that cycle. How we meet the
challenges of those difficult times of that life pattern directly
determines how we can, and how much, we celebrate during the joyous times.
The Bible has many things to say about the transitions in our
lives. Many folks are averse to change. I have often said that the
only
change that I really like is the kind that jingles in my pocket. Our
perspective of life as Christians however, should embrace the fact that
we serve the Great Change Agent. The ability to transform lives from
unrighteous to righteous is the greatest act of change that can be
accomplished and God did so through sacrifice. Everything God created
was created to change, to transform until it reaches the capacity of
what God intended it to be. This transformation process may include
times of triumph and pain, and joy and sorrow. It may require us to
remove things from our lives that we embrace, but aren't good for us.
It may also require us to take risks that we wouldn't normally take. It
will require us to flow through cycles of change that happen in
"seasons" of our lives with the spirit of boldness and servitude that
only God can provide. All of these actions combine to create the people
God intends us to be and to prepare us for the heaven that awaits. The
apostle Paul talks about this transformative process in his letter to
the church in Rome: Romans 12 KJV/New International Version of the Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible parallel
In 1 Kings, God interacts with King Solomon, the son of King
David and Bathsheba. This encounter changed Solomon's life as God
promised to grant to Solomon, "whatever you want me to give you."
Notice Solomon's reply from the King James Version of 1 Kings 3:9
"Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?"
The Bible records God being pleased with King Solomon's request. God was so pleased in fact that he gave Solomon the "tangible" things of this life for which he did not ask. Riches and honor were given to the king. God also promised that he would lengthen King Solomon's days, if he would walk as David had walked, obeying God as life changed around him. As a testimony to this wisdom, we have the books of Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. (Yup, I know what you're thinking, "but what about the 969 women in Solomon's life?" well, that will have to wait for another day...AND a song we can actually feature in a Christian blog!!!)
As good as "Turn! Turn! Turn! is, Pete Seeger and The Byrds actually do not complete the thought that Solomon had begun with the first 8 verses in Ecclesiastes 3. (a time to dig a little deeper if you will...)
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 KJV/NIV/The Message
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account."
I love verses 12 and 13 where Solomon says "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil-this is the gift of God." This passages causes me to pause and ask if I find satisfaction in the things that I do. Paul also had a brief commentary on the things we do in this life: Colossians 3:22-25 KJV/NIV/The Message Can we be satisfied by doing all to God's glory? If not why not? What do I need to learn through the seasons of my life to find that satisfaction and appreciate it as a gift from God. How do I set eternity in my heart? How do I need to "Turn! Turn! Turn!"?
"Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?"
The Bible records God being pleased with King Solomon's request. God was so pleased in fact that he gave Solomon the "tangible" things of this life for which he did not ask. Riches and honor were given to the king. God also promised that he would lengthen King Solomon's days, if he would walk as David had walked, obeying God as life changed around him. As a testimony to this wisdom, we have the books of Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. (Yup, I know what you're thinking, "but what about the 969 women in Solomon's life?" well, that will have to wait for another day...AND a song we can actually feature in a Christian blog!!!)
As good as "Turn! Turn! Turn! is, Pete Seeger and The Byrds actually do not complete the thought that Solomon had begun with the first 8 verses in Ecclesiastes 3. (a time to dig a little deeper if you will...)
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 KJV/NIV/The Message
" What
do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on
the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has
also set eternity in the human heart; yet
no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that
there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good
while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.
I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be
added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will
fear him.
Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account."
I love verses 12 and 13 where Solomon says "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil-this is the gift of God." This passages causes me to pause and ask if I find satisfaction in the things that I do. Paul also had a brief commentary on the things we do in this life: Colossians 3:22-25 KJV/NIV/The Message Can we be satisfied by doing all to God's glory? If not why not? What do I need to learn through the seasons of my life to find that satisfaction and appreciate it as a gift from God. How do I set eternity in my heart? How do I need to "Turn! Turn! Turn!"?
'Til Tuesday,
Randy
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