Good Tuesday to ya friend! Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes, the place where the magic of music is masterfully manipulated into a majestic measure of meteoric musings about our magnificent Messiah!!! Brought to you today by the letter M and the number 22!
Today marks the 352nd edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes. For just under 6 years now, we've filled the blogosphere and some email boxes with thoughts that you might not have ever thought from songs you haven't heard in some time, or perhaps ever. Please peruse the month-by-month breakdown on the far left of the screen and see if one of your favorite musical artist's songs has been included in our musical musings on The Messiah. You can also search by a specific title of a song or artist in the search bar above the monthly archives.
Written and originally recorded by Mac Davis in 1971, "I Believe in Music" would be covered by a number of top-name artists before the Jim Gold-led group Gallery sent it to #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1972. "I Believe in Music" was the follow-up to Gallery's #4 smash "Nice to be With You" and the second of three singles to be released by Gallery from their debut album. The third single from Nice to Be With You, "Big City Miss Ruth Ann" would also go as high as #22 on the charts. The band would soon dissolve after their 4th single, "Love Every Little Thing About You" did not chart.
I think it would be difficult to find anyone who would dispute the power of music in our world. From the strains of the oldest "Classical" chart by the big 3 "B's" (Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms) all the way to the latest Grammy Winners (Although I find it hard to imagine many of those songs winding up on an "Oldies" radio station or as the background music for a movie soundtrack, but I digress), music has the ability to influence folks in many ways. This influence provides the impetus for us to sing with Gallery..."I believe in music..."
Music even has the ability to impact the outcome of battles. All throughout the Bible, there are references to music as worship being a "rallying cry" for the troops of Israel. One of the most powerful of these instances occurs in 2 Chronicles 20.
Jehoshaphat (yes, that was his real name) was the king of Judah. David's Israel had split into 2 nations due to Solomon's following away from God's leadership and Rehoboam's (Solomon's son) denial of relief from the tax burden that Solomon had imposed on the nation. This time was tumultuous for both Israel (Northern Kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom). They were constantly at war with each other or surrounding nations. Some of the kings were good, but most rulers in both kingdoms did not follow God and allowed their respective monarchies to be eventually defeated by the world powers of their time. The entire book of Lamentations was written as a sad soliloquy for their time period of exile.
But Jehoshaphat was a king of Judah that followed God. And apparently, Jehoshaphat believed in music. Let's look at the story of one battle that was enveloped in music used as worship.
Jehoshaphat started his reign in a God-honoring manner. He did things that were right in God's eyes. But Jehoshaphat messed up by making an alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. God was displeased at this union and the peace on all sides that Jehoshaphat had experienced quickly ended as nations began to rise up against Judah, the Southern Kingdom. The passage above eludes to the nations of Ammon and Moab as well as others rising up against Judah. Jehoshaphat remembers God's grace. He cries out to God and leads Judah in a national prayer service. (Can you imagine what that could look like for the United States?) God answers through Jahaziel's words that may ring very familiar.
"Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17 NASB)
So they prayed together as a nation, God reassured them as a nation, and then they responded to God's proclamation by putting "those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire" at the front of the battle line! The musicians were at the front!!! What a testimony to the faith of Jehoshaphat and his leadership! God told them to not worry and instead of putting their faith in their military might, they put their faith in their musician's ministry. Instead of their army yelling "Charge!", their singers were proclaiming,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting!!!”
I think it should be noted, that Israel and Judah oftentimes DID have to fight with chariots and battlements. Those instances were usually when their disobedience had separated them from God. Perhaps you feel like you need to "armor up" in the battles you may be facing. The question would be why do you feel that way? What have you allowed to come in between your relationship with God? Instead of "armoring up" perhaps you should kneel down, confess the reasons for your distance from God, and renew your relationship with Him. Peace on every side of your "nation" can be achieved through a strong relationship with the God who created you.
If you've never had such a relationship with God, you can have that today. Just talk to Him, confess your need for Him, and turn away from the rebellion in which you have lived. Allow the Holy Spirit to imbue you and take charge of your life. Believing in and relying on God is far superior to anything else you may have experienced.
And now, the rest of the story...
God then set ambushes for the enemies of Judah and those enemies started fighting themselves, ultimately destroying all of the invading armies. Judah spent the next 3 days taking the spoils from the armies of Ammon and Moab. On the 4th day, they assembled and began the journey back to Jerusalem. They closed their symphony of victory as they had started it... with worship through music!
"Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord."
Yes, Jehoshaphat believed in the power of music. But more importantly, Jehoshaphat believed in Who was behind the reason for the music. Judah's music was created in response to their faith in God and was to be used to praise God! It was an expression of love for what God was doing in response to their national prayer movement. It was also an expression of love for the faith in which they had in what God would do during what seemed to be an impossible circumstance. Yes, they believed in music. Yes, they believed in love...
"Music is love and love is music if you know what I mean
People who believe in music are the happiest people I've ever seen
So clap your hands and stomp your feet and shake those tambourines
Lift your voices to the sky tell me what you see."
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting!!!”
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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