THE EARTHLY SONG AND THE HEAVENLY VOICE
Isaiah 30:29-33. Ye shall have a song … and the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, &c.
The fulfilment of this prophecy is recorded in Isaiah 37:36. The Assyrian power, hitherto unopposed in its march of conquest, sustained a severe check when it assailed Jerusalem. The great deliverance is here foretold. Inside the walls there would be song and gladness; outside, swift destruction. “The holy solemnity” was probably the Passover which Hezekiah and his people observed; and the “song” in that case would be the Paschal Hymn, comprising Psalms 113-118. There is a tradition that Sennacherib’s army was destroyed on the night of the passover; and thus while the people were recalling their great national deliverance, a further and somewhat similar divine interposition was about to be made in their behalf. Mark how grandly, as if in response to the songs and gladness of the passover night, the voice of Jehovah comes in. It is impossible not to see the connection between the two voices. Songs of praise and gladness have still an echo in heaven, and call forth a divine response to quell the church’s foes. Look, then, at the two voices, the human and the divine, in relation to each other.
1. A voice of confidence on man’s part responded to by a voice of power on God’s part. It showed no small faith in Hezekiah and his people to observe the passover in the circumstances. How could the little kingdom of Judah oppose the mighty conqueror? How could Jerusalem stand out against the assailants encamped in such numbers around its walls? God was their defence. To Him in this emergency they raised their songs of confidence. Nothing could more appropriately express their faith than the passover hymn. That night reminded them of the rescue from Egypt, and would inspire them with confidence in God. They were on the eve of another great deliverance, and their song was well fitted to prepare them for it, containing such passages as these, Psalms 115:1-11; Psalms 118:6-13. Nor was their confidence disappointed. Without any human help, God overthrew their besiegers, but it was the song of faith that called forth the powerful voice of God. When faith appeals to God, the appeal is heard on high (Exodus 14:13; Psalms 46:10). Two prisoners once prayed and sang praises to God at midnight. Their testimony for Christ had been silenced, but from the dark dungeon the song of confidence rose to heaven. “And the Lord caused His glorious voice to be heard,” an earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, and God gave His two witnesses an opportunity of bringing the Gospel to bear upon hardened hearts. Do you wish to see the arm of the Lord revealed? then sing your song of faith. Does the Church in these days sit powerless, sad, and despairing through the gloomy night of unbelief and prevailing ungodliness? Let her know that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. In the darkest night of seeming failure she has her God-given song, and if only she can sing it in spite of all that is black and threatening in her prospects, “the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of His arm” in rebuking scepticism and indifference, in softening hard hearts, and in making friends of foes.
2. A song of gladness and joy in God responded to by a voice of complacent affection. All the Jewish feasts were occasions of gladness, and the passover must have been so, when we consider the event it commemorated, the communion with God to which it invited, and the future salvation it foreshadowed. The paschal hymn resounds with notes of gladness, e.g., Psalms 118:14-15; Psalms 118:24. If our song of joy in God is hearty and sincere, we may expect a corresponding response. If we rejoice in God, He will rejoice over us (Zephaniah 3:17; Isaiah 31:4-5.)
3. A song of self-dedication answered by a voice of recognition. The song breathes the spirit of consecration to God’s service (Psalms 116:12-19). Do we thus consciously and spontaneously lay ourselves on the altar as living sacrifices? If we own God, God will own us. The destruction of Sennacherib’s hosts was a proof to all the world that God owned Israel as His peculiar people. You, too, will have the token of divine ownership. For your sake God will rebuke the devourer. In response to your song of dedication, “the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard,” giving success to your efforts and enterprises, blessing you and making you a blessing.
4. A song of security calling forth a voice of preservation. Within the walls the people marched in procession “to the mountain of the Lord, to the rock of Israel.” That rock of ages was their defence. They felt secure in God’s faithful keeping (Psalms 115:17-18; Psalms 118:16-18). Have you entered into this element of the paschal song? You shall hear God’s protecting voice, and see the acts of His preserving care. However strong the foes that muster against you, they shall not prevail, for all the divine resources are engaged for your support (Colossians 3:3).
5. A song of thanksgiving for past mercies answered by a voice that commanded new mercies. This element was very prominent in the Passover observances, and it enters largely into the Lord’s Supper, called on this account the Eucharist. How can we remember Christ without thankfulness and praise? When He took the bread and the cup He “gave thanks,” and He and His disciples sang the paschal hymn. What strains of high thanksgiving it contains! It begins with praise (Psalms 113:1-2). It recalls the Exodus (Psalms 114) It rises to a grateful recognition of God’s goodness (Psalms 116:7-8; Psalms 116:17). When such a song rises from human lips, God will give fresh occasions for thankfulness.
Let the subject teach us the importance of sacred song. Prayer and preaching are divinely appointed means of grace and instruction, but we cannot dispense with song. God fights for His people, but it is with the accompaniment of tabrets and harps (Isaiah 30:32).—William Guthrie, M.A.