THE NEW SONG.
"He hath put a new song in my mouth" (Psa_40:3). No singing until the Psalmist had been delivered, established, and assured. And even then the New Song was Divinely inspired: "He hath put a new song in my mouth."
A Puzzle. It is indeed a puzzle how gloom and sadness have become associated with religion. For the Bible is a Book of singing, of songs. Solomon composed one thousand and five (1Ki_4:32). Even in that most solemn of all Bible books, the Book of the Revelation, there is great gladness and joy, for there we find more singing than woe. Nine times is "woe" mentioned, but there are ten songs sung by eight different choirs (Rev_4:8-11; Rev_5:8-14; Rev_7:9-12). In the Temple worship many Levites were set apart for nothing else save the singing of the Lord’s song. Singing is the employment of happy and thankful hearts.
Remarkable Fact. Here is a remarkable fact, that the only singing in the Bible is in connection with Redemption. Even angels are never said to sing: "Praising God and saying," not singing. "And they (redeemed men and women) sang a new song, and no man could learn that song save. . . they that were redeemed" (Rev_5:9; Rev_14:3). The lesson is on the surface: there can be no true happiness apart from God and His wonderful salvation.
I. The New Song Begins on the Rock (Psa_40:1-3). Palestine had many dried up water cisterns. Many of these were "horrible," because of the filthy sediment left at the bottom. This is a picture of the sinner’s condition- down one of these horrible places. How is he to get out? Not by his own effort,. for the more he struggles the more he will sink in the mire. Salvation must come from outside.
A girl had read the fortieth Psalm as her evening portion, whereupon she retired for the night. When, lo, she found herself down a horrible pit, her feet sinking in the mire. What could she do? Desperately she struggled, but that made matters worse. At last, thoroughly exhausted, she sank back and looked up, when lo, at the top of the pit she saw a patch of the blue sky, and there a star shining, and as she gazed upon it she felt herself being lifted up, up, up, until her feet were on the green grass. "Only a dream," do you say? Ah, more than a dream. For does not the Lord call Himself the Bright and Morning Star, and are not we bidden to look unto Him and be ye saved? Yes; salvation must come from the Lord.
II. The New Song Continues in the Rock. "Let the inhabitants of the Rock sing" (Isa_42:11). In troublous times Eastern folk left their homes in the plains and valleys and dwelt in the rocks. Once there, assured of safety, they could sing. We are not only on the Rock, but in the Rock, dwelling in the "Rock of Ages, cleft for me."
III. The New Song is Enriched at Consecration (2Ch_29:27). "And when the Burnt Offering began, the song of the Lord began also." The Burnt Offering was an emblem of consecration, both the Saviour’s and others. When you offer yourself as a whole Burnt Offering, the joy of the Lord will flood your being.
Has this thought ever gripped you, that it is only the small birds that sing. Never a note of music do you hear from the turkey, the eagle, or the ostrich; only from the small birds such as the robin, canary, lark, etc. Am I big in my own estimation? Then I shall never know fully what is real joy. The consecrated are those who become smaller and smaller in their own estimation, but greater in the Lord’s.
IV. The New Song Increases in Volume as we Follow on to Know the Lord. In Isa_24:14 there is the striking phrase: "They shall sing for the majesty of the Lord." As our knowledge of the Lord increases and more and more of His Majesty and grandeur are discovered, our joy will be increased.
V. The New Song is Mightily Helped by Prayer (Act_16:25)."The Lord giveth songs in the night."
Autor: James Smith