Melodic Mondays
Those of you who know me know that I love music even though I am not musical myself. I listen to good music as often as I can. It is beneficial to the brain, valuable to the vocabulary, and strengthening to the soul. Isaiah 12:2-3 is a lovely passage that includes this soaring statement of surety: “The Lord JEHOVAH [YAHWEH] is my strength and my song.” This could be translated, “God is my mountaintop and my music.” Yes, He is! Each Monday, I want to study this subject and suggest a song to listen to. Anyone reading this devotional has easy access to any song. (I am an exception because I do not go on a computer or other information device.) If you do not like my suggestion (and we all have different tastes), you can think of or search for one that speaks to you. Then, it can become a source of encouragement throughout the week.
Psalm 137 is one of the saddest songs ever written. It records the grief of God’s people who were taken captive out of Israel and forced into servitude in the pagan land of Babylon. Yet, it was here that the Israelites were cured of the idolatry that had led to their national demise. Also, it was in Babylon that they began to appreciate the goodness of God in giving them the Promised Land – “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8) – and in His promise that one day they would return. The song “Waters of Babylon” (sometimes called “Rivers of Babylon”) is based on Psalm 137; the refrain is from Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD.” An interesting version is by Sweet Honey in the Rock (which is also the name of a memorable Gospel song, based on Deuteronomy 32:13 and Psalm 81:16).