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.
Daniel 5 reveals the story of Belshazzar’s feast. Yes, the handwriting was on the wall (verse 5 – that is where we get this familiar idiom). The pagan king of Babylon, facing an overthrow of his regime in 539 B.C., decided that getting drunk was a better option than defending his people. He was wrong. Through the prophet Daniel, God said to Belshazzar, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (verse 27), and the king was killed that very evening (verse 30). His life is a cautionary tale to all. The Gospel song “Belshazzar” by Johnny Cash tells the story in a traditional Southern style. I believe that this was the first song that he ever wrote.