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.
Shortly after the great hymn writer Charles Wesley was saved, he wrote the stirring “And Can It Be?” The imagery is striking, and the sentiments are sincere. Wesley was also careful to teach sound Biblical theology in this song of personal testimony. For example, “emptied Himself of all but love” refers to Philippians 2:5-8, especially verse 7a: “But made Himself of no reputation” – literally, “emptied Himself.” This expression does not mean that Jesus, God the “Son, ceased to be God. He did not – and could not – surrender any of His divine perfections. He did, though, choose to take upon Himself the limitations of humanity, including a body, a specific time in human history, and precise geographical locations. These restrictions led to His voluntary veiling of His full glory (John 17:5) and to His willing waiver of the full exercise of His divinity (Matthew 24:36). A good hymn must have good theology, and Wesley rightly reminds us of this “amazing love” of our Savior God. Let us listen to a rendition of this 1700’s hymn by Stuart Townend.