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.
In I Corinthians 10:4, we read of the Israelites that they “did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” A silly rabbinic legend developed, based on Exodus 17:1-9 and Numbers 20:1-13, that a physical rock followed the Israelites around in the wilderness and provided water for them. Paul, writing under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, correctly understood that it was Jesus Christ, God the Son, Who provided for His people. The familiar hymn “Rock of Ages,” written by Augustus Toplady in 1776, was sung at the funeral of one of my great-aunts. The version by the Statler Brothers is traditional southern Gospel, and the rendition by the Antrim Mennonite Choir is more classical in its approach. Because my staggeringly stunning trophy wife told me that I need to include more contemporary music, you can also listen to the Norton Hall Band. If you listen to all three, you will notice alternate lyrics, as sometimes occurs with older songs.