SINGING PRAISE TO GOD

Joyce Voysey

In response to the editor’s postscript on the post “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah” –

Yes, Julie, how singing praise to God (were there Psalms before David?), and dancing, would have cheered the women.

Moses’ song of deliverance in Exodus is the first mention of singing in the Bible:  “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.  The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation” Ex. 1, 2 (to :).  And in verses 20 and 21, we find Moses’ sister Miriam “…took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.  And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”

The early stories in the Bible having been handed down by word of mouth, no doubt these stories often were told through song, for isn’t singing a fine way to remember the words? 

And when you come to think of it, could not David’s musical talents have been nourished by family singing all the way back to Naomi and Ruth – and even before?  One thinks of the wonderful Mozart and his musical family. 

I am transported to the end of Ruth’s story, or is it rather Naomi’s story?  After having suffered through weak men in her early life, Naomi was blessed with a grandson who the women said would be “famous in Israel” (Ruth 4:14).  Here we have a prophesy – from “the women.”

 

I wonder if Naomi, Ruth and Orpah, and then just Naomi and Ruth, were travelling alone.  Did they walk?  Ride on camels?  Were servants with them?  Servants seem to be ignored or taken for granted in Bible stories sometimes; at other times they have a very important place in the stories, e.g. Naaman’s wife’s servant, the little maid, “captive out of the land of Israel,” who was the means by which Naaman the Syrian got in touch with Elisha the prophet, who brought about his healing of leprosy.  See II Kings 5.  And Isaac – The unnamed servant who was despatched to find him a wife from among his father Abraham’s people.  This servant of Abraham was “…his eldest of his house, that ruled over all that he had…,” a truly important person, who prayed to God for guidance in his mission, and all were blessed.  See Genesis 24.

Editor: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/timbrel

Noun

1.

timbrel - small hand drum similar to a tambourine; formerly carried by itinerant jugglers drum, membranophone, tympan - a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end