Now how shall we sing the Lords song

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‘Now how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land’ 5 January

‘Now how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land’ 5 January 2020 1

2 things are for certain to happen: • Some of the things you plan

2 things are for certain to happen: • Some of the things you plan for and put effort to will happen; and yet others will not pan out • Some things that you have not planned for or imagined, will happen And In either case, you will have to have the resolve and the resource to see it through 5 January 2020 2

‘a strange land’ • Another set of 12 months that we don’t know if

‘a strange land’ • Another set of 12 months that we don’t know if we’ll live to see the other end of it, and if we do, how will we be/how will we have lived it • Our known and expressed hopes, dreams, aspirations, yearnings – yet the outcome of achievement of which we cannot guarantee • Events yet unknown to us that will affect us • Our discomfort or distress over present circumstances that we wish to be different 5 January 2020 3

What to do in /how to cope with this strange land? • God’s people

What to do in /how to cope with this strange land? • God’s people in exile were asked, were taunted, to sing their Lord’s song – but how could they sing a sacred song when those who oppress them have disdain and disregard for their Lord? • The prophet Jeremiah sends them a letter – as recorded in chapter 29: • Encouragement • Warning • Reminder 5 January 2020 4

Encouragement • Encouragement by means of a message from God: make the best of

Encouragement • Encouragement by means of a message from God: make the best of life in exile, in the strange land (Jer 29: 4 -7) • ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. • Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. • Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. 5 January 2020 5

Warning • False prophets (such as Shemaiah, Jer 29 v 24 -32) were setting

Warning • False prophets (such as Shemaiah, Jer 29 v 24 -32) were setting themselves up among the people in exile, promising a speedier release from exile than what God said. Even attempting to set up Jeremiah’s downfall in Jerusalem. • So Jeremiah warns – v 8: ‘Yes this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: Do not let the prophets and diviners deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them; declares the Lord. ’ • (examples abound in our midst, e. g. The TV pastor and the prayer shawl; motivational speakers parading as Christian ministers, e. g. quoting Jer 29 v 11 in isolation – ‘telling us the dreams we encourage them to have 5 January 2020 6

Reminder • Of God’s plan: • He said 70 years in exile (‘because you

Reminder • Of God’s plan: • He said 70 years in exile (‘because you did not listen to me, and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves’ Jer 25 v 7, and so it will be • (not less, as the false prophets were trying to tell the people) • ‘The central thought of the book (of Jeremiah) may be expressed by bringing together the two recurrent expressions, ‘I will punish’, and ‘I will restore’. While there is present failure through the sin of man, there shall be final triumph through the love of God. There is wrath to the full, but there is love to the end. ’ (J Sidlow Baxter) 5 January 2020 7

Reminder • After 70 years He will rescue them – Jer 29 v 10

Reminder • After 70 years He will rescue them – Jer 29 v 10 ‘When 70 years are completed for Babylon I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place’ • For His plans for His people ultimately, is not unending wrath but rescue and unending love. • His plan for His people is for them to be restored as His – to be in right relationship with Him again – v 13, 14 ‘you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you’. A God who is near not far. A God, whom, in Christ, we came to know as Immanuel, God with us 5 January 2020 8

So far: • We identified the many dimensions of the ‘strange land’ or the

So far: • We identified the many dimensions of the ‘strange land’ or the land of exile we find ourselves in • We asked how can we cope in exile, in the strange land – referring to the letter of Jeremiah to the people in exile, we noticed how God: • Encourages them to make the best of it • reminds them of His promise to rescue and restore them, • and warns them of false prophets • Now we have to address the question of how – how shall we be able to make the best of things while in exile, while in the strange land, while waiting for rescue 5 January 2020 9

HOW shall we SING the Lord’s song in a strange land • Elihu to

HOW shall we SING the Lord’s song in a strange land • Elihu to Job and the friends in Job 35 v 10 – ‘But no one says, ’Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night’ • HOW – we shall sing a song in the night of our ‘exile’, in the night of our distress and discomfort; this is a song that God Himself will give us • It is easy to sing a song in daytime, it is easy to sing a song when we are in our comfort and all is as we wish it to be 5 January 2020 10

A song of the daytime is different to the song in the night (with

A song of the daytime is different to the song in the night (with reference to CH Spurgeon) • ‘If it is daylight in my heart, I can sing songs touching my graces, songs touching my sweet experiences – songs touching my duties – songs touching my labors – • But let the night come – my graces appear to have withered, my evidences, though they are there, appear hidden. ’ • When all is well about us then we have a tendency to sing songs pertaining to how well things are, how pleased we are, how ‘blessed’ we are. Says Spurgeon: • ‘It is strange, that when God gives His children mercies, they normally set their hearts more on the mercies, than on the Giver of them’ 5 January 2020 11

A song of the daytime is different to the song in the night (with

A song of the daytime is different to the song in the night (with reference to CH Spurgeon) • ‘If it is daylight in my heart, I can sing songs touching my graces, songs touching my sweet experiences – songs touching my duties – songs touching my labors – • But let the night come – my graces appear to have withered, my evidences, though they are there, appear hidden. ’ • When all is well about us then we have a tendency to sing songs pertaining to how well things are, how pleased we are, how ‘blessed’ we are. Says Spurgeon: • ‘It is strange, that when God gives His children mercies, they normally set their hearts more on the mercies, than on the Giver of them’ 5 January 2020 12

A song of the daytime is different to the song in the night (with

A song of the daytime is different to the song in the night (with reference to CH Spurgeon) • ‘Let all things go as I please – I will weave songs, weave them wherever I go, with the flowers that grow along my path, but put me in the desert, where there are no flowers, and how will I weave a chorus of praise to God? • ‘Let this voice be free, and this body be full of health, and I can sing God’s praise. But stop this tongue, lay me on the bed of suffering and it is not so easy to sing from the bed, and chant high praises in the fires. ’ • ‘It is not natural to sing in times of trouble ‘Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name’, for that is a song of the daylight. But it was a divine song that Habakkuk (3: 17 -1) sang when in the night he said: though the fig tree may not blossom. . Yet I will 5 January 2020 13 rejoice in the Lord’

The question remains: How do we get that song in the night? We go

The question remains: How do we get that song in the night? We go to the Great Composer • We now know that when all is stripped away, when adversity befalls us, when it is night around us, when the joyfulness and ease of praise of the daytime is no more – then, we can only turn, and turn to God for praise. When rock-bottom hits we find ourselves on our knees and remember our God from whom our help comes • says Spurgeon: • ‘Go to your Maker, and ask Him to give you a song in the night. ’ ‘Do not go to this comforter, or that one, for you will find them Job’s comforters, after all; but go first and foremost to your Maker, for He is the great composer of songs and teacher of music; he is the One who can teach you how to sing’. 5 January 2020 14

As we go forth into the unknown… even into the night • Let us

As we go forth into the unknown… even into the night • Let us ask God for a song in the night, for a song despite our exile, for a song despite our reservations about singing the Lord’s song in a strange land • We can turn to examples of songs in the night – starting with Mary’s song in the night time of her surprise pregnancy Luke 1 v 46 ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant’. • She doesn’t lament – how is this going to pan out? No she looks up and says (my elaboration) – I will praise my God, who is also my Saviour, who is well aware of what is happening with me and how unable I am to do this on my own. 5 January 2020 15

As we go forth into the unknown…into the strange land • May you have

As we go forth into the unknown…into the strange land • May you have abundant opportunities for daytime songs, and may even your daytime songs be a praise-song of God, not a praise-song of good circumstances • May God grant you a song in the night when you need it. Amen. 5 January 2020 16