“So write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel. Help them learn it, so it may serve as a witness for me against them. Deuteronomy 31:19 NLT
Good morning fellow disciples.
Witness is defined as ‘something serving as evidence or proof, or attestation of a fact or event”.
In this passage, God told Moses to teach the Israelites a song, a song that spoke of their disobedience to God after Moses’ death. This song would foretell how the Israelites would abandon God, and that God would abandon them in return. They would face disasters and calamities, because they would serve the gods of the land they would soon inhabit. This song is found in Deuteronomy 32.
You may be wondering why God asked Moses to write down this song for them and teach it to them. However, remember that in those days not everybody had access to paper for recording stuff. A song was easy for people to learn and to remember. Just like nowadays, you teach your children songs before they learn to read and write, and even afterwards we realize that we tend to retain the lyrics of songs easily.
The interesting thing about this song is that God used it as a witness, something serving as evidence or proof of what they would do. When they sang it, they would be reminded of what God said and how they behaved towards Him. They would realize that they were wrong in abandoning God and serving the idols of the land. They would realize that all the disasters that they experienced was because of their disobedience to God.
When they meditated on this song, they could not deny their sin. When they meditated on this song, they would realize how great their God was because He foretold what would happen.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for teaching us Your Word. Thank You for giving us Your Word in song so that it may be a witness against us when we sin against You. As we meditate on Your songs, may we come to know You and to know Your will for our lives. As we ponder Your Words, may we repent, submit, and surrender to Your will for our lives.
May we be like Joshua who obeyed You, and not be like the children of Israel, who disobeyed You and served idols. Amen.