More Than A Song: A War Cry
(5/11/21, ALC)
Text: Song of Solomon 2:12-13
“(12) The flowers appear on the
earth; the time of the singing of
birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; (13) The
fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give
a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
Psalms 104:10, 12
“He sendeth the springs into the
valleys, which run among the hills….By
them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the
branches.
Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that
love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (You will be judged by the type of speech
that comes from your mouth).
Spring has come, and with it the beautiful melody of birds
singing. I particularly love to sit on my porch, or in my home office with the
windows open, and listen to peaceful songs delivered by the birds.
We even have a rooster here in the Hills of Guyandotte that
crows all day long: morning, noon & night.
We tend to equate the singing of birds to the praise of the
saints, and while we can agree with that we also see that their singing teaches
us a far greater lesson.
Nature teaches us.
Birds are territorial.[1]
They need to have proper space and
conditions to raise their offspring.
They will do many things to raise
their families.
I understand that there can be a danger in people being too
territorial when it comes to trying to reach the world and not allowing others
the opportunity to do a work for Jesus, but tonight I am focusing on your
families.
You need to guard your family.
Birds will choose their territory based on the availability
of food, water, shelter and nesting locations, and then they seek to attract a
mate.
Well, the Church is the perfect location for you to begin
nesting, and you already have a mate:
Isaiah 54:5, “For thy Maker is thine
husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of
Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
Paul wrote:
(11) Would to God ye could bear with
me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. (2) For I am
jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I
have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste
virgin to Christ. (3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:1-3).
Birds also claim territory to renew bonds and to let other
fowl know that this area is taken.
Birds claim territory through several
behaviors, including:[2]
· Nest building: Some birds, such as different types of wrens, will claim territory by taking advantage of the nesting sites it offers. The males will build multiple nests in suitable locations throughout their territory. The females will then investigate those nests and choose the one they prefer, even if they eventually rebuild the male's construction to suit their preferences.
o The Lord Jesus Christ is preparing a place for us, as we prepare ourselves for Him:
§ John 14:2-3, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
· Drumming: Woodpeckers and several types of game birds claim territory by drumming as an alternative to singing. These low-pitched, rhythmic sounds, whether made by pounding on a hollow tree or by using air sacs, will carry great distances. This alerts competing birds that the territory is not available, as well as lets potential mates know that a strong, healthy bird has claimed the location.
o “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph” (Psalm 47:1).
o Clapping, like drumming, shows an encroaching enemy that we are strong and victorious
o And to our Lord, it is offered as an expression of praise, worship and thanksgiving for who He is and what He has done.
o Psalm 66:1, “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands.”
· Visual displays: Visual displays such as puffing up colored feather patches, tail flicking or fanning, wing spreading, and other behaviors are all part of claiming territory. These postures and actions also show off a bird's strength and health to a potential mate. These behaviors are commonly a part of courtship rituals between opposite sexes as well as territorial displays between two male birds.
o We lift our hands as a visual display of praise and worship:
§ Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. (Psalm 63:4)
§ Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. (Psalm 134:2)
§ I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. (1Timothy 2:8)
· Worship is closely tied to a life of holiness.
· Everyone can praise the Lord, but not everyone can worship Him.
o We dance before the Lord as a visual demonstration of praise:
o Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. (Psalm 149:1-3)
o Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. (Psalm 150:4)
o And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. (2 Samuel 6:14)
· Chasing: As a last resort, aggressive birds may directly chase intruders or competitors out of their territory. This is frequent in areas where many birds are seeking to claim the same space, or when a dominant male is discouraging younger males that are struggling to claim their first territory. In bird species where family groups remain together in the winter, the male parent may chase away his mature offspring the following spring so they do not infringe on his territory.
o In this day, you better be aggressive about protecting your home, your nest, your territory.
§ The devil is trespassing on your home and in your mind with all the competing distractions. Why is he so set on distracting you, because he wants your most precious possession:
· Your relationship with God.
· Your family’s soul.
o That old serpent will slip near your nest just to consume your future hope.
· Singing: Singing is one of the most common ways birds advertise that territory belongs to them. Songs will carry quite far, and birds will perch near the edge of their territory to broadcast their claim to the maximum range. At the same time, a strong, vibrant song will help attract a mate. For some species, such as the northern mockingbird, a more complex song will help birds defend a larger territory and are more attractive to females.
o Singing is so important that the largest book of the Bible is a songbook – Psalms
o Psalms 66:1-4, “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: (2) Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. (3) Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. (4) All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.”
o We are told to “be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20).
o Psalms 150:1-6, “(1) Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. (2) Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. (3) Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. (4) Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. (5) Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. (6) Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”
Your Song is More Than
A Song.
Your Song is A War Cry.
You are conducting Holy Warfare
Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to
his name.”
Psalms 149:1-9
(1) Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
(2) Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
(3) Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
(4) For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
(5) Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
(6) Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;
(7) To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
(8) To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
(9) To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.