Last Sunday we heard a powerful sermon from Pastor Jacob about Jesus – the Supreme Son of God from Colossians 1:15-20. An early insight shared in that sermon was that Colossians 1:15-20 is believed to be one of the oldest hymns we have from the early Church. We see another example of an early hymn like this in Philippians 2:6-11. In the context of orderly worship, Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 14:26, “…When you come together, each one has a hymn…” In a few weeks, we’ll see in Colossians 3 that one of the ways we remember our identity in Christ (3:1, 3) and keep our minds set on things above (3:2) as we await Christ’s return (3:4) is to together “sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness to God in your hearts,” (3:16). Notice the refrain here? In all of these verses, Christ’s bride has always been a singing church. Why is that?

Songs certainly weren’t unique to the New Testament. We see many references to songs and their various types sung throughout the Old Testament as well. Take for instance the two Songs of Moses in the Old Testament. One is found in Exodus 15 as a victory song of God, detailing how the LORD overcame Pharaoh’s army by bringing back the parted waters of the Red Sea over top of them. It is bookended by the chorus, “Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea,” (Exodus 15:1, 21). The second song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 is a song Moses had the people memorize and teach their children. It was meant to serve as a warning and witness for them. It was to be in their hearts as a continual reminder to trust and obey God’s law and good purposes to them as their very life, or receive deadly consequences.  In addition, we’ve seen in Pastor Coty’s Psalms series that there are groupings of Psalms sung for specific purposes within the calendar year. One example are the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) sung as God’s people walked up to Jerusalem each year during the Feast of Tabernacles. Another set of songs are the Hallel songs of praise to the LORD sung at Passover (Psalms 113-118).

Throughout the Bible we see many reasons why God’s chosen and redeemed people have always been a singing people. Singing songs of praise to God about His character and past faithfulness certainly glorifies God. It also pleases Him to see His redeemed children seeing and savoring their almighty God. It serves as a way to verbally cry out and demonstrate His matchless worth (the essence of worship) through belting out who our triune God is and what He has done.

But I want to suggest to you today that singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs both individually (and especially collectively) is a means by which the Spirit enables us to wage spiritual warfare against our threefold enemy: our sinful flesh, the fallen world, and the Satanic powers of darkness. Yes, there are other means for spiritual warfare God has given us. These include regular reading of God’s Word in public gatherings and private settings. It includes private and corporate prayer, memorizing and meditating on God’s Word, regular meeting together for worship and fellowship, the Lord’s Supper and baptism, and fasting, among others. But I want us to briefly ponder in a few passages the purposeful power of singing to God while in the battle.

A classic case of this is in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat of Judah finds the southern kingdom facing the combined forces of a 3 nation army. Feeling fearful and weak, Jehoshaphat wisely calls for all of Judah to fast (2 Chronicles 20:3), and he seeks the Lord in dependence, admitting to God, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you,” (2 Chronicles 20:12). The LORD hears and graciously responds with the familiar answer to “not be afraid…or dismayed” (2 Chronicles 20:15). He then uses words reminding them of past victories He’s won for them. Just as David once had yelled out to Goliath, now the LORD reminds Jehoshaphat and the people, “the battle is not yours but God’s,” (2 Chronicles 20:15).  And similar to Moses’ words to the people trapped at the Red Sea, now God says, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf,” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

The response of the people is elation and boldness and faith and worship. It says, “Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice,” (2 Chronicles 20:18-19). The people rose up early, the King encouraged them to believe the LORD, and then after meeting with the singers something shocking happened. The singers went before the army and began to sing a chorus of praise to Yahweh, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His steadfast love endures forever,” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

Note, the battle lines of the enemy were not weakened, and the circumstances had not changed. The people had simply heard, received, and believed that the LORD was mighty, that He’s with them, and that He’s for them. And they worship! And what’s the result? Verse 22, “And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.” We see in verse 23 the LORD turned the enemy against themselves. God’s presence turned the sin of fear to bold faith in Him, and used the bold faith as a means to turn their worldly enemies and Satan’s plans for evil to total defeat. The people plundered the spoil of their completely annihilated foe. It took three days to haul off. The valley of enemies that had just evoked fear became after that moment Beracah (the Valley of Blessing).

Two other quick New Testament examples of songs of praise being lifted up in the middle of the battle.

1. Acts 16 – Paul and Silas went to Philippi and Paul, by God’s power, freed a fortune-telling, slave girl from spiritual possession. In anger, the slave’s owners seized Paul and Silas, raised up a mob, and they ended up being beaten with rods by the authorities. They were then sent to an inner prison and their feet were fastened in stocks. “About midnight,” the text tells us in v. 25, “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,” They were singing in the spiritual battle. Suddenly, an earthquake hit, all the prisoners’ chains were released, but none left. Paul saved the jailer who was about to commit suicide and then the jailer and his entire family received Christ and are baptized. Singing in the midst of the storm was instrumental for both Paul and Silas to keep their focus and perspective on their loving, unchanging, all-powerful God. It also was a means that fallen people around them heard the Gospel, and for more of Satan’s territory to be plundered.

2. Then we see our LORD on His last night. He’d just eaten the Last Supper with His disciples. He’d just washed the feet of His closest friends who would all abandon Him. Jesus was about to break the news of this to His disciples and Peter. He knew, Peter would answer that he’d stay with Jesus till death, but that He’d actually deny three times he even knew Him. Another He knew, had just left the dinner to betray Him. So what does Jesus do as He’s leaving the dinner table, about to have these conversations, with the weight of the world on His shoulders? Matthew’s Gospel tells us as an aside, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Just before Jesus takes the path headed straight towards what He knows is His certain death towards the Mount of Olives, likely on the same trail David took when he was weeping while fleeing from Absalom, He sings! He’s singing to God and then He’s praying to God. He alone took the path and made the decision in that Garden to go forward to the cross. He alone willingly took the path that didn’t lead to God’s encouragement that He’d be with Him, but led to Him becoming sin and the Father’s wrath. But on the way, He sang and then He prayed. And the result of His finished work on the cross and empty tomb was to set up a new kingdom. He defeated sin’s penalty and power over all who would believe in Him. He came to overturn and make right again this fallen world. And He came, and will come again, to finally crush and defeat Satan and his evil forces by fully plundering his kingdom of darkness and bringing people into the light of the kingdom of God!

So brother and sisters, in your homes, and as we come together this weekend, recognize one of the means of grace at your disposal – singing songs of praise to our God. When you do, know that it is a means to fight against the war we’re all involved in – against sin, against the fallen world, and against Satan Himself. Remind yourselves in Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs how great our triune God is. How loving our Savior is. Remind yourself how powerful the Spirit of God is within us and of the kingdom in which Christ has made us heirs, ready to fully inherit at His return. Sing with joy in God, knowing that He’s won our victory, He’s with and for us, and He’s using our song as a means through which our enemies camp is plundered.