Praise Him!
The Psalms aren't the only songs found in the Bible; Scripture records other occasions when believers broke into spontaneous songs of praise to God. Can you match these songwriters with the words of their compositions?

(There are more names than needed.)

1. "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor." _______________________

2. "Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea." _______________________

3. "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" _______________________

4. "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord! Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the Lord, I will sing." _______________________

5. "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David." _______________________

6. "And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'" _______________________

7. "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! �?Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished." _______________________

1. Hannah (1 Sam. 2:8). God had answered Hannah's prayer for a son; now, as she dedicated him to the Lord, she rejoiced in God the Giver, not in the gift. Her words are prophetic, speaking not only of David, whom her son Samuel would anoint as king, but also of Christ, the anointed of God (v. 10).

2. Miriam (Ex. 15:21). When the Red Sea swallowed Pharoah's chariots, Miriam and the women of Israel sang this refrain as they danced with tambourines. Sung antiphonally with Exodus 15:1-18, it is one of the oldest biblical songs, praising God for his deliverance and his eternal reign.

3. Angels (Rev. 5:12). John saw "thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand" angels encircling God's throne in his heavenly temple, singing this song of praise. The language is reminiscent of David's final psalm (1 Chron. 29:10-13).

4. Deborah (Judges 5). Deborah's song celebrated God's victory over the Canaanite king Jabin and his commander Sisera, who had oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. Retelling this historic event in song ensured that God's deliverance would be remembered by future generations.

5. Zechariah (Luke 1:67-79). An angel told Zechariah that his son would prepare the way for the Messiah, but when Zechariah asked for a sign, he was struck dumb. On the day of his son John's circumcision, his voice was restored and he uttered this prophecy, known as the Benedictus.

6. 24 elders (Rev. 5:9-10). The Israelites often wrote new songs to commemorate God's acts of salvation. The elders in John's vision are praising the Lamb for his redemptive work at Calvary.

7. Elizabeth (Luke 1:42-45). After Mary was told she would give birth to the Messiah, she visited her relative Elizabeth (pregnant with John the Baptist) who was filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed these words, known as the Ave Maria.

A Christian Reader original article.

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Reader magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail [email protected].
July/August 1999, Vol. 37, No. 4, Page 40