When you ask young people what they know about the Bible, they might be able to sing the little Bible song, “How do you know that Jesus loves you? I know that Jesus loves me, because the Bible tells me so.” Most of us have this sentimental approach to the Bible as a book with a lot of nice stories about Adam and Eve, Moses, and Jesus, but very little else.
Sing
Yahweh will dwell in their midst (Zech 2:10-2:12)
“‘Sing!
Rejoice!
O daughter Zion!
Look!
I come!
I will dwell
In your midst.’
Says Yahweh.
Many nations
Shall join themselves
To Yahweh
In that day.
‘They shall be my people.
I will dwell
In your midst.’
You shall know
That Yahweh of hosts
Has sent me to you.
Yahweh will inherit Judah
As his portion
In the holy land.
He will again choose
Jerusalem.”
Yahweh wanted daughter Zion to sing and rejoice. He was going to come to dwell in their midst, among them. Many nations or people from many different countries would join with Yahweh on that day. Yahweh said that they would be his people. He was going to live among them. Yahweh would inherit Judah, since he had sent his prophet to his Holy Land. This was the first use of this term that was later used in 2 Maccabees, chapter 1. Yahweh had chosen Jerusalem again.
The prayer of Habakkuk (Hab 3:1-3:1)
“A prayer
Of Habakkuk,
The prophet,
According to Shigionoth.”
This last chapter is clearly a prayer or hymn of Habakkuk the prophet. Like the psalms attributed to David, it may not have been written by him, but inspired by Habakkuk. They were to sing this using the melody of Shigionoth or a lamentation. Thus, this hymn or prayer may have been used in their worship services.
Yahweh’s response (Mic 2:3-2:4)
“Therefore thus,
Says Yahweh.
‘Now!
I am devising
Against this family
An evil,
From which you cannot
Remove your necks.
You shall not walk haughtily!
It will be an evil time!
On that day,
They shall take up
A taunt song
Against you.
They will wail
With bitter lamentation.
They will say.
‘We are utterly ruined.
Yahweh alters
The inheritance
Of my people.
He removes it from me!
Among our captors,
He divides our fields.’”
Yahweh responded that he was devising some evil against these wicked people. They would wear a yoke on their necks, so that they could not walk around in a haughty manner. There would be an evil time for them on Yahweh’s appointed day. People would sing a taunting song against them as they would be wailing in a lamentation. They would admit that they would be ruined, because Yahweh had altered their inheritance. He had sent them off as captives, so that their fields would be divided up among other people. Yahweh’s response to these evil doers was an exile captivity with the loss of their land.
Blessed is God in heaven (Dan 3:32-3:34)
“Blessed are you!
You look
Into the depths
From your throne
On the cherubim!
You are to be praised!
You are highly exalted forever!
Blessed are you
On the throne
Of your kingdom.
You are to be extolled!
You are highly exalted forever!
Blessed are you
In the firmament
Of heaven!
You are to be sung to!
You are to be glorified forever.”
Next, the 3 young men bless God in heaven, who looks down on them from his throne on the cherubim in heaven. God is to be praised and exalted forever, because he sees his kingdom from the firmament of heaven. Thus, everyone should sing to him and glorify him forever.
The laughing stock (Lam 3:13-3:15)
He
“Yahweh shot
Into my vitals
The arrows
Of his quiver.
I have become
The laughingstock
Of all my people.
I have become
The object
Of their taunt-songs
All day long.
He has filled me
With bitterness.
He has filled me
With wormwood.”
This suffering servant complains that Yahweh has shot an arrow into his vital organs. He has become the laughing stock of his people, as they sing taunting songs to and about him all day long. He has been filled with bitterness and forced to eat the bitter wormwood plant. This is a real unhappy dude. These three verses start with the Hebrew consonant letter He in this acrostic poem.
Hymn to Yahweh (Jer 20:12-20:13)
“O Yahweh of hosts!
You test the righteous!
You see the heart!
You see the mind!
Let me see your retribution
Upon them!
I have committed my cause
To you!
Sing to Yahweh!
Praise Yahweh!
He has delivered
The lives of the needy
From the hands of evildoers.”
Jeremiah praises Yahweh. He knows that God tests the righteous ones because he sees their hearts and minds. Jeremiah wanted retribution to come upon those who had opposed him. However, he has committed his cause to Yahweh. They were to sing and praise Yahweh, because he has delivered the lives of the needy from the evildoers.
Good times for the servants of Yahweh (Isa 65:13-65:14)
“Therefore thus says Yahweh God.
‘My servants shall eat.
But you shall be hungry.
My servants shall drink.
But you shall be thirsty.
My servants shall rejoice.
But you shall be put to shame.
My servants shall sing
From gladness of the heart.
But you shall cry
Out of pain of the heart.
You shall wail
For anguish of spirit.’”
Yahweh pointed out that his servants would be fine. However, the others were in trouble. Yahweh’s servants would eat, drink, and rejoice, while the others would be hungry, thirsty, and put to shame. The servants of Yahweh would sing with gladness in their heart. The others would have a painful cry from the heart. They would wail because of their bruised spirit.
A song of fruitfulness for Jerusalem (Isa 54:1-54:3)
“‘Sing!
O barren one!
You who did not bear!
Burst into song!
Shout!
You who have not been in labor!
The children of the desolate woman
Will be more
Than the children of her
That is married.’
Says Yahweh.
‘Enlarge the site place of your tent!
Let the curtains of your habitations
Be stretched out!
Do not hold back!
Lengthen your cords!
Strengthen your stakes!
You will spread out to the right.
You will spread out to the left.
Your descendants
Will possess the nations.
They will settle
The desolate towns.’”
Jerusalem was the barren city that had no children because of the Exile. Now they were to sing and shout because the barren one was about to have many children, even more that the married women. They were now going to enlarge the place for their tents. Their land would be stretched out so that they would need more cords and stakes for their tents. They were about to spread out to the right and the left. Their descendants would possess many nations and repopulate many desolate towns.
The heavenly song of joy (Isa 49:13-49:13)
“Sing for joy!
O heavens!
Exult!
O earth!
Break forth into singing!
O mountains!
Yahweh has comforted his people.
He will have compassion
On his suffering ones.”
Second Isaiah has a call for the heavens to sing for joy. The earth should exult. The mountains should also break into singing. Yahweh has comforted his people. He has had compassion on those who were suffering.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 