Our first experience of hearing the word comes of days in VBS and Church camp singing the action song, :Hallelu! Praise ye the Lord. One of the favorite songs today by the popular singer and song writer is by Leonard Cohen called "Hallelujah". The song talks about a broken hallelujah in King David's heart as he committed the sin of adultery and later is told by the prophet Nathan what he did to God as he broke God's heart. In the book of Psalms from the Bible from Psalms 100 to 150, the word Hallelujah is used 24 times, always referring God.
Mike Kinneman said, . . . "we sing this Hallelujah song. . . we sing at births. . . we sing it at weddings. . . we sing it at funerals . . . we sing it with friends and family. . . .HALLELUJAH! . . HALLELUJAH!" We sing it always. . . we sing in life's peaks and darkest valleys. . . we sing it in the brightest days . . . and in the middle of the darkest night. . . we sing it when everything is great and we sing it when we don't understand. AND at the end of life. . . when we go down to the dust at your grave. . . We sing . . . HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
During the Jewish days of the Old Testament, there was time when they would be traveling to their destination and in the night time as they traveled the would get scared when the wild animals would come and attack them. Generally the were scared the most when it was the darkest time at night. So when the moon would come out they were happier because they felt safer because of the moon. They even gave their praise greater when the Full Moon or New Moon would appear. The New Moon was beautiful and comforting and protecting. Some even began to worship the Moons! They would use "HA" for new and the word "EL" for sky or moon. Together it was "HALLEL." God being the Creator of the moons, they added the word "YAH" for Yahweh. Later the OT prophets spoke against their New Moon festivities.
Spiritually speaking, we give God praise for He is the Creator who appears when the light comes in the midst of darkness. When Jesus came to this earth, the Angels were singing HALLELUJAH. We call that the Hallelujah Chorus and to be a time joy and praise. When the crucifixion it was total darkness, but the resurrection came and gave us Hope for a new life. _HALLELUJAH!
That is why Philip Bliss gave this beautiful hymn to sing Hallelujah What A Savior as it tells of our wonderful Savior. He wrote the hymn in 1875, but one year later as he was traveling from Ohio to the Moody Tabernacle in Chicago, he and his family were in a train wreck, but he and his wife were killed as tried to rescue his wife.
“Man of sorrows” what a name For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah, What a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood,
Sealed my pardon with His blood, Hallelujah, What a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we, Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! can it be? Hallelujah, What a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished,” was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high, Hallelujah, What a Savior!
When He come, our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing, Hallelujah, What a Savior!
To which we only can add: “AMEN and AMEN!
As Chapter 18 of Revelation closes, the kingdom of the Antichrist and the Beast has destroyed peace and prosperity on the earth. Almost everything is in shambles. The leaders who had promised peace and security are now discredited. Great darkness now covers the earth. God’s followers have been hunted down and slaughtered like never before in the history of the earth. The few Christians that remain can’t buy or sell openly and are forced to live off of the black market and remain in hiding somewhere.
All appears to be lost. Just when it seems certain that there is no hope the Righteous King of the universe breaks through the clouds and reverses everything the antichrist and the Beast had inflicted on this earth. Just when life seems darkest, God can break though our clouds and show us that everything is, and always has been, in His powerful and loving hand. There is NEVER a reason for a Christian to be in despair.
“Hallelujah!” Of course it’s much easier to belt out a “Hallelujah!” at the successful birth of a child, the end of another semester of school, or a job bonus, but “Hallelujah!” is the right word when you have the flu, have been fired from your job, or when you have to shovel two feet of snow. It’s an appropriate response even when you can’t walk, can’t hear, or can’t eat. It’s the thing to say even in death! Why? Because your God fixed that problem.
CONCLUSION: . And so when someone asks: “How’s it to ya?” Say, “Hallelujah!” Say it on every occasion. Say it with genuine adoration because the LORD reigns and his faithful love endures forever. “Hallelujah!” Amen.
