SONGS WE SING: DAYS OF ELIJAH
Leviticus 25:8-22, Isaiah 61:1-11, Luke 4:16-21
#yearofjubilee
SING ‘DAYS OF ELIJAH’
SERIES INTRODUCTION
This morning we are starting a new sermon series that will go from now until right before Easter. The series is called: “The Songs We Sing.” Part of worshipping God is singing. It has always been that way. The Bible isn’t a songbook, but there are at least 185 songs in the Bible. There are songs about battles, coronations, funerals, cities being sacked, and seas splitting up. There are songs that praise God for His attributes. 150 of those songs are in the book of Psalms, but there are also two other books full of songs in the Old Testament: The Song of Solomon and Lamentations.
The first song in the Bible happens after the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 15:
READ EXODUS 15:1-3 (ESV)
“Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him. 3 The Lord is a Man of War; the Lord is His Name.”
Right after Moses sings his song, his sister Miriam joins in:
READ EXODUS 15:20-21 (ESV)
“Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.”
Part of worshipping God is singing. As worship, it matters what words are sung to God. The best worship songs focus on praise for God’s character. The best worship songs help us lament what is going on inside us and connects our feelings to God. The best worship songs focus on praise for God’s character.
SONG WE SING: DAYS OF ELIJAH
The worship song “Days of Elijah” was written by Irish singer and song writer Robin Mark in 1994. How and why was it written? Robin Mark wrote about his inspiration for the song and I have cut and edited his thoughts:
CONTENT… robinmark.com/the-story-behind-days-of-elijah/ [adapted]
The song writer says: “Firstly the song came from watching a television "Review of the Year" at the end of 1994. This was the year of the Rwandan civil war tragedy which claimed 1 million people’s lives, and also when the first ceasefires in N.I. were declared. On this TV review were a lot of daft stories, happy stories, serious stories, and then absolutely devastating stories like the Rwandan situation. As I watched the review unfold I found myself despairing about the state of the world and, in prayer, began asking God if He was really in control and what sort of days were we living in.”
… I felt in my spirit that He replied to my prayer by saying that indeed He was very much in control and that the days we were living in were special times when He would require Christians to be filled with integrity and to stand up for Him just like Elijah did, particularly with the prophets of Baal… …We also needed to be a holy and just people and hence the reference to the "days of your servant Moses", meaning that righteousness and right living was important in all our attitudes and works. …"Days of great trial, of famine, darkness and sword" is a reflection of the apparent times in which we live when still thousands of people die every day from starvation, malnutrition and war. In the midst of it all we are called to make a declaration of what and who we believe in.
… These are the themes of the verses - Declaration, Righteousness, Unity and Worship. I chose to express these thoughts by reference to the characters that represented these virtues in the Old Testament. It is in essence a song of hope for the Church and the world in times of great trial. … These thoughts were in my head when I came to church early one Sunday in 1995. We have two services and the Pastor spoke during the first service on the "valley of dry bones" from Ezekiel. I took a prompt from this and, in the 30 minutes between the services, wrote down the words and chords in the kitchen of our church building and we sang it, as a body, at the end of the second service.
LYRICS FOR THE DAYS OF ELIJAH (OPTIONAL)
Verse 1: These are the days of Elijah, Declaring the Word of the Lord, And these are the days
Of Your servant Moses, Righteousness being restored, And though these are days Of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword, Still we are the voice In the desert crying, Prepare ye the way of the Lord
Chorus: Behold He comes, Riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun, At the trumpet call, So lift your voice, It's the year of Jubilee, And out of Zion's hill, Salvation comes
Verse 2: And these are the days of Ezekiel, The dry bones becoming as flesh, And these are the days, Of Your servant David, Rebuilding a temple of praise, And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are as white in the world, And we are the labourers, In Your vineyard, Declaring the Word of the Lord
Bridge: There is no god like Jehovah.
BIBLICAL REFERENCES IN THE SONG ‘DAYS OF ELIJAH’
The song “Days of Elijah” by Robin Mark is rich with biblical references. I think it references many metaphors and symbols in Scripture. Line after line is a Scripture reference. First let’s look at the 2 verses and then the chorus:
VERSE 1
"These are the days of Elijah" references 1 Kings 17-19 where Elijah was a prophet during a time of spiritual decline, calling people back to God. He declared the Word of the Lord to kings and even faced off against the prophets of idols (1 Kings 18). In Malachi 4, there is also a prophecy about Elijah's coming before the great day of the Lord.
These are the days of Your servant Moses, righteousness being restored" references Exodus 3-12 when Moses leads the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and delivers God’s Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) to them. In Deuteronomy 30:1-3 and other passages in the minor prophets, God promises to restore righteousness to His people.
“These are days of great trial, of famine and darkness and sword" is a reference to countless passages in the Bible that use those types of events to describe the judgment of God, the natural consequences of sin, and even the trials and tribulations in the Last Days.
“We are the voice in the desert crying, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!'" specifically references the prophecies about the Messiah in Isaiah 40, Micah 4, and then their fulfillment in Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1. It also references that the Church is the continuation of the work and ministry that Jesus began.
VERSE 2
"These are the days of Ezekiel, the dry bones becoming as flesh" is a direct reference to the zombie chapter in Ezekiel 37:1-14 where he has a vision of dry bones coming to life which symbolizes Israel’s restoration and salvation.
“These are the days of Your servant David, rebuilding a temple of praise" is a confusing reference because we know that King Solomon built the temple, but Solomon built the temple because in 2 Samuel 7 and then referenced again in Acts 15 that God promised David of an everlasting kingdom and we are the temple.
"These are the days of the harvest, the fields are as white in Your world" focuses on Jesus words in Matthew 9 and John 4 about laborers for Him harvesting souls.
CHORUS
"Behold, He comes, riding on the clouds" is a direct reference to Daniel 7, Matthew 24, and Revelation 1 and 19 which declares that when Jesus Christ returns He will return visibly with the clouds in great glory.
“At the trumpet call" is a direct reference to 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, and Revelation 11 where a trumpet heralds Christ’s return and the judgment.
FOCUS OF THE SERMON: YEAR OF JUBILEE
This part of the chorus I would like you to pay specific attention to for it is the part that grabbed my attention and is where I want us to spent our time today. The last part of the chorus says: "Lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee, And out of Zion's hill, Salvation comes." This is a specific reference to Leviticus 25 where God institutes this idea of the Year of Jubilee. This same idea is explained poetically in Isaiah 61. We then see the fulfillment of it in Luke 4. This idea of “Jubilee” is where I want us to focus because it is very important. The Year of Jubilee means a time of restoration and freedom. It is a "year of the Lord’s favor." The Year of Jubilee is fully understood in Christ.
TRANSITION
In order to fully understand this concept of Jubilee in the Bible which this song we sing references, we need to look at three Bible passages briefly. The first passage is in Leviticus where God institutes the Year of Jubilee as part of the fabric of life for His people. The second passage references the year of Jubilee and is a bit of a prediction about the Christ. The third passage is one in which Jesus references the Year of Jubilee and has a bit of a ‘mic drop moment.’
THE PASSAGE IN LEVITICUS
READ Leviticus 25:8-22 (ESV)
“You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field. 13 “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. 14 And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. 15 You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops. 16 If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you. 17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God. 18 “Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely. 19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. 20 And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ 21 I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. 22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives.”
What is going on in this passage? Two very specific truths when it comes to the “Year of Jubilee” also called “The Year of the Lord’s Favor.”
First, God declares that the idea of Sabbath Rest extends not only to people and animals, but also to the land. The people of Israel were commanded to have a Sabbath year for the land every seven years and then every seventh seven they were to have a Year of Jubilee. The Year of Jubilee was to highlight God’s provision, His way of living, and that the people of God lived differently. God is building into the ebb and flow of life the way to live.
Second, God declares that this Year of Jubilee will be one that is a reset for the whole society. Debts are to be forgiven. Families are to reunite. Ancestral property is to be returned to its original owners. Wrongs are made right. In God’s Kingdom, in the Year of Jubilee, the whole nation does a hard reset on debt, property, and family. God is building into the ebb and flow of life His way of living.
We should not miss in verses 9-10 that this jubilee is tied to atonement. Atonement is about forgiveness, a clean slate, a do-over, and a release of debt in the spiritual realm. God is instituting a practice among the People of God where they tangibly see among their families and neighbors what He does for them spiritually. I hope that makes sense.
THE PASSAGE IN ISAIAH
READ Isaiah 61:1-11 (ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; 6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. 7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. 8 For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”
Isaiah 61 is a prophetic message about the coming Savior and the backdrop metaphor of what the Christ will do is the Year of Jubilee. In verse 2, the “Year of Jubilee” is called the “Year of the Lord’s favor.”
Isaiah 61 fleshes out the activities and debts and efforts that were to take place in the Year of Jubilee. Poor folks were returned to their homes. Prisoners were released. Those who mourn are comforted by the cancellation of debt and the return of family. Buildings that are in disrepair are repaired and renovated. Isaiah 61 expands on all the wonderful aspects of this reboot of society that God commands in Leviticus 25.
Isaiah 61 is also predicting that when the Christ arrives on the scene that He will do so much for the people of God and for the whole world. Verses after verse describes the Year of Jubilee that the Christ will bring:
good news to the poor
bind up the brokenhearted
liberty to the captives
opening the prison to those who are bound
comfort all who mourn
give a beautiful headdress instead of ashes
give the oil of gladness instead of mourning
give the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit
build up, raise up, repair, stand and tend
a double portion of joy
clothed with the garments of salvation
covered with the robe of righteousness
righteousness and praise to sprout up
And those are the wonderful things that are obvious on the surface. There is much more. These words all speak of change, goodness, righteousness, forgiveness, and the wonderful blessings that will come true when the Christ arrives on the scene.
TRANSITION
Now we move to the third passage. The third passage is one in which Jesus references the Year of Jubilee and has a bit of a ‘mic drop moment.’
In Luke 4, Jesus returns to His hometown and to the congregation He grew up with. He stands and reads from Isaiah. Specifically, He reads from Isaiah 61 about the Year of Jubilee. Let’s read from Luke 4…
READ Luke 4:16-21 (ESV)
“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” 20 And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
We are not sure if Jesus rolled the scroll open to Isaiah 61 on purpose or if that was the assigned Scripture for the day, but Jesus is in the local synagogue and He reads from the Old Testament. This is a significant Old Testament passage about the Messiah. Isaiah 61 is in a section of Isaiah where chapter 60 is about the future glory and hope of Israel, chapter 61 is about the favor of God, and chapter 62 is about coming salvation. All these chapters are pointing and promising that one day a Messiah would come.
* He is about the let them know that the Year of Jubilee is announced!
* He is about to let them know that the Year of the Lord’s favor has come!
Jesus reads the passage standing, as was the custom, and then He sat down to make a comment, which was also the custom. Everyone is waiting for His comment. He says very specifically, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” What is Jesus saying?
Jesus brings good news to the poor.
Jesus will bind up the brokenhearted.
Jesus brings liberty to the captives.
Jesus will unbind those who are bound.
Christ comforts all who mourn.
Christ gives a beautiful crown that lasts forever.
Christ anoints us with gladness.
Christ gives us a reason to praise.
Jesus builds up, raises up, repairs, stands and tends.
Jesus is our joy.
Jesus is our salvation.
Jesus is our righteousness.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
There is a reason why in the chorus of “Days of Elijah” that the phrase “It’s the year of Jubilee” happens in an entire chorus focusing on Jesus Christ. Jubilee is about Jesus.
“Behold He comes, Riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun, At the trumpet call” is a series of phrases all speaking about the Second Coming of Christ in the Last Days. “So lift your voice, It's the year of Jubilee” is a specific theological reference that all of the promises God makes come true in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of everything God does for us and in us and through us. Leviticus lays down the laws for the Year of Jubilee. Isaiah expands the Year of Jubilee in what it entails. Luke shows us that Jesus is the Year of Jubilee.
When we sing that song, we are properly and specifically praising God for His answered promises and more specifically we are praising God for sending His Son.
INVITATION
“And out of Zion's hill, Salvation comes.” The last phrase of the chorus speaks poetically about Jesus’ death on the cross. Zion is a spiritual nickname for Jerusalem. Jesus’ death took place on a hill outside of Jerusalem. Our salvation comes from a hill outside of Zion. Do you believe this?
