I can remember being in pre-algebra in seventh grade. The teacher I had was probably one of the most structured and disciplined teachers I’ve ever had. She told us the first day what she expected, how we were to format our homework assignments. Name, date, hour in the upper right hand corner; lesson number and page number in the upper left hand corner; lesson title in the middle and it had to be underlined with a straight edge. There were even more detail-oriented instructions but they take away from my point. When you followed every instruction perfectly, were in class everyday, on time everyday, and completed all your homework over the course of a week, you had what she called a “Perfect week.” And as a reward for your diligence you would write a “Rave Review” home to mom and dad boasting your accomplishment.
Halah is to rave or boast upon the Lord. To be clamorously foolish. If we will give attention to the words in this definition we will have a more vivid understanding of Halah. Halah is to RAVE. RAVE: "to talk wildly, as in delirium." Someone who is delirious is in "a state of violent excitement or emotion--Frenzy. A more or less temporary disorder of the mental faculties, as in intoxication, characterized by excitement." Paul, when he said in Ephesians 5:18 to "be filled with the Spirit," compared it to being intoxicated. I don’t know if you’ve ever hung out with a drunk person before, but they lose control of their tongue! They say some off the wall things! They act like they ain’t got no sense! They stumble around when they walk! Their speech is incoherent! They often get very affectionate and cling on you!
Now, the danger here is that a person drunk in alcohol loses control of their body and mind and it causes them to be dangerous cause they didn’t give it to anybody-they just up and lost it! But I dare somebody to get drunk in the spirit and lose control! When you lose control in the spirit its not lost, its found in the arms of God! When you let go and let God have his way! He’ll order your steps in his Word! Let go and let God have his way and he’ll bridle your tongue to give him praise! He’ll give you a brand new walk! He’ll give you a brand new talk! He’ll give you a brand new dance!
I just wanna get drunk in him! I don’t care if you think I look crazy! I ain’t here to impress you! I ain’t here to rave on you! I’m here to get delirious for God! Paul says the preaching of the cross is foolishness! But to whom is it foolish? Only those that are perishing! I don’t wanna perish! I want everlasting life! So I’m gonna lose myself and give God Halal! You might not understand my praise but I JUMP because JESUS UNDERSTANDS MY PRAISE! I wanna get drunk in the spirit and get all clingy! I just wanna be close to you Lord Jesus! Just a closer walk with with thee! Grant it Jesus if you please! Daily walkin close to thee! Let it be, dear Lord, let it be!
Again, in Acts 2:13-15 when the people saw the disciples after they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, they thought that they were intoxicated. They said they had way too much to drink! Go ahead and tell your neighbor “that man up there is drunk” cause I been on some stuff! Some powerful stuff! What I’m on package stores don’t carry it! What I’m on drug dealers don’t push it! What I’m on, Budweiser don’t manufacture it! What is this I’m feelin now? That has me spellbound? That cheers me up when I’m sad and blue? And gives me joy such joy I never knew? Cleans me up and it sets me free, loosed all the chains that came to bind me! Placed a new song in my heart to sing! Hallelujah! Yes I’ve been redeemed! Its your spirit Lord! Living inside of me! And where the spirit of the Lord is…
RAVE: to express great [in an extreme degree] or extravagant [spending much more than is necessary; excessive; exceeding the bounds of reason; going beyond what is justifiable; unrestrained] admiration [to regard with wonder, pleasure, approval].
Halah is to be CLAMOROUS. CLAMOROUS: "A loud and continuous sound." The church ought never get quiet enough that you can hear the hum of the lights! You shouldn’t be able to hear nobody snorin! You shouldn’t even be able to hear a baby’s cry if everybody just gives a loud and continuous, that is perpetual, never-ending praise to the Lord! Focused towards the Lord in raving, this would describe Halah. Halah is to be clamorously FOOLISH. When you go to a football game or a concert, you get clamorously foolish! Folk paint their chests and faces and scream til they get hoarse, that’s clamorously foolish! Doing the wave and hooping like some monkey is clamorously foolish! Its clamorously foolish to yell and cheer while the other team is shooting a free throw or kicking a field goal or is on 4th down with 1 yard to go and going on a long count! These things are foolish because whenever it’s a skilled athlete who has learned to ignore distractions, they’re done in vain! But because God does not ignore his praises, they’re never done in vain! Naw the tree withereth, and the grass fadeth, but the word of God will not return to him void! He inhabits the praises of his people! Did you get that? He won’t ignore his praises because that’s where he lives!
The things of God are foolishness to the world. Remember when David danced before the Lord? The non-praiser, Michal, saw David leaping and whirling before the Lord and thought he was foolish to the point of despising him in her heart. When we Halah, rave or boast upon the Lord, we are clamorously foolish before the Lord, we will be foolish in the eyes of the Non-Praiser and the Non-Christian. It might be foolish to some to see me pray before I break into that Whopper. You can call me a fool all you want when you pull up next to me at that red light and see me bouncin and shoutin in my car as I listen to Gospel music! Call me a fool for preferring to go worship rather than go to a club or a bar! Call me a fool for praisin his name! But the one thing you can’t call me is lost! I know exactly where I am and that’s where I wanna be! Rooted and grounded in thee!
Hallelujah is the highest praise! The word Hallelujah comes from "Halah to Yahweh." In the Bible we have what is known as the Hallelujah Psalms. They are called this because they either start or end with Hallelujah. Usually translated as "Praise the Lord." These Hallelujah Psalms divide into three groups: Psalms 104-106 speak of God’s Attributes. Psalms 111-117 were used for the Passover Feast. Psalms 135,145-150 were used in the Temple Worship. As you read these Hallelujah Psalms keep the definition, description and characteristic of Halah in mind. For the composers are raving upon the Lord. They are being clamorously foolish before the Lord.
Think about the man at the Beautiful Gate that Jesus told to arise and walk. He wasn’t quiet nor contemplative that day - he was "walking and leaping and praising God", and I think we can be fairly certain that he was fairly loud in his praises! He had just been healed of a disabling condition that had reduced him to begging for the rest of his life, until Jesus spoke to him! And we, we have been delivered of a disabling condition called sinfulness and damnation that had reduced each of us to beggars morally! If we act in the same way as the man at the Beautiful Gate, should anyone be surprised!? The Bible gives latitude for clamorously foolish praise to occur. If we are to follow the Bible’s example, we must give latitude for it also. I think the bottom line here is the freedom of the heart to shout from the housetops the glorious praise of our Savior and God!
I have a picture in my mind that might explain what I think halal might mean to us today. It is from a combination of sources. One is the movie The Ten Commandments. The other is the show Riverdance. In The Ten Commandments, when Moses was still Prince Moses, he had just successfully completed a military campaign against Cush, I believe, and brought in the procession of gifts of tribute taken from the King of Cush. This tribute included produce, livestock, fabrics, etc. But it also included dancers and drummers. They came before the throne of Pharaoh with dancing and music given in tribute to him. I think, when we come before the Throne of the Most High God, the Lamb Who was slain for us, nation by nation, we may very well come in dancing and playing LOUD music (as someone said, God is neither deaf nor nervous) in the tradition of our native country. Russians will come in dancing the Cossack dance; Scots will come in dancing the Highland Fling (a victory dance); the Greeks; the African nations; the Asian nations; and then the Irish will come in stomping and leaping in celebration, adoration and praise to God, the High King of Heaven, for His unspeakable gift of salvation! What I am thinking is that maybe we should start practicing for that day - practicing our attitude of heart! Hallelujah!! Put on your dancing shoes! Get out your musical instruments!
