“And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.” Exodus 15:20
We all know that all that the world does is sinful, do we not? We all know that in our flesh there dwells no good thing, do we not? At least, that is what we have learned from the Holy Scriptures since we were very little children at our mother’s knee. John tells us that we must not love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him! (I John 2:15)
There are truths in the Bible which are eternal truths, eternal guiding principles. There is the truth that the real motive and principle which makes us walk in sanctification and in heavenly mindedness, so that we seek the things where Christ sits at the right hand of God, is the hope to see God as He is. Without sanctification no one shall see God, presently in heaven, face to face. Writes John, “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Here John makes a statement of fact. He does not give an exhortation that we must purify ourselves, but he states the deep principle that a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. (1 John 3:3; 3:9; Matthew 7:18) By the fruits we shall know the tree, by the infallible fruits of election. What is the positive fruit in my life? Are they the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, etc.? Such fruits against which there is no law? Are they such fruits that you walk in the very “end” of the law: love out of a pure heart, a good conscience and faith unfeigned? (Galatians 5:22, 23; I Timothy 1:5) Do you understand that God is holy, exalted and pure, too pure of eyes to behold evil, and that he says to Israel in the Old Testament and to the church in the New Testament (the Israel of God), “Be ye holy for I am holy”? Then you have begun to understand the basic underlying truths of all Christian conduct in the world, of the militant Church fighting against Satan, world and our own flesh!
You have resolved by the grace of God… to lead a new and godly life? You would not simply walk in the formal keeping of God’s commandments, but you would walk in newness of life? Such is your and my godly resolve before the face of God, angels and men? Paul speaks of this “newness of life”. Once he connects this newness of life with the blessed reality that we have died with Christ and have been raised with Christ in regeneration from the spiritual death in which we all lie chained by nature as children of wrath. We now have such a deliverance in Christ that we will “not continue in sin”, that grace may abound. God forbid! This is impossible for us who have been raised with Christ unto a newness of life. We have come forth from the grave of sin, death and hell. We have gone forth from death unto life. And this not as merely walking in the “oldness of the letter”, for now we serve God not in the oldness of the letter, but we serve him in the newness of the Spirit. (Romans 6:4, 5; 7:6; II Corinthians 3:6) For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life!
You and I have resolved to walk in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter? This means that all things have become “new” for you and me? We are in Christ and we are now “new creatures”; old things are passed away and all things have become new? For you and me, circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, only a new creature means something? (II Corinthians 5:16. 17; Galatians 6:15) And this is now the rule (the canon) according to which we walk as the Israel of God in this world?
What a lofty confession of being free in Christ, in which we do not use our liberty as an occasion to the flesh!
Nay, we shall, by love, serve one another!
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thus speaks the Lord to the church both in the Old and New Testament! (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 7:12; 22:14; Romans 13:8-11)
You understand, then, that to the pure all things are pure? That God has created us in Christ Jesus unto good works, which He has before prepared that we should walk in them. Now there are certain “works” which are not prepared for us to walk in them as new creatures. Such is true of all works of the flesh, that is, all that which is forbidden us by the LORD our REDEEMER in the Decalogue in Exodus, which law is everywhere repeated to Israel, both in the Old and New Testament, as the precepts of the Gospel which must be preached to us, lest God be tempted in the church. (Canons of Dort. Ill, IV, 17)
Did you ever seriously read that admonition and threat in Ephesians 5:3-6 “but fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints but rather giving of thanks. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things (whoremonger, unclean person, covetous man) cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience?” These are not good works, before prepared by God that we might walk in them! In this category falls also the theater (also on T.V.?) and dancing of the world and of disobedient men in the church, who do not obey the Gospel of God! Such should understand that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. For our God is a consuming fire! (Hebrews 11:31; 12:29) We are not to walk in lust wherewith Israel lusted in the wilderness.
The Bible comes with many admonitions to us. The entire Old Testament Scriptures were replete with instances from Israel’s history to show how they fell under the wrath of God. The reason for writing these things? It was written to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
Let us, who stand, beware lest we fall!
Nay, more corrected: let him, that thinketh that he standeth, take heed lest he fall. (I Corinthians 10:12)
Sometimes in God’s church there were great moments of God’s deliverance which were celebrated with “timbrel and with dance”. Hence, “dancing” is a good work, which the Lord before prepared for God’s new creation in Christ Jesus. This sanctified dancing of the saints is a far cry from the social, fleshly dancing of the world of the ungodly. It is a manifestation of some first-fruits of the new creature-hood of God in Christ Jesus. Dancing then is really equated with songs which we sing as the redeemed. We sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, in this dancing there is no fornication, uncleanness, lusts of the flesh. It is the “timbrel and dance” of a prophetess of God, who prophesies before the face of God and exalts the greatness of God’s power, as an echo to the great first Psalm which appears in the Bible in Exodus 15:1-19. This refrain is again heard in the song of the church, which has gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, having the harps of God. Hear them sing! We read, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty: just and true are Thy ways, thou king of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.” (Revelation 15:2-4)
Yes, then we see a David dancing with all his might before the ark of the covenant as it is brought into Jerusalem, the city of the living God. (I Chronicles 13:8; 15:27) David will join the solemn throng and dance with them before the Lord.
Yes, this means that on Sunday morning and at morn and eventide of each day we join our harps and voices with the throngs that go up to the feast of the Lord. Yes, there is a time to mourn and there is a time to dance—in the Lord!
Yes, the LORD has turned all my mourning into dancing. Now we have a joy unspeakable in the Lord and full of glory. WE have them learned to sing, “Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned all my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.” (Psalm 30:10-12)
Yes, co the pure all things are pure!
Even dancing in the LORD!