This morning’s Bible reading was in Numbers 21. As the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness toward the promised land and fighting battles along the way, “From there they went to Beer, the well the Lord told Moses about, ‘Gather the people so I may give them water.’ Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, well—sing to it!
The princes dug the well;
the nobles of the people hollowed it out
with a scepter and with their staffs.”
(Numbers 21:16-18)
Music has a powerful way of impacting memory. When I read, “Spring up, well – sing to it,” it made me think of an old song we used to sing at a Christian camp I attended as a child, called, I’ve Got a River of Life. The lyrics go like this,
“I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me!
Makes the lame to walk, and the blind to see.
Opens prison doors, sets the captives free!
I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me!
Spring up, O well, within my soul!
Spring up, O well, and make me whole!
Spring up, O well, and give to me
That life abundantly.”
There’s great truth in this song! Many Christian children’s songs growing up were rooted in Scripture with rich theology. This song is a blend of verses from Matthew 11:4-6, Luke 4:17-19, and John 7:37-39 which says, “On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
Put a catchy melody to verses and it helps us memorize the Bible which is God’s Truth. The band Shane and Shane does an excellent job of this with the Psalms.
While playing, I’ve Got a River of Life, on YouTube, another one was suggested below. It was called, Talk to Me God, and said it was by Eminem, Rihanna, and Selena Gomez. The YouTube channel it was hosted on was called Melodies of Faith. The song talked about how they were calling out to God but felt He was silent. They didn’t want to curse or blaspheme Him, but just couldn’t understand why He allowed things in this world. They continued to hear from the Devil and found it easier to follow him than God, but they didn’t necessarily want to give up on God either. The song grieved me as many people are confused and lost with these thoughts. As I listened, something else didn’t sit right with me. From the bit I remember about these artists, especially Rihanna and Eminem, this kind of song didn’t fit what I know of them, so I started researching it more. I tried searching for it on their own YouTube channels and on Google. The only places it showed were on third party channels, and two in particular were called Harmonia Ai and Ai Princess. That’s when I realized this song wasn’t actually from the original artists. Someone else had written these lyrics and used their voices to craft the song and music video.
Why do I share this with you? Because in today’s world, it can be difficult to discern what’s real truth and what’s been modified. I had recently listened to a sermon I thought was from Billy Graham. Again, it wasn’t from his own foundation’s YouTube channel, but I assumed I could trust it. However, the more I listened to the sermon, I caught some things that were odd. His voice didn’t have his normal inflections. His paragraphs were choppy at times and it seemed like he repeated his thoughts a fair amount. After listening to it once, I had Michael join me when I listened to it again. He also caught the odd nuances and we noticed it had been fabricated by someone else.
How could I discern that the old Christian children’s song I remembered was rich in God’s truth and these other pieces were not? By being rooted in the word of God. This is why so many pastors and teachers stress the importance of spending time in the Bible every day. One of the Devil’s main schemes is deception; he makes something seem true that isn’t. If we aren’t reading the Bible and learning what is God’s truth, we won’t be able to tell what’s not.
A classic example of this that’s often given is the study of counterfeit bills in banking. A banker doesn’t study fraudulent bills to understand its flaws. This would cause too many mistakes because people are constantly coming up with new ways to deceive the real thing. So, the banker studies real money. The more he intimately knows what real money feels and looks like; the quicker he can spot a fake one. The same is true with God’s word. The more we study it, the more we’ll spot where the Devil’s at play.
You see, Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s Word is alive so we are guaranteed that it will have great affect on us when we read it. How is this possible? By way of Holy Spirit. The Spirit works in us to transform us into Christ’s likeness “from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) So, by the Spirit and the Word, He not only helps us to understand the Bible, but also applies it to all areas of life.
So, though the world is full of counterfeit in many forms, we don’t have to fear not being able to discern what is true. We only need to seek His counsel by studying His Truth, and measure everything by that. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
