Human Response 376: Rehearse Righteous Acts

Judges 5:11 They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water there they shall rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then the people of the Lord go down to the gates. Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake utter a song: arise, Barack, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Ahinoam.

This is a part of Deborah’s Song of praise to God for deliverance: those who have been delivered from the enemy by the Lord are to respond by rehearsing the righteous acts of the Lord. To rehearse is to remember and go over something in your mind. Rehearsing in this case also reminds the people that victory did not come by their own efforts, but it was a righteous act of the Lord.

The various worship rituals and festivals of OT believers were done to rehearse the salvation and victorious acts of God, which were righteous. The Enemy is defeated; the people are saved; and God did it all. The people of God rehearse that through ritual worship, through teaching, and through song, like the song of Moses and the song of Deborah.

Rehearse: retell the story, remind one another, and remember what great things God has done for you. Rehearsing is exactly what Sunday morning divine service is all about. We tell the Gospel again, receive forgiveness, are reminded of God’s grace, and take Communion in remembrance of Jesus. Rehearsing is beneficial for us as a regular, daily response, always finding ways to remember the Cross.