The song you write might not be good for dancing. Write it anyway

By Dean Collins

I was a little young for it, but I do remember some TV show in the 60s called American Bandstand. It was basically a room filled with high school and college students dancing to popular songs. I vaguely remember a segment in the show where the host would introduce a new song and then the dancers would rank the song. The most common critique had something to do with the beat of the song and whether it was danceable.

But not every great song needs to be danceable. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young had the big hit “Teach Your Children Well” back in the early 70s. I doubt it would have been thought of as a great dance song, but it caught on and is still often played by bands in various places. Something about the song grabs the heart. It reminds us of our responsibility to raise the next generation better. 

The opening line, “You, who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by,” suggests that even an old rock and roll legend in 1970 knew some of what Moses was trying to tell the children of Israel as they prepared to leave the wilderness. You must have a code, a law, a way to live well before the Lord, and the generation you are raising needs to be educated in the things that matter.

Sing the truth

So Moses was instructed by God to write a song as one of his last responsibilities and to teach it to the people of Israel. I doubt it would have been considered danceable by American Bandstand or any of us. Today we don’t have the melody, but the words and verses have stood the test of time. The song records the ups and downs of the Israelites as they endure their 40 years in the wilderness. It also points the nation to remember that God, the Rock, is perfect and that his ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness.

Sometimes I have heard the challenge that we should write our own obituary. The idea is to think about the things we want others to remember about us when we are gone. Our kids and grandkids will hopefully tell some funny stories about silly things we did that made them laugh. Maybe there will be a mention of a big accomplishment or two. They might hold on to some keepsake we gave them or was left on the shelf when we departed this earth. But maybe we need to think more about what God had Moses do.

God had Moses write the important message for the Israelites in a song. Songs are sung and repeated over and over. God knew that for the next generation to survive in the Promised Land, they needed to know what they had been through in the wilderness. The life God was giving them was filled with such wonderful possibilities, but they would nevertheless find danger and struggle there. They would need to know that God is faithful. That he is a dependable and solid foundation for their lives.

Memorialize the truth

I started writing these devotionals several years ago because I wanted my children and grandchildren to have something they could look back at and read. Something that hopefully would help them remember things that are important. Things that are the most important. Things that would help them get through good days and hard days.

You don’t need to write daily. You might not be a songwriter. But we somehow need to make sure we memorialize the truth we believe and record it so our children and theirs know not just our history but, more importantly, the faithfulness of God in our various stories. Even if it is just a page or a message you record on your phone, consider what you will leave behind that explains your confidence in the God you trust and follow.

What you write probably won’t be danceable. But I suspect when your children and grandchildren read and remember,  it will put life in their next steps!

Your time with God’s Word
Deuteronomy 31:19, 30; 32:1-52 ESV

Photo: CMA-Creative Management Associates/Atlantic Records via WikiCommons

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