We are bombarded everyday with noise. It’s a constant chorus of music, talking, ambient noise, traffic, whatever. Our brains are continuously determining what we actually hear and what we tune out. Additionally, we decide if what we hear is true or false. Intentionally or not, we tend to believe what we hear when it matches our values and worldview. What we hear has spiritual and prophetic significance. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This particular verse has a deeper meaning than what on the surface seems like an obvious statement. Let us consider the Ha’azinu, the prophetic song that the Lord instructed Moses to teach the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32 begins with Moses addressing the children of Israel in song before they are to enter the promised land. He says “Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.” Indeed, Romans 10:18 tracks along with “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.” The song of Moses, Ha’azinu, means “hear.” It contains the Israelites’ past, present, and foretells of their future exile and redemption in an oracle meant to warn them to stay on the path God had commanded. This was Moses’s final prophecy given to the Israelites before he ascended Mount Nebo to pass on from this life.
There is something profoundly spiritual about the songs by Moses. There was the Song of the Sea, sung at the beginning of Mose’s and Israel’s journey at the parting of the Sea of Suf. This song celebrated the Lord bringing them out of Egypt. And then the Ha’azinu sung at the end of Moses life where the journey of the Israelites is recounted and the prophecy of the end of days is foretold. Then in Revelation 15, we are told that those who had attained victory over the beast will have harps and will be singing the “Song of Moses.” Revelation 15:3 says, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”
These songs reveal and inform the long journey of the Lord with his people, his faithfulness even when they are not faithful, and his love in restoring all things by defeating the ultimate enemy. These songs lay out God’s plan of redemption, not only for Israel, but also for those who believe in Christ. They are prophetic. They foretell the revelation of Christ as the great high priest of the new covenant, the redeemer. Moses encouraged the people to teach this song diligently to their children, “For this is not a trivial matter for you; on the contrary, it is your life! (Deuteronomy 32:47).” The Ha’azinu, the hearing, is important because faith comes by hearing. We have a choice: To hear the Word and be doers of it or to filter out the word and miss the prophetic destiny that the Lord has reserved for us.
