Shout!

“O clap your hands, all ye people! Shout unto God with the voice of triumph!” (Psalm 47:1)

In June 2024, I wrote about shouting instances in the Bible. Recently, I’ve gotten some more ideas on this topic. Several times in the Bible, shouting is mentioned for different reasons.

In Zechariah 4:7 it says: “Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’” When the second temple was finished, the people raised up a shout of praise to God.

When Israel approached the walled city of Jericho, God commanded the people to shout: “When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” (Joshua 6:5). What? God wants us to shout to take the city? Can you imagine the sound of the “whole army” loudly shouting?

Gideon and a small army of men obeyed what God had told them: “Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” (Judges 7:20). It sounded like a crazy order but it worked, “the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.” (V. 21).

Then, there was the man, Jesus. “Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.” (Matthew 27:50 NLT). That shout from Jesus as He died declared it was finished. The battle was won!

One day soon, we’re going to hear another shout, the most important one of all for God’s people: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). I wait with anticipation for that shout. How about you? Are you ready?

It’s OK to shout praises to God during worship. We shout at sporting events don’t we? We would shout a warning to someone if they were in danger, wouldn’t we? When we’re tempted, how about shouting loudly, JESUS! The devil doesn’t want to hear that.