By Stuart Powell
Before Moses died, God gave him a final task. It wasn’t putting his affairs in order or preparing a farewell speech. Instead, it was something with long-lasting earthly impact.
Deuteronomy 31:19 (New English Translation) says, “Now write down for yourselves the following song and teach it to the Israelites. Put it into their very mouths so that this song may serve as my witness against the Israelites!”
God composed a new song and gave it to Moses. Moses was instructed to write it down and teach the people to sing it. It was not a short chorus that could be picked up quickly. It was more like an ode, the first 43 verses of Deuteronomy 32. God expected his people to sing this song over and over, like a multi-generational reprise. A reprise is a musical phrase or verse that is repeated throughout the composition. The word comes from the Latin “reprendre,” meaning “taken up again.” The purpose of God’s reprise was simple; remember the judgment for neglecting God’s commands. Every time the people sang the song, it would remind them of God’s warning. It would also testify to the sovereignty of God Almighty and his awareness regarding the future.
Before he died, Jesus gave his disciples a final task; his own reprise. He took something familiar and gave it new meaning, making it a foundational part of the community of believers he was forming. Something with long-lasting earthly impact. The apostle Paul wrote, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me. For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lordʼs death until he comes’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Just as God expected generations of Jews to sing his new song, Jesus expected his church to relive his suffering and death through Communion. It was another multi-generational reprise that spoke of God’s forgiveness made possible by Christ’s sacrifice. As you eat the bread and drink the cup, Jesus’ reprise, remember the story of Jesus’ past sacrifice that prepares us for his return.
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
Author: Christian Standard
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