We all know what to expect from a Colin Buchanan album, banter, a bit of silliness, and bold Bible truths. His latest release, “Colin Buchanan’s Old Testament Sing-A-Long” is true to form and does not disappoint.
To give this review more authenticity, I interviewed my eighteen month old daughter about the album. She only knows a handful of words, including “this”, “more”, and “no.” She rated the album a solid “more!”
Colin is not just teaching my daughter truths from the Bible. God uses the creativity and catchiness of these songs to penetrate my own heart and call me to repentance and faith. Mr Buchanan says, “sometimes it sounds like a kid’s album for ‘grown ups’, sometimes it’s like a ‘grown ups’ album for kids. Ultimately the message of this record is about family and community under the great grace of a good God.”
Among songs exploring the biblical theology of the Old Testament are familiar favourites reworked and catchy memory verse jingles we love. Rather than waffle on about how great this sing-a-long is and how you should all definitely play it for your families (or yourselves) on repeat, here are five solid Bible truths to encourage you from five songs on the album.
1. God truly understands our grief
“Well give the Lord your heartache, give the Lord your pain,
Give your life to Jesus, call upon his name
We can learn to trust in God and cast our every care
It’s in the old, old story of Hannah and her prayer” - Hannah’s Prayer
This one could be a tear jerker for anyone who has wrestled with the disappointment and grief of life. Colin paints the image of Hannah on her knees praying about her infertility, pleading with God to bless her with a son, trusting his every decision through the pain she is experiencing. Hannah’s faithfulness is an inspiration to us to call on God through the things we are suffering, trusting God’s plan in every situation.
2. Envy is dangerous and quickly destroys
“Just a tiny pinch of doubt
Feeling like you’re missing out
It’s envy
Wanting what the others got
First a nibble, then the lot
Pray that God would guard your heart from envy” - Envy
Through the disgrace of Aaron and Miriam, Colin explores how envy was at the core of the problem in Numbers 12. He crafts a warning that seems all too relevant for anyone who has spent ten minutes scrolling through social media and compared their lives with others, or who has longed for the possessions or circumstances they lack. Ask God to help us resist temptation and remove any seed of jealousy within us.
3. Every action is a chance to follow God’s wisdom
“It’s what you say, it’s what you love
It’s where you go, it’s who you trust
It’s when you’re young and when you’re old,
It's a treasure more than silver or gold…” - Listen to the Words of Wisdom
Every action is a chance to heed to the wise words of the Lord. May the Lord’s words influence how we speak and the decisions we make daily so that we can live obedient lives that bring glory to God.
4. Judges demonstrates pattern of disobedience in God’s people
“If you read the book of judges you’ll know that it’s true
Israel turned from their God and we all do that, too
So God sent his son who died on the cross
Jesus who rose up to rescue the lost
From the cycle of sin that goes round and around” - The Cycle of Sin in Judges
This song helps us dive deeper into the Old Testament stories, in particular Judges. The exhilarating tales of war and heroic leaders are made fuller by understanding the cycle of sin that traps God’s people in the entire book. This is the same cycle of sin that is ultimately defeated by Jesus on the cross.
5. Look to the promises of God
“Caleb he was faithful, Caleb he was brave
He looked to the promise of his mighty God to save
He stood strong with Joshua, he had the eyes to see
Trust your God no matter what to win the victory” - Who’s Gonna Be a Caleb?
The encouragement to be strong and trust God in the face of scary situations is anchored in God’s promises. Caleb knew this was the land the Lord had promised, and trusting God’s promises gave him the boldness to stand up for the Lord. We also must find the courage to stand up for God by remembering his promises. In the Old Testament, these were promises of land, offspring and blessing. Today, they are still the same promises, fulfilled in Jesus Christ who brings us into God’s presence, makes us His children and blesses us with the hope of heaven.
