I. Introduction
I have found no information on M. W. Spencer. But the chorus of
this song seems to be based on Isaiah 6:8. Isaiah has just described
a vision that he saw of the throne of the Lord. The Lord asks
the question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"
Isaiah's reply was, "Here am I; send me." Just as Isaiah
was quick and sure to answer the call of the Lord so must we.
We will discuss this in great detail in this lesson.
II. Verse 1- There is much to do, there's work on every
hand, Hark! the cry for help comes ringing through the land.
I Thess. 4:1-12, Heb. 13:18-21, Psalms 111:3, Proverbs 11:18,
Isaiah 32:17, II Tim. 2:19-23, Psalms 79:9, Acts 16:6-10.
There are souls that are searching for the truth. The enormous
work in finding these souls that are crying out for God must be
taken on by all. Just as it was for Paul and the other Apostles,
who were commissioned by Christ to answer the call and take the
Gospel to a dying world, so it is our responsibility to answer
and to do. There is another song entitled, "We are the World's
Bible." The meaning of this song for us is that if we do
not shoulder the responsibility of teaching the word, it will
not get done. God in his infinite wisdom chose the foolishness
of preaching to reach the world with his good news (I Cor. 1:21).
We are the instrument through which this is accomplished. Because
we have been cleansed of our sins, the obligation to help others
is one that we cannot shirk. If we do, we run the risk of losing
what we have.
Jesus calls for reapers, I must active be, What wilt thou O Master?
here am I send me. II Cor. 9:6-7, Gal. 6:7-10. There is a direct
relationship between how much time and effort we put into something
and the result (or lack of). If we do not try to teach, if we
do not try to live a godly example, we will have poor results.
Our job, as Christians, is not to count how many people we teach
that become members of the Lord's church, but to teach everyone
that we can, regardless of whether they obey or not. (I Cor. 3:6)
III. Verse 2- There's the plaintive cry of mourning
souls distressed, and the sigh of hearts who seek but find no
rest. Psalms 88:1-7, Psalms 120:1, 2 Chron. 15:15, Isaiah
11:10.
True rest and peace can only be found in Jesus Christ. Sin, in
a heart that seeks to find God, creates this plaintive cry within
the individual. Those who are truly seeking to cleanse themselves
of sin, are burdened down by this sin. Their soul is distressed
because of the desire to rid themselves of this sin and be pleasing
to God. We are the carriers of the true peace and rest. For it
can only be found in this root of Jesse, whose rest is glorious.
These should have my love and tender sympathy, ready at thy bidding,
here am I send me. Matt. 19:19, John 15:12-13, Rom. 5:7-8, 13:8,
Eph 3:16-17, I Tim. 6:11, Phill. 2:1-2. Our motivation in doing
the work of the Lord, should not only be a feeling of responsibility
because of his sacrifice for us, but also because of our love
and sympathy for our fellow man. Involved in being ready to do
the bidding of the Lord, whenever we come upon a person in need
of saving, has to be the requirement of being prepared. When we
study the word, when we attend the worship service, when we pray,
when we sing, we are preparing ourselves for the time when someone
that we come across wants to know the reason for the hope that
is within us. (I Pet. 3:15)
IV. Verse 3- There are hung'ring souls who cry aloud
for bread, with the bread of life they're longing to be fed.
John 6:32-51.
We have many self help books on the shelves of our bookstores
today. They promise, in some way to give us a better life. We
are promised a better life through the right kind of foods to
eat, a better life through making more money, a better life through
the right kind of exercises. In their own way they can be useful
in this life. But, it is the bread of life that comes from a belief,
acceptance and obedience of the word of God that is essential.
The Bible is the ultimate help book that we need. Jesus is the
way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
Shall they starve and famish while a feast is free? I must be
more faithful, here am I send me. John 7:37-38, 2 Tim. 2:2, Luke
17:3-6. It should be the desire of every Christian to grow in
the word. When we grow in knowledge of the word, we understand
our responsibility and love to our fellow man. If we are not trying
to teach others, can we truly say that we are growing in the word?
V. Verse 4- There are souls who linger on the brink
of woe, Lord, I must not, cannot bear to let them go; let me go
and tell them brother, turn and flee, Master I would save them,
here am I send me.
This verse is a confession of caring and love on our part. It
is also a prayer to God to send us to them to help them turn and
flee the condition that their souls are in. When we sing this
verse do we really mean what we say? Do we really care what happens
to the lost sinner? Do we really want to help? It has been said
that actions speak louder than words. We may sing this song and
we may say these words, but the Lord will be the judge of whether
we meant them or not, by the actions that we take!