And I heard a sound from heaven
like the roar
of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder.
And the sound I heard was like
harpists strumming their harps.
and they
sang a new song before the throne
and before
the four living creatures and theelders.
And no one could learn the song except
the 144,000
who had been redeemed from the earth.
These are the ones who have not been defiled with women,
for they are virgins.
They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
Tree of Life
They have been redeemed from among
men as
first-fruits
to
God and to the Lamb.…
Music
is an inherent part of every society.
The unearthly sounds of throat-singing in Mongolia and Siberia
are as important to their cultures as Bach is to European
cultures or drum-driven song and dance are to Native American cultures. Since music is such an important part of life, it should not be surprising that the Bible says much about it; in fact,
the longest book in the Bible is its
song book--Psalms.
Psalms accounts for over 7 percent
of the Old Testament. In addition to the Psalms are other song- and poetry-focused books such as Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and others. In the New Testament, we have song lyrics recorded in Revelation 5, 7, and 15; the mention of Jesus and the disciples singing in Matthew 26:30; and the example of the apostles’ singing in Acts 16:25. Many people also consider Mary’s Magnificatin Luke 1:46–55 and the angels’ announcement in Luke 2:14 to be songs. The church is commanded to communicate with each other “with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
Recorded musicians and music in the Old Testament:
The first reference to a musician in the Bible is in Genesis 4:21.
Jubal was the fourth generation from
Adam through Cain
and is recorded as
"the father of all those
who play the lyre and pipe.”
Other early references to music include Exodus 15,
which records
Moses and the Israelites
singing a song of victory
after the overthrow of the Egyptian army in the
Red Sea.
At that time,
Moses’ sister,
Miriam, led
the
Israelite women “
with
tambourines and dancing”
as
she sang
When Jephthah returned from battle, Jephthah’s daughter
met him with timbrels and dance in Judges 11:34.
David’s victories were also celebrated in
song in 1 Samuel 18:6–7.
Two of the Old Testament’s most important figures wrote songs:
Moses and David.
Moses has three songs recorded in the Bible:
the song sung after the destruction of Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 15:1–18);
a song recounting the faithfulness of God and the rebelliousness of Israel,
which he sang before all the people just before his death
(Deuteronomy 32:1–43);
and a prayer recorded in Psalm 90.
David,
"the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1),
is credited with writing about half of the 150 songs recorded in Psalms, along with some in the historical books.
He was the official musician in Saul’s court
(1 Samuel 16:14–23).
During David’s own reign,
he organized the Levitical musicians,
and 1 Chronicles 15:16 and 23:5 record that more than
one in ten Levites
in temple service were
musicians.
Other musicians include Asaph (twelve psalms),
the sons of Korah (ten psalms),
Solomon (two psalms and 1,005 other songs
[1 Kings 4:32] and the Song of Solomon),
Heman (one psalm), and Ethan (one psalm).
Music was used in conjunction with all manner of activities
(Genesis 31:27; Exodus 32:17–18; Numbers 27:17; Judges 11:34, 35; Isaiah 16:10; Jeremiah 48:33).
Music was used at coronations
(1 Kings 1:39–40; 2 Kings 11:14; 2 Chronicles 13:14; 20:28),
events in the royal court
(2 Samuel 19:35; Ecclesiastes 2:8),
and feasts
(Isaiah 5:12; 24:8–9).
It is interesting to note the connection between
music and the supernatural:
trumpets sounded when the walls of Jericho fell down
(Joshua 6:1–20);
and David played his harp to soothe Saul during demonic attacks
(1 Samuel 16:14–23).
Recorded musicians and music in the New Testament:
Two of the Gospels
mention the fact that Jesus and His disciples
sang a hymn at the end of the
Last Supper
(Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26).
Elsewhere in the Gospels, music is seen as part of mourning
(Matthew 9:23)
and celebration (Luke 15:25).
Paul gave instructions regarding the use of
music during Christian gatherings
in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16.
In Ephesians
we see that addressing each other with
hymns and songs is an indication
of
being Spirit-filled.
In Colossians the same is an indication of
being filled
with the
Word of Christ,
and the songs come “from the Spirit.”
In James 5:13 we have this command:
“Is anyone cheerful?
Let him sing praise.”
Music in the Bible - Conclusion:
Both the Old and New Testaments address music and strongly support its use in worship. The extensive anthology of actual songs found in the Old Testament indicates the importance and value God places on creative musical expression.
Music’s use in worship in the church today is valuable and
can honor God in a special way. Music is a communication tool.
There are no New Testament instructions on the type of instruments to be used (or not used), and no particular “style” of music is recommended or forbidden.
The simple command is to sing
“to God with gratitude in your hearts”
(Colossians 3:16).
And proclaim as you go,
saying, ‘
The kingdom of heaven
is at hand.’
Matthew 10:5–15 contains Jesus' instructions
for His twelve apostles, for their missionary
trip to the towns of Galilee, in northern Israel.
Their mission will be to preach
His message that the kingdom of heaven is near.
This continues a very thorough set of instructions for the Twelve,
the hand-picked apostles of Jesus Christ.
He is sending them out into Galilee, and only to the people if Israel,
for now (Matthew 10:1–6).
There, they will do the work they have seen Him doing since each of them began to follow Him.
Now Jesus tells them what they should say to the people of Israel.
In short, the disciples were to go out
and tell people that Jesus was the Messiah,
the promised King of Israel.
His kingdom was near, because
He was on the earth now.
The time had come
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