”The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”“ Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
What a wonderful verse! So full of promise and joy in the midst of Israel’s struggles during Zephaniah’s time and his prophecy of the impending invasion of Jerusalem by Babylon. That promise, of course, is yet to be fulfilled, as we are witnessing even now. Every Old Testament prophet speaks of this coming day of peace and glory for the nation Israel. And it will come . . . Maybe sooner than some think, maybe not soon enough for others, but it will come. Hallelujah!
Regardless of current events, what struck me most in this verse is the description of God’s joy being expressed with singing. Oh my goodness! Of course He sings! He is the master and creator of music. Having been raised by a mom who taught voice and piano, we had music in the house constantly. If there were no students in the house, there was some kind of music playing. We heard opera, classical, 1950’s and 1960’s popular music, movie soundtracks, Gregorian chant, gospel and worship music, and jazz. Mom, herself, sang like an angel. She was also a nightclub performer, directed a church choir, performed on stage in operas and musical plays. Music . . . It was our life. But somehow it escaped my awareness that God sings!
Imago de . . . Created in God’s image. Whatever He does, we do. God creates . . . So do we! God loves . . . So do we. God disciplines . . . Yes, we do that too as parents or leaders. But God also sings! And we do, too. Beautiful!
Music is very mathematical. There are a basic eight notes in the musical scale, thirteen if you count sharps or flats. And yet, there is an infinite possibility of combinations that have created all the music in all of history. Imagine that! The first mention of music occurs in the Bible as early as the book of Job, the oldest known book in the Bible: ”My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.“ Job 30:31 NKJV. Instruments were created and played. The book of Psalms has a wonderful list of instruments used for praise: ”Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!“ Psalms 150:3-6 NKJV. King David wrote the majority of the psalms, and many were accompanied and sung with melodies of the time. Psalms 120-134 are called “Songs of Ascents”.
The history of music is rich. The development over the centuries has been nothing short of miraculous. God gifts individuals with the talents to create and perform music. His original purpose for music was to glorify Himself and His creation. A lot of music does that to this day. Sadly, a lot of music does not, as it is also perverted by the evil one to be dark and ugly. Satan does his best to destroy or pervert whatever God has made. But I believe the good has outweighed the perverted. The music libraries of the world are full of amazing compositions. A few of my personal favorite composers are George Gershwin, Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy, Eric Satie. I also enjoy Beethoven, especially the Ninth Symphony. Thankfully, with my Mom’s teaching, I am able to enjoy playing many of their compositions. And a funny thing showed up on my feed as I am writing this! Hillsdale College is offering a free short course on classical music from Pythagoras to Beethoven. You can find the information Here.
My favorite form of music is singing for praise and worship. I’ve sung in symphonic choirs, mega-church choirs, school choirs, community choirs, church solos, talent shows, recitals . . . But the best is corporate worship at church which is ”speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,“ Ephesians 5:19 NKJV.
The first mention of instrumental music in the Bible appears at Genesis 4:21 during the genealogy of the family of Cain: ”His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.“ Genesis 4:21 NKJV. And the first song recorded is the song of Moses after they crossed the Red Sea while escaping the Egyptian army in Exodus 15. His sister, Miriam responded with a short song with all the women. Music . . . Singing . . .
Singing as worship is timeless. Even when we all get to heaven we will be surrounded by music and singing of praises to our God! ”But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” I Corinthians 2:9 NKJV.
God even makes the stars sing! ”“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?“ Job 38:4, 7 NKJV. We cannot imagine the beauty of that sound! I can’t wait! At the end of time, in eternity, with the angels in heaven, this is our future: ”Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Revelation 5:11-13 NKJV. Who doesn’t want to hear the stars and angels singing? Follow Jesus and you will!
Whatever things are virtuous and true, think on these things.