Week 78: Music - Created to Praise the Lord

“Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God!
How delightful and how fitting!” (Psalm 147:1NLT)

“The sole purpose of all music is to bring praise to God.” (Johann Sebastian Bach)

An old Jewish legend says that after God had created the world He called the angels to Himself and asked them what they thought of it. One of them said, “The only thing lacking is the sound of praise to the Creator.” So God created music, and it was heard in the whisper of the wind and in the song of the birds. He also gave man the gift of song.

……………………..

The sole purpose of all music is to bring praise to God. The beauty, the grandeur and the harmony of music that I heard whenever I tuned to listen to orchestra concerts (or Christian old hymns) either in my car or on my DVD players testified that God is a musical God and He is filled with glory and majesty! Music gives glimpse into the awesome creative beauty of God Himself.  Last week when I was at Matang Wildlife centre, I silenced my mind and my soul just to hear bamboo making music, the birds singings, and insects whistle praises – it awaken my souls to cherish God in all of His glory and majesty by the sound of heavenly music in nature.

Music is an essential role in expressing worship to God. Just go to The Book of Psalms (translated as ‘The Book of Praises’) in the Bible, you’ll see that the psalmists are using song to express their feelings and prayers. They prayed their worship songs and sang their prayers. They relate their relation to God is a form of music. “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” (Psalm 95:1); “Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (Psalm 29:2) etc.

As for today, in the midst of many distorted usage of music – I valued music that’s honoring to God; music that breathe Scriptures truths.  Its lyrics point to God, the beauty of the notes and sounds touches our heart in a way that mere words and readings cannot do. Music connects our heart into God’s presence in a unique way. Music, its origin, is for the purpose of bringing praise to God.

Martin Luther* writes, "I wish to see all arts, principally music, in the service of Him who gave and created them. I would not for the world forego my humble share of music. Singers are never sorrowful, but are merry, and smile through their troubles in song. Music makes people kinder, gentler, more staid and reasonable. I am strongly persuaded that after theology there is no art that can be placed on a level with music; for besides theology music is the only art capable of affording peace and joy of the heart… the Devil flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God." Again he writes, “Next to the Word of God music deserves the highest [mean of] praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through music.”

Here is my thesis: The sole purpose of all music is to bring praise to God. Music is one of the mean to praise God, one of the greatest I guess, but God and God alone is the end of our praises.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

“Let the godly sing for joy to the LORD;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
Praise the LORD with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.”
Psalm 33:1-3NLT)

.........................

References:

1) Old Jewish legend above is quoted from The Speaker’s Quote Book by Roy B. Zuck

2) *Quoted from Martin Luther’s Music: a Fair & Glorious Gift.