One of my earliest memories of learning any theological truth about God is through an album called City on a Hill. From the song “Sing Alleluia” I learned that God is the Giver of all good things. From the song “Holy Is Your Name” I learned that God controls the rising and the setting of the sun. From the song “Marvelous Light” I learned that God can lead us out of darkness into light and show us mercy even when we wander away from Him.
Undoubtably my parents told me many truths about God and the Bible before this, but I think there’s one reason that these truths stick out in the forefront of my mind when I think about my childhood: that’s because there’s music to these memories.
Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor-theologian in Nazi Germany who was eventually persecuted and sentenced to death for his faith, highlights for us the priority and necessity of Christians singing together by reminding us of the command in Ephesians 5 to “sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord.”
“Why do Christians sing when are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak and pray the same Word at the same time; in other words, because here they can unite in the Word.”
In Colossians we have the familiar verse “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” The best psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are those that sing the truth revealed to us in Scripture. We read Scripture, we meditate on Scripture, we hear the Scriptures explained and preached and we memorize Scripture. However, full surrender to the Scripture requires the singing of a new song with our whole heart.
The fact that we do not speak it but sing it only expresses the fact that our spoken words are inadequate to express what we want to say, that the burden of our song goes far beyond all human words.
God commands us to sing for His glory and for our own benefit. When we sing, we instruct our souls and fill our hearts with worship. What then, shall we sing? All throughout Scripture we see examples of God’s people singing and even commanding us to join in. Even Jesus Himself set an example of this for us when he sang a hymn with his disciples after the Last Supper (Matt. 26:30). Here are six reasons the Bible tell us that we should sing.
1. We sing because God is King
Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the LORD, the Most High is to be feared,
a great King over all the earth.
-Psalm 47:1-2
We can clap, shout, sing and dance freely knowing that God is King over all the earth. He goes before us in battle and defends us as our shield. The Lord alone is feared in all the earth, because He subdues peoples and nations. While He sits on His throne, we have been made a friend of the King by the work of Jesus on the cross, and that causes us to sing and exalt Him highly!
2. We sing because God is our salvation
Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
-Isaiah 12:2
Over and over in the Old Testament God reminds His people that He is the God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt by a mighty hand. Isaiah reminds us that God is a savior by nature, which beckons us to sing. God continues that trend of salvation to save us fully and finally by sending Christ as a ransom for our sin.
3. We sing because God is mighty in works and holiness
Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day,
declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
-Psalm 96:1-3
We see the pattern of singing about salvation emerge again in Psalm 96. We also see the people worshipping God “in the splendor of holiness” and ascribing to the Lord “the glory due his name” because of his mighty acts: His creation of the heavens and the earth, His faithfulness to his people, and His righteousness as the judge of the world.
4. We sing because God is our defender and refuge
Blessed by the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me
I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
who gives victory to kings
-Psalm 144:1-2,10
Mankind is but a mere breath, passing away quickly like a shadow in comparison to the eternal God. Yet God’s attributes are an unchanging rock to build our house upon. By nature, He is a deliverer in war, a shield for His people. In His steadfast love He notices when His people are reviled and persecuted with lies and falsehoods and provides rescue for them.
5. We sing because God is our help and deliverer
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
-Psalm 40:2-3
In times of trouble, God is our helper and deliverer out of the destruction we get ourselves into. Most of all, He delivered us from our predicament of sinfulness and provided a path to salvation, but He is also our helper in perseverance, setting our steps upon the solid rock and not upon the slippery places. Truly we can trust a God like this!
6. We sing because Jesus is worthy
And they sang a new song, saying,
Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seal,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God.
-Revelation 5:9
Ultimately, singing in the Church in done as an act of worship. We worship the one who alone is worthy of being worshipped. This is our eternal destiny, to sing praise and worship to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the lamb who slain to ransom us, the Church, His bride to Himself. Amen! Sing a new song to the Lord today; His mercies are new every morning.
