Bulletin Articles
Why do we sing so much?
Recently in our song leader class, we discussed why we sing in our assemblies. Firstly, we gain permission to sing in worship from two New Testament passages:
Ephesians 5:19 “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,"
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
With the mention of singing, there is no mention of using musical instruments like in the Old Testament. In fact, instruments were only used in the Temple during sacrifices, and only by a select group of Levites (1 Chronicles 25:1 & 2 Chronicles 29:20-30). Once the Temple was destroyed and the Jews were scattered into exile, musical instruments were not used in worship in the synagogues. They simply sang because they understood that the “instruments of David” were reserved for Temple worship.
With that said, let's back up to an even simpler question…"why singing?” Why do we use our bodies to make long sounding words with differing rhythms and tones? Why can't we just say what we're singing? Why does our Father want us to sing together?
In the redemptive poetry of the minor prophet Zephaniah, we read in 3:17
"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.”
Why do we sing? We sing because our Creator is a Singer. To be in the presence of our Father means to be in the presence of His songs. This passage from Zephaniah ought to give us more confidence in our use of singing in worship. But more deeply, if joy is hard to come by while singing in worship, imagine our Father singing, too. In time, your heart will change.
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