When God’s people assemble and worship together, singing is a significant part of those worship services. Why is this the case? Does it matter whether or not I participate in singing? Throughout the Old Testament, singing is repeatedly connected with praising God for His deliverance, character, and glory. In Exodus 15, the Israelites celebrate their deliverance from Egypt by the hand of the Lord through a song of praise. Israel once again praises God for salvation from their enemies in Judges 5, poetically recounting the Lord’s powerful and righteous deeds. David appointed Levites to celebrate and worship God through music. The Psalms are filled with songs to the Lord. In Nehemiah 12, the dedication of the Jerusalem wall was celebrated by hymns of thanksgiving. Singing has long been a significant part of worshipping God.
In the New Testament, we find that singing remains an integral part of worship for God’s people. One of the most well-known passages regarding singing comes from Colossians 3:16 and says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” This verse gives extra insight into the purpose of the songs that we sing. First, it involves teaching and admonishing one another. These songs are not only expressions of praise; they also serve to build one another up in the Lord. Second, our singing is an offering of thanksgiving to God. Our relationship with God is not merely about what we receive from Him, but about offering continual praise and thanksgiving for what He has done! Christians ought to be overjoyed by the spiritual blessings they have received, leading to joyous song.
Another popular New Testament passage regarding singing is Ephesians 5:19-20, which says, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things…” Once again, this passage emphasizes the importance of speaking to other Christians in song, as well as offering God thanks and praise. These passages are often brought up within the church to prove that Christians ought to use a capella singing (without instruments) in worship. I do believe that these passages are calling for us to sing from our mouths specifically, but the main emphasis is on how we sing. We can’t miss that point! The call of this passage is to sing from the heart to the Lord. There have been many times when I sang in church without instruments, yet my heart was lacking in worship. In those instances, I missed the point of this message, neglecting to sing from the heart to the Lord. God is not merely interested in the sound that comes from our mouths, but in the worship that comes from our hearts. Perhaps we need to examine our hearts often, asking ourselves if our hearts are in our worship. Are we singing as though we care about God? Are we singing like we are thankful and joyful? Is our offering through song a sacrifice worthy of Yahweh’s presence?
Clearly, singing is important in worship, and it is something that we should take seriously today. Singing is not something only to be done by kids in preschool Bible class learning the twelve apostles. It is not something only to be done by the older members who know all of the old hymns by heart. It is not something we do merely because it sounds beautiful (although it often does) or because it is enjoyable. Singing to God is worship. It is a way to build each other up by singing of God’s character, our journey together, or our hope of eternal life. It is a time to praise God for how awesome He is and recognize His power and majesty. It is a time to shout joyfully in thanksgiving for everything that He has done for us. Worshipping through song is not only a command, but a joyful opportunity. Let us take advantage of this opportunity with soberness and thankfulness, singing with our hearts to the Lord.
—Joshua Brown