A Musical God

When you think of music, do you think of the creator of the universe? One of God's many languages He uses to speak with us is song, and I'm not necessarily speaking of songs with worship lyrics.

It's cliché to think of heaven as a place with cloud floors and cherubic angels who play on harps. There's nothing in the Bible that would suggest that is anywhere close to the truth of heaven. However, I can guarantee one thing you'll encounter when you cross the "pearly gates": there will be music. There's no telling what genre of music is prevalent or if they all exist there, possibly more genres than we know. In fact, I dare to say that music is something our soul uses to communicate in a language no one has to learn to understand. It's one of the many ways we are a mirror of God's attributes, and music came straight down from God. Why would God have music in heaven? Because He loves it!

And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. - Revelation 14:2-3

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.” - Revelation 5:8-10

When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy? - Job 38:7

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." - Luke 2:13-14

I've actually read some sources that state angels don't seem to be able to sing as they are usually shown as "saying" things and never singing even while humans (albeit sometimes in heaven) are shown as "singing." Whatever the case may be, music is after God's own heart.

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! - Psalm 150:1-6

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. - Psalm 40:3

Psalms are an entire book of songs, many of them written by David, the musician king. Then, of course, there's the Song of Solomon.

While we're on the subject of music, the Bible is filled with dancing.

Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing. - Exodus 15:20

"Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! Again you will take up your tambourines, And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers. - Jeremiah 31:4

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. - Psalm 149:3

And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. - 2 Samuel 6:14

It happened when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart. - 1 Chronicles 15:29

I know there are denominations which do not condone dancing, but if the Bible has anything to say about the matter, it seems God likes dancing in worship. He likes songs filled with instruments and those filled with voices.

Do you have a song in your heart? Will you sing or dance to it before God today?

God bless!