Music plays an integral part in biblical worship. As one of the arts most accessible to the ordinary worshiper, it became important in the expression of the faith of the corporate community.
The Importance of Music in Worship
Although the Mosaic directives for sacrifice and offering do not mention music, it became important in the worship of the Jerusalem sanctuary. Musicians accompanied the ark of the covenant when it was brought up to Zion (1 Chron. 15:16–24), and David established professional guilds of singers and instrumentalists to continue the celebrative worship of Yahweh there (1 Chron. 16:4–7; 25:1–7). Thus, music eventually also came to attend the sacrificial rites when they were transferred to Zion with the dedication of the temple (2 Chron. 5:11–14; Ps. 30). The Psalms reflect this dual role of music in worship; while it accompanied the offerings, it was itself considered by its performers to be the payment of a vow or a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving (Pss. 22:25; 27:6; 50:14, 23; 65:1), sometimes to the denigration of the animal sacrifices (Pss. 40:6; 50:8–13; 51:15–17).
Music was closely associated with prophecy; the Israelite prophets were musicians (1 Sam. 10:5; Ezek. 33:32) who created songs, laments, and other poetic compositions (2 Chron. 35:25; Isa. 5:1–7; 26:1–6). Music in the sanctuary was also considered prophecy (1 Chron. 25:2), and the Psalms often serve as the vehicle for the prophetic word (Pss. 2; 50–81; 82; 91; 95; 110). The people of Israel and Judah were noted for their “songs of Zion,” even in exile (Ps. 137:3–4).
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul views the musical expression of thanksgiving as the outflow of being filled with the Holy Spirit and the word (Eph. 5:18–20; Col. 3:16). Luke includes several early Christian hymns in his narrative of the birth and infancy of Jesus (Luke 1–2). The importance of music for the new covenant celebration of God’s victory in Christ is evident from its place in the worship of the Revelation to John: the chorus frames the dramatic unfolding of divine judgments with majestic hymns and doxologies that, more powerfully than prosaic spoken words, convey the grandeur of the Creator and the Son.
Exactly how biblical music sounded and how it was performed are matters still subject to musicological research. Music in Scripture is viewed as a functional activity, each type of music has its particular use in the life of the people of the Lord. As a utilitarian enterprise, music was not an art intended to highlight the skill of the virtuoso performer or call attention to the creative composer. Musical modalities were traditional forms, each appropriate for particular occasions. Musical skill was admired, as was the craftsmanship of the artisan, but all were subordinate to the purpose of the event the music accompanied. People did not attend “concerts” just for the purpose of hearing music.
Music As a Corporate Expression
Music was also a corporate expression of worship; even when led and performed by professionals, it belonged to the whole celebrating community. It appears that some of the Psalms were sung responsively, not only by the Levitical priests but also by the lay Israelite worshipers present at the festivals, and even perhaps by Gentile worshipers of the Lord, of whom there were many in the ranks of David’s soldiers. Thus, Psalm 124 begins with a line sung by the leader, followed by the invitation for “all Israel” to join in the psalm. In Psalm 115:9–11, three groups of worshipers are identified: Israel, the priests or “house of Aaron,” and “you who fear the Lord” (NASB), perhaps the Gentile worshipers; all three are called to trust in the Lord and to give the response, “He is their help and shield.” The same three groups are invited to respond, “His [covenant] love endures forever” in Psalm 118:1–4 and to praise the Lord in Psalm 135:19–20.
Antiphonal music expressed this involvement of the congregation by surrounding it with song. In Psalm 24 the liturgy at the entrance to the sanctuary is sung by two groups, those entering and those guarding the doors, who answer one another. The hymn of the seraphs in Isaiah’s vision (Isa. 6:3) is sung antiphonally, as “they were calling to one another”; this probably reflects the practice of the sanctuary choirs. At the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem, Nehemiah appointed two choirs with trumpeters, which processed in opposite directions around the city, encircling it with praise, until they met in the sanctuary (Neh. 12:27–43). This use of the double choir was perpetuated in the great basilicas and cathedrals of the Christian church, providing an early version of stereophonic sound. The opening worship of the Revelation uses antiphonal choirs to portray an ever-widening circle of praise; the hymn of the four living creatures is joined by the twenty-four elders, then by thousands of angels, then by every living creature (Rev. 4:8–5:14). From all this, we see that the musical arts, as used in biblical worship, are not esoteric skills but vehicles through which all worshipers may express their adoration and praise to the God of the covenant.