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Jesus said, “I will build My Church…†There is a single organization that teaches the entire truth of the Bible, and is called to live by “every word of God.†Do you know how to find it? Christ said it would:
What is Jesus’ favorite food? What is God’s preferred color? Do They even have such preferences?
We can never answer these questions until we receive salvation and can ask the Father and Jesus Christ ourselves.
The title of this article can seem to be in the same category: What music does God listen to? What are His favorite songs? Does He compose music?
Finding out the answers to God’s musical preferences would help us know what to listen to ourselves. It would clearly define how we should be using music to enrich our lives. If we could know, God would become our musical mentor, building our taste and nurturing our love of the artform.
Scientists have long debated whether musical preferences stem from nature or nurture. Is it built into us to prefer certain types of music? Or does it stem from our upbringings? While the answer is both, culture seems to have the strongest influence.
Growing up, we had older siblings or best friends who exposed us to new music. It could have been a band or song we had never heard before. Such experiences opened new sonic landscapes for us. They got us excited and began to foster a life-long love of music.
So our upbringing and culture influenced how we feel about music. If you grew up in a household that did not place a strong emphasis on music, then you may not even listen to it much. You may have also fallen into enjoying songs and artists that are not in line with our Creator’s standards.
But that can be changed. We can develop a new cultural influence by allowing God to be our musical mentor. A deep dive into the question, “What music does God listen to?” will help us understand much more about our Creator—and better understand how to use the gift He has given us.
God is a musical being. This is easy to see by looking at the content of the Bible. After the creation of the Earth, all the angels “sang together” (Job 38:7). So when God made the planet we live on today, He and the angels celebrated with song. This artform was around before Earth existed.
Take this further. Consider the book of Psalms, which contains 150 songs written by King David and others. Song of Solomon is an extended musical composition. So is Lamentations. More lyrics are sprinkled throughout the Bible. For example, the entirety of Habakkuk 3 is a song. In Judges 5, Deborah and Barak sing a song of victory. By one count, there are 1,150 references to musical terms in the Bible such as “play,” “sound,” “sing,” “mirth,” “trumpet,” “timbrel” and “psalm.”
The most telling example of heavenly harmony is in the book of Revelation. Chapter 4 talks about God’s throne: “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (vs. 2).
Around the throne is the glow of an emerald that looks like a rainbow (vs. 3).
Keep reading in verse 4: “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”
Verse 6 adds to this magnificent picture: “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal…”
A couple things can be noted here: God appreciates beauty and quality. He surrounds Himself with it.
Yet the 24 elders add two more things that are incredibly important to God. Revelation 5:8 says these two dozen beings have harps in one hand and in the other “golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.”
Think of how important our prayers are to God. They are the words of His children talking with Him. They are spiritual sacrifices we offer to Him daily.
Now focus on what is in the other hand of the elders. It is harps—musical instruments. Just as God keeps our prayers close, He also keeps music close to Him. At any moment, He can request a performance.
Have you ever noticed this before? This picture helps reveal the huge importance God places on melody and song.
Finally, in verse 9, the 24 elders sing a “new song” to the Father and Christ, which means God seems to appreciate new music. It looks like the elders composed the melody especially for the occasion.
Let’s summarize all of this. God enjoys music. He uses it to celebrate. He surrounds His throne with musicians who compose new songs for Him, instead of constantly playing the same songs forever.
We must apply the same standards to our own musical diet.
Enjoying songs is a God-given way to enrich our lives. What we listen to should also be high quality and have sonic beauty. Instead of sticking to the same-old, same-old, we should constantly strive to expand our musical horizons.
Technology has made delving into a wide array of music easier than ever before. Streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music allow us to listen to pretty much any song from any era. They will offer you new music to try. YouTube is another great resource.
Allmusic.com is also useful. You can explore music by genre, mood or theme—and it can give you the most well-reviewed music for each selection. If you have never learned much about country or folk, it will help you find good artists and albums to start with. The same goes for jazz, classical, easy listening and so on. It will help you discover the best of each musical type. The website also ranks new releases so you can enjoy modern artists as well.
Yes, there is good modern music! It will just take some searching and sifting to find. Use judgment and remember to apply God’s standards in the decision-making process.
Ezekiel 28 reveals even more about God’s musical interests. In verse 12, God tells Ezekiel: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus says the Lord God; You sealed up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.”
This entire lamentation is addressed to the King of Tyre, which is another name for Satan. It recounts his fall. Lamentation can be variously translated “elegy,” “dirge” and “mournful song.”
We will get into the content of this song in a moment, but realize what is occurring here. God gave these lyrics to Ezekiel—they even start with, “Thus says the Lord God.” We cannot know if He also gave the prophet the musical composition as well, but it is very likely He did. In the very least, God commissioned Ezekiel to compose it on His behalf.
Yet there is another element we can learn from Ezekiel 28. Music is an important outlet for proper emotions. This can be joy and other positive feelings, but also sorrow and mourning. It can be a way to process death or loss.
Balance is required here once again. If a song or type of music we listen to causes wrong feelings or emotions—such as hatred or lust—it should be avoided. We have to be honest with ourselves! Lyrical content must also be vetted.
Start again in Ezekiel 28:12: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus…You sealed up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.”
God created Lucifer “full of wisdom” and “perfect in beauty.” He also gave this angelic being an incredible purpose: “You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire” (vs. 14).
Finally, “You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you” (vs. 15).
Imagine how God felt in this situation. He created a near-perfect angel to be the “anointed cherub that covers.” That means Lucifer would have been near God’s throne. The Father had an incredibly close relationship with Satan before his fall.
God would have felt betrayed and saddened by Satan’s actions. Ultimately, He seems to have used music to help process what happened.
There is also a warning contained in Ezekiel 28. Verse 13 states that “the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created.”
“Tabrets” and “pipes” referred to here are musical instruments, indicating Lucifer had incredible musical prowess.
As “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), Satan broadcasts sinful attitudes and emotions throughout Earth. This influence steeps into much of the music created today.
Of course, this does not mean all music is devilish and Satan-inspired. There is a lot of interesting, varied and high-quality music out there. It just requires some work to unearth.
Have you ever wondered how a psalm can so perfectly fit a set of circumstances or trial you may be going through?
This goes back to the fundamentals of songwriting. When crafting the words of a musical composition, a writer must intensely study and meditate on the topic he is covering. The power of the Psalms comes from divine inspiration, as well as from the labor that went into their creation.
This process increases the potency of the words. While we no longer have the melodies, the power of the lyrics written by the psalmists is still evident today.
Adding to this effectiveness is music itself. When words are set to a fitting melody, an emotional response is triggered. Most everyone has been brought to tears by a song, experienced the pure joy that can arise from the right tune, or experienced the release that can come from a somber song heard at the right time.
Music is a tool that has a vast array of uses.
Relieves stress: When a wicked king of Israel was in the desert and his army had no water, he went to Elisha to ask for God’s help. The prophet took the ruler to task.
“What have I to do with you?” Elisha retorted. “Get you to the [pagan] prophets of your father, and to the [pagan] prophets of your mother” (II Kgs. 3:13).
After some pressing, and due to the presence of a righteous king of Judah, the prophet finally conceded. But his blood was still boiling over the sinful practices of Israel, and rightfully so.
Elisha then made an interesting request: “Bring me a minstrel.”
Once a musician (most likely a harpist) was found and played some calming music, the prophet sought God’s instruction. (You can read the entire exchange in II Kings 3.)
In a stressful situation, listening to relaxing music can help clear your mind and aid in rendering a sound judgment.
Helps with the mourning process: After the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan, David composed the “Song of the Bow” and ordered it to be taught throughout Judah.
Some of what David sang included: “The beauty of Israel is slain upon your high places: how are the mighty fallen!…Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul…I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant have you been unto me…How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!” (The entire song can be found in II Samuel 1:19-27.)
Comforts amid terrible trials: After being beaten with “many stripes” and with their “feet fast in the stocks,” Paul and Silas were left in a dank inner prison (Acts 16:22-24).
What was their response? “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (vs. 25).
After prayer, singing hymns was the first thing on their minds!
Ask yourself: How often do hymns, Psalms and encouraging songs come to mind during a trying time?
Jesus Christ did this on the night He was betrayed by Judas. Just before He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, He and the disciples sang hymns together. According to many historical sources, Psalms 113-118 were usually part of the Passover supper at the time. The last song Christ sang before His trial, scourging and crucifixion may have been Psalm 118.
Think of the tremendous encouragement this psalm would have given Jesus over the next few hours: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy endures forever…The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?…The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation…The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner…This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it…O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever.”
This song would have helped Christ look forward to His ultimate goal of defeating death, allowing Him and the saints to rule the Earth.
Go to the hymns and Psalms when you need the strength to make it through a hard time. For example, singing about God’s Old Testament miracles puts in perspective trials such as job troubles due to the Sabbath, financial woes, or loneliness. God parted the Red Sea to save Israel—we should not doubt that He will come to our aid in smaller matters.
These inspired songs have many other uses, such as helping you wait for an answer to a prayer (Psa. 25), when you are asking for forgiveness and repentance from a grievous sin (Psa. 51), and when you are joyful (Psa. 33).
All the examples here were from the Bible yet non-religious music can be used to serve the same purposes.
Regrettably, we do not have the musical compositions that went with the songs of the Bible. Imagine singing Psalm 23 with the original tune as penned by King David.
For some reason, God decided to not preserve those parts of the songs—just the lyrics. But that does not mean we cannot glean what sort of music He prefers. Creation itself reveals the parameters of proper music.
Music is a creative medium. It is created and crafted. So too are all the plants, animals and every other organism.
Note the incredible diversity in God’s handiwork. There are at least 60,000 tree species on Earth. Within each group there is incredible variety. Look at canines. There are wolves, there are golden retrievers, there are dachshunds. All are extremely different. Some of this variety comes from selective breeding—but that was diversity God built into these pups!
Even more, there are so many insects on Earth that approximately 4 million types have never been examined or named. Half a million spiders are unidentified, as well as hundreds of thousands of aquatic creatures.
Think. If human beings have never even seen a good portion of plant and animal life on this planet, who was it for? Much of the ocean remains unexplored or could not even be explored until recently. It stands to reason that much of Creation is there to be appreciated by God Himself. No one else has ever seen it all before!
Once again, God appreciates beauty and variety—even on a microscopic level. Think of snowflakes. Each grows uniquely to have its own design—even compared to flakes that form right next to it. In a lab, scientists can grow identical snowflakes—but that does not happen in nature. This is one small reminder we serve a God of inventiveness and variety.
God built variety it into everything He creates. The same goes for music. It is not like He only appreciates harp music. Or only singing. Or just violin concertos. Nature’s diversity tells a different story!
Our musical tastes should be the same, with us prioritizing quality and variety.
There is one more aspect of Creation that can help us understand God’s view of music. That aspect is us!
Genesis 1:26 states, “And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
We were made in God’s image. This means He also made us to be musical.
An NPR special on the power of music reported that “music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function.”
Robert Zatorre, psychologist at the Montreal Neurological Institute, told The Boston Globe that music triggers the same “motivation and reward system” as food, water and other major physiological drives.
Music can relieve stress and facilitate the healing process. In some cultures it is used to ease pain. Doctors in the West use music therapy to help stroke patients recover more quickly and fully.
So we are hardwired to be musical. There are physical, mental and spiritual ways to use this tool to better our lives.
Realize our uniqueness among all Creation. We have minds capable of enjoying music. We can then mimic what we hear and create tunes of our own. Even more, we have a highly sophisticated musical instrument built into our bodies—the voice.
Our vocal folds (cords) open and close when we make sounds with our voices. We are able to control this tissue to sing. Highly trained singers can use this to subtly convey emotions. Assisting in this process is the voice box, or larynx, that helps us manipulate the shape, position and tension of the vocal folds. Finally, the tongue, soft palate, mouth and sinus all serve to help resonate our voices—and add even more nuance to the melody we emit from our bodies.
Realize what this all means. We were not only created in God’s image to be musical—He made us all living, breathing musical instruments.
No one maximized the God-given tool of music more than King David. As a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), he was skilled at administration, war, planning, organizing religious services, and displaying correct emotions.
Add to this list: renowned instrumentalist and prolific songwriter.
From an early age, David played the harp. He would have practiced to master the instrument. (Many professional musicians practice three to six hours a day to stay in top form—and this is often something they have been doing from a young age.) David’s effort paid off. Word of his skill spread to the point that he was noticed at the highest level of government. When King Saul was prone to foul moods after being rejected by God as ruler of Israel, his servants searched for a skilled harpist to calm him. They passed over all Saul’s court musicians to select David, a shepherd boy. His playing quickly gave Saul comfort. (Read the full account in I Samuel 16.)
Later, David had a crucial role in the music played by the Levites: “And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of music of the Lord, which David the king had made to praise the Lord …” (II Chron. 7:6). In addition, he organized musicians in preparation for the Temple being built (I Chron. 25). He assigned 288 men and women as singers and instrumentalists! This makes clear that music was an integral part of Temple service.
David also had a large catalog of songs, with the lyrics of many preserved in the Psalms. Any composer knows how long it takes to pen a song. Writing music and words requires an arduous process of working and reworking until it is in a polished, finished form. For example, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony took four years of tinkering, experimenting and revising to complete.
King David led a busy and balanced life, making sure to keep up with prayer, study, fasting and meditating, all while ruling Israel, leading construction projects, and pursuing other educational endeavors. To round things out, music played a big part.
He passed this love on to his son Solomon: “And he spoke three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five” (I Kgs. 4:32).
David, a man after God’s own heart, and Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived, both had a healthy musical interest.
Of course, we are not all going to be the next Yo-Yo Ma on cello or compose songs to rival Paul Simon or Joni Mitchell. Yet we should all strive to use God’s gift of music to the max.
So what are godly standards for music? It should be edifying and enjoyable, of high quality, and an outlet for proper emotions.
Anything outside of this is better left avoided. We must all use our judgment to find music that enriches our lives.
The other godly standard: variety. Push to expand your musical horizons. Use the internet. No longer do you have to go to a record store or hear about new or different artists by word of mouth. Delve into bossa nova or a songwriter from Iceland. Ever heard Ethiopian jazz? Spice things up!
Of course, all this takes effort, which should come as no surprise. Every tool that God gives us requires some work on our part. Think of prayer, Bible study, building wisdom, and so on. Music is no different.
As you listen, regularly remind yourself that God made us musical—and that He is musical too. Allow this wonderful sonic gift to draw you closer to Him.
Build up your musical tastes now so you can be ready to take part in the musical aspects of the Family of God.
Notice what we will all do when we receive salvation: “And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth” (Rev. 14:3).
So what music does God listen to? It should not be much different from what we do!
