How good it is to Sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him! ... Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp. Psalm 147:1, 7.
Recently, while reading Psalm 147, I mused over the simple word, sing. Singing is a fascinating thing, isn't it? It's a hidden capacity I would never have thought up (if I were the Creator, that is). But God did think it up. I began to wonder: do other creatures sing? For that matter, can angels sing?
Foundation
Let's back up a moment and lay a foundation. I'm not a musician. I don't play any musical instruments, can't read sheet music, and The Voice has never asked me to audition for their program ... though I've been told that when I sing my voice fills the room ... and people leave to make more room for my voice!
Despite being a novice, I can neatly divide music into two categories: (1) instrumental only – no words, and (2) instrumental accompanied by words. Now that I think about it, I suppose there's a third type: acapella – words, but no instruments.
Instrumental vs. Instrumental + Words
When I think of Instrumental music, I think of classical artists like Mozart and Beethoven. Indeed their music is beautiful and otherworldly. I love it. In fact, here's a secret ... when I go to a coffee shop (almost daily) to meet with the Lord in His Word, I insert earbuds and listen exclusively to the same song, over and over. Which one? Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. Here is a beautiful version:
Paula and I walked down the aisle to this instrumental piece, 36 years ago. It's my favorite instrumental-only tune.
Yet ... as beautiful as the Canon in D is, it is supplanted by another instrumental piece that adds words sung aloud in soaring glory – Handel's Messiah. Why do I find Handel's Messiah more glorious? Because it has words ... words sung create meaning and depth that instrumental music alone cannot provide. Here is one version to bask in:
Part of The Lyrics:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ...
The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord
And of His Christ, and of His Christ!
And He shall reign for ever and ever,
And He shall reign for ever and ever,
And He shall reign for ever and ever,
For ever and ever, forever and ever,
King of kings (Forever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah!)
And Lord of lords (Forever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah!)
King of kings (Forever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah!)
And Lord of lords (Forever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah!)
King of kings (Forever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah!)
And Lord of lords (King of kings and Lord of lords)
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign forever and ever...
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
Forever and ever,
Forever and ever,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Do Other Creatures Sing?
Back to our question: do other creatures sing? If we mean instrumental, like the Canon in D Major, yes. O! the beauty of a whippoorwill's song! Many birds seem to comprise God's natural orchestra, with smaller birds forming a remarkable ensemble indeed. However, despite such beautiful sounds, the music of songbirds is bereft of words.
Musical sound + Meaningful words = More profound. Even the apostle Paul makes a similar argument (though, strictly speaking, not about music) – he'd rather speak intelligible/meaningful words, rather than unintelligible sounds (1 Corinthians 14:19).
What About Angels?
But can angels sing? We've heard a Christmas hymn that seems to say so: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, glory to the newborn King. Yet – surprise, surprise – nowhere in the Scriptures have I found evidence that angels actually sing. They speak.
Wait Dan, don't angels sing to the shepherds at Jesus' birth? – Glory to God in the Highest and peace to men on earth with whom He is pleased! Actually, Luke 2:13 says the angels were saying these words, not singing them:
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
What Does All This Mean, Practically?
At one end of the continuum, Birds (and other creatures) create beautiful sounds, akin to what we might call instrumental music. However, no words. At the other end of the continuum, Angels create meaningful words, but without the ability to sew those words into a melody.
It is the unique privilege of mankind to offer both melody and words in musical expression, co-mingled to honor the One who created us. We can really sing to the One who gave us this gift!
Go ahead and sing to the Lord ... even if your song sounds more like noise. It's delightful to God's ears: "Make a joyful noise to the Lord!" Psalm 100:1