For most, it need little be pointed out that music and singing are accorded a pronounced emphasis in Scripture. Indeed, one may find over three hundred references to songs, singing and music within its pages - ranging from a genealogical allusion in Genesis 4:21 to a climactic chorus in Revelation 15:3.
Combined with a similarly large number of exhortations and/or references to "praising the Lord" - much of which is associated with musical expression - one begins to grasp the significance of inspired music in relation to worship, stimulation of fellow believers and personal edification; hence the importance of "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19).
Every so often, one is impressed by a verse or passage of Scripture that, for some reason or another, has previously failed to "strike fire." Such was the case a few days ago in our coming across a pronouncement of the Old Testament prophet Zephaniah. As commonly recognized, music can, and frequently does, give expression to the qualities of one's deeper self. Again, most of us are likely aware that following the Last Supper, Jesus and the Twelve sang a hymn before proceeding to Gethsemane (Matt. 26:20; Mark 14:26).
Within this frame of reference, it had never grasped my attention, however, concerning the Father's love for His children as expressed in Zephaniah 3:17: "The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty one, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
While God's "singing" is of an undoubtedly different genre than our own endeavors as based on a Western oriented chromatic scale and pitched, shall we say, in the Key of C, the analogy of the heavenly Father's so rejoicing in us as His children drove home a point I shall long remember. Indeed, it tended to make my day.
As per the old aftershave commercial: "I needed that!"
Burl Ratzsch
