Imagine the delight of Adam and Eve when they first hear birdsong or a stream gurgling over a rocky bed. Imagine the first person who blows on a reed or plucks a string, releasing its haunting potential.
There’s no need to imagine the name of the first man famous for such instruments. We know that name: Jubal. “He was the father of all who play the harp and flute” (Genesis 4:21). From those early beginnings the stream of music grows into a mighty river. Its moods and messages are myriad, now enthralling us, now lulling us to sleep, now drowning us in suspense, now thrilling us, and now wooing us. It just keeps getting better and better, a flood that fills our hearts and our world.
As powerful as music is, it would seem inevitable that it would figure in some way in our worship to God. That is what this little study is all about. It is an extraordinary journey full of mysteries and surprises—just like music.
As we explore more deeply, be ready for fresh insights into music’s meaning in the Bible. Music is not about notes written on lines. It is not even about molecules bouncing against an ear’s tympanic membrane. In the end, music is a mystery about the heart and the spirit.