Music of Praise in the Bible

People who love the Bible know that many of its scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, reference songs, singing, and music. Praising God in song is a beautiful and enjoyable way to express love, adoration, and gratitude, along with appropriate emotion, to God the Father—and sometimes can even be a healthy way to express sorrow and sadness.

The Bible clearly shows the importance of singing praise to God through many examples and stories. In fact, the book of Psalms, the longest book in the Bible, is composed of dozens of songs. The central theme of biblical song is the praise and adoration of God. We could call praise to God the “forever song,” because it continues to be sung today, and it will be sung forever.

The word “sing” first appears in the Bible right after God leads Moses and the Israelites through the Red Sea, dramatically saving them from the pursuing Egyptians (Exodus 15:1). The moment of escape from Egyptian slavery was what the Israelites had spent hundreds of years hoping and praying for. As they stood next to the Red Sea after it swallowed the powerful Egyptian army, realizing they were finally free, what did the people of Israel do? They praised God by singing. They sang the Song of Moses, the first song recorded in the Bible, which was part of the “forever song.”

Here are some of the inspiring and moving words from this song, recorded in Exodus 15:

• “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously!”
• “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him….”
• “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

What meaningful words! After singing the Song of Moses, some of the women sang the “Song of Miriam”—and danced to it. It’s hard to imagine the incredible feeling of freedom and appreciation they experienced at that moment, finally being freed from bondage after many generations of enslavement in Egypt.

That’s one example of people singing part of the “forever song” to God. Many others sang part of it as well, including Deborah the prophetess, Solomon, Asaph, Jehoshaphat, and King David himself, who indeed wrote many psalms.

It’s fascinating that the Song of Moses will also be sung in the future by the saints (Revelation 15:2–4)! But they won’t sing only the Song of Moses. They will also sing another song—the Song of the Lamb.

If the songs the Israelites sang after being delivered through the Red Sea were filled with emotion and pure joy, how much more will songs be overflowing with such intense gratitude after the singers have obtained ultimate victory and eternal life! Imagine what singers will feel as they sing these words after the Second Coming: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?” (Revelation 15:3–4).

With the help of God’s strength and through His mercy, perhaps you can be one of those singers.

Christians today who love God and Jesus Christ, appreciating Them for being so extremely good to us, should yearn to join the “forever song,” the song of praise that will continue to be sung forever. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 104:33, “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” After all, God is our strength, He is our salvation, and He is our song (Psalm 118:14).

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