David Diga Hernandez - What Does the Bible Teach About Music? (How the Holy Spirit Uses Music)

God always creates with purpose. God always creates with intention. There is nothing that God has created that lacks a purpose, and music is no different. Music, in fact, is spiritual. Job 38:4-7 says, «Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations? And who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?» The morning stars speak of the angels. The angels were singing God’s praises when He was creating the world. So if music came before the material world, then music is spiritual in nature. In fact, 1 Corinthians 14:15 says, «Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the Spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the Spirit, and I will also sing words I understand.» If music weren’t spiritual, it wouldn’t be possible to sing in the Spirit. The Bible even describes something called spiritual songs in Ephesians 5:18–19: «Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.» You see, the thing about music is that it’s a very powerful tool. And music, in fact, causes your soul to be opened. It makes you more susceptible. It makes you more easily influenced while you are listening to music. So imagine this: this is why I caution people when they listen to secular music. Because the music moves you emotionally and mentally, and that music puts you in a state that opens the soul. It makes you more vulnerable to whatever the message is that’s being carried by that music. So picture that you’re putting yourself in this vulnerable state, opening the soul, and then you’re allowing someone to sing or speak lyrics into your soul in that moment. This is why we must be careful with the kind of music we listen to because music is spiritual in nature. Also, consider the fact that music is a heightened form of expression, which is why it’s used in worship. Psalm 150 says this in verses 1-6: «Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heaven. Praise Him for His mighty works. Praise His unequaled greatness. Praise Him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise Him with the lyre and harp. Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flutes. Praise Him with a clash of cymbals; praise Him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord. Praise the Lord.» So music is not only spiritual. Music is something that can be used by the Holy Spirit because it is spiritual in nature. Now truly, the Holy Spirit can use whatever He wants to, including things in the material world that aren’t exactly completely spiritual in nature. But when it comes to music, the Holy Spirit can actually use music to enhance ministry. Elisha requested a harp to accompany him while he prophesied. 2 Kings 3:15 says, «Now bring me someone who can play the harp.» While the harp was being played, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha. Think about the fact that Elisha, the prophet, requested a harp before he began to prophesy. Now, could he have prophesied without the harp? Could he have prophesied without the music? Absolutely. In fact, we see that mentioned several times in the account of Elisha’s life. But in this particular instance, he called for music because he knew there was something about the music that would aid him as he prophesied. A band of prophets used their instruments to assist them as they prophesied. 1 Samuel 10:5 says this: «When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying.» So these prophets formed a band, began to play, and that music enhanced the prophetic words they were speaking. The prophetic ministry… As you read the Old Testament, you’ll find the prophetic ministry and music go hand in hand quite often. There is something about music. There is something about music that’s so powerful that it aids ministry. It aids the message. It aids the prophetic gift. There’s a mystery to it. And I can’t really explain to you how all the dynamics work. But I do know this: as I read scriptures like these, it becomes obvious to me that the Holy Spirit, in fact, uses music. So that’s the biblical support for that truth. It should be noted that God wants us to use this gift of music, even in times that we’re ministering. In fact, if you’ve ever come to one of our Miracle Services, you’ll notice that the music plays a key role as the miracles manifest. Now, I am by no means saying that the miracles couldn’t happen without the music. But there’s something about music that brings people to a state of faith. There’s something about the music that helps to prepare the hearts of God’s people as they receive of the power of the Holy Spirit. I can’t tell you how many times it’s happened where I’m praying for someone who’s believing for a miracle and I’m believing for God to heal them, and the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart and puts a song in my spirit. He puts a sound in my spirit. And I’ll turn and instruct the worship team to play a certain song in a certain way. The moment the worship team begins…