The Song of the People of God

The useful part

In the Old Testament we read that songs were composed to celebrate important events in the life of the community as well as the life of the composer. Songs were also composed to warn future generations of how the people of Israel had failed God in the past and not to make the same mistakes. They were also composed to lament the passing of a king or some other important or famous person.

How it works

• While the New Testament has less references to singing, it does contain a number of songs or fragments of songs.
• While the worship of the Temple had trained choirs of Levites who sang songs of praise and thanksgiving to God and who played various musical instruments to accompany their singing, the ordinary people took...
• Singing in Old Testament times was not exclusively the domain of professionals.
• Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn, most likely Psalm 116 or a portion of that psalm, after they had eaten the Last...

Details worth keeping

Worship, Ministry, and Life of the Church As you read the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Psalms, you will come across numerous verses about offering thanks and praise to God in song, declaring God's mighty deeds in song, and the like.