Edmund Heddle looks at the relationship between prophecy and song.
While it is true that among the prophets of the Bible there are those whose ministry seems to be carried out in an atmosphere of 'doom and gloom', there are numbers who sing under the inspiration of the Spirit prophetic songs which rejoice in revealing what God has done and celebrating it with music and dancing.
Rejoicing at the Exodus
The earliest example in scripture occurs when Miriam, older sister of Moses and Aaron, took her tambourine and with dancing steps sang a song of victory over their cruel Egyptian overlords. "Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea" (Ex 15:20-21). The word translated 'sang' is the word for 'answered' and indicates that she and the women with her were singing antiphonally with Moses and his men's choir.
Many years later, in AD 387 during the night before Easter Day on the occasion of the baptism of Augustine, the Te Deum Laudamus came into existence as Ambrose and Augustine sang its alternate lines under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In our own day antiphonal singing has started to reappear with Graham Kendrick's song, 'For This Purpose Christ was Revealed' and similar songs by himself, Dave Fellingham and others. I wonder when it will be attempted under the direct inspiration of the Spirit, trusting the prophetic spirit to give us both words and tune?
Celebrating Victory
In the days of the judges, Israel came under the cruel oppression of a Canaanite king, Jabin, and his military commander Sisera. God raised up a deliverer, a woman named Deborah. She together with Barak was granted a decisive victory which was celebrated, as with Miriam and Moses, by prophetic singing (Judges 5:1-31).
Deborah's name means 'bee', and in his commentary Matthew Henry shows that she lived up to her name "by her industry and sagacity...by her sweetness to her friends and her sharpness to her enemies"! Once again we see a man and a woman united in prophetic singing, for this is a ministry equally open to both sexes.
Prophetic Music Schools
It is in the time of Samuel that we first meet the 'schools of the prophets' which were still functioning in the days of Elijah and Elisha. On one famous occasion, some of the student body of one of these schools met Saul, shortly after Samuel had anointed him, with extraordinary results (1 Sam 10:9-12): "A procession of prophets met him, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying..."
Once Eli had died and the temple at Shiloh had been desecrated these schools of the prophets became vital to the future of Israel's religion. They probably kept and copied the records of Israel's past and not only maintained times for quiet worship but also nourished their religious devotion and heightened it by the sacred music which they composed and sang under the inspiration of the Spirit. They would have sung not only within their headquarters but also in the open air as they processed along with their musical instruments, offering prophetic praise to Israel's God.
As Saul met them and heard their prophesying, he became aware that some indescribable power was filling his being and he would connect it with his recent experience of being anointed by Samuel when they were alone on the house-top in Ramah. Prophetic praise today could have this same effect of stirring men into action for God.
Just as Saul was moved to prophesy when he met a procession of prophets, so prophetic praise today should have the effect of stirring men into action for God.
Practical Arrangements
It was not until the time of David that prophetic praise finds its appointed place and is organised by 'Israel's singer of songs' - David himself (2 Sam 23:1). He knew that real singing was impossible apart from the anointing of God's Spirit, but he saw that it was necessary to make working arrangements of a practical nature. Details of these arrangements are found in 1 Chronicles 25 where we read, "David set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthan for the ministry of prophesying accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals".
David chose four of Asaph's sons who were under the direction of their father, Asaph, himself prophesying under the king's direction. He chose six of Jeduthun's sons; Jeduthun himself prophesied using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord. And he chose fourteen of the sons of Heman, who was the king's seer. Under these leaders there were no fewer than 288 men set apart for this prophetic ministry, all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord.
They undertook their duties as determined by lot, and we are shown that there was no competition or place-seeking, for junior and senior, master and pupil alike accepted the duties allocated to them (1 Chron 25:1-6). It is sad that jealousy and place-seeking has at times plagued our choirs. How beautiful it is when those who lead our worship are truly anointed to sing, not for their credit but for God's glory.
How beautiful it is when those who lead our worship are truly anointed to sing, not for their credit but for God's glory.
David's Arrangements Maintained
The arrangements David made for prophetic singing in the Temple were still adhered to by godly kings for many years. There are references to the way prescribed by David during the reign of the boy-king Joash (2 Chron 23:18); in the revival under King Hezekiah (2 Chron 29:25-30) and under King Josiah (2 Chron 35:15). Even after the return from exile, when Ezra's builders had laid the foundation of the Temple, they were still following the plan prescribed by David (Ezra 3:10).
Nehemiah arranged two choirs at the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem by bringing in those Levites who had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. They were accompanied by "the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God" (Neh 12:27-36, 46).
For more than five hundred years godly kings and priests maintained the ministry of prophetic song and we even know the words of the song that stood 'top of the pops' for those hundreds of years! The words of that song were, "He is good, his love endures forever" (1 Chron 16:34,41 and 2 Chron 5:13, 7:3,6, 20:21, Jer 33:11 and many times in the Book of Psalms, for example 106:1, 107:1, 118:1). What a beautiful message to sing about!
Canticles of the Quiet People
In the interim period between the Old Testament and the New, we have the prophetic praise of Mary, Zachariah and Simeon. The Magnificat has been sung in the liturgy of the Gallican Church from AD 507; Mary's prophetic song is modelled on Psalms. The Benedictus, Zacharias' song, is modelled on prophecies. The Nunc Dimittis seems always to have been used in the evening services of the church down the ages of Christian history, in the East at Vespers and in the West at Compline.
There are nine themes common to these three prophetic songs, though each Canticle has its particular setting; one at Mary's conception, one at the naming of John the Baptist and the third at the culmination of Simeon's waiting for the Messiah. These nine themes are the essential stuff of prophetic song. They are:
1. God's mercy
2. God's mighty deeds
3. Victory over God's enemies
4. Our salvation
5. God's promises fulfilled
6. God's covenant obligations honoured
7. Light in our darkness
8. Care for the humble and hungry
9. Future blessing.
Characterised by Singing
Having established that it was those who had been anointed by the Spirit who became the prophetic singers of the Old Testament period, we shall not be surprised to discover that the New Testament church was also characterised by song.
Pliny the younger (61-113 AD) served as governor of Bithynia and carried on a notable correspondence with the Roman Emperor Trajan (52-117 AD). His comment on the Christians living in his province was that "They are accustomed to meet before daybreak to sing a hymn antiphonally to Christ, as to a god"; they were distinguished by their habit of singing. This was a practice encouraged by Paul. His letter to the Ephesians exhorts them to "be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph 5:18-19).
The New Testament believers were known for their habit of singing to God, which Paul strongly encouraged. Snatches and sometimes the whole of their hymns found their way into his letters.
We know there was much singing in the New Testament church, for snatches and sometimes the whole of their hymns have found their way into Paul's letters. Outstanding examples of this are to be found in Ephesians 5:14 (sleepers awake); Philippians 2:6-11 (hymn of the incarnation); 1 Timothy 3:6 (a Christian creed) and 2 Timothy 2:11-13 (steadfast endurance). The New International Version of the Bible has printed these and other passages to indicate their rhythmic character. Arthur S. Way in The Letters of St Paul believes there are many more snatches of hymns and songs in the apostle's writings.
Power of Christian Song
Gregory Wilson said of Martin Luther: "Rome scoffed at his theology, but trembled at his hymns". Charles Wesley, three years younger than his brother, John, helped to regenerate a decadent society through song, while his brother undertook the same task through the spoken word. In all, more than 6,500 hymns came from the inspired pen of the younger Wesley.
We have a great responsibility to discharge the stewardship of prophetic song for it is of vital importance in bringing about the revolution to which we are committed, that is the Jesus revolution. When both the words and the music of a song are put together under divine inspiration, that song will have the power to unite the singers as one and to make for a very powerful impact on unbelievers.
First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 2, March/April 1987.
