This week’s Bible study looked at the fact that the Psalms are not only poems (designed to be read aloud and which use a variety of poetic features such as parallelism, metaphor and acrostics to engage our memories and our emotions) but also songs. The Psalms contain frequent references to song and singing as well as to music (see Ps 5:11, Ps 7:17, Ps 9:2, 11; Ps 13:6; Ps 18:49, Ps 21:13, Ps 27:6, Ps 30:4, 12; Ps 32:11; Ps 33:1-3; Ps 40:2, Ps 47:1, 6-7; Ps 57:9, 16-17; Ps 63:5; Ps 65:13, Ps 66:1-2; Ps 66:3, Ps 67:3; Ps 68:4, 24-25, 32; Ps 69:30; Ps 71:22-23; Ps 75:9; Ps 81:1-2; Ps 87:7; Ps 89:1; Ps 90:14; Ps 92:1-4; Ps 95:1-2; Ps 96:1-2, 12-13; Ps 98:1, 8-9; Ps 101:1; Ps 104:33; Ps 105:1-2; Ps 108:1-3; Ps 118:14; Ps 119:172; Ps 126:1-2; Ps 132:9; Ps 135:3; Ps 137:1-4; Ps 138:4-5; Ps 144:10; Ps 145:7; Ps 146:1-2; Ps 147:1; Ps 149:1, 3; Ps 150:3 if you don’t believe me!) They are not the only songs in the Bible (see Ex 15:1-20, Is 12:1-6, Hab 3:1-19, where the prayer ends, ‘For the director of music. On my stringed instruments’ and contains the musical reference ‘on shiginoth’.) Clearly, music and song were an important part of the form of the Psalms and explain why the book is known as the church’s ‘hymnal’ and why music and singing form an integral part of church services, no matter what the church tradition (modern songs, older hymns, antiphonal choral singing of the Psalms etc.)
The health and emotional benefits of singing are well documented (see
http://www.moresingingplease.com/benefits-of-singing and http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/176316.php
for more details.) These include giving your lungs a workout and toning your intercostal muscles and diaphragm, improving posture, improving your immune system[1] and helping with sleep problems (since strengthened throat and palate muscles can help with snoring and sleep apnoea.) Singing works as a free antidepressant, since it releases endorphins, the ‘feel-good’ hormones[2], and acts as an anti-stress mechanism, also helping to improve mental alertness (the Alzheimer’s Society[3] has even established a “Singing for the Brain” service to help people with dementia and Alzheimer’s maintain their memories.) In addition, singing can actually broaden communication skills (singing to babies helps prepare their brains for language[4]), help with memorisation techniques (it’s often easier to remember the lyrics of songs than to learn poetry or prose without music), evoke emotions and help with boosting confidence.
Singing also has significant spiritual benefits, not least when we join together to sing. Corporate singing binds us together, helping us to demonstrate and express our unity. Singing the truth of God’s Word builds us up in faith and helps us to allow God’s Word to dwell in us richly (see Col 3:16, Eph 5:19). We remember far more through song than we do through sermons, in many respects, because the format of a spiritual song is designed to capture essential truth in condensed form. Perhaps the most important thing to reflect upon, however, is that all truth originates in God. God Himself sings (see Zeph 3:17). Ultimately, we worship a triune God who sings (Jesus sang hymns when on earth; one of the consequences of being filled with the Spirit is that we sing!) and He wants us to be like Him. To do that, we have to learn to sing our praises to the Lord, to sing for joy and to praise God’s name in song!
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15669447
[2] http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/singing-happy1.htm
[3] https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/info/20172/activities_and_services/765/singing_for_the_brain
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/08/singing-children-development-language-skills