THE SCRIPTURAL LINK BETWEEN MUSIC AND PROPHECY

There is a dimension available to us in music ministry that will never be enjoyed by those who believe that the prophetic gift or anointing is no longer intended for our use today. In no way is this a disparaging word against Christians who do not believe in the fullness of the Holy Spirit as we know it (speaking in tongues, the gifts of the Spirit, and so on). But the sad truth is that these good brothers and sisters are robbing themselves of a fuller and more blessed dimension in praise and worship, and until they accept the role of prophecy in music and wor-

ship, they will never have the joy of participating in this aspect of praise and worship.

The Scriptures show us a beautiful relationship between the role of music in the church and the function of prophecy. This is not just vocal music—it is instrumental as well. First Chronicles 25 tells how David and the leadership of Israel set aside certain musical Levites specifically “for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals” (verse 1). The third verse of this chapter mentions some of these Levites by name, saying they were the ones “who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the LORD.” There are two ways we could interpret these verses: we could say these Levites prophesied while musical instruments were being played; we could also say that they played prophetically upon the instruments themselves. I believe that both these interpre- tations are correct—they prophesied while accompanied by musical instruments, and they also actually prophesied upon the instruments.

Saul had a very intriguing experience when he was anointed by Samuel to be king over Israel. After anointing Saul with oil, Samuel prophesied over Saul and began to tell him some things that were going to happen to him that day so that Saul would be assured of the Lord’s calling upon him. Samuel went on to say, “‘After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person’” (1 Samuel 10:5-6).

The following verses go on to say that that is exactly what happened. Picture the scene. Down from the high place came a band of musicians who were playing their instruments, with a group of prophets who were singing and prophesying as they walked along the way. Perhaps one of the men picked up a

lyre and began to strum melodiously; and as he did, the Spirit of God came on one of the prophets, who began to prophesy and praise the name of the Lord. As the musicians played, the prophetic flow was released and Saul participated in it.

The prophet Elisha was another who recognized the close relationship between music and prophecy. He was once in a situation in which he was expected to prophesy, but he did not want to do so. He was called to appear before the kings of Israel and Judah, who had united forces against Moab. Joram, the evil king of Israel, was on one side, and Jehoshaphat, the godly king of Judah, was opposite him. Before attacking Moab, Jehoshaphat asked Joram if there was a prophet in Israel so they could hear a word from God. In response, Joram sent for Elisha.

Elisha arrived full of righteous indignation and said to the king of Israel, “‘As surely as the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or even notice you’” (2 Kings 3:14). Elisha was mad! He did not like that scoundrel Joram one bit, and he did not mind saying so. So there was Elisha, with his spirit extremely agitated, and he was being called upon to prophesy. What did he do? He said, “‘But now bring me a harpist.’ While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha and he said…” (verses 15-16). It is very difficult to prophesy when the spirit or soul is distraught. But Elisha knew how to quiet his spirit. He called for a musi- cian, and as the harp was being played, his spirit was calmed, he began to feel the Spirit of God stirring in his heart, and the prophetic ministry began to flow. Music can so beautifully enhance the prophetic flow by soothing our hearts so that we are more receptive to God’s Spirit.

A musician can function prophetically too! By playing with sensitivity to the Spirit, a prophetic musician can “unlock” a worship service and inspire an entire congregation to connect unitedly with the Lord. An anointed musical interlude, played

spontaneously in the Spirit at a strategic moment, can some- times carry more impact than spoken or sung words.