“One of the servants answered, ‘I have seen the son of Jesse [David] of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre (harp).’” 1 Samuel 16:18
We know that David was known for his great love of music. Perhaps that love began when he was a shepherd boy sitting out in the quiet fields watching his sheep.
In Bible days it was common for shepherds to play music for their sheep. After all, they could be the perfect audience, usually attentive and they seldom complained. There were two instruments that shepherds played. The first was a wind instrument—a flute or pipe as it was sometimes called. This instrument was easy to make using simple reeds found along the river banks. They would take the hollowed-out reed and make six holes in it. The shepherd boy would place it against his lips and using three fingers of each hand he would cover and uncover the holes making different tones. Although this produced only a few simple notes some say that the music was quite soothing to hear.
Another instrument was the harp. This looked quite different from the huge harps we see in orchestras. The ten string harps or lyres of Bible times were held in one arm while they were strummed with the other hand.
We know that David played the harp because the Bible says that as a teenager he played the harp well. 1 Samuel 16:18 says: “One of the servants answered, ‘I have seen the son of Jesse [David] of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre (harp).’”
It must have been interesting hearing the faint sounds of flutes and harps echoing over the hills as shepherds spent their hours serenading their sheep. We can only wonder what their melodies sounded like.
Music is a blessing that we still enjoy today. How drab our world would be if music was taken away from us. We would no longer be able to enjoy the fun songs we have, hear an organ playing, or a choir singing. We also would never hear the beautiful sounds of an orchestra. Why did God give us this blessing?
We can certainly enjoy many types of music,but the main reason God gave us music was so we could praise him. It is one way we can give God our thanks and praise. We thank God for the wonderful gift of music.
Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful blessing of music. You have given us such a wonderful tool that is not only pleasing to our ears, but that we can use to praise and glorify you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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