Angels can't really sing -- and here's why

Recently, my blog dealt with the fascinating topic of angels. I stated that there are often misconceptions about who they are and how they function in God’s greater plan. In this post I’m continuing with the theme of angels but focusing on one facet — their alleged melodic sensibilities and singing skills.

Now I realize that some folks will likely get their “feathers in a ruffle” over what I’m going to say in this post. My intention is not to offend anyone but to unfold a logical argument for why I believe angels don’t — and actually can’t — sing.

Let me make a couple disclaimers. The first is that I have never spoken to an angel (to my knowledge anyway) so there is the possibility that I’m dead wrong. If that’s the case, I will someday learn otherwise. Second, if angels do happen to sing it certainly wouldn’t offend me; however, the Bible does not say they do and I think there’s some good reasons why.

Okay, some of you are already protesting, “Now just hold it one second, Ryan! My Bible says that they do sing.” Your proof-texts likely include Job 38:7, which states that during the creation of the universe, “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” My rebuttal is that the text mentions “morning stars” but not “angels.” Could the text not be referring to the evocative sounds emanating from stars that astronomers have recorded through a technique called stellar seismology? These resonances supposedly supply scientists with clues about what may be occurring within the stars’ interiors. Mind-blowing stuff!

Another biblical passage is Luke 2:13-14, which describes the appearance of the angelic host to the shepherds tending their flocks in the fields at the birth of Jesus. The Bible says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” But, notice the text states they were “saying” not “singing.” It was a proclamation of praise, not an angelic choir’s cantata. Now I’m not disputing that the angels were worshipping and praising God, but that does not suggest they were singing — just exalting or proclaiming.

In the Book of Revelation, on a couple of occasions humans are presented as singing, while immediately thereafter heavenly beings are described as speaking. The twenty-four elders surrounding the throne of God, each holding a harp, “sang a new song” to the Lamb of God (Rev. 5:8-10). Next, the living creatures, elders and myriads of angels begin “saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Rev. 5:11-12).

In Revelation 15, those who have overcome the beast (presumably symbolizing the evil Roman emperors), stand beside the sea of glass with harps as they “sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (verse 3). These are apparently martyrs who have paid the ultimate price for their faith and now dwell in God’s presence. Revelation 14:1-3 describes 144,000 redeemed people who are singing a new song, the words of which nobody else can learn, because of their virginity, purity and special status “as firstfruits for God and the Lamb” (verse 4).

Therefore, in the Bible there is a sense in which only humans, and particularly the redeemed, possess the privilege and capability to sing praises to God. The glorious mystery of the prophets fulfilled in Christ, as revealed by the Holy Spirit, involves “things into which angels long to look” (1 Pet. 1:12). However, angels are unable to fully grasp what it feels like or even means to be saved. Only the redeemed can sing redemption’s sweet song. Only the saved can sing about amazing grace. This incomparable gift is beyond the scope of angels’ personal experience.

That is why I believe singing is reserved for the human race. Believers are blessed with the gift of song to praise God and, in turn, receive spiritual encouragement. God has endowed human beings with an innate, natural affinity for music and singing, especially in regard to worship (Eph. 5:19-20). This is one way we are unique in God’s created order — and distinct from the angels.

I Believe in Angels

What comes to your mind when you think about angels? Do you believe in them?

There are many myths, traditions, folklores and misconceptions about angels. Without a doubt, angels are a fascinating topic indeed.

In Scripture, angels appear often, about 200 times in the New Testament alone. However, we aren’t provided with a large amount of details concerning them and so we have to read between the lines and make some inferences. At the most basic level, angels play the role of God’s messengers. In fact, the Greek word aggelos means just that—messenger, envoy, one who is sent, or one who brings news.

The Bible shares a number of important things about angels that should encourage us as we seek to influence the world with righteousness and wage war against evil. Here are a few facts to be aware of:

First, angels are spirit beings created and sent out by God to serve those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14). Though they can take on physical form when necessary to interact with the physical world, they are essentially spiritual beings without bodies.

Second, angels are supernaturally powerful beings (Rev. 7:1; Psa. 103:20). The Bible describes them as opening prison doors, rolling away the stone from the tomb, engaging in war with evil, and even binding Satan.

Third, angels are personal beings with the capacity to love, express joy, demonstrate intelligence, and delight in doing God’s will as they carry out his orders.

Fourth, angels are not gods. They are created, finite beings that are lower than God, though superior to us (Psa. 8:5-6).

Fifth, angels are not the spirits of people who have died, nor do we “receive our wings” upon death. A common misconception is that people turn into angels when they die, but humans and angels are distinctly different orders in God’s creation (Psa. 148).

Sixth, angels are sent to aid believers in the struggle against sin, evil, and the power of satanic darkness (Psa. 91:11-14). In God’s divine plan and purpose, he commissions and sends angels to guides us toward his will and help sustain and strengthen us when we’re under spiritual attack.

Seventh, on occasion God directs his angels to be our guardians. However, the popular idea that each of us has a full-time guardian angel watching over us at all time is not based in the Bible. If guardian angels existed, we would have difficulty explaining how it is the people get injured in accidents, murdered, and suffer in countless ways. What we do know is that children have their angels in heaven who always see the face of the Father who is in heaven (Matt. 18:10).

Some angels appear dressed in white clothing (Acts 1:9-11). Some have the appearance of men such as those who came to visit Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 18). We are instructed: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels unaware” (Hebrews 13:2). Angels may be present and unperceived at any time (2 Kings 6:15-17).

There is a classification of mighty commander angels called “archangels” such as Michael, Gabriel, and even Lucifer (who fell and became Satan) (1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 12:7). At the end of time, Christians will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3).

It is important to note there are other created spiritual beings that are not necessarily angels per se including cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Exod. 25:20), seraphim who have six wings (Isa. 6:2-6), the four living creatures surrounding/protecting God’s throne (Rev. 4:6-9), and the twenty-four elders also in the throne-room (Rev. 4:10-11).

Angels apparently serve three main functions. The first is service to God (Psa. 148:2). The second is service to Christians (Heb. 1:14). Angels are the messengers of God and serve at His will to help protect us through the Holy Spirit. And the third is performance of God’s Word (Psa. 103:20).

Thank God for his marvelous and mysterious angels!

Lessons from Our Dogs

Birth Announcement: I am proud to announce that Peaches (our sweet Westie) gave birth to seven healthy puppies this morning. It was exciting to behold! Mamma and babies are all doing well.

Are there any dog-lovers out there? Now, if you happen to be a cat person, please don’t take offense. My allergies simply aren’t conducive to keeping them in our home, though my wife and I have tried in the past unsuccessfully.

For the past twelve years, we have been raising Westies (i.e., West Highland Terriers). They are relatively hypoallergenic.

This journey started when our daughter Olivia, upon turning five, was given the pick of the litter for her birthday present from my parents-in-law, which bred Westies. Our daughter promptly named the little white bundle of joy Penelope. Over the years, we’ve developed a number of nicknames for her including, among others, Manna (because she’s the sweet stuff from heaven).

A couple of months ago, we thought we were about to lose Penelope when she took very ill, in hindsight presumably from food poisoning. At the time, we just figured it was old age. We witnessed the tear-jerking scene in our living room with the kids saying their “last goodbyes,” prayers being offered and everyone getting choked up.

We didn’t think she’d make it through the night, but, to our surprise and relief, she began to bounce back the next morning. In fact, she is busy taking an afternoon nap on top of the sofa as I write this column. Lord willing, we’ll be blessed with her company for a while longer.

Penelope gave us seven litters until we eventually got her spayed. She definitely earned her keep. Other Westies that have graced our home have included Bosley, Lily, Peaches, Peggy Sue, and Mack. We currently have the last three plus the matriarch Penelope.

Our feisty Peggy Sue gave birth to four puppies a few days before Christmas of which three survived. This was her first litter and she has was a wonderful little mama, extremely attentive to and protective of her babies.

Pets are such wonderful gifts from God. They provide much enjoyment and entertainment as well as loyalty, comfort and unconditional love. Of course, they’re also a responsibility, but one well worth it. We can learn a lot from observing our dogs.

Have you ever noticed how emotionally in-tune most dogs are with their owners? They sense sadness or nervousness and instinctively know how to provide comfort and care through cuddling on the couch, licking your hand, staring up with those “knowing” and concerned eyes, or quietly whimpering. As humans, we are often too caught up in our own concerns to notice and respond to the needs of others—emotional or otherwise. We’re not as alert as we ought to be.

Dogs are fiercely loyal animals and know where they belong and where home is. This reality has been reflected in a number of popular movies (like “Homeward Bound” and “The Incredible Journey”) loosely based on true stories of dogs (and cats) which have undertaken long and arduous journeys to find their way back to their owners after being stolen, separated, or lost. Loyalty and love are attributes that are frequently lacking in many human families these days.

The saying that dogs are “man’s best friend” holds significant truth. Of course, it’s hyperbole, but we all understand what it means. Dogs are always happy to see and greet you when you get home from being away. They will bark while peering through the window or between the cracks in the fence with their tails wagging behind them in pure joy. Wouldn’t it be nice to receive that type of warm welcome from our families and friends each time we saw them?

Dogs have been known to protect their owners (or pack) from harm, even when it has meant endangering their own lives in the process. They are sacrificial creatures that are willing to place the welfare of their loved ones ahead of their own. We can learn much about friendship by observing our dogs’ selfless and courageous behavior.

Finally, dogs really know how to relax. They often bask in the sun. They also know how to have fun. These are important lessons for us to learn too. All work and no play …

My Thoughts on Weddings

Recently, I flew to Hayward, Calif. (in the Bay Area) to perform a wedding ceremony for a younger Christian couple. These delightful individuals met and fell in love while enrolled at Freed-Hardeman University. They also both attended Bethel Springs church of Christ, where I preach on a regular basis. It has been a joy to see their relationship develop and blossom over the past year. 

While I was in California to officiate the wedding, I had some downtime to meditate on marriage and reflect upon the significance of wedding ceremonies in general. In this column, it is my desire to share these thoughts with you. I hope my personal musings are helpful in some way.

Weddings are supposed to be joyous and memorable occasions. They are the long-awaited fulfillment and climactic culmination of many prayers, plans, and oft-difficult and painful personal journeys.

Jesus said, in Matthew 19:4-6, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Marriage ceremonies serve as a special celebration of life itself, of the experience of romantic love. They are a ritual or spiritual rite of passage that recognize and honor familial relationships, meaningful friendships, spiritual connection, religious beliefs and values, and mark the beginning of something brand new—something beautiful and sacred.

At marriage ceremonies, the couple’s families-of-origin and extended family members, dearest friends and colleagues, and communities of faith come together in a unique way, for a special (inimitable) and distinctive purpose. But, most of all, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present and should be honored as both guest and host, audience and participant. You see: marriage would not be possible without God’s matchless love that he has poured out upon humanity.

Marriage is the one human bond and relationship that most closely reflects God’s own interpersonal connection within the intimate and interdependent relationship of the Trinity—the Godhead Three. In turn, it symbolizes the relationship between Christ and his holy Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Wedding ceremonies are an unsurpassed avenue—a sacrament if you will—for individuals to share openly together in God’s grace and goodness. They are also an opportunity for those who are already married to reflect upon their own unions, engage in self and couple-evaluation, and recommit themselves to upholding their binding, covenantal vows as they think back to their own wedding day.

For those who are widowed, they can remember the good times and priceless moments they spent with their spouse during the years God gave them together. For those who are still single, they can dream of a momentous day in the future when they will meet, fall in love, get engaged, and ultimately become joined with their future spouse in holy matrimony.

We are reminded by means of wedding ceremonies of the inestimable value of genuine and lasting commitment, the preciousness of relationships, and the sublime beauty of love itself. We are reminded of God’s wonderful gifts, his divine expectations for marriage partners, about the critical importance of faith and fidelity, generosity and kindness, selflessness and sacrifice, truth and honesty, caring and sharing, hoping and dreaming, helping and healing, comforting and caressing, loving and learning, growing and maturing, spirituality and service.

In a surrounding secular culture that is plagued by marital conflict and infidelity, chronic promise-breaking, self-centeredness, devastating divorce and the destabilizing and dismantling of the home and family, Christian marriages needs to stick out. They must be different from marriages in the world. 

Christian marriages ought to demonstrate God’s abiding and unshakeable love. They must shine brightly as a safe lighthouse of spiritual hope, holiness, refuge and peace in a dark, depressing, sinful world.