We sing about Him because we love Him. In this, we’re not alone. From cover to cover, the Bible is replete with songs about the Son of God.
I remember being at a youth conference once and hearing the speaker say, “By and large, Christians are the only people who gather together to sing.” You can, of course, find the odd exception. But the point remains: singing—not listening to music, but actually singing—is far more a part of the Christian’s life than it is of the unbeliever’s life.
It really shouldn’t be a surprise. We have the most to sing about: a Saviour whose love is so vast that He voluntarily endured the torment and shame of the cross for the sake of His enemies!
But think of this. What if Jesus of Nazareth—the humble carpenter—had announced to the people of His day, “One day, there will be more songs written about Me than about any other person in history”? For that matter, what if He had claimed there would be even one song written about Him? They’d have laughed Him to scorn! Yet here we are. Two millennia later and hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of songs have been written about Him. Songs in every tongue and from every tribe. And not only is He preeminent in quantity. He has been the inspiration of the finest musicians and the greatest music in history. These facts ought to astound us, yet we take them for granted. Because everyone—even the unsaved—has come to expect the transcendence of Christ. A Man so magnificent that even unbelievers write songs about Him.
There’s no close second. And the gap grows greater every day. Count the number of songs you know about Krishna, or Mohammad, or Buddha, or Confucius, or Shiva (and you’d think you’d want to keep the god of destruction happy!). But there is a far greater motivator than fear. We sing about Him because we love Him. In this, we’re not alone. From cover to cover, the Bible is replete with songs about the Son of God: the Messianic Psalms, hymns, the Song of Moses and of the Lamb. Moreover, believers around the world are united in the object of our songs, and, one day, when we get to glory, our voices will be gathered together with the hosts of heaven and the faithful from across time in one great theme (Rev. 5:9; 14:3; 15:3). The real Hallelujah Chorus will shake heaven and earth.
But, as incredible as that will be, the Scriptures tell us of songs that will make all other music pale in comparison. For we are promised that, one day, we will hear Christ Himself sing. His singing, too, will be motivated by love: love for His Father (Heb. 2:12) and love for His people (Zeph. 3:17). Just as He, staggeringly, sang out of love for both as He made His way to Calvary (Mk. 14:26).
We’ve all tasted the power of music. Who of us hasn’t been thrilled or shaken to the core by the wondrous mixture of lyrics and music? And that at the songs of a fallen world! We’re told that angels sing (Job 38:7). I have no doubt they will take our breath away. But, for all the glory of the morning stars, we won’t know what real music is until the day we hear Messiah’s song.