Archives For Discipleship

In a few recent discussions with some friends and one family member, I discovered that some people hold that birds do not sing music but merely make sounds. This post explores this issue and shows why I believe that position is not tenable.

Perhaps some would argue that a single bird that produces sounds of only one pitch does not sing music. While that may technically be true, a single bird that produces sounds of more than one pitch, however, would produce music. Furthermore, two or more birds that produce sounds of at least two different pitches certainly would produce music.

Beyond the issue of producing sounds of multiple pitches, another reason that some doubt that birds sing music concerns their perspective that birds lack the necessary creative abilities to do so.

DO BIRDS INHERENTLY LACK THE CREATIVE ABILITIES NECESSARY TO PRODUCE MUSIC?

Because birds are subhuman creatures, is it valid to hold that they therefore inherently lack the creative abilities that are necessary to produce music? Based on the implications of several passages that record certain activities of animals, including some about birds, I believe that this position is highly questionable.

Before the Fall

A serpent spoke to Eve and tempted her to do evil (Gen. 3:1; 4-5). Although we have no other data to work with about the abilities of animals before the fall, there is no clear reason that I am aware of that we must hold that the serpent’s actions were a unique instance of such activity.

Furthermore, God created birds (Gen. 1:20-21) before He created man (Gen. 1:26-28). In their unfallen state, surely their abilities far exceeded their present abilities to create sounds of varying pitches.

After the Fall

Two passages about animal activities after the Fall of man also support holding that birds do sing music and not just make sounds.

Numbers 22

The account of Balaam’s interaction with his donkey records another occasion when an animal interacted verbally with humans. The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in front of it with a sword and responded accordingly (Num. 22:23). The passage provides no indication that the donkey’s seeing the Angel or its reacting to the threat that He posed to the donkey were supernatural, out-of-the-ordinary occurrences.

The donkey responded similarly two more times (Num. 22:25, 27), and on each occasion, Balaam responded by striking it (Num. 22:23, 25, 27). The Lord then opened its mouth (Num. 22:28), and she asked Balaam what she had done so that he had stricken her three times (Num. 22:28).

Balaam accused the donkey of abusing him (Num. 22:29). The donkey then reasoned with Balaam and elicited a response from him that implied that he had erred in his treatment of her (Num. 22:29b).

The Lord then enabled Balaam to see the Angel of the Lord standing before him (Num. 22:31). The Angel then asked him why he had stricken his donkey three times (Num. 22:32) and explained that the donkey’s actions actually saved his life (Num. 22:32-33).

Although some would argue that the entire account is exceptional, the text only indicates that the Lord’s allowing the donkey to speak and Balaam to see the Angel were supernatural in nature. The passage provides no explicit textual basis for holding that the donkey’s ability to reason with Balaam (after the Lord had opened its mouth) was also supernatural in nature.

Psalm 104

In a glorious Psalm that praises God for His creation and His providential care for it, an unknown psalmist writes, “By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches” (104:12; KJV). Although the Hebrew does not employ a term that specifies a musical activity, the context makes clear that singing is plainly in view here (cf. other important modern translations that also render the Hebrew verb as sing: NKJ, NIV, ESV, CSB).

Several commentators take Psalm 104:12 as an important statement about music:

“The birds, also, in their nests among the branches are able to pour forth their melodious notes as the result of the God-directed valley-springs. Singing among the branches should inspire us to sing where we dwell—even if it be like Paul and Silas in a prison cell. . . . Said Izaak Walton, great lover of birds, especially the nightingale, ‘Lord, what music hast thou provided for the saints in heaven, when thou affordest bad men such music on earth?’” (Herbert Lockyer, Sr., Psalms: A Devotional Commentary, 409).

“Among them the fowls of the air dwell. That is, among the trees which spring up by the fountains and water-courses. The whole picture is full of animation and beauty. . . . Which sing among the branches. Marg. as in Heb., give a voice. Their voice is heard—their sweet music—in the foliage of the trees which grow on the margin of the streams and by the fountains” (Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Explanatory and Practical, 9:85).

“’Everything lives whithersoever water cometh,’ as Easterners know. Therefore round the drinking-places in the vales thirsty creatures gather, birds flit and sing; up among the cedars are peaceful nests, and inaccessible cliffs have their sure-footed inhabitants. All depend on water, and water is God’s gift. The psalmist’s view of Nature is characteristic in the direct ascription of all the processes to God” (Alexander MacLaren, The Psalms, 3:116).

“How refreshing are these words! What happy memories they arouse of plashing waterfalls and entangled boughs, where the merry din of the falling and rushing water forms a solid background of music, and the sweet tuneful notes of the birds are the brighter and more flashing lights in harmony. Pretty birdies, sing on! What better can ye do, and who can do it better? When we too drink of the river of God, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life, it well becomes us to ‘sing among the branches.’ Where ye dwell ye sing; and shall not we rejoice in the Lord, who has been our dwelling-place in all generations. As ye fly from bough to bough, ye warble forth your notes, and so will we as we flit through time into eternity. It is not meet that birds of Paradise should be outdone by birds of the earth” (Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, 2:305).

“The music of the birds was the first song of thanksgiving which was offered from the earth, before man was formed” (John Wesley; cited in Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings on 104:12 in Treasury of David, 2:319).

 “They sing, according to their capacity, to the honour of their Creator and benefactor, and their singing may shame our silence” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 893).

The accounts about animal activity in Numbers 22 and Psalm 104 support holding that birds sing music and not just make sounds.

In the future

A remarkable future occasion of universal worship of both God the Father and the Lamb will include verbal praise from every creature in heaven, in the earth, under the earth, and in the sea:

Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Some commentators hold that this reference does not literally refer to subhuman creatures such as birds giving praise to God because they believe strongly that they lack the intellectual capacity to do so (e.g., Thomas, Revelation 1-7, 407). In view of the passages treated above, this seems to me to be a dubious position.

CONCLUSION

Given the available biblical data, I conclude that birds do sing music and not merely make sounds. I would appreciate hearing from those who disagree so that I can further my understanding of this matter.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Bible Reading Report 12.31.12

December 31, 2012

In addition to finishing my Psalms reading project a few days ago, this morning I finished reading through the Bible for the year! I also read Galatians nine times this year.

Lord willing, next year, I hope to read the Bible through in Spanish and English. I also am thinking about trying to read all the Psalms in Hebrew in 2013.

Praise God for His Word!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In a small Midwestern town, a fierce ice storm raged. The howling of the frigid winds was suddenly joined by the piercing ringing of a telephone. In the wee hours of the morning, the phone call informed a family that they needed to come to the hospital immediately.

Because their car was not working, a police car took them to the hospital. As they walked into the hospital room, a far greater storm began to rage in their souls. Lying there on the hospital bed was my dad dead of an apparent heart attack. Seeing him dead, our world suddenly fell apart.

The immense sorrow of that time was accompanied by times of longing and dreaming that somehow, someday, I would see my dad again. But, our sorrow was without hope because none of us were believers at that time.

As I did for many years after my dad died in 1982, many in this world sorrow without hope for their dead loved ones. Praise God that He does not want believers to sorrow without hope for their believing loved ones who have died:

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This passages teaches us that in order for us to sorrow not without hope for our loved ones who have died, four things must be true.

1. We must believe that Jesus died and rose again (1 Thess. 4:14a).

2. Our loved ones must believe that Jesus died and rose again, so that when they die, they will be asleep in Jesus (1 Thess. 4:14b; cf. Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 51).

3. We as believers must not be ignorant concerning those who are asleep in Jesus (1 Thess. 4:13a).

4. We as believers must comfort one another concerning the dead in Christ so that we will not sorrow for them without hope (1 Thess. 4:18).

Brethren, let us sorrow not without hope for our loves ones who sleep in Jesus!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

I began 2012 with a great longing to read the Psalms again and made it through the book by January 17. I made it through the book again by February 29, which was the first time I had read the book through two months in a row.

In March, God laid a burden upon me to immerse myself in the book for the rest of the year. Having read the book through 25 times before this year, I decided that I would try to read the book 25 times this year to get to 50 times through the book in my lifetime.

By the end of June, I had read the book 10 times, and it seemed that getting to 25 times through would not be possible. At the end of August, I was at 14 times through and thought that I was not going to make it.

I almost gave up on this project more than once this year. Still, God worked to make me persevere.

This morning, God allowed me to finish my twenty-fifth time through the Psalms this year, including one time through the book in the LXX and once in the RVR60 Spanish Bible! Praise God!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Due to a heavy work schedule and sickness, I haven’t posted anything for a while. Here is new guitar music for the Spanish Christmas hymn, Velid, fieles todos. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

O Holy Night! is my favorite song of all time. Recently, I have had the privilege of ministering that song in a guitar-cello duet for two church services.

Lord willing, tomorrow morning I will be ministering Santa la noche, the Spanish translation of this song, in a guitar-cello duet for a Spanish service. This PDF provides the guitar chords and the first stanza for ministering this wonderful song.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Writers often use repetition to emphasize an idea. The author of Psalm 47 highly stresses that all nations (cf. Ps. 47:1) must sing praises to God by repeating the same command five times in rapid succession:

Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding (Ps. 47:6-7).

Furthermore, two references to God as King in these verses and the use of for at the beginning of verse 7 emphasize that they must sing praises to Him because He is the King of all the earth.

David writes of the day when God will receive such universal worship:

All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD (Ps. 138:4-5).

He teaches here that all the supreme leaders of all the nations will one day sing praises to God because of the greatness of His glory.

Correlating the teaching of these Psalms with Matthew 28:18-20 points to a vital truth: We are to disciple all nations to sing praise to God, the King of all the earth!

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Jesus taught that the first and greatest commandment was to love God with all one’s being (Matt. 22:37-38). Because He made known that loving God properly is the greatest priority of all, believers must focus foremost on loving God in their lives.

In keeping with that supreme priority and based on much Scriptural teaching, contemporary theology, preaching, teaching, and music all highly stress loving God because of what He has done and is doing to provide salvation for sinners through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Similarly, believers today highly emphasize loving God for His care for His own.

Although appreciation for God’s providing salvation for sinners and for His caring for His own are both certainly reasons that we should love God, they are not the only reasons we should do so. To understand why, we must consider a key command that David gave to all believers:

O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer” (Ps. 31:23).

David here does command all believers to love God because He preserves the faithful (31:23a-b). He, however, does not stop there; he adds that all believers must love God also because He plentifully rewards the proud doer (31:23c).

To understand further this teaching from God, we must consider a closely related statement in the Psalms:

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud (94:2).

Psalm 94:2 makes clear that God is the Judge who rewards the proud by judging them.[1] Based on the teaching, therefore, of Psalms 31:23 and 94:2, every believer must love God for His work as the Judge who fully repays proud doers!

Psalm 31:23 thus provides us with a vital insight into an essential aspect of our loving God. Because God gives us this truth in His inspired hymnbook, the Psalms, we must adjust our music so that we teach believers this truth through our singing.

Our theology, preaching, and teaching must also be adjusted so that we properly instruct all believers that loving God properly involves loving Him both for caring for His own and for judging the proud (cf. Paul’s love for the appearing of the Lord, the righteous Judge [2 Tim. 4:8]). Doing so, we will help disciple them fully to be the saints that Jesus wants them to be (Matt. 28:18-20).

Let us all love God properly by loving Him because He is the Judge who plentifully rewards the proud doer.



[1] Many other passages confirm that His doing so is His judging. For examples, see Leviticus 26:19; 1 Samuel 2:3-10; 2 Samuel 22:28; 2 Chronicles 32:25; Psalms 75:7-10; Proverbs 15:25; Isaiah 2:11; Daniel 5:20; and Luke 1:51.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Sexton on Friendship

November 27, 2012

Friendship is one of God’s special gifts to the human race. It is more precious than we can imagine. Friendship begins with God. Most of us have the idea that people can be friends and never know the Lord Jesus Christ. But the truest friendship must begin with the Lord. . . .

Friendship is of divine design. It is the free (given without charge), spontaneous outflow of the heart, and it is a gift from the great Giver of our souls. It is never something we demand of another human being. It comes to us as a gift, and it must be cultivated in lovingkindness.

—Clarence Sexton, The Gift of Friendship, 7

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Here are PDFs of the guitar chords and first lines for eight spanish hymns in my guitar format! If you have friends who play guitar and like to sing Spanish hymns, please let them know of these new resources on my site.

A Cristo coronad

A los pies de Jesucristo

Allá en el pesebre

Cristo me ama

Noche de Paz

Oh pueblecito de Belén

Qué me puede dar perdón

Sagrado es el amor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.