Musical instruments are proper in praising God, whether accompanying singing or played alone. Psalm 150:3-4 calls for praise with trumpet, lute, harp, timbrel, stringed instruments, flutes, and cymbals. In Hezekiah's day the Levites were stationed with cymbals, harps, and stringed instruments, and priests with trumpets, according to the Lord's commandment through His prophets (II Chronicles 29:25-28). The objection that the Old Testament does not apply to the church is false, since Jesus says man must live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4) and affirms the whole Old Testament as God's Word (Luke 24:44), and Paul says the Scriptures are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3:15-17). The New Testament also shows God praised in heaven with instrumental music (Revelation 5:8; 14:2-3), and the resurrected saints will praise Him with harps (Revelation 15:2-3).

Instrumental music is a gift and blessing from God, given so that man can praise and thank Him and express every emotion from deep sorrow to exhilarating joy. Scripture traces it from Jubal, father of harpists and flutists (Genesis 4:21), and shows it as a standard fixture of God's throne room, where harpists play before the throne (Revelation 5:8-11; 14:2-3). Religious bodies such as the Quakers, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Orthodox and Conservative synagogues that ban instrumental or orchestral music must overlook passages like II Chronicles 5:12, where Levites stood with cymbals, harps, stringed instruments, and a hundred and twenty priests sounding trumpets. The same passage shows that music honoring God is dignified and unified, with trumpeters and singers sounding as one. When they did, the glory of the Lord filled the Temple in a cloud, so music sets the atmosphere for God's Spirit to work, as when Elisha called for a musician and the Lord's hand came upon him (II Kings 3:15). Instrumental music is also powerful in altering mood. David's harp refreshed Saul and drove off his distressing spirit, because melodious, melancholy playing first matched Saul's mood and then led him toward cheerfulness. Light songs sung to a heavy heart are out of place (Proverbs 25:20). David commissioned a troupe of musicians and freed them from other duties, which shows how much importance God places on music. Like incense, music is a form of sacrifice, requiring time, energy, and hard work, but the joy of an acceptable offering far outweighs the effort.

Music is God's own invention, created to intensify devotion and to teach, and it has a powerful, unavoidable effect on mind, body, and emotion. The human voice is the most magnificent instrument, yet instruments also have a godly place. Miriam took the timbrel and the women danced when God triumphed at the Red Sea, the first biblical use of music in worship. David's harp soothed Saul's distressing spirit, showing that music can calm agitation and even drive off a demon. Jubal's instruments in Genesis 4 show that people have understood music's power almost from the beginning. David used his office as king to organize a trained company of 288 skilled musicians, sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who prophesied with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals in the house of God. This service of song is a ministerial function, not merely entertainment. It sets the mood for the congregation, focuses attitude on God, and instructs through the words joined to feeling. God preserved the words of the Psalms rather than the melodies, so the words matter more, and melodic taste may vary from age to age within the truth of God. Music can be turned to evil, stirring self-centeredness, lust, and violence, so it must be good and sung with understanding. Singing God's words back to Him with feeling is an act of devotion.