Are We in a Spiritual War? PART TWO

Jan 26

The Spiritual Power of Music

By Gina Detwiler

In the Forlorn series, Grace’s only actual weapon against the demonic world is her Song, an Angel Song.

Why didn’t I make her a ninja fighter, you might ask? Or an ace with a bow and arrow, like Katniss? Or a wiz with a wand, like Hermione? Grace is not a conventional “modern” heroine in that she doesn’t have an unusual amount of courage, strength, or skill. Even her faith is shaky. But she has her connection to her angel and her Song, which she doesn’t fully understand. This may make her less thrilling than a Katniss or a Hermione, but perhaps she’s more relatable.

Also, I liked the idea of an unconventional weapon—like a song.

It’s not entirely fictional, however. Music is a powerful weapon for both good and evil.

Music Heals

Music has long been used as an agent for healing. Scientific studies have proven music’s physiological effects in reducing pain, increasing immune function, lowering blood pressure, alleviating depression, reducing migraines, speeding recovery, and improving athletic performance. Music has also been shown to enhance intelligence and improve memory and cognitive function.

My mom had a hemorrhagic stroke years ago and eventually lost the ability to speak or communicate with us. Someone shared this video with me about a program called “Alive Inside” that uses music to reach people who are otherwise unresponsive. Here’s a trailer from the full documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HLEr-zP3fc

After seeing this, I got an iPod and headphones for my mom—it was amazing to hear her singing along with the songs, even though she could barely speak.

But music has more than physiological and emotional power. It had spiritual power. This isn’t my idea. It comes straight from the Bible.

Music in the Spiritual World

In numerous instances, music plays a pivotal role in scripture, both in praise and worship and in prophecy.

After he was selected to be king, Saul was given the Spirit of God to the sound of music:

'After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. ' 1 Samuel 10:5-6

A little while later, he lost the Spirit of God and received a tormenting spirit that could only be quieted by music.

'Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.” “All right,” Saul said. “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him here.” One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.” So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, the shepherd.” Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young goat, a donkey loaded with bread, and a wineskin full of wine. So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer. Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, “Please let David remain in my service, for I am very pleased with him.” And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.' 1 Samuel 16:14-23

Music was also used in battle. In this scene, Judah was about to be attacked by a mighty host, but the Lord instructed the king to meet the enemy with…singing.

'Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord ; his faithful love endures forever!” At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. ' 2 Chronicles 20:20-24

Music accompanied prophecy more often than not, as in this scene with Elisha and the King of Israel.

'And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. ' 2 Kings 3:13-15

The importance of music was established from the beginning of Temple worship—musicians and singers were employed as part of the priesthood. The Book of Psalms in a songbook. Singing hymns carried forward into the New Testament, right up to the Garden of Gethsemane. Music also spurred supernatural events:

'Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! ' Acts of the Apostles 16:25-26

I remember a young friend of mine returning from a mission trip to Africa (where he played in a worship band) saying, “Worship is warfare over there.” By that, he meant that he saw people delivered from demons through worship. I’ve seen that happen in deliverance ministries in this country too.

But music is a double-edged sword. In Forsaken, Lester Crow and his band Blood Moon perform blatantly Satanic music in the vein of old-time heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath and AC/DC, whose celebration of all things demonic may have been more theatrical than sincere. In fact, many of the members of those bands eventually became Christians. But in recent years, Satan has made a big comeback in the music world. Hip-hop star Travis Scott’s “Astroworld” concert in Houston featured a stage built to look like a demonic portal complete with huge spurts of fire and the catchphrase, “See ya on the other side.” Fans entered the venue through a gigantic mouth modeled after Hieronymus Bosch’s painting, Christ’s Descent into Hell. Many attendees reported feeling an ominous presence of something very dark. The concert descended quickly in chaos, and several children died. Here is just one account of what happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa-bFtDQRQg&list=LL&index=190&t=41s

Even mainstream newscasters used terms like “hell on earth.” Hyperbole? Maybe. Or maybe there really are dark forces at work in the lives of children, and one of their most effective weapons is music.

There are hints in the Bible that Satan himself was a music leader before his fall from grace. Whether or not that’s true, Satan is wily enough to use whatever tools are at his disposal to influence the minds of the vulnerable. He is, after, a “roaring lion,” prowling around, searching for prey.

The good news is that God has a song for us.

'You are my hiding place;

you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance. '

Psalms 32:7

Gina Detwiler is the author of the YA Supernatural series Forlorn and the co-author of the middle-grade fantasy series The Prince Warriors with Priscilla Shirer. She’s also written The Ultimate Bible Character Guide for LifeWay.

Matt Brodie https://www.brodie-media.com

Are We in a Spiritual War? PART TWO

Why I Didn’t Love Redeeming Love

Are We in a Spiritual War?