Observation: As Israel is about to march north in their (first) attempt to enter the promised land, the Lord has them build two horns. These are to be played for military signals and instructions on the movement of the camp, but also they are for rejoicing. They will be played during festivals and times of community gatherings, and these times when the horns are played are explicitly to elicit joyful memories of blessing and celebration.
In other words, the Lord gives Israel songs of music explicitly to positively influence their mood and stimulate their collective memories with joyful thoughts ... just like music often does within the human heart and mind and soul.
Application: There is something about music that is, in fact, spiritual. We know this inside us as humans. Certain songs from my formative years immediately make me contemplative, or happy, or energized, or nostalgic. Old and new songs drive memories and emotions unlike other mediums, and this can be true even when there is no direct memory involves ... a brand new song can invoke thoughts and connections to past times, or create new bonds to this very moment, and even strongly connect the past to the present in our hearts and minds.
God put this in us!! He even uses it, giving us music and instructions for leveraging this part of our existence to create joy and happiness and celebration ... and alignment to him. It is not a human decision that the largest section of the bible is a songbook.
Prayer: Lord, may I always worship you. In fact, in my times when I am enjoying songs that are not tied to worship of you, may my heart be reminded that the very emotions the music stirs within me are because you have created that nature within us all, and thus that joy can become worship before you. You give me joy, my Lord and my God. Thank you! Amen.
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