Singing and Temptation

When the subjects of singing and temptation are used in the same sentence, they usually describe a problem, not a solution. Music has likely been cited as a source of temptation more often than an antidote, but this reality should encourage us in the potential for music to help us. How many parents have sought to protect their children from specific adverse uses of music but have not also introduced them to its more beneficial uses? If music can be so persuasive as to lead someone to consider temptation, could it not be just as effective to lead someone to reject it?

God created music with the inherent capacity to engage our emotions, and in doing so, it can make us “feel” predisposed to a particular direction. Potentially, in the direction of its associated words. It never controls us, but it can compel us. In 1 Samuel 16:14–23, David uses music to soothe King Saul’s troubled soul when it is tormented by an evil spirit. Presumably, this helps prevent Saul from considering acting on his troubled state. The capacity of music to move one’s emotions is so profound that the writer of Proverbs 25:20 says singing songs (e.g., cheerful songs) to someone with a heavy heart is like “one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.” It isn’t helpful. At the same time, the Sons of Korah in Psalm 42 indicate that the best response to difficulty in life is for the one struggling to sing songs of praise (Psalm 42:3–5). The differences are the one singing and the content of the song.

The power of music lies in its emotional construction as a vehicle for a lyrical message. The sounds of instruments (brash or subtle), textures (major or minor harmonies), dynamics (loud or soft), and rhythm (adrenaline rushing or calming and soothing) can cause one to “feel” the words. This makes those words seem more powerful and persuasive than they might otherwise be. A trite phrase can seem profound when set to music. Here are some examples of trite phrases that are very “catchy” from popular music:

• “Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good.” (Neil Diamond)
• “I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night.” (Black Eyed Peas)
• “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire.” (Katy Perry)
• “Baby, baby, baby, oh, like baby, baby, baby, no.” (Justin Bieber)

If you didn’t know these tunes, you would think these lyrics are nonsense (especially that last one). But set to music, they electrify the imagination and begin moving you emotionally, even though the text is not that great.

However, when you take music’s power and wed it to strong lyrics that are eternally true and inherently powerful, you have a strong arsenal with which to fight temptation. Scripture is the true antidote to temptation (see Jesus’ use of scripture when tempted three times in Matthew 4). It shows us the way of escape that Jesus has prepared for us because it points us to him and his truth, exposing the lie of the sin that is tempting us (1 Corinthians 10:13). Music stores those truths in our hearts so that we might not sin against God (Psalm 119:11). Setting God’s word to music is a profound way to take scripture with you wherever you go. It can also be brought quickly to mind by simply humming the melody it is set to. But like any other effort toward scripture memory, you must work in advance to prepare for the battle. Using music to fight temptation is a proactive effort before it can become a reactive one. Consider these texts (and their tunes that help you keep them in your heart):

• “When the tempter would prevail, Christ will hold me fast.”
• “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
• “In Christ alone, my hope is found; He is my light, strength, my song.”
• “To this I hold, my sin has been defeated. Jesus now and ever is my plea.”

Store up these biblical truths and their associated songs, and you can be prepared to sing your way out of temptation.