Is the devil a musical angel?

Q. I have two questions: I heard that Satan was considered the musical angel. Is this true? Also, I heard that angels don't sing, they only praise. Is this true?

(Submitted by: R. M.)

A. First, it's essential to realize that Satan and angels are spirit beings. They are real. They are powerful.

Satan is an adversary. What is an adversary? Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, defines adversary as: "one that contends with, opposes, or resists: ENEMY". According to Strong's Concordance, there are 4 words relating to adversary as the word is used in the Old Testament (Strong's Concordance Numbers 6862, 6869, 6887 and 7854). In the New Testament, Strong's Concordance Numbers 476 and 480 are Greek definitions for the same term.

Satan, then, is God's opponent in everything.

We read the words of Jesus in John 12:31

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out." (NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

In 2Corinthians 4:4 Paul writes:

"whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe. lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."

Paul emphasizes this point in Ephesians 2:2 :

"In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience."

See also 1John 4:4, 1Peter 5:8-9, etc. The underlined phrase above indicates that Satan influences what we hear from the air -- What is broadcast over the radio, TV and movies, whether spoken, sung or suggested.

Should we sing songs to God? Emphatically, YES! Here we can turn to Paul's writings in the book of Ephesians and to Luke's account of Paul's ministry in the book of Acts:

"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:19)

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." (Acts 16:25)

The book of Psalms is a book of songs -- songs of many diverse topics, such as worship, jubilation, praise, lament, messianic prophesy, judgment, etc., all set to music. God fully desires and expects that we sing songs to him and about him as long as they praise him.

So to answer your first question: Satan is not the musical angel if the music is to praise God. Satan is the musical angel if the music is destructive, degrading, or obscene as so much of it is today. Be careful what you hear or sing. It does affect you.

To answer your second question, let's look at Job 38:1-7

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man: I will question you, and you shall answer Me.

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?' "

The word "stars" is Strong's Concordance #3556 and one of its definitions is "heavenly power (that serve God)." Thus, a star could be an angel. Both my commentaries: Jamieson, Fausset, Brown and Matthew Henry, state that "morning stars" as used in this verse are indeed angels. Also, we can regard Revelation 1:20 where Jesus tells John "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches . . . "

So to answer your second question, Yes, angels do sing.