Art, music and language

The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God (Acts 13:7).

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Certainly, a painting can evoke a mood faster than words can. A beautiful watercolor can lift your spirits, while a black and white photo of destruction and suffering can make you feel depressed. Pictures can take our thoughts to far away places and long ago times.

But how often have you looked at a picture and wondered what the artist was trying to say? When you look at a painting of the ocean, do you wonder where that ship is sailing off to? Are the passengers fleeing from some problem, or are they just enjoying a beautiful day at sea? Or what about a picture of a threatening storm? Does the photographer want us to respect nature’s fury, or is this picture an outlet for his anger at the world? Pictures can manipulate our emotions, but they don’t always communicate clearly.

It is said that music is the universal language. Regardless of the tongue you speak, everyone can share the same range of feelings when listening to an instrumental work. Brass instruments and drums can get your pulse racing, while strings and woodwinds can make you feel emotional.

But music is a limited form of communication—it cannot express thoughts. Music can reinforce learning, but only when it is used with words. A song cannot promise undying love unless accompanied by lyrics. Melody can accompany a story but not tell it—if you listen to a soundtrack from a movie that you’ve never seen, you can enjoy what you’re hearing but you’ll wonder what’s going on as the music transitions from one track to the next.

Pictures and music can be beautiful and moving, but neither can accomplish what words can. Poetry can give thoughts lyrical beauty. A powerful speech can stir people to action. Words can caution, advise, and make promises. Words can make sense out of jumbled emotions. This is why God communicates with us through words—words that are preserved in the Bible and have been translated into many languages. The word of God is powerful; it can change lives like nothing else can. Art and music are fine, but nothing can touch you like reading or listening to God’s holy words.