Christian Churches of
God
No.
33
Musical Instruments in Worship
(Edition 1.0 20070730-20070730)
Some people have doubts regarding the use of instruments and music in worship. In this paper we will see that music is in fact a central part of the worship of God.
Christian Churches of God
E-mail:
secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright ã 2007 Wade Cox)
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Musical Instruments in Worship
Introduction
We have to go back to Genesis to see the first recorded use of music and musical instruments in the Bible.
Genesis 4:19-22
19 And Lamech took two wives; the name
of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore
Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle. 21
His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre
and pipe. 22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all
instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Na'amah. (RSV
throughout)
Some people
express doubt that because the line of musicians came from Cain, and Jubal was
the father of music in the Bible record, there is something wrong with using
music in worship. However, we see that there were special arrangements made for
the establishment of music in the Bible record.
God is
quite clear that in the Last Days we will be confronted by the “howlings” of
Amos, which has happened – and that howling is upon us. However, that does not
mean that God did not desire music and order and beauty in worship.
In
deliverance of Israel we see that it was understood that the use of music was
appropriate and part of thanksgiving in the time of the Judges.
Judges 5:1-3
1 Then sang Deb'orah and Barak the son of Abin'o-am on that day: 2 "That the eaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the LORD! 3 "Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the LORD I will sing, I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel.
It was also
part of national rejoicing when God had delivered the nation from its enemies.
1Samuel 18:6
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with songs of joy, and with instruments of music.
The nation
expressed joy before the Lord in music, and David established the Psalms as a
basic medium of prophecy and rejoicing in worship.
2Samuel 6:5
5 And David and all the house of
Israel were making merry before the LORD with all their might, with songs and
lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
David made
specific preparation for the Levites to establish within the ranks of the
ministry those musicians and talented people who could sing to the music as
part of the worship, and whole houses were dedicated to that function among the
Levites in the Temple. They were headed by musical directors appointed from
those who understood music.
1Chronicles
15:16-22
16 David also commanded the chiefs of
the Levites to appoint their brethren as the singers who should play loudly on
musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy. 17
So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Jo'el; and of his brethren Asaph the
son of Berechi'ah; and of the sons of Merar'i, their brethren, Ethan the son of
Kusha'iah; 18 and with them their brethren of the second order,
Zechari'ah, Ja-a'ziel, Shemi'ramoth, Jehi'el, Unni, Eli'ab, Benai'ah,
Ma-asei'ah, Mattithi'ah, Eliph'elehu, and Miknei'ah, and the gatekeepers
O'bed-e'dom and Je-i'el. 19 The singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan,
were to sound bronze cymbals; 20 Zechari'ah, A'zi-el, Shemi'ramoth,
Jehi'el, Unni, Eli'ab, Ma-asei'ah, and Benai'ah were to play harps according to
Al'amoth; 21 but Mattithi'ah, Eliph'elehu, Miknei'ah, O'bed-e'dom,
Je-i'el, and Azazi'ah were to lead with lyres according to the Shem'inith. 22
Chenani'ah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for
he understood it.
David and
the Levites did not address this issue lightly or in improper attire. All music
was conducted properly attired in priestly attire, and the king was likewise in
fine linen when he appeared with them in thanksgiving, either in the Temple or
outside of it. This was especially so when appearing with the Ark of the
Covenant, which came to represent the containment of the Holy Spirit among the
elect of God.
1Chronicles
15:27-29
27 David was clothed with a robe of
fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the
singers, and Chenani'ah the leader of the music of the singers; and David wore
a linen ephod. 28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant
of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and
made loud music on harps and lyres. 29 And as the ark of the
covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul
looked out of the window, and saw King David dancing and making merry; and she
despised him in her heart.
Rejoicing
is a great blessing, but there are always those who would rather not see it,
and such was the case with Michal.
It is the
prince’s responsibility to make provision for the nation in the Sabbaths of
rejoicing and David did what we see recorded in the Book of Ezekiel, chapter
45. The Ark was housed and was the centre of worship just as now we meet
together as the Body of Christ in order to worship.
1Chronicles16:1-43
1 And they brought the ark of God, and set it inside the tent which David had hitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD, 3 and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. 4 Moreover he appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechari'ah, Je-i'el, Shemi'ramoth, Jehi'el, attithi'ah, Eli'ab, Benai'ah, O'bed-e'dom, and Je-i'el, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benai'ah and Jaha'ziel the priests were to blow trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brethren. 8 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works! 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! 11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually! 12 Remember the wonderful works that he has done, the wonders he wrought, the judgments he uttered, 13 O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! 14 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 17 which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob, as an everlasting covenant to Israel, 18 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance." 19 When they were few in number, and of little account, and sojourners in it, 20 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 21 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 22 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!" 23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. 28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, scribe to the LORD glory and strength! 29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come before him! Worship the LORD in holy array; 30 tremble before him, all the earth; yea, the world stands firm, never to be moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" 32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it, let the field exult, and everything in it! 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. 34 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever! 35 Say also: "Deliver us, O God of our salvation, and gather and save us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. 36 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!" Then all the people said "Amen!" and praised the LORD. 37 So David left Asaph and his brethren there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister continually before the ark as each day required, 38 and also O'bed-e'dom and his sixty-eight brethren; while O'bed-e'dom, the son of Jedu'thun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. 39 And he left Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt offerings to the LORD upon the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of the LORD which he commanded Israel. 41 With them were Heman and Jedu'thun, and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures for ever. 42 Heman and Jedu'thun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jedu'thun were appointed to the gate. 43 Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.
After David
had appointed the Levites and their directors in the establishment of the
Musical Directorate of the nation, he then blessed his own household.
The Temple
system was established so that prophecy was done according to music in the lyre
and with harps and cymbals.
1Chronicles 25:1-8
1 David and the chiefs of the service
also set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and
of Jedu'thun, who should prophesy with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The
list of those who did the work and of their duties was: 2 Of the
sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethani'ah, and Ashare'lah, sons of Asaph, under
the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. 3 Of Jedu'thun, the sons of
Jedu'thun: Gedali'ah, Zeri, Jeshai'ah, Shim'e-i, Hashabi'ah, and Mattithi'ah,
six, under the direction of their father Jedu'thun, who prophesied with the
lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD.
4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukki'ah, Mattani'ah, Uz'ziel,
Shebu'el, and Jer'imoth, Hanani'ah, Hana'ni, Eli'athah, Giddal'ti, and
Romam'ti-e'zer, Joshbekash'ah, Mallo'thi, Hothir, Maha'zi-oth. 5 All
these were the sons of Heman the king's seer, according to the promise of God
to exalt him; for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6
They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of
the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God.
Asaph, Jedu'thun, and Heman were under the order of the king. 7 The
number of them along with their brethren, who were trained in singing to the
LORD, all who were skilful, was two hundred and eighty-eight. 8 And
they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike.
The
execution of these duties was decided by lot, as it was with the priesthood.
David
established a number of precedents within the Psalms, as they were written in
the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 49:1-6
To the
choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Hear this, all peoples! Give ear,
all inhabitants of the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor
together! 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart
shall be understanding. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will
solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. 5 Why should I fear in
times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 6 men
who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
The lyre
was used for prophecy and the solution of the problems of the nation through
its prophets in music.
Psalm 92:1-4
A Psalm. A
Song for the Sabbath. 1 It
is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to thy name, O Most High; 2
to declare thy steadfast love in the morning, and thy faithfulness by night, 3
to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. 4
For thou, O LORD, hast made me glad by thy work; at the works of thy hands I
sing for joy.
Thus we see
from Psalm 92 that it was established especially for the Sabbath and to be sung
on that day with musical instruments.
From Psalm
150, we see that the entire musical structure in song and instruments and dance
was to be done in praise to the Lord.
Psalm 150:1-6
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his
sanctuary; praise him in his mighty
firmament! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according
to his exceeding greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise
him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with timbrel and dance; praise
him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that
breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
This system
was transferred intact into the Temple proper after it was constructed in the
days of Solomon.
2Chronicles 5:1-14
1 Thus all the work that Solomon did
for the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which
David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the
vessels in the treasuries of the house of God. 2 Then Solomon
assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of
the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark
of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 3
And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast, which is in
the seventh month. 4 And all the elders of Israel came, and the
Levites took up the ark. 5 And they brought up the ark, the tent of
meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the
Levites brought them up. 6 And King Solomon and all the congregation
of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so
many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 7 So
the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, in the
inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of
the cherubim. 8 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the
place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its
poles. 9 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were
seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen
from outside; and they are there to this day. 10 There was nothing
in the ark except the two tables which Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD
made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. 11
Now when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests who were
present had sanctified themselves, without regard to their divisions; 12
and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jedu'thun, their sons and kinsmen,
arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar
with a hundred and twenty priests who were trumpeters; 13 and it was
the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in
praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with
trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD,
"For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever," the house,
the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the
priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the
LORD filled the house of God.
When this
rejoicing with music and thanksgiving was undertaken, the cloud of the Glory of
the Lord filled the Temple during that worship.
Then, at
the closure, God sent fire down from Heaven and consumed the sacrifices and the
burnt offerings.
2Chronicles 7:1-22
1 When Solomon had ended his prayer,
fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices,
and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 And the priests could
not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the
LORD's house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw the fire come
down and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed down with their
faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD,
saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever." 4
Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the LORD. 5 King Solomon offered as a sacrifice
twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king
and all the people dedicated the house of God.
6 The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with
the instruments for music to the LORD which King David had made for giving
thanks to the LORD -- for his steadfast love endures for ever -- whenever David
offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets;
and all Israel stood. 7 And
Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the
LORD; for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace
offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt
offering and the cereal offering and the fat. 8 At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and
all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entrance of Hamath to
the Brook of Egypt. 9 And on
the eighth day they held a solemn assembly; for they had kept the dedication of
the altar seven days and the feast seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent
the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that
the LORD had shown to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people. 11 Thus Solomon finished the
house of the LORD and the king's house; all that Solomon had planned to do in
the house of the LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished.
When
Solomon had made an end and the sacrifices were consumed, and the Glory of God
was made evident, then the Lord appeared to Solomon. He consecrated the Temple
and its procedures and said that when the people repented and humbled
themselves before him, then he would hear and forgive them and heal the land of
its sin. Quite clearly the use of musical instruments and songs of praise were
integral to the Temple system blessed by God.
12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him:
"I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for myself as a
house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is
no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my
people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves,
and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear
from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and
my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For
now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there for
ever; my eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for
you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, doing according to all
that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, 18
then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father,
saying, `There shall not fail you a man to rule Israel.' 19 "But if you turn aside
and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and go
and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up
from the land which I have given you; and this house, which I have consecrated
for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and will make it a proverb and a
byword among all peoples. 21 And
at this house, which is exalted, every one passing by will be astonished, and
say, `Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?" 22
Then they will say, `Because they forsook the LORD the God of their fathers who
brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and
worshiped them and served them; therefore he has brought all this evil upon
them'"
We see that
Solomon placed the same system among the Levites with the prophets under Gad
the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet, and the cymbals, harps and lyres were
used for that purpose. The priests stood with the trumpets as the call of
authority. This was taken up in Hezekiah’s Restoration and was central to the
Temple system.
Jeremiah reminds us of the disgrace of Judah. Along with this disgrace was the cessation of music in joy and praise.
Lamentations 5:1-22
1 Remember, O LORD, what has befallen
us; behold, and see our disgrace! 2 Our inheritance has been turned
over to strangers, our homes to aliens. 3 We have become orphans,
fatherless; our mothers are like widows. 4 We must pay for the water
we drink, the wood we get must be bought.5 With a yoke on our necks
we are hard driven; we are weary, we are given no rest. 6 We have
given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to get bread enough. 7 Our
fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities. 8
Slaves rule over us;there is none to deliver us from their hand. 9
We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the
wilderness. 10 Our skin is hot as an oven with the burning heat of
famine. 11 Women are ravished in Zion, virgins in the towns of
Judah. 12 Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is shown to
the elders. 13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill; and
boys stagger under loads of wood. 14 The old men have quit the city
gate, the young men their music. 15 The joy of our hearts has
ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. 16 The crown has
fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 For this our
heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim, 18
for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it. 19 But
thou, O LORD, dost reign for ever; thy throne endures to all generations. 20
Why dost thou forget us for ever, why dost thou so long forsake us? 21
Restore us to thyself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of
old! 22 Or hast thou utterly rejected us? Art thou exceedingly angry
with us?
It
continued during captivity, as we see from Daniel. The use of music was also
used in worship of foreign gods and so also with men who sought to become gods.
Daniel 3:1-19
1 King Nebuchadnez'zar made an image
of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up
on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King
Nebuchadnez'zar sent to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors,
the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the
officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which King
Nebuchadnez'zar had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and
the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates,
and all the officials of the provinces, were assembled for the dedication of
the image that King Nebuchadnez'zar had set up; and they stood before the image
that Nebuchadnez'zar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud,
"You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that
when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and
every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that
King Nebuchadnez'zar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down
and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace." 7
Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe,
lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations,
and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image which King
Nebuchadnez'zar had set up. 8 Therefore at that time certain
Chalde'ans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They
said to King Nebuchadnez'zar, "O king, live for ever! 10 You, O king, have made a
decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon,
harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden
image; 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast
into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you
have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed'nego. These men, O king, pay no heed to you; they do not serve your
gods or worship the golden image which you have set up." 13
Then Nebuchadnez'zar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed'nego be brought. Then they brought these men before the king. 14
Nebuchadnez'zar said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed'nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I
have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the
horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down
and worship the image which I have made, well and good; but if you do not
worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace; and who is
the god that will deliver you out of my hands?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego answered the king,
"O Nebuchadnez'zar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver
us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O
king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you
have set up." 19 Then Nebuchadnez'zar was full of fury, and the
expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego. He
ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
We must
discern the true use of music in worship and not be trapped by idols and false
worship.
When the
burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also. Music was thus intended
to be central to the offering of sacrifice to the Lord.
2Chronicles
29:25-30
25 And he stationed the Levites in the
house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment
of David and of Gad the king's seer and of Nathan the prophet; for the
commandment was from the LORD through his prophets. 26 The Levites
stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27
Then Hezeki'ah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And
when the burnt offering began, the song to the LORD began also, and the
trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28
The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded;
all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 When
the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed
themselves and worshiped. 30 And Hezeki'ah the king and the princes
commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and
of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and
worshiped.
Thus music
and song is central to worship and to a Restoration.
2Chronicles 34:12-14
12 And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadi'ah the Levites, of the sons of Merar'i, and Zechari'ah and Meshul'lam, of the sons of the Ko'hathites, to have oversight. The Levites, all who were skilful with instruments of music, 13 were over the burden bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service; and some of the Levites were scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers. 14 While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the LORD, Hilki'ah the priest found the book of the law of the LORD given through Moses.
The
musicians of the Levites also were such that they had oversight of other
labourers, and, when they performed faithfully, the Lord restored the Law of
God and the Spirit of Prophecy to the servants of God.
The Law of
God was thus central also to the restoration of the nation. When Ezra restored
the nation, even from the laying of the foundation of the Temple, the ministry
came forward in their vestments with trumpets and other musical instruments
according to the system as laid down by David, as we see especially within the
Psalms. This was done from the sequence of the Feasts.
Ezra 3:1-13
1 When the seventh month came, and
the sons of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to
Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jo'zadak, with his fellow
priests, and Zerub'babel the son of She-al'ti-el with his kinsmen, and they built
the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is
written in the law of Moses the man of God. 3 They set the altar in
its place, for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the lands, and they
offered burnt offerings upon it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and
evening. 4 And they kept the feast of booths, as it is written, and
offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinance, as each
day required, 5 and after that the continual burnt offerings, the
offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the
offerings of every one who made a freewill offering to the LORD. 6
From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to
the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. 7
So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and
oil to the Sido'nians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the
sea, to Joppa, according to the grant which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
8 Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at
Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerub'babel the son of She-al'ti-el and Jeshua
the son of Jo'zadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their brethren,
the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the
captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to
have the oversight of the work of the house of the LORD. 9 And
Jeshua with his sons and his kinsmen, and Kad'mi-el and his sons, the sons of
Judah, together took the oversight of the workmen in the house of God, along
with the sons of Hen'adad and the Levites, their sons and kinsmen. 10
And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the
priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the
sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of
David king of Israel; 11 and they sang responsively, praising and
giving thanks to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures
for ever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout,
when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was
laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers'
houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they
saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy;
13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful
shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a
great shout, and the sound was heard afar.
So, in the
dedication of the walls of the Holy City under Nehemiah the same system was
also undertaken, and it was used to purify the people and the city and its
walls and gates.
Nehemiah 12:27-30
27 And at the dedication of the wall
of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to
Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and
with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 And the sons of the
singers gathered together from the circuit round Jerusalem and from the
villages of the Netoph'athites; 29 also from Beth-gilgal and from
the region of Geba and Az'maveth; for the singers had built for themselves
villages around Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites
purified themselves; and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.
We see that music is a central part of the worship in God’s system, and it can be used for good or bad. In the Last Days, Amos 8:3 describes its use in worship as howling. Much worship today is being turned into howling, with people improperly dressed entering the house of worship and wailing in noise that is not befitting the worship of God. James 5:1 ff. says that in those days the rich shall howl also for the improper use of their blessings and wealth.
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