Sing a Song part 17

So there are two reasons: 1) There is no clear cut use in the New Testament of instruments during the early church and 2) it may indicate mourning for a time until we are all together in heaven. There is of course the third and most obvious, and that is the performance using an instrument. God doesn't want my performance. He wants my person. God doesn't need my performance to promote His Word. If the bible itself, if the presence of Christ and His apostles aren't good enough to enter into the spiritual temple courts, then what will I add by using instruments? Nothing I can do will add to what is already God's, in fact I am warned not to do that in Revelations (Rev 22:18). In fact, the use of instrumentation seems to come back in Revelations 5:8,9 and in Revelations 18:22. In Revelations 18:22, it say, "Babylon will have no more joy, no music". And who is Babylon? Babylon is me. It is you. It is anyone and any country that denies God, either intentionally or unintentionally. While people may mean well, and they have the choice, they must understand that God had a purpose in everything and that they must be strong in the faith, not strong in their own gods. God understands that things made of our own hands leads us to pride and worshipping those things which will nto and cannot bring us closer to God. Only by realizing that God did not choose for us what we can do or our power or stature or beauty but because of ourselves can we possibly realize what it is to be God's children. Then and only then can we sing, "Just as I am".

What of 1 Corinthians 13:1? This says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." The purpose here is to show how out of place it would be to not have love in one's heart. Both those who say there should be no instruments and those that say there should must keep this in mind, to love one another with the grace of God. Should there be instruments? God seems to become displeased with the use of instruments if it interferes with the focus on Him? As in Amos or Jeremiah. It was not always the case that He was displeased with instruments. For instance, in 2 Chronicles 30:21, the priests praised God and the use of instruments is well recorded. Also this is seen in Joshua 6:8. But this changes to mourning and sadness in 2 Chronicles 35:25 and Daniel in Daniel 3:5-15 refused to bow down to idols or listen to the music that was presented to the king. Instruments have many uses, particularly in Luke 15:25 to celebrate the return of the prodigal son. The lack of instruments was to denote sadness, as the people don't want to play (Psalms 137:2-4) and not even the king wants to hear instruments (Dan 6:5). Could it be an expression that these are the last days and being in mourning that although someday I will be in heaven that when I now come before God I need to be in mourning and so there should be no instrumentation?

What did Jesus say on this? Didn't He say He came to fulfill? This is true, and in Matthew 9:23 is a good example of this. He didn't come to destroy the temple. God's people already were going to unwittingly do that by their legalism and lack of true faith in God and His power. Jesus didn't come to destroy the status quo, part of which contained instruments. What He wanted to change was the party atmosphere and the laws that bound people to performance rather than being heartfelt. At the Last Supper, in Mark 14:26, Jesus and the apostles sang a hymn. It didn't mention instruments were there, as are mentioned in passages where there are actual instrument used. There are those who would say it didn't mention the lack of instrumentation. Did they or didn't they have instruments? In Ephesians 5:19, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the LORD" and in Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in your heart richly to all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the LORD". And in Hebrews, "Saying, I will declare Thy Name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee." The operative word is sing. Does "psalms" refer to the use of instruments? It could be both. In this instance, I would think that it just meant the use of then voice rather than the use of the stringed instrument. As mentioned above, isn't it interesting that none of the music has come down through the generations, but the words have, and the significance of that is that the words are more important than the music, although in my heart I can still sing using my own melody to the same words toward God. The whole focus of this not to see if I can use instruments, actually a moot point, but to see how much I want to be concerned about being in His presence in His throne room. After all,I think Paul worshipped God singing from prison with more focus that I can in my freedom to use or not use an instrument because His focus was on the Almighty and mine would be on practicing and getting the notes right. If I have to practice before worship that becomes performance during worship and is not totally me.

Sing a Song part 17

Both Isaiah (Is 30:29,32) and Jeremiah (Jer 31:4) speak of using songs and instruments once again to praise God. When? Are we to decide this? No, God is. It appears in Revelation 14:23 and in Revelation 18:2 that this will happen in heaven, when there is no competition, no jealousy, no jockeying for position as the highest in God's Kingdom. There are references by Paul to the psalms (which could either be songs sung with or without an instrument). Paul also says, "Speak" (Ephesians 5:17) and his point is not about making music at a,,, but to know what one is singing so that worship is in the mind and the heart. Daniel in Dan 3:5 also warned against the use of instruments in false worship to a King that was denying God. When do I deny God by the use of instruments? One instance was given above, when I say to God that my voice is not as good as the instrument that I have fashioned, that what God has allowed on this earth is nowhere as good as what I can do with my hands or feet. I am denying that God is above all and can create something so beautiful our of something that may sound horrible to the normal ear. Does that mean that He changes my voice? No, but He allows me to rejoice in my weakness and humility, to know that He is the focus, not my voice. And not my instrumentation. What are the instances when I deny God? By saying that my instrument can portray Him better than His Word. Think about this, why don't we have a copy of David's music to the Psalms? Or better said, why are only the words presented in God's Word. Why are the words all that is left of the Psalms? Perhaps because God wants us to meditate and think about Him. Can music aid? Certainly but it does not instruct nor increase our knowledge of Him. To put it another way is the prophet Amos. Amos is the prophet that gives methe word of warning. Amos is like a cold rag that slaps me across the face when the heat of a passion that is inconsistent with God takes place. I thank God for Amos. In Amost 6:15, the prophet warns the people of Isreal for being complacent in their Judaism, for lounging and feasting and taking the music as entertainment for their benefit. He chastises them for making God an errand boy, playing their instruments with a crude imitation of religion. Amos in Amos 8:10 then warnsof the mourning that is to come because of this. "And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentations; and i will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son and the end thereof of a bitter day." When I become complacent in my Christianity, when I am to the point that I say, "I am fine and oding well" and don't add the words, "because of God, not me" I am truly forgetting what it is God has done for me. He got me through three major surgeries. He showed me my sin when I thought, I rationalized, that He wouldn't mind. He showed me that I needed more compassion, more love toward my brethren, and above all He gave me salvation through His Son. How much more can He give me? Only He knows and I love Him so. And I will sing to Him always. This is what He wants. From me. Singing is personal to Himand it is to be so to me as well. What of instruments? Instruments demonstrate what a human cna do, a voice is what God has done. While I love instruments, my best worship is done using my voice to His glory.

Sing a song part 17

Instruments were not always used by God's people in the Old Testament. There were times that music was sung acapella, for instance in mourning or in times of trouble. (Daniel 9:18; Psalms 137:2; Ezekiel 26:13) More often then not is the distinction between the Old and the New Testament, the use of instruments to praise God. For example, Elisha himself used a harpist to prophecy or perhaps put him in the right frame of mind. (2 Kings 3:15) King Solomon knew singing was good and a great expressor of the soul. But he also saw vanity in trying to surround oneself with instruments for the sake of gathering together the finest of instruments and musicians to get the best sound. (Ecclesiastes 2:8) Solomon also knew that the sole purpose behind gathering was just for his pleasure. (Ecc 2:10, 8:11) Isaiah saw how men can get carried away with instruments and not really use them to praise God but to praise the work of man in display of a tangible image of God. (Ezekiel 26:13, 33:32; Isaiah 5:12, 14:11, 16:10, 24:8,9) And Isaiah warns God's people that they need to focus back as in King David's day. (Isaiah 23:16, 30:29,32) And really in truth, God's people in the New Testament don't use instruments mostly because they are on the run or having to worship in secret or in prison. Jesus Himself set the example of the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Him. Could it be that I should be in mourning because this world is not my home and I am to be striving toward heaven?