In several previous articles, I have treated Scripture concerning various aspects of the surpassing musical wisdom of Solomon. Beyond the evidence that God has given us in Scripture for Solomon’s surpassingly excellent wisdom concerning songs and singing, He has even provided us with explicit revelation concerning Solomon’s surpassing excellence concerning two musical instruments.
Surpassingly Excellent Harps and Psalteries
Using algum trees supplied to him by Huram, Solomon made harps and psalteries:
2 Chronicles 9:11 And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
This revelation is striking for what it says about the harps and psalteries that Solomon made—”there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.” The harps and psalteries that Solomon made were the finest that had ever been seen in Judah!
Given that the Israelites had been using these two instruments in divine worship prior to God’s giving Solomon the all-excelling wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that He gave him (cf. 1 Chron. 13:8), we thus learn from this explicit biblical statement that these instruments were superior even to the best harps and psalteries that the Israelites had previously been using for the worship of God! Moreover, given that Solomon made these instruments with the wisdom that God gave him that excelled “all the wisdom of Egypt” (1 Kings 4:30), we have certainty that these instruments were superior to any harps and psalteries that the Egyptians had ever had.
Conclusion
Based on what God has explicitly revealed to us about the harps and psalteries that Solomon made, we learn that the all-excelling wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that God gave Solomon included all-excelling wisdom, understanding, and knowledge about these two key musical instruments that God Himself ordained were to be used to worship Him (Ps. 33:2-3; 98:5; 150:3). Through Solomon, God thus gave to the Israelites the finest harps and psalteries in the world so that they would be used in His temple to glorify Him with the finest music in all the world!
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Professor Gandhi:
RE: Cremation. Thanks for your biblical work on this subject. I find it strange so many Jews and Christians (to include their leaders) are adopting cremation as a normal practice for dealing with their deceased brothers and sisters. And so few ministers are challenging this unbiblical and ungodly practice for caring for the bodies of our fellow saints. Because I addressed this terrible practice in a Sunday School as it related to the burial of Jesus; I was banned from teaching in our church forever. As I told them, there is no biblical, historical, or traditional record showing the saints of God cremating the remains of their families until the last 100 years. Of course, the same can be said of tattooing. For over 99% of our history it cannot be established that the people of God used any other method for caring for their families upon death except by burial.
Hi Bill,
You are welcome. It is very grievous to me to see how widely God’s people are accepting cremation. I profoundly believe that cremation is totally unacceptable to God and should not be chosen by anyone.
Thanks for the feedback.
Rajesh
Rajesh: Not sure if you are familiar with the writings of an LCMS minister named Alvin J. Schmidt. His book, Ashes to Ashes or Dust to Dust: A Biblical and Christian Examination of Cremation, is the most extensive and comprehensive work on the subject of cremation I have found in Christian literature. It is out of print but available for a hefty price at select online book dealers. I was able to get a .pdf copy 6 months ago. There is a great need for a more contemporary book on this matter. With your background, you might ought to consider doing this. I am not a writer nor a scholar or I would do so. It is difficult to find any ministers who have not bought into this ungodly practice and are so counseling their flocks to do so. Godspeed! Bill
Bill,
Thank you for the information about this book! I will look into acquiring it at some point. Currently, I believe that God has directed me to write my book on acceptable music for corporate worship. I have been studying that subject for more than 12 years and have been working on writing a book on it for several years.
I passionately detest the practice of cremation and intend to continue speaking and writing against it, as God directs.
Thanks.
Rajesh