Music | A People for His Name

How Does God Want Us to Profit from Ezekiel 26:13?

September 22, 2018

Ezekiel 26:13 And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.

Because God revealed that He would do this and inscripturated it, we can be certain that we are to consider what this statement reveals to us.

How does God want us to profit from this statement about what He would do to the sound of the harps of Tyre?

Here are some possibilities to consider:

God decreed that He would bring an end to the sound of their harps because . . .

1. The people of Tyre were ungodly people.

2. The people who were playing the harps were ungodly people.

3. The setting, purpose, motivation, etc. of the people who were playing the harps was ungodly.

4. The actual sounds of the music that was being produced by the harps were themselves ungodly.

What exegetical and theological principles do we use to determine whether God wants us to understand that one or more or all of these were true about His bringing the sound of the harps of Tyre to an end?

In Interpretation, Music, Theology

Are Secular Testimonies about the Perverseness of Rock Music Inherently Unreliable?

September 13, 2018

Many Christians today are quite dismissive of testimonies from secular rock musicians and music authorities who have said that rock music is perverse music that should be rejected, especially by Christians in their ministries. These believers argue that unbelieving musicians and music authorities are unable to judge spiritual truth accurately concerning whether rock music is fit for use in ministry.

I have previously presented evidence from two passages that counters this dismissiveness by pointing out that lost people were reliably able to give testimonies about spiritual realities. Judges 7 provides additional evidence to hold that unbelieving people can accurately assess spiritual realities.

Judges 7:13-14

During the period of the judges who ruled over Israel, the Lord directed Gideon to be His deliverer of the Israelites from the Midianites (Judg. 7:7). To alleviate possible fearfulness on Gideon’s part to carry out this mission (Judg. 7:10), the Lord directed him and his servant to go and hear what certain men in the host of Midian would say (Judg. 7:10-11).

The record of this incident reveals that an unsaved man in the camp of the enemies of Israel remarkably interpreted the spiritual significance of a dream with striking accuracy:

Judges 7:13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

Observing what transpired, Gideon was moved to worship God for the testimony that he had received through these two lost people:

Judges 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

The biblical record of this incident is yet another passage that shows that lost people have given accurate testimonies to spiritual realities in spite of their being unbelievers. Just because people are unbelievers does not automatically invalidate anything that they say about the spiritual significance of any event or the spiritual fitness of any practice.

Conclusion

Christians should not dismiss the validity of testimonies by secular rock musicians and music authorities about the perverseness of rock music and its unfitness for use in Christian ministry simply because these authorities on music are unbelievers. Judges 7:13-14 and other passages provide evidence that doing so is not a right approach to such information.

In CCM, Interpretation, Theology

The Biblical Importance of Music

July 26, 2018

I had the privilege of preaching a message this past Sunday that treats extensively a glorious subject: The Biblical Importance of Music. I am very grateful for much positive feedback from brethren that God used the message to encourage and edify them greatly.

In Discipleship, Music, Preaching

A Comparison Worth Studying!

July 12, 2018

While reading the Psalms tonight, I discovered a comparison that is worth studying: 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 and Psalm 105:1-15 are very similar in wording, but they are not exactly the same! The potential ramifications of this comparison are something that I look forward to studying for some time to come!

⁸ Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

⁹ Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

¹⁰ Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

¹¹ Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

¹² Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

¹³ O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴ He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

¹⁵ Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;

¹⁶ Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;

¹⁷ And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

¹⁸ Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;

¹⁹ When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

²⁰ And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;

²¹ He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

²² Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Psa 105:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

² Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

³ Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

⁴ Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

⁵ Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

⁶ O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

⁷ He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

⁸ He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

⁹ Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;

¹⁰ And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:

¹¹ Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:

¹² When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.

¹³ When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;

¹⁴ He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;

¹⁵ Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

In Music, Theology

A Helpful Critique of the Musical State of At Least Some Sectors of Evangelicalism

June 14, 2018

Ryan Martin has written a helpful critique of the musical state of at least some sectors of evangelicalism.

In CCM

An Illuminating Passage about Farmers That Has a Profound Significance for Our Understanding of Acceptable Music for Corporate Worship

May 19, 2018

Isaiah 28:23-29 is a passage that provides illumination that has a profound significance for a proper Christian understanding of how Christians are to approach their understanding of acceptable music for corporate worship.

Isa 28:23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

This passage teaches that the farmer’s God teaches him how to engage properly in the various tasks involved in his work. Not stated but clearly understood in this passage is the reality that the plowman is not knowingly seeking to rebel against his God in whatever he is doing.

What is also clear is that there are not numerous right ways that the various tasks are to be done. It is also important that the passage does not say anything about special revelation given by God to the farmer so that the farmer accomplishes the tasks properly in the way that God wants him to do them.

The passage ends by highlighting that God’s directing and instructing the farmer to do what is right without giving him special revelation about what to do is a manifestation of the glory of the Lord of hosts who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working.

Arguing from the lesser to the greater, God certainly is able to teach those who are His and who are not seeking to rebel against Him how to play instrumental music that is pleasing to Him and played the right ways that He accepts in worship. Moreover, God is able to do so without having given them special revelation about the specifics of how He wants them to play instrumental music when they worship Him.

As believers, we do not need to have special revelation from God that provides specific information about how to play music that is acceptable to Him in corporate worship. Provided we do not rebel against any of His directives, such as by conforming ourselves to the musical perspectives and practices of this present evil world, we can be confident that He will guide us by His Spirit’s working in us to play music that pleases Him.

In Interpretation, Music, Theology

On Divine Exclusivity in Worship

May 1, 2018

God has created numerous pure substances that smell very good to humans and numerous combinations of substances that also smell very good to humans. Within the limits of biblical revelation, however, God has informed us that He has only ever accepted one formulation of incense for use in divine worship (Exod. 30:34-38)!

No matter how good any of the other combinations of substances may have smelled that humans have used in man-made worship and non-worship contexts, God has never accepted any such smells offered as incense to Him in worship. The implications of divine exclusivity in worship in this respect are worth pondering for other aspects of corporate worship that are highly disputed, such as what musical styles God accepts in corporate worship that is offered to Him.

In Music, Theology

Two Striking Facts about The Use of Psalms in the Book of Revelation!

April 24, 2018

Psalms is my favorite book of the Bible. Revelation is another of my favorite books.

From the Index of Allusions and Verbal Parallels in the UBS 3rd ed. of the Greek New Testament, I recently discovered two striking facts about the use of Psalms in the book of Revelation. First, Revelation has 96 allusions and verbal parallels in it from the book of Psalms, which is more than any other book of the New Testament has.

Second, the chart below shows that every chapter of the book of Revelation has at least one allusion or verbal parallel in it from the book of Psalms!

Allusions and Verbal Parallels from the Psalms in Each Chapter of the Book of Revelation

Psalms		Revelation
Chapter	Verse(s)	Chapter	Verse(s)
89	27	1	5
2	8, 9	2	26-27
69	28	3	5
47	8	4	2
33	3	5	9
47	8	6	16
23	1	7	17
141	2	8	3
115	4-7	9	20
146	6	10	6
2	1	11	18
2	9	12	5
69	28	13	8
11	6	14	10
75	8	15	7
19	9	16	7
69	28	17	8
96	11	18	20
2	2	19	19
11	6	20	10
11	6	21	8
62	12	22	12

Because Psalms is my favorite book of the Bible, these two facts about the use of the Psalms in Revelation provide insight into why I love the book of Revelation so much!

In Music, Theology

Four Key Reasons Why Passages about Meat Offered to Idols Do Not Apply to Disputed Musical Styles

April 14, 2018

Using passages about meat offered to idols to support the use of disputed musical styles in worship is a great misstep for several key reasons. The following treatment briefly explains four of these reasons.

Whenever a human offers an animal in sacrifice to an idol, he sins against God. We must consider carefully what is always true about any animal that an idolater offers in such sacrifices.

Divinely Created

Scripture explicitly states that God created all animals (Gen. 1:20-25), including those animals that idolaters have offered in sacrifices to idols. Scripture provides no such statements about any disputed musical style being created by God.

Divinely Declared to Be Good

Scripture explicitly states that God declared all the animals that He created to be good (Gen. 1:21, 25, 31), which obviously includes the animals that were or are offered in sacrifices to idols. Scripture provides no such teaching about any disputed musical style being good.

Divinely Authorized for a Specific Purpose

Scripture explicitly states that God authorized humans to eat all animals as food (Gen. 9:3), which applies therefore to all those animals that idolaters have offered in sacrifices to idols. Scripture does not anywhere say that God has authorized the use of any disputed musical style for any use.

Divinely Commended for Christian Use

Scripture explicitly states that God has commended Christian eating of the meat of all animals (1 Tim. 4:3-6), so He has commended Christian eating (in a context that does not involve eating in a worship context meat offered to idols) of those animals that idolaters have offered in sacrifices to idols. Scripture never says that God has commended for any Christian use any of the styles of music whose use in worship is widely disputed among God’s people.

Discussion

We have explicit biblical basis for holding that God created as good all animals and authorized their use as food for all humans. Directly from Scripture, we also know that He has commended the use of those animals for food for Christian people who choose to eat them.

We have no explicit biblical basis for holding that God has created as good any disputed musical style or that He has authorized any human use of these styles. Moreover, Scripture does not reveal to us anywhere that God has commended their use by Christians for any purpose, especially for worship.

Because of these essential differences between the biblical data concerning the animals that have been offered in sacrifice to idols and the musical styles that are widely disputed among God’s people, applying passages about meat offered to idols to the issues concerning the use in worship of these styles is a great misstep. In order to apply the passages about meat offered to idols legitimately to the issues concerning disputed musical styles, believers must prove explicitly from Scripture that those musical styles are directly comparable in the ways treated above to the animals that have been offered to idols.

Conclusion

Scripture explicitly provides four key bases for rejecting as faulty the use of passages about meat offered to idols to support the use of disputed musical styles in worship. These passages do not provide any support for using these disputed styles in worship.

See my post Resources That Provide Answers to Key Issues Concerning CCM for much more biblical information about issues concerning what music God accepts in corporate worship.

In CCM, Interpretation, Theology

Why Sincerity in Playing Worship Music Is Not Enough

April 9, 2018

Many people believe that sincerity in playing worship music is enough, and that God accepts worship from anyone who is sincere in playing worship music that he believes is acceptable to God, regardless of what style of music is played. These beliefs are not true because sincerity in playing worship music is not enough when that music is played in styles that have been originated in the way that the rest of this article explains.

Demons know what heaven’s worship is like. They know what style (or styles) of instrumental music is (or are) used in heavenly worship.

Demons seek in any and every way that they can to deny God the worship on earth that He is due. Through demonic influence upon various human musicians, demons have inspired people to produce musical styles that the demons know are not acceptable to God.

A number of musicians have testified of such demonically sourced music that they have originated. Humans who play worship music in those styles engage in worship that God rejects, whether those humans are sincere in playing that music or not.

If you think that this line of reasoning is flawed or unbiblical, please explain why.

In Discipleship, Music, Theology

Archives For Music

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Judges 7:13-14

Conclusion

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Divinely Created

Divinely Declared to Be Good

Divinely Authorized for a Specific Purpose

Divinely Commended for Christian Use

Discussion

Conclusion

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