Music | A People for His Name

The Importance of Solomon’s Excelling Musical Background

February 19, 2024

To appreciate rightly the supremacy of the musical wisdom that Solomon had, we need to account for his excelling musical background.

1. Solomon was the son of king David who was a prophet (Acts 2:30) who was an extraordinarily skilled harpist who had the Spirit on him (1 Sam. 16).

Solomon undoubtedly had extensive exposure to David’s excelling playing of instrumental music. Moreover, Solomon very likely had considerable exposure to other supernaturally gifted instrumentalists as well (cf. 1 Chron. 6:31-32; 9:33; 1 Chron. 15-16).

Through hearing and observing such supernaturally skillful instrumental music being played, Solomon was thus given vast knowledge and understanding of excelling kinds of instrumental music even before God gave to him surpassingly great wisdom, understanding, and knowledge so that he surpassed even David in those areas (cf. 1 Kings 3:12; 2 Chron. 1:12).

2. Solomon was the son of “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1) who gave to Israel around 75 perfect songs through divine inspiration. No other human being had ever had such excelling supernatural skillfulness in producing such songs in all human history prior to David.

Even before God gave to Solomon surpassingly great wisdom, understanding, and knowledge so that he surpassed even David in those areas (cf. 1 Kings 3:12; 2 Chron. 1:12), Solomon therefore almost certainly had had direct exposure to all of those perfect songs from God. What’s more Solomon did not just have such exposure to the lyrics of those perfect songs, he would have had considerable opportunity to hear his father and other supernaturally skilled singers (cf. 1 Chron. 6:31-32; 9:33; 1 Chron. 15-16) sing those songs before God made him (Solomon) a surpassingly excellent producer of songs himself.

These two considerations about Solomon’s background, therefore, should greatly heighten our appreciation and acceptance of the reality of Solomon’s all-surpassing musical wisdom, understanding, and knowledge concerning songs, singing, musical instruments, and playing instrumental music.

In Exposition, Interpretation, Music, Theology

Are Some Kinds of Instrumental Music Objectively Better Than Others?

February 17, 2024

Are some kinds of instrumental music objectively better than other kinds of instrumental music? Through a careful examination of what God has revealed in 1 Kings 4:29-32, the Spirit provides us with certainty about the correct answer to this key question.

Solomon’s Excelling Musical Wisdom

1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. 32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

Here, Scripture explicitly says that Solomon’s wisdom excelled “all the wisdom of Egypt.” This unqualified statement shows that God made Solomon to excel in wisdom above all Egyptian wisdom!

Whatever wisdom, therefore, the Egyptians had about kinds of instrumental music—Solomon’s wisdom excelled all of it!

Through the all-excelling wisdom that God gave to Solomon, Solomonic Israelite kinds of instrumental music were all superior to all those of the Egyptians!

In addition, the Spirit explains and stresses that superiority further by explicitly declaring that Solomon was wiser than both Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman. Because Ethan was the inspired writer of Psalm 89, God here stresses to us the supremacy of Solomon’s wisdom even above another leading Israelite musician!

Furthermore, the Spirit adds that Solomon’s wisdom excelled that of Heman. Although there is some uncertainty about who this Heman was, it is quite possible that he was another leading Israelite musician. If that interpretation is correct, the Spirit has profoundly stressed to us the supremacy of Solomon’s musical wisdom by comparing him first of all by name to two other leading Israelite musicians!

Finally, because the Spirit revealed that Solomon produced 1005 songs, we know that Solomon had excelling musical wisdom about collections of musical sounds because songs by definition are musical compositions that are sung as collections of musical sounds. Because Solomon had that kind of excelling musical wisdom concerning collections of musical sounds, we have further biblical support to hold that our understanding that Solomon excelled in musical wisdom concerning kinds of instrumental music is correct because kinds of instrumental music by definition both produce and are collections of musical sounds.

Conclusion

Based on what God has revealed in 1 Kings 4:29-32, we can know and say with certainty that some kinds of instrumental music (namely, at least Solomonic Israelite kinds of instrumental music) are objectively better than other kinds of instrumental music (namely, at least all Egyptian kinds of instrumental music at the time of Solomon).

Photo Credit: D. Hendrix

In Interpretation, Music, Theology

Seeking Thoughtful Feedback about My Book on the Bible and Music

February 2, 2024

Friends, I’m looking for thoughtful feedback on the possible pros and cons of the following train of thought:

I have been studying the subject of the Bible and music intensely for the past twelve years. I have been working on a book on that subject for several years now.

Because I want to profit as many people as possible and as soon as possible with all my work in this area, I am considering disseminating the material of my book in a lengthy series of blog posts instead of an e-book or a printed book.

Doing it as a series of blog posts allows me to instantly make my work available all over the world and gives me total control of everything about how that material is formatted and does so at no additional cost to me. It also allows me to continually revise anything in my work on an instantaneous, ongoing basis.

It also removes inherent limitations that other formats have with what can be included (for example, printed books cannot provide live links to other articles on my site as well as on other sites; illustrations by necessity have many limitations that would not be true on a blog post).

Thoughts?

In CCM, Christian Books, Discipleship, Exposition, Interpretation, Ministry, Music, Theology

“Christ is Risen! Hallelujah!”

November 9, 2023

“Christ is Risen! Hallelujah!” by John S.B. Monsell is a hymn about Christ’s resurrection and exaltation that I do not remember ever singing before this year. I have been blessed in singing this hymn in my devotions on several mornings this year!

Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Risen our victorious Head!
Sing His praises! Hallelujah! Christ is risen from the dead.
Gratefully our hearts adore Him as His light once more appears,
Bowing down in joy before Him, Rising up from grief and tears.

Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Risen our victorious Head!
Sing His praises! Hallelujah! Christ is risen from the dead.

Christ is risen! all the sadness of His earthly life is o’er;
Thro’ the open gates of gladness He returns to life once more;
Death and hell before Him bending, He doth rise, the Victor now;
Angels, on His steps attending, glory ’round His wounded brow.

Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Risen our victorious Head!
Sing His praises! Hallelujah! Christ is risen from the dead.

Christ is risen! henceforth never death or hell shall us enthral;
We are Christ’s, in Him for ever we have triumphed over all;
All the doubting and dejection of our trembling hearts have ceased;
‘Tis His day of resurrection, let us rise and keep the feast.

Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Risen our victorious Head!
Sing His praises! Hallelujah! Christ is risen from the dead.

In Music

New Song: “Come, Now, O Blessed Spirit”

October 21, 2023

I recently wrote a new song that is sung to the same tune as “O God Beyond All Praising”!

Come, Now, O Blessed Spirit

Come, now, O blessed Spirit,
our hearts fill with grace
that we Your saints may give to
Jehovah our praise.

For none else is worthy
of honor, glory, laud,
For e’er Yours the kingdom,
pow’r, glory, O God.

We bless and magnify You
with blessings we bring.
May Your name be hallowed
for e’er O great King!

You can sing the song to the following MP3 audio of the song in the key of A!

In Music

Pastor Mark Minnick on Musical Sound as An Issue to God

August 21, 2023

When it comes to music, when it comes to that kind of thing, really, all that change starts with a philosophy that says that sound is not an issue to God. Text is an issue to God, not sound. You take a Bible governor off the sound. Well, now, the sky’s the limit in terms of what can be done as long as your viewpoint is, “Sound is not an issue to God.” It just becomes then a matter of personal preference and taste.

–Pastor Mark Minnick, Sunday PM message, “Preachers and Missionaries UK 2023,” 8/20/23

I believe that these statements very insightfully express what really is at the heart of so many of the worship music issues in our day.

In CCM, Mount Calvary Baptist Pulpit, Music, Theology

Is There One Verse or Passage That Is the Key to A Fully Biblical Approach to Acceptable Music for Corporate Worship?

August 19, 2023

I recently asked elsewhere online the following question:

Is there one verse or passage that you believe is the key to a fully biblical approach to acceptable music for corporate worship?

So far, I have received the following responses:

2 Chron 29:20-36, tells what kind of instruments.. the golden calf incident tells what methods were horrific to God.

I Corinthians 14, talks about music styles (March music styles influencing preparation for a battle) being distinctive and precise and significant.

No.

I would love to hear from the readers of my blog what their thoughts are about the answer to this question.

In Music, Theology

The Bible and Percussion: Two Discussion Threads on SharperIron.org

August 8, 2023

For many months now, the focus of my study of what the Bible reveals about music has been on what it says about percussion instruments. To that end, I have been involved in two ongoing discussions on Sharper Iron:

Did the Israelites Use Drum-Like Instruments in the Worship in the Solomonic Temple?

Shamanism, Percussion, and First Corinthians 6:12

As God directs, I invite you to consider what has been discussed in these threads.

A Biblical Response to Robert Bakks on Percussion Instruments in Psalm 150

Image credit: Image was cropped from Image from page 330 of “The pictorial Bible and commentato… | Flickr

In CCM, Exposition, Interpretation, Music, Theology

One Hundred Times through the Book of Psalms!

July 31, 2023

Yesterday morning, I finished reading the book of Psalms for the twelfth time this year. I now have read the book 100 times in my life! Praise God!

Year(s)	Times That I Read the Psalms
1990-2011	25
2012	25
2013	1
2014	1
2015	1
2016	3
2017	4
2018	6
2019	4
2020	5
2021	8
2022	5
2023	12
Total	100*

*I have read the Psalms through 96x in English, 2x in the Septuagint, and 2x in Spanish (Reina Valera – 1x; LBLA – 1x).

Schedule for Reading through the Psalms in a Week

In Bible reading, Music

Book Update 7.22.23

July 22, 2023

I am getting closer to finishing the first draft of my book, “The Battle for Kingdom Music: A Call to Worldwide Consecration”!

Here is the current layout of the book:

Section	Page Numbers	Total Pages
Title Page	i	1
Preliminary	ii-iv	3
Table of Contents	v-xi	7
Introduction	1-3	3
Part I	4-12	9
Part II	13-32	20
Part III	33-60	28
Part IV	61-76	16
Conclusion*	77	1
Appendices	78-104	27

The page counts are for 8.5×11 pages, font size 12. The total length is 42,527 words on 115 pages.

*I have not done very much with this section yet and plan to work on it a good bit more.

In CCM, Christian Books, Ministry, Music

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Solomon’s Excelling Musical Wisdom

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Come, Now, O Blessed Spirit

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