Paul Woodhouse Next, Paul identifies this as a
volatile issue because of the "distinctive" restoration movement group which possibly hatched
from an egg in the later part of the 19th century and
invented a cappella. For some reason a new word has been
coined for the old timers: "Distinctives" meaning the peculiarities
of people who won't dance when the priests pipe.
We believe that the normal
people speak of "congregational
singing" and not "A Cappella Music." Music is not a religious word in the New
Testament and A Cappella was a latter day invention of the
Pope who could not allow instruments among the top
powers. Nevertheless, they trained young boys and invented A
Cappella which made them into an "organic pipe organ" and the
singing style was "organum." The musical ritual and "young,
attractive" people dressed like girls is a universal theme is
A Cappella but not Biblical.
"Music" in the classics
often groups "singing and dancing" where harmony was a purely
physical or carnal activity. Music with song and dance was the
home-coming animal sacrifice for the prodigal but music is not
a Christian "worship" word as it was not an Old Testament
concept.
In the 1911 issue of the
Catholic Encyclopedia instruments still were not allowed in
the Sistine
chapel and the
Encyclopedia's articles on music agree totally with the
congregational singing position as the ideal. That ideal fell
aside when the Cathedrals as Seeker-Centers ran short on cash
and before they found out about thumb screws and the burning
stake.
Therefore, the pro instrumentalists use the word "A
cappella" to allow the introduction of musical worship teams as the most sectarianizing and legalistic
movement in history
David Lipscomb wrote as
late as 1878 that:
We do not think anyone has ever claimed authority
from Scriptures to use the organ in worship. They only claim it is not condemned. It is used as an
assister in worship...Prayer, praise, thanksgiving and
making melody in the heart (mind) unto the Lord are acts
of worship ordained of God, but no authority do we find
for for the organ." (p. 78).
It was the sectarians who all began as
non-instrumental Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and the
Restoration Movement but changed the two-thousand year old practice of
congregational singing into A Cappella (choirs) and the use of instruments. This had no claimed biblical
authority but was to help pay for the new buildings and
entertain the city folk made affluent by the Civil War which was more about religion
than slavery.
This is the typical effort
as Barton Stone
declared:
"They strike the blow and raise the alarm." The Zealots would
stab a person in a large assembly and then cry out: "Foul
murder. Catch the murderer." Judas was such a "sicarri" and
his "thief's bag" was for "carrying the mouthpieces of wind
instruments.
Paul Woodhouse Next, Paul Woodhouse accuses
non-instrumentalists of constructing an elaborate but flawed system to defend the a cappella tradition as the only way to "express praise" to
God.
First, we don't know what God will
permit. However, consistent with non-Catholic theological
history from Pentecost onward, what is safe and
non-sectarianizing or non-divisive is to follow the Words of
Christ and His apostles. If one does not believe that Christ
and Paul are able to speak to the superior modern mind then
that's ok. However, that does not give authority to pass
judgment upon others who believe that Christianity is informed
by a Book of revelation. Most of us don't care to hear about
someone being a 13th apostle to pronounce Paul and Peter as
divided men writing to divided churches and therefore not
authoratative.
Second, we should note that there was no collective "praise service" under the Law, in the Synagogue, in the New Testament or in the
historical church for hundreds of years. The practice was to
chant inspired Scripture. "Praise
ritual" is a distinctly pagan practice which believes that you can manipulate the gods or mankind if you praise enough. This is rank legalism.
For instance, Dr. Rubel Shelly along with the Vineyard people
believe that with "facilitation" which is "manipulation" the
musical praise
leader can "move the worshipers into the
presence of God." Paul specifically warned against the old
Babylonian and Egyptian attempts to use music to ascend to God or to force him to come to
them to bestow some favor.
Praise and dance teams claim the role of
"mediator between God and man." That is what "moving them
into the presence of God" claims.
Again, we don't know how
much one can get
away with but
the non-instrumentalists have constructed nothing. It simply "justifies God" by accepting the Words of Christ as the unalterable pronouncement
from heaven.
Non-instrumentalists
remained faithful to almost 1900 years of church history with
no Biblical defense in the literature or possible. Therefore,
it is a false accusation to blame continuing a 2000 Biblical
practice without falling into secular culture.
Therefore, one wonders why
there is so much
hostility and
highly-organized
effort as the
first principle of establishing a new religion or sect:
First, you must
destabalize
the people by tearing
down their
total belief system before you can begin again.
Rubel Shelly and Randy
Harris in The Second Incarnation equate this to the burning down old structures of the Aztecs. Not to worry that
up to 20,000 were sacrificed in the 52 year and 52 week
"Jubilee" to help the gods prop up the sky. The keynoter was given all of the wine, women
and song for a year. Then, he laid aside his flutes and harps,
climbed the steps up the "tower of babel," exposed his heart
and "moved into the presence of the sun god." Maybe not.
In a scholarly study of the
Willow Creek Association which fuels this new antism against
non-instrumentalists notes:
First: disillusioned or "upsetting the equilibrium" with "traditional religion."
(This is what Hybels pushes for in his destabilization).
Lynn Anderson in
Navigating the Winds of Change repeats this almost
completely and this is not different from the methods of
Shepherding movements, the commercial Zoe Group or even
Witchcraft. Click for some
references.
Next, the churches of Christ constructed nothing. There was no rationale for
instruments when the Legalistic system of animal sacrifices ceased and therefore the Jews
did not use instruments until A. D. 1815 in a liberal
synagogue which brought lawsuits and divided the Jews.
Music has always been a
most works-intensive effort to "call the gods" to their
temple.
The use of the "psallo" argument was used only when the
sectarians began
using it because there was no other proof-text or remote
Biblical authority which would have survived the scholarship
of the day.
Most were too smart to try to drag the Legalistic Monarchy practices into the New Covenant
church. People still tell strange stories about Psallo but it
does not allow
instruments
because it defines as one of the allowable "instruments"--the
human lips and mouth.
When the Restoration
Movement tried to correct many apostasies, the use of
instruments was almost universally rejected by non-Catholic influenced group such
as Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians.
Therefore, music was not an issue and it would have been
impossible to "construct" a flawed system to defend a problem which did
not exist.
When the sectarians and institutionalists added instruments while dividing churches and
sowing discord, the churches of Christ did not move an inch. Any competent scholar out of
the Baptists, Methodists or Presbyterians would have been
fully aware that the Old Testament condemns instruments
(Calvin, Clark) and why they were not used in Christianity or
Judaism once the sacrificial system was dead. It was left for
the Disciples whose roots are the "High Church" of the
Anglican movement which gains, from the Pope, the authority to
add, like the Pharisees, new traditionalism in order to ignore
the commands of God.
Churches of Christ kept on not doing what it was always agreed that
one should not
do. I suppose
the fact that they "won't move" is what creates all of the
hostility toward non-instrumentalists.
Paul Woodhouse: Paul Woodhouse writes this
appeal to the "non-instrumental Churches of Christ" tradition.
A tradition as among the
Pharisees and Scribes required two primary things condemned by
Jesus:
1. The Revealed Word of God
is deliberately ignored in order to use some new "pattern."
2. The purpose was to "sell
books" and "steal the homes of widows."
3. Therefore, a tradition
has no Biblical foundation.
4. Instrumental "god calling
or appeasing" was the traditionalism of all known paganism.
The key embodiment of a "traditionalists" were the Pharisees. Again, were specificially
marked by Jesus for "adding their own practices in order to ignore the commands
of God" and by doing so for mercinary reasons.
A Jew who simply stuck to
the 1400 year old story of the Old Testament would never be
called a traditionalist.
We are known as churches of
Christ as a stable
platform
against instrumentalists who tried to claim everyone in their own census. The name "The Church of Christ" is
Biblical and historical in all groups. Click for the
proof. It
was not "invented" in order to create a new sect.
Non-instrumental church
of Christ is like the word "Campbellite" intended to distort
and inflict damage.
A traditionalist would be one who adds
instrumental music at an exploding rate simply because "the
Jones are doing it." This clearly defines a tradition and people don't hesitate to
panic when the bills can't get paid because the people have
already been starved to death for lack of the Word (Amos 5; 6;
8).
Paul Woodhouse: Paul's goal is to get the non-instrumentalists to examine their opposition to using mechanical
instruments in worship. At least, the goal is to get them
to quit
condemning instrumentalists as a "freedom to disagree."
We are aware of no rational effort to disturb the instrumentalists to the extent that the
irrational efforts against NOT using instruments have crashed into the printed
page with Jubilees and other legalistic festivals as well as
web magazines. To ask for a reconsideration presumes that the
issue had not been considered for 1900 years. And it pretends
that the instrumentalists have the high ground which
repudiates the entire Bible and historical evidence. The goal
would be to get non-instrumental churches to add instruments
or to agree that instrumentalists have such superior authority
that it was worth using the Law of Silence to add instruments
as a "law" which you followed or got out. If you got out then
you were fair game to be accused with sowing discord.
I shoot at a rabbit,
he runs, he is a harsh, legalistic little fellow for
refusing to join me at table.
The direct command of God is
to teach the Word. That does not condemn people personally but
challenges their grasp of Biblical truth.
This becomes an issue only when people presume to make a denomination out of
churches of Christ. Otherwise, why should there be such
judgmental hostility against those who won't join the instrumentalists nor agree
that "we are wrong and you are right?"
The instrumentalists sectarianized after 1900 years. Might they not want to reexamine the issue without aid and
comfort from those who still claim to be members of the church
of Christ but
have no foundation upon which to pass judgment against
non-instrumentalists?
The division and sectaranizing occurs when instrumentalist did
and do forcefully introduce instruments and "steal widow's
homes" by driving them out of the buildings they paid for.
Events like Jubilee and the Zoe group and other activities sow the discord by spending huge efforts to blame the guilt upon those who "upon being invaded turn
hostile and mount an attack." This is known as The Guilt Clause.
We have the musical
sectarian's approval to condemn any mechanical means of worship as sin just as the pro music people claimed that it was
sinful when used as worship but not when used as an aid to worship.
Because worship is defined
by Jesus as "in spirit" or in the mind and devoted to the
truth (His words) you can turn the buildings into theaters in
a fulfillment of Revelation 18 but you cannot call it
Christian Worship. It is thievery to take the "logo" Christian
and glue it onto our practices.
Therefore to promote
instrumental music as part of worship means that even
those who introduced the first ones would brand you as
sinful because they denied that it was "worship" even
though the judge rejected their "logic."
All of the known Biblical
and historical information condemns instruments as mind control and sinful. We just don't have
time to repeat all of that information here.
Paul Woodhouse: Paul's approach to show the
illogic of the anti-instrumentalists. Their first
argument:
"Argument #1:
Instrumental music, which was acceptable under the Mosaic
covenant, is not authorized in New Testament worship. This
is incorrect.
The first part is
certainly incorrect.
Instrumental music was continued by Israel at Mount Sinai as ongoing Egyptian worship which they always lusted to
restore. This "because
of transgression" lost Israel the Covenant and shackled them with
mandatory animal sacrifices and a priesthood. They were conditionally sentenced to
captivity and death and it was finally carried out under the Kings
"like the nation's" kings facilitating "like the nation's"
worship.
The instruments of David
were added to a "like the nations worship" tolerated when the elders
demanded "set a
king over us"
as they fired
God. God
promised the kings
would destroy them and He would not stop it. However, He sent the
musical prophets from the Philistine high place and the destruction of the
wheat crop as signs that they were lost beyond
redemption.
In the end, it was Amos who spelled out the
doom because the leaders were into "wine, women and song"
and the people hungered and thirsted for the Word but
could not find it. As a result, they went into captivity.
Click to Read
Adam Clark and others who will tell you the facts.
The instruments made noise during animal sacrifice to force the people--outside the camp-- to fall on their face. If
any of the "audience" who were just incidentially in
Jerusalem stumbled into the holy precincts the Levites, like
flaming cherubim, would put them to death. The common people
did not worship with music.
"Numbers 18: 2-7. thy brethren also of the
tribe of Levi--The departments of the sacred office, to be filled respectively
by the priests and Levites, are here assigned to each.
To the priests was
committed the charge of the sanctuary and the altar,
while the Levites were
to take care of everything else about the tabernacle.
The Levites were to attend the priests as servants-- (they did not serve God)
bestowed on them as
"gifts" to aid in the service of the tabernacle-
while the high and
dignified office of the priesthood was a "service of gift."
"A stranger," that is, one, neither a priest nor a
Levite,
who should intrude into any departments of the
sacred office, should incur the penalty of death. ROBERT JAMIESON
As musical worship
teams and Sister Singers claim to mediate for Christ
(Who had his dispensation or "Blackaby Assignment"),
they intrude into the pulpit area which in Catholicism
is "the most holy place." And because their authority is
that of Mosaic Legalism, they incur the death penalty
for which there is no redemption.
That is, according to
the fall in the wilderness "standing in the holy place"
and pretending to be mediators.
This was not instrumental praise. The Levitical teams praised
but this was a form of boasting and it was in defense of the temple state and
not for God.
The people were shut out of the Temple to protect them from the horror of the burden which had been
laded onto the priests and the Levites. All of the musical
affairs were ritual
purification
or dedication of the "like the nations
temple" and never for congregational assembly at which God
outlawed blowing the trumpets and making a joyful noise
because the assembly (synagogue) was for instruction (Num
10:7).
Some of the "proof-texts"
used to defend the "Jews always sang with instrumental
accompaniment" are separated in time by up to 600 years. If
we heard of a church who held an exorcism ritual in a
Catholic church in AD 1400 we would not drag this up as
authority for instrumental worship 600 years later.
The synagogue (under various names) was the
assembly of the people using the Hebrew
word equivalent to the Christian Assembly.
There was never
any praise service in the people's assemblies or
synagogues and assuredly no instruments.
"Music" is a secular or
pagan word: it is not a Yahweh Word. Therefore, anyone who
interprets "teach with Psalms" into a "music" word simply
is ignoring the Word of God.
|
Saul and then
David became human kings of a secular temple-state and thefore "bluff"
or panic was one of their major weapons.
The Levites were
to "excel"
over all others. As a result of the musical idolatry
at Mount Sinai, the common people became
"strangers" and they would be killed if they
wandered into the holy precincts or were not
"outside the gates" or camp when the loud noise
began to signal the animal sacrifices.
- Halal (h1894) haw-lal';
a prim. root; to be clear (orig. of sound, but
usually of color); to shine; hence to make a
show, to boast; and thus to be
(clamorously) foolish; to rave; causat.
to celebrate; also to stultify: - (make) boast
(self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool
(- ish, -ly), glory, give [light], be (make, feign self) mad (against), give in
marriage, [sing, be worthy of] praise, rage, renowned, shine.
This word gave rise to the word "Lucifer."
Heylel (h1966) hay-lale';
from 1984 (in the sense of
brightness); the morning-star: - lucifer.
The temple and
its ritual was God's supernatural sign that He had
largely abandoned Israel to captivity and
destruction.
Scholars are
aware that the temple "law" was a radical change
from the Law of Moses. This new religion was like
all of the other surrounding nations like the
Canaanites and Babylonians:
- "The book of
Psalms contain new doctrine after the Law of
Moses. And after the writing of Moses,
it is the second book of doctrine... (David) first
gave to the Hebrews a new style of
psalmody, by which he abrogates the
ordinances established by Moses with respect to
sacrifices, and introduces the new hymn and a
new style of jubilant praise in the worship of
God; and throughout his whole ministry he
teaches very many other things that went beyond the
law of Moses." (Fragment
of Commentary by Hippolytus, bishop of Rome,
Ante-Nicene, V, p. 170)
The king of Tyre
was a type of Lucifer or even Lucifer's agent.
Lucifer was the fallen angel who in all of the
ancient accounts seduce the people with mixed-sex
choirs, wine, instrumental music and perverted sex
because Lucifer was bi-sexual:
- Thou hast
been in Eden the garden of God; every precious
stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and
the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the
jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the
carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of
thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in
thee in the day that thou wast created.
Eze.28:13
When the King /
Queen (Lucifer was bi-sexual) played the harp it
was "the song of the prostitute."
Therefore, far
from being a sign of spirituality, the Monarchy or
temple-state "worship" was a profound sign to
everyone of the gagging horrible nature of sin.
How better to illustrate this to the leaders than
let them fall totally in time.
The common
people were put outside of this "worship" by the
Levitical Musicians who were like the flaming
cherubim who guarded the garden of Eden once Adam
and Eve had forsaken God.
|
Paul Woodhouse: Next, the foundation is
laid for
instruments because Paul commanded "speaking" with psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs. This seems to be the major undertaking of Grace
Centered Magazine as one of the driving forces for the
first step to a new sect: make everyone hate their old churches and
their old preachers and elders.
True. The word is speak and not sing. Noticed that, eh? Speak is the same word as preach. The resources were all inspired Biblical text. It is called the Words of Christ in Colossians and Spirit in Ephesians because Jesus said
"my words are spirit and life." (John 6:63).
One of the first
heresies was singing self-composed songs. The very first
is defined by McClintock and Strong as the "Musical
Worship Minister."
Paul showed the Orphic,
vegetarian, instrumentalists how to worship with Dionysic,
meat-eater, wine-drinking, instrumentalsits in Rome by using
the same "singing" method:
For even Christ pleased
not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them
that reproached thee fell on me. Rom 15:3
For whatsoever things
were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience
and comfort
of the scriptures might have hope. Rom 15:4
Now the God of patience
and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward
another according to Christ Jesus: Rom 15:5
That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 15:6
This is the "singing to
the Gentiles" word but it is not a musical prescription.
The result would be singing and making
melody in the
heart because
"singing" was secular and "melody" means the sickening thud or
twang of a bowstring aiming an arrow
at your heart. Or it is the enemy "plucking out your hair." Melody means "to grind into fine powder" and is related to the SOP Jesus fed Judas. The Judas Bag
was "for carrying
the mouthpieces of wind instruments" because Psalm 41 prophesied
that he would attempt to triumph over Jesus where the triumph
which was condemned by Numbers 10:7 would not ultimately
succeed.
The message is absolute:
music means to silence God's Word by silencing God's Son:
The translation found
with the Dead Sea Scrolls
reads in part:
- And they, teachers of lies and
seers of falsehood,
- have schemed against me a devilish
scheme,
- to exchange the Law engraved on my heart
by Thee
- for the smooth things which they speak to Thy people.
-
- And they withhold from the thirst the drink of Knowledge, (Amos 5, 6, 8, Is 5)
- and assuage their
thirst with vinegar,
- that they may gaze
on their straying,
- on their folly
concerning their feast-days (Jubilee, Feast of
Tabernacles)
- on their fall into
their snares.
-
- 9
Of Jesus it is said
translating the word "triumph over" or "alarm"
They have overtaken me
in a narrow
pass (gap) without escape
- And there is no rest
for me in
my trial.
- They sound my censure upon a harp
- and their
murmuring and storming upon a zither." Ps.41:11
Anguish seizes me
- like the pangs of a
woman in travail, (John 16:21)
- and my heart is troubled within me.
- I am clothed in
blackness
- and my tongue cleaves to the
roof of my mouth. (Vermes, 165f)
-
- The "core gospel" goes
along with trying to silence the whole word of God.
Nevertheless, In Victory,
prophetic of "singing to the Gentiles" or the commanded
teaching of Paul:
- I will groan with the zither of lamentation
- in all grief-stricken
mourning and bitter complaint
- until iniquity and
wickedness are consumed
- and the
disease-bringing scourge is no more.
- Then will I play on the zither of deliverance
- and harp of joy,
- on the tabors of prayer and the pipe of praise
- without end. Click for More
So the prophecy of Psalm 41
is that Judas as Satan's agent along with the clergy would
Stand in the Gap to get Jesus with instrumental music. He was
seen as "among their idols."
In practice, they mocked him
and played the usual musical games. Jesus said that they
"piped" trying to make Him sing and dance the feminine
Dionysus dance performed only by Herod's stepdaughter as
prophetic of getting the head of John.
Paul Woodhouse: Next, Paul Woodhouse notes
that Paul was a Jewish Rabbi and that by specifying "psalms" he was making way for instruments. However, look at the word
"psalmos."
Click for some of the Classical, Biblical and other scholarly
commentary on these words.
The Temple-State was
under the control of the Sadducees and the priests were hand
selected by the Roman authorities. This was where the
instruments were found and condemned by Josephus.
The Pharisees had control
of the Synagogues and there was no praise service in the
Synagogue and assuredly no instrumental music. The Pharisees
were moving the people away from the sacrificial system even
if they were, like us, hypocrites.
The Rabbin did not
"sing with instruments" in order to teach the Word. And
Paul was neither a priest nor Levite.
Therefore, one doubts
that saying that one is a Catholic Scholar would prove that
he likes to sing, dance and play instruments.
Paul understood that
because of the secular or pagan domination of the word
"psallo" the word had been stripped of its instrumental
part. Based on how the word is used especially in the
Septuagint, modern scholars give the broad meaning of the
word:
Psalmos (g5568) psal-mos'; from 5567;
a set piece of music, i.e. a sacred ode (accompanied with
the voice, harp or other instrument; a "psalm"); collect. the book
of the Psalms: - psalm. Comp. 5603 (an ode).
Proponents of musical
rituals insist that a "psalmos" necessarily includes a mechanical instrument. Many
scholars note that this would imply that everyone have an
instrument and would exclude theatrical performance.
However, in the Hebrew, the
usage is almost if not totally universal that when "singing
with melody" is meant the instrument is always defined. You
cannot use the word "Zamar" without defining it.
For instance, "sing and make
melody with the harp." The first lines of the "song of the
prostitute" was:
Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make
sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be
remembered. Is 23:16
The king (queen) of Tyre
was an agent of Lucifer who was in the garden of Eden and
came equipped with musical instruments.
However, look again at the definition from Strong's even though scholarship denies that it included instruments at
the time:
- A sacred (inspired) ode
- Accompanied by the
- Voice
- Harp
- or other Instrument
The Britannica notes
that:
"Music, like the word,
also may have symbolic meaning. The basic elements out of
which musical symbolism is built are sounds, tones,
melodies, harmonies,
- and the various musical
instruments,
- among which is
the human voice.
Therefore, there is no
silence about this issue: Paul directly singing the inspired
poetic parts of Scripture in a "speaking" sense in order to
teach: speaking and melody is not silent enough to allow a
Rock band.
In order to add
instruments you have to:
Use the Law of
Silence and go further to violate the direct command of
Paul and radically destroy the purpose of the Psalms for
teaching and not remotely for "music."
By defining the term "speak"
rather than "sing" and by defining the voice and heart as the
"instrument" the other options are excluded. Click for Bible 101aas. You have to say "Paul said the
voice and heart but Paul DID NOT SAY 'THOU SHALT NOT USE A
MECHANICAL INSTRUMENT.'"
Paul Woodhouse: Next, the contention is that
to use psalmos is to exhort to use trumpets, lyres, harps, tambourines,
flutes, stringed instruments and cymbals to praise God.
There you have it: Paul
didn't really mean to pick out the "first instrument of
choice" in rendering a psalmos. He simply made a terrible
mistake (consistent with the Core Gospel) and Paul really
said:
I command you to use
trumpets, lyres, harps, tambourines, flutes, stringed
instruments and cymbals to PRAISE God. I really didn't
mean it when I said "to teach ONE ANOTHER."
David permits "praise" only
from things which have "breath." This led most of the early scholars to
allegorize instruments as the Dead Sea Scrolls do.
In explaining what Arndt-Gingrich really said, we have included a
table which shows how instruments are used in the psalms.
The pro musical people
always rest their case on Psalm 150 but this is the only place
a cymbal is mentioned.
To warn against the
unfair use of the Psalms we submit the following table which
indicates by color the purpose for which instruments were
used. There is no "congregational singing with instrumental
accompaniment." None.
The blue text below indicates psalms
which are from a person seemingly lost and often calling down
God's judgment upon the enemy -- often personal enemies. The bold black text shows that these are
redundant. For instance, Psalm 33 includes both the psaltery
and timbrel are used. The timbrel was not allowed in the temple. Other colors indicate a processionals, new moons, symbolic, vengeance, arousal or awakening the harp, fear
of being cast off, historical
warning, prophetic. There is no congregational worship in these
references.
- Sing Only
|
- Harp(s)
|
- Psaltery
- Instruments
|
- Timbrel
- Cornet
|
- Trumpet(s)
- Reed
|
- Cymbal
|
Flutes- pipe
|
- Drums
- Tabret
|
- Ps.7:17
- Ps.9:2
- Ps.9:11
- Ps.13:6
- Ps.18:49
- Ps.21:13
- Ps.27:6
- Ps.30:4
- Ps.30:12
- Ps.51:14
- Ps.59:16
- Ps.59:17
- Ps.61:8
- Ps.65:13
- Ps.66:2
- Ps.66:4
- Ps.67:4
- Ps.68:4
- Ps.68:32
- Ps.75:9
- Ps.92:1
- Ps.95:1
- Ps.96:1
- Ps.101:1
- Ps.104:12
- Ps.104:33
- Ps.105:2
- Ps.106:12
- Ps.135:3
- Ps.138:1
- Ps.138:5
- Ps.145:7
- Ps.146:2
|
- Ps.33:2
- Ps.43:4
- Ps.49:4
- Ps.57:8
- Ps.71:22
- Ps.81:2
- Ps.92:3
- Ps.98:5
- Ps.108:2
- Ps. 137:2
- Ps.147:7
- Ps.149:3
- Ps.150:3
|
- Ps.33:2
- Ps.57:8
- Ps.68:25
- Ps.71:22
- Ps.78:70
- Ps.81:2
- Ps.87:7
- Ps.89:19
- Ps.92:3
- Ps.108:2
- Ps.144:9
- Ps.150:3
|
- Ps.68:25
- Ps. 81.2
- Ps. 98:6
- Ps. 149.3
- Ps. 150.4
|
- Ps. 47.5
- Ps 81.3
- Ps. 98:6
- Ps 150.3
|
Ps. 150. 5
|
Playing the flute
was always symbolic
of obscenity.
Play the flute, pollute and
prostitute come from the same Hebrew word. Which
is almost identical to the "halal" praise.
It is bound up in the hissing or whistling sound of the serpent in the garden as a symbol of
Babylonian soothsaying and enchanting.
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None---
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And, Paul asks, the if Paul had intended to say "just sing" without instruments why did he
authorize Hebrew psalms to express praise.
A "song" means that it is
metrical: it can be read, quoted, chanted, taught, sung or
sung with an instrument if follow the Old Testament usage and
say: "Sing AND make melody with a cymbal." If we told people
to SPEAK songs we would not not expect anyone to come up with
the chant: "But thou didst not say 'thou shalt not make melody
with a tin can.'"
Psallo was clearly
restricted, outside of paganism, to mean "sing" because you
cannot sing AND play an instrument unless the instrument is
named.
Unfortunately, the Koine did
not benefit from our superior knowledge and therefore there
was no way to say "sing Psalms" without using that psallo
word. However, Paul did a flashback and defined the SPEAKING
to TEACH one to another as SINGING and making melody in the
heart.
We might ask in return,
if he was a harp-playing rabbi without being an assigned
Levitical Musician from certain families, why wasn't he
violating the law?
Why didn't Paul follow
Jewish practices and say: "Sing psalms and make melody with
a harp?" For the Old Testament to say "sing psalms" would
not include instruments unless it sayd "sing psalms and make
melody with a lyre."
For instance of the three
uses of "melody" in the Old Testament:
Take an harp, go about the city, thou
harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be
remembered. Isa 23:16
Take thou away from me the
noise of thy
songs; for I
will not hear the melody of thy viols. Am.5:23
The "song" could be
performed without an instrument. Part of the sin
was to sing the songs and make melody with a harp at the
same time.
I suppost the law of
silence would argue with God and say:
"But Thou did not
say, 'I will not hear the melody of thy zither."
Therefore, God, I will
sing and make melody with a Zither.
In the first place Paul told them to use the Psalms
to "teach and admonish" and not to praise. There is no "praise ritual" in Christianity. Then by
definition those who hold praise services are not engaged in a
Christian activity.
Secondly, the Psalms are a poetic version of the history of Israel and as such are broken down into
five books.
Numbers 10:7 forbids such
instruments and a rejoicing sound when the tribes assembled
which was never for worship but for instruction.
And we noted above that
the human
voice was
always called an "instrument." It was the Harp of God.
The Jews began by chanting
only the prose parts of Scripture. However, a later addition
was to chant the poetic books.
The early church also used the prose sections
to teach but
it certainly did
not teach
animal sacrifices which was an essential ingredient in the
instrumental noise.
We must be able to teach
and learn about sacrificing babies in Molech's arms while
the instruments made a loud noise without practicing child
sacrifice.
If I compose prose I mean that it is not written in meter and therefore
you cannot accompany it with any mechanical instruments. If I
compose a metrical song then you can read it, speak it, chant
it or play instruments to it. I do not by calling it a "song"
authorize you to use a band when I am honored for my poetry.
If you come to praise Jesus and use your words then you are
not praising Jesus.
Paul Woodhouse: In spite of the table above
which summarized the psalms, it is claimed that the "psalms" encourage the use of mechanical
instruments of music. So, the logic is, if Paul wanted us to
just "sing" the Psalms then he obviously did not intend
for us to
obey them.
One might read about psalm
137 and dashing
out babies heads and know that Psalm 137 was hymned or chanted
with the "fifth cup" as a curse.
However, we can learn from
Psalm 137 or 149 but we are not commanded to obey them and
hold a "Dashing
Out the Heads of Babies" service.
The Psalmists speak private
sentiment and do not speak of a "musical worship service."
Paul recommended the Psalms as a teaching method but not as "musical worship."
You cannot listen to music, sing Sister Singer's composition
and learn the Word at the same time.
In Psalm 150 the psalmist is
clearly speaking "poetically" as all "poems" tend to do. What was to praise
God had "breath." Now, mechanical devices do not
have breath except among the pagans who always believed that
the "gods" lived inside of the instruments.
All of the "praise God with
the harp" except perhaps Psalm 33 are very negative,
judgmental songs. David would have chanted a verse, done the
"selah" which meant "stop and think about it," and then
chanted another stanza. Combining the voice and instruments
was a distinctly
feminine
practice and in the classics often intends to show contempt to
the poet where musical festivals were contests. To have
involved Jesus in the lament songs and dancing while the
clergy piped would have polluted Him as a worshiper of
Dionysus.
Consistent with all ancient
poetry or songs, they were the exclusive property of the
composer as long as they lived:
"The very oldest of
these psalms, a number of which point to David as their
author,
are not liturgical
congregational hymns,
but were originally individual prayer-songs, which emanated from personal experience,
but were, in later
times, employed for congregational use..." Int Std
Bible Ency., The Religion of Israel.
Paul Woodhouse: Paul notes that this is
flawed because it bases its authority on early church practices and not biblical intent.
That is a "filler" argument:
non-instrumentalist can hear the clear direct command to speak
or teach with Biblical resources and understand the word
psalmos and the Old Testament practice of specifying the
instrument and therefore just don't go looking for a LAW to
get around the direct commands.
Well, we don't have any
Christian assembly singing Psalms with instruments. Romans 15,
Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 define a form of "teaching" which would replace the pagan or secular
singing.
1 Corinthians 10 implicates instruments when he warned against "rising up to play" which was singing with
instrumental music and more. 1 Corinthians 11 speaking of
"uncovered prophesying" implicates instruments which were
common to the woman oracles (tongue speakers) in and around
Corinth. Some of them might have worked the oracle of Apollo just up the coast.
Chapter 13 implicates instruments as military and pagan soothsaying: Sounding gongs were a hi-tek
model of the witch's familiar spirit which was an old, hollow,
emptying and therefore echoing wineskin.
1 Corinthians Chapter 14
alludes to speaking to God which was "speaking into the air"
and this was the practice of Juno or other "goddesses of the air" worship.
Revelation speaks of harps in heaven but the Greeks saw this as
symbolic of the luxury
reserved for the dead. The angelic message for those still alive was
to "preach the
gospel."
Revelation 18 repeats the Lucifer connection between the kings/queen of Tyre and
Babylon and music with the end-time Babylonian harlot religion. Again, the instruments
will go into
hell with the kings and queens.
If Paul had said "make
melody with a harp" we would logically exclude "make melody with a flute." Now that he has said "make
melody with the voice
and heart" he
has used the first Psalmos options and eliminates a mechanical
instrument.
This is consistent with the Old Testament practice.
However, the legalist would
insist: "But, Paul didn't say not to add in drums."
Paul Woodhouse:
Early
Christians were entirely Jewish and they gathered often in
the precincts of the temple in Jerusalem
for worship and witness (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:42;
21:26; 22:17).
They gathered outside the
priestly, Levitical, musical noise, animal sacrifice area.
They were excluded when the sacrifices began. We
have no hint that the believers gathered for the purpose of participating with the clergy which always excluded the
common, non-clergy people.
They might hear the music
during animal sacrifices but this was the command to worship
which meant "fall
flat on your face." "Worship" does never meant sing and play instruments. Therefore, if the Levitical
"police" found you on your feet "singing praises" and holding
a Christian worship assembly by "hitchhiking" on the Levitical
music they would at best think you crazy for trying to keep in
step with a "great crashing noise" and at worst run you
through with a sword.
Jews gathered in the
people's courts because that was its purpose. It kept the
not-commanded but incidentally present Jews outside "the church building." If you
want to find Jesus He will be "outside the camp" or gates.
See an illustration on this review of Olan
Hicks Temple connection to see that Solomon's porch was
the gathering place for common people in all of the national
temples.
Paul Woodhouse:
"Temple
worship was a multimedia expression of praise to God, complete with
animal sacrifices, trumpets blaring, and priests in their
vestments (Ps. 150; Ezra 3:10).
"Secondly, a child who is genuinely regenerated will surely not subsequently
become an adolescent rebel, with a tendency to partake in
"the cynicism of
the time",
as Kendrick puts it. It seems to be taken for granted in so
many evangelical churches today that even youngsters who
profess Christianity will still go on to be teenage rebels who need to express themselves in
rock music,
foppish clothes,
and the raucous multi-media
experiences of the world. But such out-and-out rebellion belongs to the fallen nature and should not be a feature
in a believer's life of any age.
In many churches, this
idea of 'performance' is enhanced by the fact that
the congregation/audience "is encouraged to applaud -- something which one cannot
imagine happening in the Early Church era under apostolic
authority. We seem to have forgotten that extreme simplicity
in worship was the order of the day in the Early Church.
The gaudy spectacles we see today, with their
vast choirs and orchestras, complex musical
arrangements, multi-media happenings, multiple participation, and
varying degrees of hype are very far removed from what was practised
in the first couple of centuries of the New Testament
Church, and are at odds with the spirit of worship
portrayed in the New Testament. Alan Morrison
This is the Zoe Concept:
"Gifted worship leaders and resource people, multi-media presentations, great communicators and innovative worship activities will lead those who attend
into deeper
levels of worship. Activities will include: Uplifting music Stirring drama Individual worship and
meditation Choral
reading and
singing Concerts of prayer Small group
interaction Communion Proclamation of the Word Models for worship renewal Classes
and worship
instruction
Books, recordings
and resources
Interaction with other worshippers.
"Secondly, a child who is genuinely regenerated
will surely not subsequently become an adolescent rebel, with a tendency to partake in
"the cynicism of
the time",
as Kendrick puts it. It seems to be taken for granted in so
many evangelical churches today that even youngsters who
profess Christianity will still go on to be teenage rebels who need to express themselves
in rock music, foppish clothes, and the raucous multi-media
experiences of the world. But such out-and-out rebellion belongs to the fallen nature and should not be a feature in
a believer's life of any age. From
If this authorized
instrument then it authorizes animal sacrifices. Every Jewish kid knew that when
the temple ceased, animal sacrifices ceased. And when
sacrifices ceased the instruments were silent for 1800 years because instruments
without sacrifices without Jerusalem had no rationale. If the
Christians had the remote possibility of using the Levitical
sacrificial noise to "accompany" their own songs then they
would have participated
in animal sacrifices and repudiated Lord Jesus Christ.
The temple area was animal sacrifice center (not worship) while the
synagogues were the places of instruction. The temple was
headquarters for the Jewish authorities. It was bank and
repository of document. However, the "sacrificial center" was
closed to the public during sacrifices.
The temple area had been
turned into a giant Jubilee or a
fertility ritual. Jesus refused to go up to the opening ceremony
to sing, dance, play instruments, market speeches or to
perform his miracles which would have "made Him a man of note"
and got Him on the lecture circuit.
While the musical "multi-media" presentation was going on the clergy was
plotting to murder Jesus. As prophesied, they were "standing in the gap" to triumph over Jesus with
instruments.
Paul Woodhouse:
Paul
noted that these Jerusalem Christians praised God for Messiah where instrumental music was prominent.
I don't know that this means
that they "sang psalmos" in the temple. However, if so, they
were singing songs when the animals were being sacrificed to
repudiate Jesus.
No. This is simply
invented and has no factual basis. There is not a hint that the
Christians praised God for sending Messiah while the mechanical instruments in
the temple were prominent.
Music is a secular or civil activity
and was often pagan idolstry. Music was not what they did for burning animals but it
is called by God "noise." You could chant a prescribed
song of holocaust but you didn't sing congregationally to
teach and admonish when the animals were dying.
Jesus had already identified
the Jewish clergy as "children" who "piped and tried to get He and John to join in the
Dionysus, female, dance." They were trying to triumph over Jesus with mechanical machines
which were not truly musical but were to panic the enemy even
to the point of death by suffocation. You can see the clergy trying to seduce
Jesus as part of the Judas triumph over prophecy of Psalm
41
Jesus promised that the
temple would come down again. Hardly an endorsement of the
praise power of machines.
One of the continuing
mysteries is "where did the instruments go?" Perhaps, like
the king of Babylon and Tyre, they went with the Jews into
Sheol or Topheth named after tambourine, the erstwhile
king's music grove, which became a symbol of hell itself.
That was where they burned babies to the beat of musical
instruments. Perhaps we are still doing that.
Paul Woodhouse:
Paul
notes that mechanical instruments had been used in temple worship for centuries and that there is no
direct command for prohibiting their use. The
"Christians were quite accustomed to instruments in
worship" and that centuries of theological inertia would
keep the practice going.
I don't know about that. He
did say that we don't come to the sound of the trumpet
anymore.
Well, didn't Jesus fire the
clergy? Didn't He in Matthew 13 exclude the clergy from
understanding Him? At the first temple destruction there was
absolutely no theological inertia. As soon as they were away
from Jerusalem and the temple, musical noise ceased as totally
unlawful.
Again, when the temple
ceased for the last time, theological inertia again totally
stopped instruments for almost 1800 years.
Josephus warns the musical Levites that they had destroyed the nation once (confirmed by
Ezekiel 40f in the Idealized Temple), had been demoted back to
servants but were again wanting to don the female linen
garments and bring honor to the king. This same document
defines an early Seeker Center which involved usurping the
priesthood. Josephus warned the musical Levites that they
would destroy the nation again.
About 10 to 12 thousand
clergy were involved in the Saducees temple which was the
civic or governmental century of Judaism just as the original
temple had been.
However, among perhaps a million Jews who later died in Jerusalem,
they may have participated in the synagogue and we have noted
that the synagogue
had
no instruments and no praise service.
Again, the Jews who had
become Christians were never included when the musical worship began. We have linked
proof above.
If they had participated in
"singing with instruments" and if anyone approved we would
find a tiny shred of information in the New Testament or
secular history. There is none because Christians did not, had
never worshiped with instruments except those "just out of
paganism."
Paul Woodhouse:
Yet,
Paul is looking for a legalism which prohibits instruments. Perhaps: "Thou shalt not
use instruments" would do. He then quotes an elder to
say:
"It is a mystery to me why we have made
the music issue such a big deal when it is nowhere specifically condemned in the New Testament."
We have collected dozens of
instances of the use of instrumental music from the Bible and
secular literature which existed perhaps two thousand years
before Moses was born. There is not a single one of them
connected to "congregational worship" with instruments.
They are always identified
with "polluting God" or of animal sacrifices for temple
dedication or purification but never for the worship of the
people. The Biblical passages associate instruments with
ignoring the word of God. And they are twice associated with
Lucifer's agents as king of Tyre and of Babylon. It even
sentences the harps to "hell" along with the king to rot on a
bed of maggots.
And yet there is not
law which says: "Thou shalt not worship with machines or
the works of men's hands." To ask for such a law seems
to be the definition of legalism.
But we just reject the idea
that instruments are not specificially condemned. It misses
most of the life-shattering events of Israel's history such as
"rising up to play" with Egyptian instrumental worship. God
then sentences Israel to destruction and later the temple
system for their sin. They polluted God's spaces where pollute
includes play the flute, pollute or prostitute.
And yet, God never
says: "Thou shalt rise up to play with instrumental
worship."
Paul reminds the Corinthians
and Romans about this event before defining "speaking or
preaching" the revealed Word of God and defines the instrument
as the first choice in psalmos: the human voice.
And yet, Paul never
says: "Thou shalt not rise up to play with lifeless
instruments related to warefare or speaking in tongues.
Revelation 18 repeats the
warning issued to the king of Babylon and Tyre as the
"harp-playing prostitute" and warns that the musicians and
their instruments will again go into hell or the grave. John
speaks of instruments for the dead who no longer have earthly
responsibilities while the alive people are to preach the
gospel. The existing tombstones showed the dead enjoying
music, the mourners are bringing instruments to the grave but
the living are never playing the harps.
And yet, John never
says: "Don't be caught in the Babylonian Whore worship
with instruments when Jesus comes."
Why is that? That is a fact
because if God made a law which says: "Thou shalt not attempt
to reach me in the Spirit world with lifeless instruments at
any time and any place" you know what would happen. Why, the
doctors of the Law Jesus fired would just spend millions of
dollars finding a loophole.
It is legalistic to demand that something be prohibited before one can not use it.
If instruments had been
specifically prohibited by a law: "Thou shalt not use instruments" then the
"doctors of the Law" would still return to the assumptions
about temple worship to authorize what they already planned to
do.
The total logic of the
historical theologians and denomination founders is that one must find authority before one can added it to
worship. This is especially true when the elder knows that to
add instruments automatically
"sows discord among brethren." They cannot therefore add instruments without
seeing "sowing of discord" as collateral damage.
Paul Woodhouse:
So,
Paul Woodhouse wants to know where there is "biblical intent" to ban instruments from Christian praise. He
rejects the "silence of scripture" as authority.
Non-instrumentalists do
not use the law of silence. The evil practices were with instruments but
the "antitype" under Christ there are no animals to slaughter
and burn and therefore no logic for the instruments which made
noise and not music.
Instruments were never used for "singing congregationally
with instrumental accompaniment." The worship of Israel was
"like the nations" under the Monarchy and even then the
instruments were used in connection with dedication or
purification in Jerusalem, in Canaan and were never used for
"worship."
Therefore, there is not
instrumental worship for the people and therefore no need
to "ban."
The Scriptures define that
one is to teach
and admonish
one another with the Biblical resources. We have noted that Psalmos allows the voice as a musical instrument and that
is the one Paul prescribed.
Silence of Scripture is not,
as consistently claimed, the invention of The Non-Instrumental Churches of Christ." It has always been a Biblical and the historical scholars
acknowledged
it.
After Israel failed to
listen to God through the Covenant and fell back into musical
idolatry, God promised that in contending for the faith in the time of Jesus:
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them
all that I shall
command him.
Deut 18:18
And it shall come to
pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my
name, I will require it of him. Deut 18:19
But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name,
which I have not
commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other
gods, even that prophet shall die. Deut 18:20
Silence filled in by
instruments would speak where God has said, "Don't do it."
It deliberately replaces the words of Christ with those of
Sister Singer because she is here and more attractive.
The silence of Scripture
is so profound in the mind of the Infinite God Who gave it
that to try to legalistically add where God has been silent
is worthy of death.
The Peter Slogan
And this voice which came from heaven we
heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 2 Peter 1:18
And we have the word of the prophets made
more certain,
and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining
in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your
hearts. 2
Peter 1:19
Knowing this first, that
no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 2 Peter 1:20
For the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:21
In 1 Peter 1:11 Peter
declared that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of the
prophets.
As Jesus fired the "doctors of the Law" for taking away the key to
knowledge,
Peter warned preachers or "mediators" for all times that they have no right to explicate or applicate the inspired Words of the Spirit
of Christ (1 Pet 1:11) without endangering their own souls and
the souls of the church for which Christ died. Private interpretation is really contemporary preaching:
Epilusis (g1955)ep-il'-oo-sis; from
1956; explanation, i.e. application: - interpretation.
Epiluo (g1956) ep-ee-loo'-o; from
1909 and 3089; to solve further, i.e. (fig.) to explain,
decide: - determine, expound.
Clement of Alexandria.
What, then, the Master desires and declares, and how He is disposed in deed and word,
how He commands what is to be done,
and forbids the opposite, has already been shown.
Now, it is incumbent on us to return His love, who lovingly guides us to that life which is best;
and to live in
accordance with the injunctions of His will,
not only fulfilling what
is commanded,
or guarding against
what is forbidden,
but turning away from some examples, and imitating others as much as we can,
and thus to perform
the works of the Master according to His similitude, and so fulfill what Scripture says as to our being made
in His image and likeness.
For, wandering in life as in
deep darkness, we
need a guide
that cannot
stumble or
stray; and our guide is the best, not blind, as the Scripture says, "leading the blind into
pits."
John Calvin
For, if we would not throw everything into
confusion,
we must never lose sight
of the distinction
between
the old and the new dispensations,
and of the fact that ceremonies, the observance of which was
useful under the law,
are now not only
superfluous, but vicious and absurd.
But in regard to the
former, it is plain that
- they are destitute of authority from the
scriptures,
- as well as of any approved example of such intercession;
while, as to the latter,
Paul declares that none can invoke God, save those who have been
taught by his
word to
pray. On this depends the confidence with which it
becomes pious minds to be actuated and imbued when they
engage in prayer.
And
on and on and on and on. Click to read the facts.
Paul Woodhouse:
Next,
Paul
Woodhouse asks:
"Where is this word to ban the trumpet, the lyre,
the harp, the cymbal? The apostles and prophets are deafeningly silent.
- "Legislating
doctrine from biblical silence is presuming to
speak where God does not.
- I will speak
where God speaks, not where He does not.
That is a fact: there is no legalism to keep anyone from playing
their hearts out. God has spoken in a negative sense about
instruments and Christ ordained Paul to tell us how to "speak"
the words of Christ so that we would not sow discord. If Jesus
had written a law code and said: "I want you to assembly from
time to time. And I want your assembly to be like the
Synagogue or a school. I want you to teach one another with
the Biblical material I have inspired. And because this is the
only way to unify diverse people, you will just naturally sing
and make melody in the heart."
We would still never
hear Jesus say: But I issue a law code against playing
instruments.
And instrumentalists who
are the ones using "the law of silence" would still sectarianize, sow discord and prevent the harmony of a peaceful assembly and
judge or eject those who wouldn't take the liberty to go
ahead and add instruments."
Why would they do that:
"Because there is no law which says 'thou shalt not'."
Isn't this the meaning
of legalism?
But Paul wrote:
For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and
that burned
with fire,
nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, Hebrews 12:18
And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words;
which voice they that heard intreated that the word
should not be spoken to them any more: Hebrews 12:19
(For they could not
endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a
beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust
through with a dart: Hebrews 12:20
In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul
says that when people turn to the Lord then the veil is
removed and we can again listen to the Word.
Christ nor the
Apostle-prophets commanded instruments how can you add them
except by the law
of silence?
Why is that? Because God never commanded
instrumental music in connection with animal sacrifices as
an act of worship. The law was "added because of transgression" and did not replace the
spiritual worship of Jewish individuals who walked by faith.
It was David and the Commanders of the Army who assigned the out of work
Levites to serve the central sacrifices to which only
"muster age" males were required to attend.
Therefore, if there is a
command to use instruments to praise God then young males, old males and all women are excluded.
Now, if we are going to restore sacrificial rituals to which instruments were
attached the law is silent about these people.
All women were commanded to be silent in
the churches and there is no hint of a "children's worship
hour." So, to include anyone but military-age males is making a law based on silence. Shame, Shame, Shame!
Paul Woodhouse:
The
early church's apparent nonuse of instruments may be
based more on the home-centeredness of its ministry.
This was also true of many
synagogues and we know that there were no instruments in
synagogue "school" nor was there any pagan-like praise
service. Therefore, there was no tradition for instrumental
use for the common people who were excluded from all pagan
temples.
Everyone had musical
instruments and the servants played them in private homes because playing was
a demeaning work effort which must be left to the slave girls.
Clement of Alexandria
absolutely prohibited instruments in church and severely
restricted them in the home.
Our notes on Psallo gives
the primary authority which says that the people did not sing
but chanted or as Paul said, "spoke" the Biblical material. If
one is going totry to imagine some non-Biblical and
non-hisorical example to use as "proof" then adding Sister
Singer teams and instruments is to labor from silence. It might be
that some church actually saw David's
Naked Dance with instruments as a direct command even as
some do today.
But, we have been told
that the early Christians always worshiped around the temple
with instruments.
"It might have been" is
about the deepest you can go into the law of silence. It might have been but it
wasn't.
Why wouldn't it be possible
to play the lyre, clang the cymbal and boom the gongs right there in a private house? You don't need a "church house"
in order to play instruments.
If they did not and Paul
Woodhouse is right then they disobeyed Paul's direct command to play instruments and, you know, sinners go to
hell.
Lacking TV or the internet
many people had
instruments.
The flute was most powerful if you made it from the
bone of a dead animal. I made mine out of a deer's bone. In
the words of Paul, it was therefore "a lifeless instrument" or
a "carnal weapon."
And harp? My dad made a bow
twanger out of string and bamboo. Still gives pretty good
twangs.
Paul Woodhouse:
It
is quite
possible
that early house churches used mechanical instruments in their praise and we
simply do not know about them.
If so, it escaped the notice of
everyone who claimed that they did not. And would this "might be" be
authority to "sow discord among the brethren" or to "offend
one of these little ones?"
Wouldn't someone have taken
notice? Sure, groups sang with the lyre or other instrument
just like people do today in their homes. Because people
tended to meet for long periods but go into a private place
while the members observed the Lord's Supper it might be that
someone brought along a lyre.
The Jews grasped that
without Jerusalem, the Temple and animal sacrifices there
was no other rationale for instrumental noisce. Therefore,
we know that the synagogues did not use instruments nor did
they "sing praise songs" until AD 1815 to compete with
Christians.
The altar had rationale
only in connection with sacrifices. When sacrifices cease we
just don't need a law which says "thou shalt not erect an
altar in thy church." The same is true of instruments: there
is simply no Music-God-Worship connection and therefore no
need to make a law against the Law of Silence.
You would need a direct
command to restore animal sacrifices before you would have
authority to restore Levitical musicians.
It is likewise possible that they
burned babies in red hot idols (as at Jerusalem or Carthage).
We just don't know do we? They might have sacrificed animals
but we just don't know. however, those who lived at the time
of then-alive
believers say
that they did
not use instruments.
Furthermore, the
scholors living closest to the apostles claim that if they
did use instruments they would have turned back to
paganism
And based on Paul's
not-too-difficult-to-understand terms we can understand the
pagan practices at the local shrines and oracles. All
knowledgable people knew that instruments had nothing
spiritual to offer but were for the "pride" of the performer
or the entertainment or seduction of the "audience."
Aristotle Politics 1341b
said long before Paul or Christ:
- and all the instruments
that require
manual skill.
- And indeed there is a
reasonable
- foundation for the
story that was told by the
- ancients about the flute. The tale goes that
- Athena found a flute and threw it away. Now
- it is not a bad point
in the story that the
- goddess did this out of
annoyance because of
- the ugly distortion of
her features;
- but as a matter of
fact it is more likely that it
- was because education in
flute-playing has no
- effect on the
intelligence, whereas we
- attribute science
and art to Athena.
-
- And since we reject
professional education in the
- instruments and in performance
-
- (and we count performance in
competitions as professional,
- for the performer
does not take part in it
- for his own
improvement, but for his hearers'
- pleasure, and that
a vulgar pleasure, owing
- to which we do not
consider performing to be
- proper for free men, but somewhat menial.
Instrumental performance is
the most
works-intense legalism we could offer God. The Jewish idolaters who
rose up to play with instruments at Mount Sinai made
themselves into a laughingstock. And it was great fun to
ridicule the looser in musical contests. Hand clapping was
often a show of contempt.
Plutarch (de Musica 1141C:30; 1142C:31)
often mentions the two most well known kithara virtuosos Philoxenus of Kythera (c. 436-380 BC) and
Timotheus of Miltetus (c. 450-360 BC). In his nomos the
Persae, Timotheus claims to have invented "eleven-stroke
meters and rhythms" on the kithara (Timotheus fr. 15, 229-33).
The meaning is rather
obscure, and some scholars believe that Timotheus added four
more strings; it seems more likely, however, that Timotheus
was an innovative
player who embellished the melody with intricate rhythmic
ornamentation.
The great kithara soloists
were sometimes ridiculed
in comedies
(e.g. Aristophanes. Wasps 1275 f.).
That is why God didn't
immediately destroy the Temple. It became an open invitation for a hostile takeover by the
Egyptians who returned to get their gold. This was much like
the musical idolatry at Mount Sinai where Israel became a laughingstock to the natives. Or to Corinth
where the outsider would see them as mad or insane, just like the pagan temples.
The destructions of the
temple is God saying,
three times,
"I do not live in boxes or houses and if I get hungry I
wouldn't tell you." If He depended so heavily upon the "praise" to enable His works--as is the
fact in all paganism--the first temple would still be
standing.
Paul would have assuredly
known about Apollo's
Oracle at Delphi which connected music with deception. They did
what Paul outlawed at Corinth. He intimately knew the
connection between musical instruments as "homes of the gods"
and all pagan religions.
Paul Woodhouse:
Argument #3: The Bible is silent,
therefore, prohibits their use.
Paul Woodhouse notes
that silence
as prohibitive has been the source of lots of
contention. That Ephesians 5:19 commands psalms which
commands our using mechanical instruments in our praise
But direct commands are permissive and
inclusive?
John Locke and Thomas Campbell pleaded
for everyone to restrict themselves to the commands during
assembly so that diverse opinions could assemble in peace.
Silence is used to add instruments
because the Old Testament and the Intertestament and all of
the Jews except the small temple sect understood that Psalms
were for teaching and not for musical performance.
Jesus and the apostles and the early
church continued that practice.
Therefore, there is nothing but silence
as authority for worship with machines.
Paul Woodhouse:
Paul Woodhouse has also said that: This
means that Paul directly commanded the Colossians and
Ephesians to use mechanical instruments. I think not.
Because the command is
not to sing but to teach and teach means preach, then next
Sunday all of the neo-musical group must have someone
playing the banjo and drums while they preach. Why not?
Well, if we can do it to Jesus while He is trying to speak
then why is the preacher better?
We have already noted
that the Bible and theologians recognize the meaning of
silence. The rejection of the law of silence comes
primarily out of people educated at "church of Christ"
institutions and that is what they get for making
"preacher" into "profession."
Paul Woodhouse:
Then
the old tired one: churches of Christ are inconsistent because we permit buildings, pews, song books, song leaders and lots of things not
mentioned in the New Testament.
Not too many church splits
and sowing discord over providing shelter for "church."
I always thank God for
giving me credit for enough brains to get in our of the rain.
Therefore, He didn't have to make me legalistically obey Him
with a command. I am absolutely positive that if God had said:
"Thou shalt always worship in a building," that doctors of the
law would scratch their knees looking for a loophole. "But
does always always mean always?" Or "That dependes on what the
meaning of building is."
I can worship without a
building, without pews, without song books (poetic bibles) and
without song leaders busting my deaf ear. So can everyone else
but many cannot worship "in spirit" while someone is "humming" up a god or goddess
while I am trying to think about the sacrifice of Christ.
Surely, women and
children rule over you.
"Houses" have ever been a curse and God cannot dwell in one.
They are for human convenience. Jesus didn't have one and He is the "pattern" for
evangelists. There is no silence about the "oxen" who deserves
a food allowance that he had better be out threshing or
harvesting when Jesus comes because he is presently "violating
the law."
I certainly hope that
Christ doesn't catch a "located evangelist" playing with the
Sister Singers in the place of the Lord's Table which is the
"holy place" in cathedrals.
Song books are commanded: Paul defined the only authorized one when he used the
term "Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs." That leaves out
Twila Paris unless she is inspired.
Nor, is it said that thou
shalt not consistently imitate David and strip off naked in front of the servant girls
while playing and making animal sacrifices
mortally afraid that God was going to destroy Him. David's
playing was identical to "they rose up to play" which was the Egyptian idolatrous musical worship of Osiris as Apis the golden
calf. God warns about "rising up to play" even as David gets away with
it.
Paul warned about "rising up
to play" in 1 Corinthians 10 and in Romans 10. Paul knew that
"play" meant the same thing that it meant to David and the
idolstrous Israelites: it included
singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and having
fun with the Sister Singers.
> Paul warned about "play" and
implicated the demons or bull gods.
> Paul knew that "play" was the Egyptian idolatrous musical worship. (1 Co 10; Rom 10)
> Therefore, if Paul didn't
condemn musical worship then he didn't condemn the naked
dance at Sinai or by David separating the Ark of the
Covenant from God's ordained Tabernacle to his "own new Tabernacle."
> If we cannot get it then we
just can't get it.
> > Peter warned that people
easily pervert Paul's writings to their own destruction.
> > There is nothing destructive or divisive or discord-sowing nor
"perverting" by simply teaching the Word of Christ or
spirit. Both Saul and David are said, based on the
definition of the Hebrew, to have become perverted when
they danced or sang with instruments.
> > Instrumental music and wine
are universally the
symbols of God pouring out His wrath on those who reject His
Word -- as it has been delivered to us. It is also
destructive to peace and harmony and human health.
Here is a psalm:
The saints shall rejoice
in glory; and shall exult on their beds. Psalm 149:5LXX
The high praises of God
shall be in their throat, and the two-edged swords in their hands; Psalm 149:6LXX
to execute vengeance on the nations, and
punishment among the peoples; Psalm 149:7LXX
to bind their kings with fetters ,
and their nobles with manacles of iron; to execute on
them the judgment written: this honor have all his
saints Psalm 149:8LXX
This and Psalm 137 issues a
direct command to dash out little baby's heads and commit
literal vengeance with a literal sword with the "high praise"
or polluting, self praise like that of professional wrestlers
to panic the enemy, OR, as we might expect, poems are poetic as songs are symbolic and not
literal.
Augustine notes:
they shall rejoice in
their beds:"
not in theatres, or amphitheatres, or
circuses, or follies, or market places, but "in their chambers."
What is, "in their
chambers"? In
their hearts. Hear the Apostle Paul exulting in his
closet: "For this is our glory, the testimony of our
conscience."
Therefore, there is a
warning that people who jump off tall buildings get hurt.
Rational people do not expect God to issue a law: "Thou shalt
not jump off tall buildings" or "thou shalt not play music
while naked." So, be my guest but don't accuse me of silliness
because I won't jump.
If one cannot see the
demon worship, judgmental sense in which instruments are
revealed then Jesus isn't speaking to you (Matthew 13)
Paul Woodhouse:
It's time to get real. Biblical silence
is silence.
And as authority to
ignore Biblical silence the more pressing issues are
injustice, sexual purity, collapse of family, grinding
poverty and on and on including the "lostness of the
Word." We have more important things to do than not use instruments
apparently.
It is hard to find any thing
more damaging to the church or human culture than preachers
(priests) repudiate the Word by giving divine permission to do
anything unless "we
can find a law of God written in the Bible against it," or declaring that there is now
just a Core
Gospel (milk
to Paul) and that the Epistles are confused writings of
confused Apostles.
Now, Rubel Shelly has gotten
off the Jubilee horse and mounted the Narrative Theology or
Liberation Theology which propelled the Catholic Jubilee as a
communist call to redistribute the wealth. C
If the children are taught Lazer Tag rather than the Bible then their
values will and have come crashing down on our heads. If the women who have
"ruled over" the males from birth during the time the Jewish
lads were under male tutelage will rise up to play music with
the same women Sister Singers who presume to "rule over" the flock as long as she uses a tune.
If a quarter of a million
dollars is spent to promote book writers and instrumental
music around the "Asherah poles" and insisting that Paul was
mistaken in his prohibition of Sister Singers then the blame
may be found by looking in the mirror rather than placing it
on the heads of those who simply won't play instruments during their "human sacrifice"
at the pulpit which, in the Cathedrals, is "The Most Holy
Place."
If what is defined as The Non-Instrumental Music
Church of Christ is destroyed, as planned, there will be more of
the fruit which the instrumentalist try to fix with a bigger
and bigger injection of "self" or the morphine-like drug,
endorphins from music which produces the impulse for "fight,
flight or sex."
However, what earthly and
rational connection is there between "not using instruments" and "sexual impurity." History knows that Sister
Singers had a place in ancient paganism where they plied their
trade in the outer precincts. In all temples they were "the
harem of the gods" with the priests being the god's agents.
They were not allowed in the Jerusalem temple.
Paul Woodhouse:
Let's drop the instrumental music issue.
It is irrelevant to the poor
single mother,
the aborted infant, the divorcee, and the prison inmate.
If instrumental music is irrelevant to the poor single mother why is there such an effort to ply instrumental music which
clearly induces more "spiritual anxiety from religious ritual"
as the laded burden Jesus died to remove?
This sounds so profound: equating not using instruments to
despising poor
single mothers. Rubel Shelly is an expert at equating
non-instrumental use to being fratricidal and Joe Beam makes them into Zealots who were back stabbers.
If instrumental instruments
are irrelevant to the aborted infant then why do we use instrumental music which is
known to induce
a chemical which enhances labor. Music is used in labor rooms to
hasten the drug-production and therefore the birth. Musical
sounds can boil an egg on the edge of the stage and it
vibrates every nerve ending in the body and rattles the brain
in the skull. How do we know that we are not aborting the fetus?
The following quotes are
from a larger article on the damaging effect of music. That is
why music and wine is man's symbol of refusing to her God and
God's symbol of pouring out His wrath:
"Music is used everywhere to condition the human mind. It can be just as powerful as
a drug and much more dangerous,
because nobody takes musical
manipulation very seriously." (Family Weekly, January 30,
1983, p. 15)
"music is more than a
language. It is the language of languages. It can be said
that of all the arts, there is. . .
none other that more
powerfully moves and changes the consciousness." (Tame, David The Secret
Power of Music, p.151)
"Music is a curiously subtle art with innumerable, varying emotional connotations. It is made up of
many ingredients and according to the proportions of those
components, it can be soothing or invigorating, ennobling or
vulgarizing, philosophical or orgiastic. It has POWERS FOR EVIL as
well as for good." (The American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 99,
p.317)
"Another neuropeptide, enkephalin--one of the endorphins, a coined
term meaning "morphine within"--has nearly miraculous
powers. It relieves
pain and
also produces
euphoria,
mimicking the action of opiates... this natural painkiller is released in
large doses at times of extreme stress, as in battle or in childbirth"
"It's really a powerful
drug. Music can POISON you, lift your spirits, or MAKE YOU
SICK without knowing why." (Family Weekly Magazine, January 30, 1983, p.
12, article by David Chagall)
"In conclusion, we can say
that insofar as the physical body is concerned, the notion
that music has no effect upon man, or
that all music is harmless, is absolutely in error." (Tame, David The Secret Power of Music, p.141).
"Drs. Earl W. Flosdorf and
Leslie A. Chambers found in a series of experiments that shrill sounds projected into a liquid media
coagulated proteins. A recent teenage fad was that
of taking soft eggs to rock concerts and placing them at the
foot of the stage. Midway through the concert the eggs could be
eaten hard-boiled as a result of the music. Amazingly few rock fans wondered what that
same music might
do to their bodies. (Larson, Bob The Day the Music Died, p.116)
[Churchy music multiplies 300 or 3000
powerful voices each of which is capable of inflicting
damage on an ear drum. If OSHA visited our church they
might put us out of business. But "hurt" is absolutely
necessary before you generate the morphine-within to
soothe the damage and give a "high" feeling. Add a bunch
of Sister Singers with high powered amplifiers and you
have the "machinery" for inflicting unknown pain. But the "feel good high"
becomes addictive and they return in increasing numbers
for the legal
drug pushers doing Satan's work.
If your serotonin level
has ever been upset, and perhaps 25% of your family are on some anti-anxiety
drug already, then what sounds "spiritual" to some can drive most older
people "over the edge." This horrible infliction of
anxitey as
the "laded burden" Jesus came to remove as part of the
"gospel" actually makes the Pastor Person and Sister
Singers
jump up and down with glee because they have hooked the suckers and they will be
back "dead or alive." This is why music and especially
instruments have always
been known as the Devil's Instruments.]
If you don't believe
this then you are not supposed to believe it.
"This protective old brain (neo cortex) response (survival response) causes the blood pressure to increase and heart to beat faster so blood (oxygen) can be
pumped to the muscles to fight off the perceived saber tooth tiger. The blood thickens so that if scratched or bitten
in the battle, you won't bleed to death (cholesterol increases since it is thickening agent
to stop bleeding), we experience hyper brain wave activity to be more vigilant, the palms of our hands get sticky so we can hold the club to beat off the beast and the bottoms of our feet
get sticky, as well, so we can get traction to run away and escape the attack.
"But we aren't fighting a saber
tooth tiger, but merely listening to music (the old brain only reacts to protect the body to survive).
If we aren't physically
fighting or fleeing, then what happens to our body when
all of this physiology is occurring and we are
sitting inside a car (listening to HI/LF sound), sitting
in a concert or home environment?
"What is happening, to
varying degrees, is the body is responding in a way that may be
adverse to your health. To paraphrase the words to an old song, "Killing me loudly with his
song, killing me loudly" is a reality that is not far from the
truth.
No. Let's not drop the
instrumental music issue. We will not drop the "rising up to play"
issue because that is an instrumental music issue. We will
not drop David's "naked, musical dance" because that is an
instrumental music issue. We will not be cowed into silence
over the temple issue because that was always
a "like the
nations with instrumental music" issue.
Paul Woodhouse:
Paul
the asks if there is not enough reasonable doubt on institutional certainty in not using instruments?
One powerful Baptist
voice muses: "It might be possible that Acts 2:38 does not
mean what it says." Reasonable Doubt does not appear in my
books on hermeneutics.
No. There is not a shred of doubt about the
instrumental music issue. The extant documentation universally condemns
it as Satan's
use of the Baby Boomers to defeat the people still depending
upon the Word.
"Doubt" would not be good enough
legalistic authority to abandon the "one another" teaching or preaching with
Biblical resources in favor of a truly embarrassing spectacle
of theatrical
performers doing the worship and actually
claiming to be "mediators."
The "doubt" cast here is
based on the Old Testament sacrificial "added because of transgression."
It assumes falsely that the
Jewish people "praised God with instruments." That is false.
It assumes that the Synagogue which the early Christians came
out of was musical. It clearly was not and did not
even have a "praise service"
because "praise" was an ancient Babylonian superstition
when "performed as a ritual."
Again, A Cappella was mandated by the Pope using castratos to make the Sistine Chapel
exciting because you couldn't play instruments in the face of
the Pope (Jesus?). But they always loved effeminate boys or
man-boys.
It is called "congregational singing" of the Biblical text and this
was always the practice until Rome took it away from the people.
Theatrical performance as priestly musicians is called
"the world's
oldest profession" because the pagan priests stole it from the
women and children.
Paul Woodhouse:
It's time to get real and move on.
"Getting real" is a Grace
Centered code word to surrender and add instrumental music
to your new pagan "praise craze."
Let's the musical dope
pushers get real and quit trying to prop up their dying
churches by calling in Lucifer who came equipped with
musical instruments and was "the tallest tree in Eden" who
seduced Eve who is the new ZOE feminist goddess taking over
the preside over roles in your church. Next, you will, as at
Willow Creek, have to affirm feminine leadership in order to
rise above being a Complimentarian or, as Hitler would say,
"human material."
Paul Woodhouse
Grace Church of Christ
Not using instruments
doesn't inflict you with the inability to understand
grace. "Grace" is the new legalistic weapon used to
convince you that you must get out of your old movement
and get into mine because I am the grace dispenser and
anyone older than 30 (raised to 50 because of the Baby
Boomers [Infantile Drummers]) by definition is
legalistic.
The purpose of Grace Centered Magazine seems focused upon
branding those who won't worship with instruments as
legalistic and sectarian. However, as far as this writer
is able to detect, all of the hostility toward the
non-use of instruments is based on a few well-worn
proof-texts which do not remotely fit the clear Biblical
statements.
The mind control
experts clearly understand that the first step to
seducing you into a new religion or cult is to radically
and with hostility attack your old religionl. When it
comes out of places like Oklahoma Christian University
and its featured writers and speakers you will believe
what you are told.
But you are not being
told the truth. God didn't send me to convert you but to
witness to you because not even Paul could get beyond the
Core Gospel to the Carnal Corinthians practicing disunity in
diversity.
Short of making a law:
"Thou shalt not play instruments" Paul teaching rather than
legislating presented all of the arguments against musical
worship by pointing to the musical idolatry at Mount Sinai
and the pagan oracles where the uncovered, female prophesing
with instruments too place.
Peter warned you to "look
out or Paul's message can destroy you spiritually."
Olan
Hicks
on the Silence Issue
Olan Hicks of
the Pharisee-church of Christ connection
Kenneth
Sublett
Musical Worship
Index
Home Page
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