KNOWING the True God 

The creator of Music!

by

Keith Hunt

A GOD OF MUSIC! "Moreover David and the captain of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asha, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophecy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals .... all these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn ... All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps (1 Chronicles 25:1,5,6). Would you believe there are a few "Christian" religious groups who do not believe in having "musical instruments" in their church service. I met one such group when living in Oshawa, Ontario, in the 1980s. It is unbelievable how some read (probably don't read) the Bible and will not conduct themselves by "every word of God" as Jesus said we should (Mat.4:4). Everyone should know if they are reading the Bible, that David was skilled at song on his stringed instrument. I'm sure he sang praises to the Lord out caring for his father's sheep as a young boy, and picking or strumming on his stringed musical instrument. In Vine's "Topical Bible" (the copy I have) you find music and musical instruments from page 888 to page 894. Teachers of music 1 Chron. 15:22; 25:7,8; 2 Chron. 23:13. Discoursed during the offering of sacrifices 2 Chron.29:27,28. Precentor Neh. 12:42. Chief musicians Neh. 12:42; Hab. 3:19 Chambers for musicians in the Temple, in Ezekiel's vision Ezek. 40:44. Music in heaven Rev.5:8,9; 14:2,3; 15: 2,3. The reader can if they desire, take the time to look up more passages on "song" and "instruments" used to worship the Lord. I'll give you a few starters: Psalm 144:9; Psalm 149:1-3; Psalm 150:1--6; Psalm 33:1-3; Nehemiah 12: 24-29; Psalm 81:1-3. God created music. There is 7 basic tones in the "diatonic" scale (i.e. scale of C major is CDEFGAB) - there are 7 days to the week. There are 12 tones in the "chromatic" scale (i.e. scale of C major is C #b D #b E F #b G #b A #b B ) - there are 12 months to the year. There are very positive rules or laws for music creating, break those laws and it sounds like a dozen cats fighting on a hot tin roof. Certainly, like anything that Satan can get into, the sound of music can be PERVERTED. We see much of that with "heavy metal rock" - shouting and screaming, with over amplified musical instruments, as well as many sick and perverted words being used often, if you could understand them. God created "variety" yes, in music, but all variety can also be PERVERTED, used in a wrong manner, and quite frankly just about all variety of music has been perverted at some time by some performers of that variety of music, often with perverted words and themes. It takes a mature Christian to know when to draw the line, when and where the music has taken off on a perverted path. But the underling truth still REMAINS! To KNOW the true God is to know He created MUSIC and that He LIKES music! Keith Hunt (March 2009) .................... To be continued