. . . and as the quotation continues, “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”.
Paul was advising the brethren at Ephesus to do this in contrast and rather than to be “drunk with wine” etc. We all realize that these two ways of life cannot be pursued together, any more than a fountain can produce sweet and bitter water at the same time.
For a short while we would like to forget the latter, and think about singing and music generally in conjunction with thoughts of the Great Giver of all good things, and our worship of Him.
There is no doubt that music has always had a very powerful part in the response of the human race to God, as the following extracts will illustrate:
“As vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart” (Solomon).
“When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job).
“We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof” (Babylon). “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land ? ” (Psalm 137 ) .
“I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. . . . My lips will greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed” (David).
It will no doubt have been noticed that these quotations cover a wise range of experience.
There has always been the expression in music and song of the deepest feelings of mankind—and even before their time, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the angels of God shouted for joy”. And as far away from that time as today music has the power both to make men march at the risk of their lives; and to reduce all but the callous to tears.
With regard to the wide range of subjects covered by song writing, it is of interest to think about Solomon’s words,
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, to die, to plant, to pluck up, to kill, to heal, to weep, to laugh, to mourn, to dance, to love, to hate, to keep silence, to speak, of war, of peace . .”
About which of these things have songs not been written?
In connection with our first love, however, the singing of psalms and hymns etc., let us take a very broad look at what is known of early music, with a view to understanding, to some extent, to what we owe this facility today (all, of course, under God), and how we should use it.
Primitive music had very largely a unity of basic religious conception (which seems to evidence its divine origin).
It is not easy to pinpoint particular racial development, but we are more concerned with Hebrew usage, seeing that we have been allowed to understand a measure of God’s purpose with His creation as shown through that nation: and it is not perhaps surprising to us that later Jewish music at least helped to shape our heritage in this respect.
The Bible is silent about the actual forms of music that were to be used on various occasions, nor is anything positively known regarding the instruments used: but Bible songs have persisted throughout the ages—only the music has altered-so that we use what may be termed modern music, but to the well-preserved ideas contained in the divine record.
This is most important.
What a fortunate position in this very vital respect we are in. We still have the original light (found nowhere but in the Holy Scriptures) that lightens every man coming into the world, and which gives us the power to become the sons of God.
So far as songs are concerned, the Bible is unique in that it is the most ancient record available. This is an historic fact, according to the best authorities, and we in the Body can readily find reason for this, seeing that it reveals the words and the works of the Maker of Adam, Abraham and the Son of Man—the only true God—in contrast to, say, Vishnu, Isis, Zoroaster, and him whose number is 666. The actual primitive music of all nations, including the Hebrew, is buried in antiquity, but the music of the synagogue emerged, as we shall notice later.
Developments came through Egypt and Greece (which we will not now mention in the interests of brevity) to the Romans, who further expanded the art to what we have today.
The Romans borrowed (or rather carried on) the musical forms of the Greeks—as they did in so many other ways in their national life—but when Christianity was accepted “officially”, music used in worship was not only influenced by Greek tradition, but also by that of the Jewish synagogue, the forms of which had (significantly, as indicated earlier) survived by replacement even those used at the Temple; about which nearly nothing is now known.
One thing that is known, however, about the worship at the Temple is that the characteristic of antiphonal singing formed a large part (i.e. voice answering voice–parallelism—responses) and this, and other things, was developed very much by what is now called the Roman Catholic church.
About A.D. 600 Pope Gregory devised a large number of forms of music to be used in church service, such as motets, responses, chants, cantatas, etc., from which in turn came hymns as we know them. The only examples of this development we have in our own book today, apart from anthems, are hymns and a few chants (which require a little different treatment from a hymn, being more in the nature of ancient, and modern, responses).
Perhaps we are repelled by such thoughts regarding the line of development of the music we use to address God, but we recall that God used not a few heathen people to further His purpose and for the good and protection of His peculiar people.
The fact that the Bible is silent about actual forms of music to be used in worship indicates that all music is acceptable: the important thing being that it enriches the words sung. Imagine the result if music were not available to us, or was forbidden in worship, and we had to recite our hymns and anthems at our meetings! The addition of music makes for a well ordered, coordinated and beautiful expression of the words.
The songs of the Old Testament portrayed all phases of national history, as well as individual experience, e.g. those by Lamech (Gen. 4 ) , Miriam (Exod. 15), Deborah (Judges 5) and the song about Saul (“Saul has slain his thousands . . .”). But we live in the age of the New Covenant and singing is not along the former national lines (which was meant, so far as we are concerned, for our education in God’s ways), but is confined largely to praise, prayer, exhortation and meditation.
We wonder if new and distinctive development will eventuate when the Son of God begins once more to make all things new?
Clearly, the purpose of music and the manner of its use are the great considerations in determining its acceptability to God. Hence we use writings by Freemason Mozart, Roman Catholic Bach, Jewish Mendelssohn, or Brother Islip Colyer with equal freedom.
Let us then ascribe all thanks, and thanks for all, to our Heavenly Father and use this God-given medium of expression to His glory to the best of our ability, and, as J. B. Phillips has translated,
“Express your joy in singing among yourselves psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making music in your hearts for the ears of the Lord.
“Thank God at all times for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And ‘fit in with’ each other because of your common reverence for Christ.”
Will there be a universal language of worship?