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Pop-Idiom Music
In Worship and Evangelism
by Dr Peter Masters
Dr Peter Masters is minister of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London,
England (C.H. Spurgeon's church) and has kindly granted us permission
to reproduce "Pop-Idiom Music" here. If you have any questions
or queries about this article, please feel free to write to Dr Masters
at the address given below, or
contact us at Freedom Ministries.
Section 11c
Instruments for Civic Events and Pleasure
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Some psalms refer to musical instruments which were not normally
associated with worship at all, either in
the Temple on feast days, or for
accompanying psalms and spiritual
songs. These other instruments were
played on festive occasions and for
enjoyment and recreation.
It is failure to identify these 'civil
life' references that causes people to
think that the Psalms condone a musical jamboree policy for worship.
An example of the misuse of the
Psalms is the way Psalm 68.25 has
been quoted by one writer who advocates Gospel-pop. This writer claims
that the psalm recommends timbrels
(tambourines) for the ordinary accompaniment of sung praise. The verse in
question reads -
The singers went before, the players
on instruments followed after; among
them were the damsels playing with
timbrels.
This verse refers, of course, to the
famous historical occasion when David
recovered the ark after the victory over
the Philistines (2 Samuel 6.5). On that
day Israel erupted into victorious celebrations,
and all manner of instruments joined in the festivities and the
great procession which carried the ark
home. Psalm 68.25 recalls that in that
procession the little girls played the
timbrels or tambourines.
Clearly the psalm does not sanction
the tambourine for worship, but
simply records the part that tambourine-playing children played in a
great national event. The playing of
the tambourines by the maidens was a
traditional feature of all Jewish national festivals, especially when
leaders
returned from victorious campaigns
(eg: Exodus 15.20; Judges 11.34;
1 Samuel 18.6).
Psalm 81.2-3 is another passage
which seems (but only superficially)
to endorse tambourines and trumpets
for the singing of praise. But it is a
psalm which was specifically composed to be sung at the time of great
national festivals such as the Feast of
Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles.
These festivals were times when virtually every outdoor cultural
instinct was given expression and much music
accompanied the long processions of
Israelite pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem. The maidens played their
timbrels and the Hebrew national dance
was much in evidence during the
evening hours of every pilgrim camp.
It is with these scenes of national
festivity in mind that Psalm 81.2-3
says -
Raise a song, strike the timbrel,
The sweet sounding lyre with the
harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
At the full moon, on our feast day.
The psalm makes no mistake over
its instruments. It has not accidentally
added the tambourine to the Temple
orchestra. The formula is the same as
ever:- tambourines for national
festivities and cultural dance, harp-like instruments for psalm-singing,
and trumpets and cymbals used
exclusively in the Temple orchestra
under careful restraint for the sacrifices connected with these feasts.
Psalm 98 is another psalm which is
nowadays quoted in support of the
idea that massive instrumental involvement is good for worship. After
the psalmist has exhorted us to sing
unto the Lord with the harp; with the
harp, and the voice of a psalm, he then
adds - With trumpets and sound of
cornet make a joyful noise before the
Lord, the King.
Once again, however, the second
statement describes the blowing of the
trumpets in the Temple on feast days.
The trumpets were blown to call the
assembly, to rally the journeying camp
of Israelites, and they were sounded
over the burnt offerings to remind
people of their history (see Numbers
10.2 and 10). The trumpets were not used to accompany sung
praise.
Psalm 149.3 is also quoted in support of today's pop-music activities,
and is said to condone dancing in worship. Verse 3 reads -
Let them praise his name in the
dance: let them sing praises unto him
with the timbrel [tambourine] and
harp.
However, the question must be
asked, is the psalmist speaking about
acts of direct spiritual worship, or is he
speaking about the cultural, recreational life of the nation?
As we read through the psalm the answer becomes obvious.
Psalm 149 is not specifically about
worship , for it ranges widely over
every aspect of life. The psalmist
encourages the people of God to be a
rejoicing people in every department
of their lives, including worship, business, pleasure, rest,
sickness, even warfare!
As we have already observed,
dancing was part of the cultural,
recreational life of the nation, and not
a feature of spiritual worship. Scholars
tell us that the swirling or twisting
dance of the Hebrews was a popular
activity in the villages, especially
among the teenagers and children.
A leader would begin a series of
well-known actions and movements,
but would unexpectedly vary the
sequence while the rest of the group
tried to imitate in unison. The dancing
of their culture was a group activity
presenting a great challenge for
co-ordination of eye and limb, and was
full of enjoyment. It had an image of
energy, action, enthusiasm and happiness, and that is why it is used
in this
psalm to represent all wholesome
recreation. (As a young people's
activity it was nothing like the sex-based, physical-contact dancing of
today, or the egotistical 'artistry' of
the 'Christian' dance and drama set.)
Verse 5 of Psalm 149 encourages us
to sing aloud upon our beds, while
verse 6 desires that we should praise
God with a two-edged sword in our
hands. Verses 7 and 8 continue to
speak about war, saying that God's
people should praise Him while
punishing the heathen with the sword,
binding kings in chains and putting
nobles in fetters. Such activities
obviously do not take place in church!
They are not direct acts of spiritual
worship.
It is therefore very clear that the
psalm is speaking about praise in the
broader sense. It exhorts us to have a
grateful, God-honouring spirit in
everything, and to do all things 'as
unto the Lord'. All the activities of the
national life of the Israelites are mentioned,
and so we must realise that
when the psalm refers to the tambourine and dancing,
it refers to their place
in the festivals and recreational activities of the people,
and not to their use
in direct worship.
These articles remain
© Copyright Dr Peter Masters 1983
The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Elephant and Castle
London SE1 6SD
England, UK
who should be consulted before any further copying, storing or distribution, either
in whole or in part is made by any means.
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