Part 6 (Mechanical instruments in worship)

There is one part of worship that I have not discussed yet... singing! This is a subject that was difficult for me to understand, but out of love for the Lord, I studied it, and the truth is simply the truth when it comes to this subject. It is something that I was fighting to accept for a while but now understand and accept it. We must all walk by faith... we must follow the authority and instructions that God has given us in His Word.
So why was this subject so difficult for me to accept? For years I attended worship services where instruments of music are used. So you may ask, what is the big deal about musical instruments? The big deal is that they are not authorized for use in the church worship service today. They have never been authorized in the church under the new covenant (the Lord's church which He built beginning in the New Testament).
Remember, the church that Christians are a part of today is the church which Jesus said He would build...
Matthew 16:18-19 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Peter was given the keys to the church by Jesus and the church was started on the day of Pentecost.

We can recall in Luke that Jesus stated repentance and remission of sins should be preached beginning in Jerusalem...

Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

And this is exactly what Peter did... he preached the first ever gospel message beginning in Jerusalem. After preaching this message the people repented and were baptized for the remission of sins. This is when Peter used the keys to the church that Jesus had given him. In reviewing the story of what the people did after hearing this message we can learn that there were about three thousand souls added to the apostles and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved...

Acts 2:37-47 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

So... we know that the Lord's church which Christians belong to today was not started until Peter used the keys to open the doors to the church on the day of Pentecost. This is the same Lord's church of today... nothing has changed it and no one is authorized to make any changes to it. We must follow God's instructions as He has given us in His Word as to how we worship in the Lord's church of today. Again, culture should not dictate how we worship, God’s Word should.

I make this point to show that we cannot go back to how people worshipped in the Old Testament because the Lord's church was not created at that time. None the less... let's look at the use of musical instruments in the Old Testament.

The first use of mechanical instruments was authorized by God... we certainly cannot deny the use of instruments in the Old Testament...

Numbers 10:1-3 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Numbers 10:10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

David also ordained instruments in worship...

1 Chronicles 15:16 And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.

2 Chronicles 29:27-28 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
Notice that singers sang, trumpeters sounded, and there were burnt offerings.
We must realize that God was very specific about what He wanted His priests and Levites to do. What He designated was considered "holy", and anything other than what God designated was considered "unclean"...

Leviticus 10:1-10 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;

As people of the Old Testament approached God in worship, God only accepted what was "holy" or "clean", that which was designated by Him. There is no doubt that mechanical instruments were divinely authorized in the Levitical worship. God also specified animal sacrifices, priestly garments, and burning of incense, however, we certainly would not consider animal sacrifices or burning of incense in our worship services today. Are we walking down the isle of the church building with burnt offerings, with fatlings, with incense of rams, or with a lamb slain over our shoulder? So why do we use mechanical instruments, such as pianos, organs, guitars, and drums, along with other instruments? If you are going to approve of mechanical instruments in worship today because it was in worship of the Old Testament, then you cannot forbid animal sacrifices nor can you forbid the burning of incense, or any other Old Testament ritual of worship.

Even during the time of captivity when the temple was destroyed and there was no temple worship, the Levitical musicians did not play their musical instruments...

Psalms 137:1-4 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?

There were no mechanical instruments, no burning of incense, or anything designated for temple worship that was used in the synagogues during captivity. The people understood that this kind of worship was specifically designated for the temple in Jerusalem and the priesthood. Once the captivity ended and the temple was rebuilt during the time of Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra, the Levitical worship was reinstituted...

Ezra 3:10 Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD according to the directions of King David of Israel.

Later when the early church was started, the early Christians understood that mechanical instruments were tied to the Levites and belonged to the law and temple worship. Early Christians understood that the sacrifice and priesthood of Christ instituted a spiritual worship that is to be carried out by a priesthood of believers in a spiritual temple that "replaced" the rituals of the law...

1 Peter 2:4-5 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Neither Jesus nor His apostles ever taught their disciples to use mechanical instruments in worship and the early church never used mechanical instruments.

Mechanical instruments were introduced into the Lord's church by men hundreds of years after the church was started.

__________________
In Christ,
brother Sonnie

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'