#7: INSTRUMENTS OF DAVID

Amos 6:5

“Woe to them that … trust in the mountain of Samaria …

that eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David” (Amos 6:1-5).

When I was a youth I erroneously understood from debates that God never authorized instrumental music; the Jews just added it themselves and God turned a blind eye to it and winked. I'm sorry but in this case I must say that I was in error. Perhaps you were taught that as well?

PSALMS. The book of Psalms authorize and command mechanical instruments in the sanctuary by the Levites to extol God's glory; e.g., “Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: … Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp” (Psalm 150:1-3). Where are these praises with the instruments to be made? The LXX interprets the "sanctuary" of verse 1 as the "Holy Place" in the temple or tabernacle. Praises would not obviously have been made in the "Holy of Holies",ⁱ the nucleus and inner space, of the sacred structure for it was entered by the High Priest alone and then only annually.

DISPENSATION OF TYPES. These instruments of praise were suited to a dispensation of types and shadowsⁱⁱ; the apostle Paul said of the figurative services of the tabernacle, “Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:8-10).

AUTHORITY FOR TEMPLE WORSHIP. God's instructions included His authority for mechanical music and dancing but it was authorized only for the Temple (1 Chronicles 25). God authorized the Levites to conduct this music along with their dancing to accompany worship with animal sacrifices in the Temple (Psalm 149:3; 150:4). Such worship was authorized for the Temple period and would have ceased at the cross when the Law was abrogated (Colossians 2:14) and acceptable animal sacrifices ceased. The Bible calls the "authors" of the instrumental music “prophets” and “seers” of God (2 Chronicles 29:24-28). So man did not add something to worship that was not authorized by God.

PROPHETS TELL US WHAT GOD AUTHORIZES. We know God's will because of His prophets and prophetesses. Prophets served as a "mouth" for God. God had defined a “prophet” in Exodus 4:16; 7:1 as a "mouth for God." Notice that a teacher or preacher is not a prophet but teaches the words of the prophets (2 Timothy 3:16,17).. The prophet speaks directly from God. Moses was a prophet. He prophesied that there would be other prophets which we know especially included the coming Messiah (Deuteronomy 18:15f), Jesus.

PSALMS were songs from the prophets especially for the Old Testament Levites (and were not purposely intended for New Testament worship.)ⁱⁱⁱ Jesus bound the Psalms together with the Law and Prophets as being "fulfilled" in Him: "All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44b).

BEFORE THE PSALMS. God had okayed mechanical instruments before the Temple. Acceptable dancing and musical instruments had been authorized for the women by the prophetess Miriam (Exodus 15:20) when Israel had been miraculously saved from the Egyptian Pharaoh's army. This worship with instruments were also later authorized for Samuel's school of prophets. “Thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying” (1 Samuel 10:5b, ASV). Samuel is likewise himself a prophet of God.

AUTHORITY FOR INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC IN THE TEMPLE

AMOS 5 AND 6. Amos declares the northern tribe of Israel condemned because of their severance from the Temple of Zion and their substitution of their worship (Amos 5 and 6). King Jeroboam had authorized the worship in the north and did not respect Zion's authorized worship (1 Kings 12:26, 32; 13:33, 34). They feasted upon the best of the flock that belonged at the Temple and they invented instruments like David for their worship of pleasure of lust. To imitate the worship authorized by the prophet David had consequences. It was not because using David's instruments were wrong for use of pleasure but it was the substituting in Samaria the prophet's worship required at the Jerusalem's Temple that was wrong.

more bite than one can chew

OBJECTION TO AMOS 6 RELATING TO WORSHIP. To those that would say that Amos 6:5 does not refer to a religious service: (1) the alternative is that God isn't pleased with the instrument for man's entertainment which would be "biting off more than one would want to chew"; (2) the context begins in chapter 5 with sacrifices, viol playing—God says "I will not hear" (which means they were offering in worship the playing and illegal sacrifices; (3) chapter 6 continues the warning of the coming storm of destruction on Samaria that is ignored by those "at ease" who are (a) eating God's "best" share of the offering and (b) are blatantly ignoring Zion's authority, 6:1 (according to LXX version).

DAVID'S INSTRUMENTS NOT UNDERSTOOD BY TODAY'S TEACHERS.

The psalmist King David was a prophet and commanded the use of the instruments and dancing in the Temple worship by the Levites. It accompanied the bloody sacrifices. The Levites were put in charge and responsible also for the choir. In the NT no apostle or prophet authorizes the additional accompaniment of musical instruments at all. No dancing. No choir either. Only congregational singing (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19).

HEZEKIAH RESTORES TRUE WORSHIP. Judah like the northern kingdom had fallen away spiritually during the 8^th Century BC. The northern kingdom is totally destroyed by the Assyrians. But they will not bother Jerusalem. Why? In order to save the kingdom, King Hezekiah RESTORED OT worship and renewed God's instructed worship (2 Chronicles 29:20, 21). This included true sacrifices of burnt offerings and sin offerings and he set "the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets. And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 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” (2 Chronicles 29:24-28). God blesses Hezekiah and Judah for restoring in the 8^th century BC the neglected true worship and the nation survives another hundred years.

1 Chronicles 25 lists the authorized music service by the prophet David. “Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals” (1 Chronicles 25:1).

PROPHETS COMMAND. So “men” did not add the instruments and God did not just approve it "second hand", but God had his prophets to command it. It was restricted for use by the Levites during the ongoing sacrifices. When God commands, man is not at liberty. Later, the book of NT Hebrews reveals that under Christ the OT priesthood system has been done away with and replaced in the NT by Jesus' priesthood “after the order of Melchisedec” (Hebrews 9:11).

SYNAGOGUES: NO INSTRUMENTS. From Hezekiah down through the first century AD, the synagogues did not use instruments of music. Only the temple. After the destruction of the Temple, it was several centuries before the unbelieving Jews added instruments to the synagogue. They did not add it then because of Truth but because of their inherited Pharasaic agenda which was always at variance with Christ (Matthew 23:2).

SINGING "THE PSALMS"? Finally one might say, "But doesn't Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 command us to sing the Psalms^iv which tells us to use the instrument?" A consistent answer: we can use the Psalms along with all of the OT for our learning (Romans 15:4) but we are not to restore the sacrificial system to accommodate its teaching. We surely can use the Psalms that are quoted in the NT Scriptures.^v In addition early prophets in Corinth taught inspired NT psalms at the meetings (1 Corinthians 14:26).

^{THE REAL QUESTION. The question really is what does God want of us and expect the church in this dispensation to do to glorify Him in worship? We are to prove what the will of God is FOR NOW and accept that authority from the apostles and prophets which does not permit the worship of the Temple (Ephesians 3:5; 5:1-25) . We are to worship God according to His spokespersons of the New, His "mouths", the Lord's apostles and prophets.}

^{--Gaylon West}

^{THROW OUT THE LIFELINE}

^{edited by Janie R. Ward and Mary L. West. Thanks.}