GOSPEL SINGERS DON'T REALLY CARE GOD'S CODE.
There was a secret code that King David played and pleased the Lord.
But modern Gospel singers don't really care now in music, do you?
During the reign of King David, Levite musicians were not singing artists invited to entertain the people at the Temple. They were ministers of music. These were the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark rested there.
They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting" (1 Chron 6:31-32). Through their musical service the Levites ministered to the people.
In five other instances in the Old Testament, the Levites are said to minister to the people through their music (1 Chron 16:4, 37; 2 Chron 8:14; 23:6; 31:2).
They were appointed to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.
The three verbs used in this text "Invoke," "Thank," and "Praise" suggest that the music ministry was a vital part of the worship experience of God’s people.
Summing up, the music ministry at the Temple was conducted by experienced and mature Levites who were trained musically, prepared spiritually, and served pastorally.
To minister musically in the Old Testament was a great privilege and a most responsible service.
In a very real sense modern gospel singers they shall be New Testament Levites.
Therefore these principles established by God for the Levitical priesthood should be noted as valid guidelines for church music leaders and gospel singers in a New Testament church.
Lessons from the Temple Music. What lessons can we learn from the music of the Temple? The absence of percussion musical instruments and of dancing bands in the music of the Temple indicates that a distinction must be made between the secular music used for social entertainment and the sacred music employed for worship service in God’s House.
No bands were at the Temple to entertain the people with loud rhythmic music, because the Temple was a place of worship and not a social club for entertainment. Percussion instruments like drums, tambourines, timbrels or tabrets, which were commonly used for making entertainment music, were absent in the Temple music. Only the cymbals were used, but in a limited way. They marked the end of a stanza and the cessation of the singing.
The lesson for us today is evident. Church music should differ from secular music, because the church, like the ancient Temple, is God’s House in which we gather to worship the Lord and not to be entertained.
Percussion instruments which stimulate people physically through a loud and relentless beat are as inappropriate for church music today as they were for the Temple music of ancient Israel.
Another lesson is that the musical instruments used to accompany the choir or the singing of the congregation should not cover up the voice. Like the string instruments used in the Temple, musical instruments used in the church today should support the singing. Musical instruments should serve as a hand-maiden to the Word of God which is sung and proclaimed. This means, for example, that organ music should not be so loud as to drown the voice of the congregation.
