Does the Music’s Message Honor Christ?

© 2016 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

 All, except perhaps the deaf, have experienced music’s power to impact our mood and influence our behavior.  Madison Avenue’s wealthy advertising gurus are well aware of this.

 The Bible provides an example in which David played music that calmed the raging heart of King Saul.

 “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him” (1 Samuel 16:23). 

Notice that David “played with his hand.”  Thus we learn that, even without words, music has a very powerful spiritual impact.

Scripture also tells us about music with an entirely different spiritual quality.  While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving God’s commandments on stone tablets, the people became impatient and prevailed upon his brother, Aaron, to make them a golden calf to worship.  Aaron presented it to the people and urged them to use it in worshipping God.  This was a heinous violation of God’s first two commandments.  As Moses and Joshua, descended from the mount, together, they heard a noise.

“And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.  And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.” (Exodus 32:17-19).

Though the people were singing, the sound was raucous “noise”.  It was spiritually consistent with their gross disobedience and demonic dancing.  Yet they claimed to be worshipping the Lord!

Many Christians have been seduced into thinking that, as long as we put good words with the raucous music of the world, it will honor God.  This ignores the fact that the music itself carries its own spiritual message.

Should we try to use evil music to convey God’s holy message of Christ’s sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection, which He endured to save His people from their sins?

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