"Giving Praise to God: A Pattern With Purpose"

Why do we sing or play music for God?

Have you ever wondered why churches throughout the world spend such a significant portion of time in the weekly service singing songs and providing accompanying music? There is not really any substantial doctrine or teaching provided directly from Jesus, the apostles of Christ, or any of the authors of the New Testament on this matter. While there certainly is mention and reference to the use of song by members of the early Church in the book of Acts, and others in the church were encouraged to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, but there certainly is very little substantial guidance on this subject matter.

Why then, 2000 years later, do churches in every country of the world incorporate singing or playing of music for 5 minutes to several hours during the course of a normal gathering? Where in scripture can we find guidance on this issue, what was the purpose of the design, and what implications does this have for us today?

I would like to start with a portion of scripture in the New Testament.

In the letter to the Hebrews there is quite a bit of discussion about the Mosaic tabernacle and the Aaronic priesthood which had its limits ultimately because it failed to provide free access to the presence of God. Remember that the high priest could only enter the most holy place once a year. But in Hebrews 9:11, we learn that Christ came to establish a more perfect tabernacle not made with hands where there was permanent free access to the Father because of the sacrifice of His Son. No more bulls and goats' blood necessary.

However, an interesting point is referenced in Hebrews 8:5, which says, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain". The word pattern in the Greek text is the word tupo which means "type". That means that the ministry of the tabernacle was a shadow of things to come, which is now filled with the substance of the life of Christ. The quoted text from Hebrews 8:5 is actually derived directly from Exodus 25:40, which is a part of a larger portion of the Torah called "T'rumah". The significance of the Mosaic tabernacle is that the Lord directed Moses (Ex. 25:9) with explicit instructions on how to build it (Ex. 25:2-27:19). The unique part of this equation is that God instructed Moses to request an offering (T'rumah) "from everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering (t'rumah)" (Ex. 25:2). The t'rumah was the Lord's offering because it was used to build Him a dwelling place on earth (Ex. 25:8) where He could meet with the children of Israel through the priests. There was no prescribed amount to be given at all, but it is remarkable to note that given the parameters of this freewill offering that the children of Israel were actually instructed to stop giving because Moses had collected more than enough to complete the tabernacle! So what can we learn from this "pattern"???

The Pattern

For us Gentiles 2,000 years after Christ left the world, it is important to establish that God provided a pattern for worship that was provided to the children of Israel. I want to briefly highlight some parts of that pattern (note: I am not getting into the whole sacrificial system, but just focusing on the music).

In the Mosaic tabernacle, the primary functions had to do with sacrifice and offering, yet song had a very important role in the life of the Hebrews. Consider some of the earliest references to the use of song to ascribe worth to our Maker. In Exodus 15:1ff Moses sings to celebrate the Lord's triumph over Pharaoh's army as they crossed the Red Sea and in Exodus 15:20ff Miriam and her followers sang with timbrels and dances to celebrate this great victory and deliverance from Egypt. Song (and accompaniment) has long been a method by which people have ascribed praise to God. This is the main point I would like to explore at a deeper level.

Specifically, I would like to explore the scriptural guidance given with regard to ascribing honor to God through song and then I would like to review the implications for us today. Several scripture passages in the Old Testament highlight the way in which the Hebrews viewed how musical worship in the tabernacle (remember this is the pattern that is a shadow of what is to come) should take place. Consider David's tabernacle, where in 2 Samuel 6:5 it says that "David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals." Consider also 1 Chronicles chapters 15 and 25 where mention is made of the use of trumpets, rams horns, stringed instruments, cymbals, and musicians were encouraged to prophesy through song (25:1). Not to mention the host scriptures which the children of Israel are encouraged to clap, lift up holy hands, kneel, shout, or quiet your hearts and mouths in the presence of Yahweh.

Consider also throughout the Chronicles and Psalms (33:3 et al) where musicians and singers were selectively chosen according to their ability and were encouraged to play skillfully. Consider even more the allocation of human resources…1 Chronicles 23:3 says of the 38,000 men who were Levites 24,000 were to look after the house of the Lord while another 4,000 men praised the Lord with musical instruments which David said, "which I made for giving praise". That was quite a sizeable operation!! You can only imagine how this whole community of Levites functioned and operated since they numbered more than many cities. You can only imagine the amount of energy it took to coordinate, practice, play, schedule, etc, etc, etc...I simply wish I could be a fly on the wall to observe this awesome site. Where did this Levitical service take place? It took place in the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, the temple. The Most Holy Place of the tabernacle is the geographic place where God would sit enthroned between the cherubim (Ps. 99:1).

The Pattern of Purpose

While the earthly pattern includes tactical instructions with regard to singers and musicians (as seen in detail above), more importantly it includes a pattern of purpose that I would like to highlight in this article that the children of Israel touched on but could not sustain without the Holy Spirit. What then is the pattern of purpose (note: I claim intellectual property rights for the phrase "pattern of purpose" LOL)? Why was there so much emphasis on song and music, and why did the children of Israel commit thousands of human resources to ensure 24/7 praise be lifted up to God in the tabernacle?

I would posit that Israel understood what Psalm 22:3 meant when it says, "You are holy, O Lord, and You are enthroned on the praises of Israel." This means that the Lord is enthroned on the praises of His people and as we give praise to our Lord, He comes and literally sits among us on His throne as King.

Furthermore, Deuteronomy 10:21 says, "HE IS YOUR PRAISE (my emphasis added), and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen." My bible commentary elaborates on this verse and says, "The Lord himself is to be the sole object of Israel's praise. The worship of God is a vital part of covenant requirements. Through worship man gives an inward response and an outward expression of his relationship to God."

Since HE is our praise and HE is enthroned and made King when we praise, praise and worship time is not about me and you AT ALL! Have you ever been to a special event where there was a great speaker and he/she got a standing ovation? The moment you are remembering is a moment where you celebrated a person, who they are, what they have accomplished, or what they have said. In the same way, when we sing in church it is totally about celebrating who God is and GIVING TO GOD the honor and glory due to Him. Therefore, when we PRAISE God, we invite Him to sit on the throne of our hearts, but also on the throne of our community as we do so corporately. When we ascribe worth to His name through music and song, we publicly present to Him an offering and give the Lord a wonderful gift of thanks.

1 Chronicles 16:28-30 & Psalm 96:7-9 both say the following:
Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name;Bring an offering, and come into His courts.Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!Tremble before Him, all the earth.

What implication does this have for us today? Let us therefore have a renewed sense of thanksgiving, adoration, fear and trembling in the Lord's presence. May we not enter His courts simply to get a blessing, but in the same way Israel offered a freewill offering (t'rumah) to build a house (dwelling place so God could be near) for God, let us come to the house of God prepared to GIVE and not so much to receive. May we not simply lift up our voices to try and capture God's attention when we are going through a difficult time, but let us lift up our voice to declare the wondrous love of our God in thanksgiving for all that He has already done for us. May we fear God and so deeply value who He is that when we enter His presence we are not concerned about petty needs and selfish desires, but we are captivated with a loving Father and come prepared to bring an offering of praise. Let us come prepared to GIVE to the Lord our very best and ask not what He can do for us, but what we can do for Him.

And remember, our gift to God, our sacrifice of praise, and whatever else you might give as an offering to him is be a freewill offering. The Father would have it no other way. In my words, God is not interested in vain lip service, but in a heartfelt offering of praise. Sometimes it may seem difficult to find something to be thankful for, we may feel numb when we genuinely want to offer God praise, or something of the like. In my opinion, I would suggest that when we are in the middle of these times it might just be time for us to be quiet...... to quiet our minds, our hearts, our complaints, our dissatisfaction, and freshly invite the Lord into our lives. Remember the song that says, "You are God in heaven, and here am I on earth, so I will let my words be few". Let us fix our eyes on Him and invite the Lord to renew our minds, our hearts, and let us find within ourselves a thankful heart. A thankful heart prepares the way for the Lord.

I have to be honest and say that I feel so many popular messages and songs these days are not God-centric at all, but in fact are very self-centric. This is a problem in our view of worship in my opinion. Worship is a time when we get warm and fuzzy and feel good about God meeting our needs, but the primary purpose is to ascribe worth to our Savior King. Let us refocus our energy on Him and get our eyes off of ourselves.

As a worship team, we have the awesome privilege to model this for our congregation!

From this place of reflection, I offer these lyrics…. Which by the way are totally raw and uncut…the idea is a really rockin' fast song to play in the beginning of a worship set that is totally scriptural…I call it…

"David's Song" (Derived from 1 Chronicles 16)
(Call to worship)
Give unto the Lord all you people
Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Lift up a shout of praise and come into his presence.
Enter His courts with a thankful heart.
(Call to worship)
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Honor and majesty surround Him
Strength and joy are in His house.
(Verse)
The Father gave His Son, because He loved the world
Let the whole world know what he has done.
Christ gave His life, to rescue us from Death
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim that he saves.
The Spirit gives us power, to tell of His great love
Tell everyone about his wonderful works.
(Verse)
The Lord made the heavens! He is to be feared above all gods.
O nations of the world, the Lord is glorious and strong.
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Remember his covenant lasts forever
His promise will last a thousand generations.
Sing to him; sing his praises.
(Bridge)
Cry out, "Save us, O God of our salvation!Gather and rescue us from among the nations,So we can thank your holy name And rejoice and praise you."
(End of Song Reprise/Vamp)
Great is the Lord! He is worthy of praise! (x12 drums )

P.S. If you actually read the whole thing, God bless you!