Not getting into the music debate, but the answer to this question seems to be YES it does matter to Him. I've been reading through the OT and God had a lot to say about how His people were to approach Him in worship, (and euqally how they were not to approach Him).
That the Postexilic Jews wanted to get the sacrifice and worship right and in accordance with God's laws. After 70 years of exil in Babylon for disobediance to the Law; who can blame them? and
They had a
time of praise with trumpets and cymbols and the people probably recited Psalm 136 where the levites said the first stanza and the people responded "His love to Israel endures forever".
Also I noted that David may have been responsible for the Jewish order of worship being held at this time.
Maybe (this is just supposition) David instituted worship reform in his day.
So to answer the question musical instruments are a part of the worship of God and I really don't think it matters what type.
What's available?.
Also an important aspect of worship is referrencing scripture that signifies God's goodness to his people.
Also Note 1 Cor 14:26-40
That there is an emphasis on orderly worship.
So to worshiping him in spirit and truth we have this in Hebrews:
So to please God we must have faith and we must earnestly seek him.
To worship him in spirit (that spirit of faith) and Truth.
Is to earnestly seek God in faith and uphold that bastion of truth the scriptures.
Also to be truthful in our faith.
Just doing stuff because its right is different than truely earnestly with our heart seeking to please God.
Its the latter that God wants.
There's my 2 cents worth.
Considering the amount of money we have spent on keeping the A/C working during the past few years, I'm certain the devil must be involved in it some how. :smilewinkgrin:
The NT doesn't give a rip about mechanical instruments. Whatever instruments you use in church, if use them for the glory of God, you're fine.
Doesn't matter if it's a Les Paul guitar, or a tissue paper/comb.
Thinkingstuff - It's funny that you post about Ezra because I just read that in my Bible reading over our vacation and saw just how praise was done at that time because someone here on BB had argued with me that the only time instruments like that were used were after a victory in battle but that was not the case here.
:)
I wrote it down to remember it.
We had quite of a discussion on this last year by DEFENDER OF THE FAITH.
(btw - he has not posted since Jan of 09 - he pretty much was a one issue man)
JSM, I challenge you to answer my questions of my post # 2 on the link indicated above.
And as I said in that post -
"Whether you answer my questions or not, this is my last post on this subject" - unless you specifically ask me a question
Thanks!
And so they were wrong!
It seems music was very essential for all sorts of things in the OT.
Probably also in the NT just that it was taken for granted
:thumbsup:
It amuses me when people go to the old testament to find support for musical instruments in church service. Since when do we get our procedure for new testament worship service from the old testament? Let's see, we don't do things the way they did them - we don't have priests, we don't sacrifice animals and crops, we don't have feast days and the like, etc. We are correct on all these points. Yet, we will happily go there to defend musical instruments. Doesn't that seem a bit inconsistent to you? Jesus said you don't put new wine in old bottles or a new patch on an old garment. Paul clearly states you don't mix the new with the old, the gospel with the law. Might I suggest that whatever we do in the NT service we use the NT to glean, support, and defend it and not the OT.
My personal stance is no, but the purpose of my post wasn't to take a stance but rather to illustrate this point. Whether you use them or not do not use the OT as support.
I didn't say the OT wasn't profitable, I said we shouldn't use it to determine NT worship procedure, as in how we worship God in the church. For instance, had you read my post you would have seen me use the examples of not having priests, not sacrificing, not observing feasts and the like, etc. Those things were outlines in the OT for OT service. The NT outlines how to worship in the NT service.
It is important that we study OT service since it is in the bible and most of it pictures Christ, but not to figure out how to worship in the church.
I have yet to see where musical instruments were used in actual Temple worship...nor do I see musical instruments used even in worship services in the NT. I also, don't see musical instruments being used in the development of the Liturgical Early Church services.
I do read of musical instruments being used to praise God, like when the foundation of the Temple was laid, after a victory or maybe as a celebration of a feast, marriage...ect, but not during an actual Temple worship service.
I'm talking about INSIDE the Temple...not outside the Temple...am I overlooking this in the Old and New Testaments and how about the liturgical life of the early church. Anybody have any references?