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"And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?" (1 Corinthians 14:7).
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1).
Now here in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul describes musical instruments as "without life giving sound". It is clear that what is in view is spiritual life. I must admit as I continue to study passages such as this that declare musical instruments as "lifeless", I find it a bit spooky that at the same time, some would make the convoluded notion that musical instruments represent "the sending forth of the gospel.". Looking at the Greek word for "life" here we see that it is indeed spiritual life that is identified here:
Strong's Number: 895
It seems more obvious to me at least that musical instruments represent the long-haired professional musician that will direct worship to himself to put your money in his "collection plate." The female musicians, or performing "church solos", will imply that all (lusting) eyes are upon her as she steals some of God's worship for herself. This was type of praise which is related to satan whose desire has always been to get people to look at "her/him" instead of our Jesus.
The "religious" clergy of the Jews in Jesus' day were full of pomp and loved the praise of men; even a casual reader of Matthew 23 can see this; they could not stomach Jesus bringing truth and stealing many crowds away from their musical festivals so they began obsessing on tracking down and murdering our Saviour.
Let's take a look at Matthew 13:
"The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." (Matthew 13:1-15).
The parables of Jesus will be both seen, heard and put into action (done) by His true children:
"But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." (Matthew 13:16-23).
The Jewish Clergy did not understand the parables of Jesus. They composed their own songs and upon flutes and harps for religious festivals. Of course being "religious" they twisted the scriptures to suit self worship and did not disclose the truth or were perhaps blinded by it so they never acknowledged or told anyone that David used musical instruments only for state type rituals associated with purification and animal sacrifices such as "young bulls" .
When you begin a "worship" service by playing musical instruments, you begin by polluting the audience. Yes, that's correct, Biblical uses of words such as "pollute" or "defile oneself" are very closely associated with the use of instrumental music in worship as I will show below. However, what the polluters don't realize is that because they have substituted music for the Bible, their new vineyards will ultimately fail miserably as Christ breaks down their little sheetrock walls and eventually, as promised in Revelation 18 and the following chapters, casts them, their music, and new their wine related "religious" feelings into the lake of fire for eternity. This is both honorable and just since they have substituted the work of their own hands for the Words of Jesus. God probably won't make them depressed either: He just sends them strong delusions in the form of strong deluders and the gullible follow the pipers like a spooked gazelle leading his flock into a river crossing filled with starving crocodiles.
Those who have graduated from the milk to the meat of the word know how closely satan identifies with musical instruments. In Isaiah 23 the prophet paints a spiritual portrait of satan as the "king of harp playing whores" coming with musical instruments. The "meat" being the "king" in Isaiah 23 can only refer to satan:
"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." (Revelation 9:11).
Now looking back at our subject text in Corinthians. Note the word "defile" to which these people are addicted is associated with spirituial adutery. Paul had uses this word in chapters 3 & 15 in the epistle of 1 Corinthians:
Strong's Number: 5351
Definition: to corrupt, to destroy; in the opinion of the Jews, the temple was corrupted or "destroyed" when anyone defiled or in the slightest degree damaged anything in it, or if its guardians neglected their duties to lead away a Christian church from that state of knowledge and holiness in which it ought to abide to be destroyed, to perish in an ethical sense, to corrupt, deprave.
King James Word Usage - Total: 8 corrupt 4, corrupt (one's) self 1, be corrupt 1, defile 1, destroy 1.
The same word translated "defile" or "corruption" in Hebrew is:
Chalal, Strong's Number: 02490
Definition: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin (Niphal) to profane oneself, defile oneself, pollute oneself 1a ritually 1a sexually to be polluted, be defiled (Piel) to profane, make common, defile, pollute to violate the honour of, dishonour to violate (a covenant) to treat as common (Pual) to profane (name of God) (Hiphil) to let be profaned, to begin, (Hophal) to be begun, to wound (fatally), bore through, pierce, bore, (Qal) to pierce, (Pual) to be slain, (Poel) to wound, pierce, (Poal) to be wounded, (Piel) to play the flute or pipe.
It is used in reference to the abomination of desolation:
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. - Daniel 11:31
It is also used in reference to satans attack on the end times church:
My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it. - Ezekiel 7:22
Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. - Ezekiel 20:16,24
For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house. - Ezekiel 23:39
That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: - Amos 2:7
Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. - Mal 2:11.
Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. - Zephaniah 3:4.
Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled. - Ezekiel 7:24
Notice that Ezekiel 7:24 uses the same langauge as Isaiah 5 & 14:
"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands. Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it." (Isaiah 5:12-14).
"Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" (Isaiah 14:11,12).
Again note in the Hebrew, this word is just as easily translated "player of instruments"; "break my covenant" or "prostitute" and used over and over and over again in the context of false worship.
Those who have lost the ability to hear Christ speak in parables designed to confuse or concern unbelievers are just like a drunk who cannot even feel when he is being physically corrupted:
As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. Proverbs 26:9.
Jesus said that any worship ritual which we have invented and which therefore does not come from His Word is vain worship. He has told us not to praise Him by saying "Lord, Lord" but to do God's will. Doing God's will is patterned after the Bible. If we reject Christ's words we have neither the mind of Christ, the Holy Spirit, nor eternal life within us:
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63).
We all sin but, should not allow "worship" to devour the flesh and bones of those who refuse to dance when the "girls" play their musical games and pipe to us. The faithful and older folks of the congregation are told to leave if they do not like it or perhaps the younger, musical crowd will just wish that the "geezers" and "fundamentalists" would die. So today regardless of if you are in the church or have left, the choice is crystal clear, either you will "worship" with instrumental music or worship by yourself.
And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. - Acts 7:41.
As with all idolotry, if instrumental music in worship is not the work of one's own hands, I don't know what is.
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