A few years back, as a young university student, I became aware of a war—active and stringently fought—a war I was engaged in without even knowing it. I could feel it and see it, yet never understood the battle being waged for my mind, heart, and soul. My church youth teacher at the time helped me see that there is indeed a battle for the mind, especially as emerging worldviews clash with Christianity. Man-made religions claimed to hold the truth, yet we were taught from the Bible that Jesus is the Truth. Francis Schaeffer, theologian and philosopher, phrased it even more eloquently in response to the postmodern era: the true Truth.
Since truth became a social construct, it also became a changeable constant—defined by the individual. As I reflected on this concept of true Truth, I saw it as the perfect rebuttal to our present post-truth era. Truth is even less valued now and no longer viewed as a constant. It wasn’t truly constant before either, but at least it had a place in conversation. It was believed to be unchanging, yet it shifted from one individual to another.
Since truth is no longer seen as something objectively above the individual, I would like to walk with you through a topic that deeply impacts the church. I sense that we often approach music and worship much like society approaches truth—we open conversations but seldom end them with a shared understanding. It was a blessing to hear a sermon series on music and worship in my church. Interestingly, it was pointed out that the songs written by Solomon are not often mentioned in the history of music. Somehow, humanity—and Western society in particular—keeps wiping away important historical figures such as Solomon, a writer and music composer who contributed not only to Jewish society but to humanity itself. As Scripture records, kings and emperors travelled from afar to hear his wisdom.
Entertainment or Worshipping?
The topic of music is a sensitive one within the Christian community. It has divided churches and even given rise to new movements, perhaps including the charismatic movement. Yet by looking back through history and forward into the Scriptures, I hope we can identify the foundation of music and worship. For in the Bible, music plays a vital role in the life of both the individual and the community. The people of Israel sang, clapped, and even danced—with music always serving worship to God.
So we arrive at the point where we see that music can be worship, or it can be mere entertainment. What is the difference between entertainment and worship?
To understand music and worship, we must return to Scripture and study God’s Word so that our worship may be elevated. The deeper our understanding of His Word, the higher our worship will rise. The closer we walk with the Lord daily, the deeper we will sink into worshipping the great I AM.
The largest book in the Bible—150 chapters—is all music. Great composers such as David, Solomon, the sons of Korah, Moses, and many others wrote masterpieces to be sung in the Temple as worship. We also have another marvellous composition often overlooked: the Song of Solomon, which begins, “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” (Song of Solomon 1:1, KJV)
Not many artists today can say they have written the Song of Songs. Many Christians are unaware of the greatness of Solomon as a composer. In 1 Kings 4:32, Scripture reveals how many proverbs and songs he wrote. In today’s terms, it would be his “published works,” the ones circulated among the people. Many artists today write music, but only a fraction reaches the public ear. I recently heard a musician say that out of two hundred songs in a year, he released only two. The percentage is remarkably low. In a lifetime of fifty years, an artist may share only about a hundred songs.
From personal experience, I understand this. I have written more than 150 psalms and hundreds of poems, along with a few short stories and a novel that rest quietly on a drive. They have not yet been brought into the public eye. There is a fear that not everything will be read or accepted by one’s audience. Yet as servants of God, we must understand that we are in the bonds of the gospel, serving the great I AM. We should testify—before the public ears and eyes—of God’s work in our lives. Whether composer or writer, we serve for the edifying of the church.
When I look at the psalmists, I see God’s hand in their lives and how they proclaimed Him on the highest heights of worship. Solomon was given wisdom by God, magnificent and unparalleled. Yet we also have something similar: the Holy Spirit, who guides us and brings to remembrance the wisdom of God. We have the written Word of God; therefore, we are without excuse in serving Him and in publishing the works the Holy Spirit inspires. I like to think some of the works hidden on dusty shelves should indeed be lifted onto the pulpit of servitude.
Worship is motivated by God’s great work in the lives of His servants. Entertainment, by contrast, is empty of God. Entertainment seeks to stir emotion but not the spirit. It does not move the soul to kneel before God or to reflect on His great character. Instead, it strengthens the chains of the flesh. Worship, however, plucks the strings of the spirit so that the heart willingly draws nearer to God.
I think of Jonah chapter 2, where Jonah proclaims God’s salvation from the belly of the fish. We often look the wrong direction and forget that worship is also an act of the mind. I worship God with my whole being, which includes my understanding of Him. There was no pleasant feeling or exalted joy in that belly. Jonah 2 is a lamentation—a cry of repentance and a turning back to God.
Ask someone today, “How was the worship service last Sunday?” and the answers may surprise you. Fewer people understand God, yet more and more sing of Him without knowing Him. Our society is increasingly inclined toward entertainment. There is a growing void in people today, which is why the Devil uses entertainment so deceitfully—to captivate. Worship does not captivate; worship liberates. Worship is freedom in Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Chains of the Flesh
Entertainment welds ever stronger the chains of the flesh. It captivates, yet leaves an even deeper void. Solitude and inner echoes cry out for meaning and purpose. The short pleasures of entertainment will never resolve our deepest need—salvation from the chains of sin.
Do not be dismayed by churches that put on a show every Sunday “for the Lord.” No show can manifest God’s greatness. Christ has already presented before all creation, and before God’s holy throne, the greatest event that could ever be written, sung, or played. He accomplished it on the great scene of Calvary—with incomprehensible humility and love.
No show can earn the grace displayed on the Cross. The Triune God was the great spectator of that moment. There, once and for all, the chains of sin and flesh were broken. The Cross—the most hideous event recorded in Scripture, the bloodiest and cruellest episode in human history—does not entertain me. It drives me to lay face down on the ground and worship my Saviour.
Strings of the Spirit
Am I singing and praising God with a full awareness of what happened on Calvary? Am I beating a drum, or is my heart beating with worship? Am I shouting loudly, or is my voice truly praise? Am I jumping high, or am I kneeling low? Am I lifting my hands, or am I raising a laud?
Of course, the form of worship is another subject altogether. Yet even so, the form of our worship reveals who is central in our singing and praising. Worship is sung from the strings of the heart, spirit, and mind—with the eloquence of knowing who God is and what He has sacrificed to pay the wages of sin.
By grace through faith unto worshipping God. My praise should reflect the work done at Calvary. Many say, “I am looking forward to next Sunday to praise and worship God! I can’t wait!” But we do not worship God only on Sundays or only in church meetings. We should live in a constant posture of worship before Him.
The motto of my blog is: My life is a worshipping, worshipped to God—a daily, constant, growing worship given unto Him. Whoever looks only to Sunday gatherings for a worshipping environment has barely grasped the meaning of the Cross. We bring worship into the church; we do not take worship out of it. Whatever happens between two church services will be mirrored in how we worship within them.
Therefore, we must turn away from the captivity of such a mindset and turn unto God, that we may be liberated into the depth of knowing Him—living a life of worship in all we do.
Worship in the Splendor of Holiness
Psalm 96, KJV
1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
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