Last week we noted that Paul assumes the use of musical instruments in worship—we are to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with all our hearts, and we are to make melody as we do by means of instruments. Because this has been controversial in the church over the centuries, perhaps we should say a few more things about the use of instruments.
Instrumental music was not part of the requirements of the law for the tabernacle and later the Temple. As first established, the sacrificial system was silent. The first great innovation came with David, who established the tabernacle of David (2 Sam. 6:17), in which the primary sacrifice was musical, instruments included. Later, when Solomon built the Temple, the music of the tabernacle located on Mt. Zion was transferred to the Temple, along with the name of Zion—even though the Temple was not on Zion. We have no record of instrumental music in synagogues, while the instrumental music in the Temple came there from the tabernacle of David. This tabernacle was a type of the Christ church, as James noted at the Jerusalem Council. “After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up” (Acts 15:16). The chief characteristic of this tabernacle was that of musical praise, accompanied by instruments.
So the musical instrumentation of the Old Testament was not a fading shadow of the older order, but rather a glorious anticipation of the new order—which we are privileged to be part of. This brings us back to Paul’s exhortation—as we have been given this privilege, we need to take great care that we don’t come to it in a perfunctory way. We must sing and make melody with all our hearts, with all our might—with the same attitude David had as he worshiped at the consecration of this tabernacle.