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Biblical Worship – Instruments

Pastor Tom Hughes
Newark Seventh-Day Adventist Church
 

The left-brain listens to melody and the right-brain listens to beat.

So many left-brain Christians (since they don't primarily listen to beat) think loud percussion in music is evil.

However, the Bible clearly teaches that percussion is part of worship music.

Consider Psalm 81:2, “Start the music, beat the drum, play the melodious harp and lyre.”

The word translated “drum” in this verse is the Hebrew word “toph.”

According to the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary,

“The toph was a hand drum, made of a wooden hoop and very probably had two skins. It was beaten by the hands, and must have made a kind of tom-tom sound.”

Psalm 150:4-5 even puts a stronger nail in the coffin of the anti-percussion view. It says, “Praise him with toph...Praise him with cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals.”

This not only approves of percussion, but says it should be loud.

Churches which provide music without percussion are not being Biblical and are depriving right-brain people of their God-given pleasure in music.
Entered by Phil Ward – Sept 13, 1998

1 Chronicles 25…

1Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was:
2Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied according to the order of the king.
3Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord.
4Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
5All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to exalt his horn. For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the authority of the king.
7So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the Lord, all who were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

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