A Sponge Knoweth No Discrimination - A fable

A Sponge Knoweth No Discrimination

The frog - he had a problem.
His pond was far too green.
Another's pond was bluer
(He heard the birds had seen).
But Froggie had an answer:
he'd suck up all the green,
and so he bought a bath sponge -
the biggest ever seen!
Well, sponges have no manners.
They suck up good and bad.
And very soon an empty pond was all that poor frog had.
A sponge does no deciding - only you can choose.
Expose your mind to evil, and you will surely lose.
By choosing what you see and hear; what you eat and do,
then you control the input and you won't get sucked in too!

--Lionel Hartley, 31 March 98

What Type of Music is Appropriate For Worship?

What Type of Music is Appropriate For Worship?

Maybe this is best answered by analysing one of the items of music in the Bible, written especially for Sabbath worship, Psalm 92.

1 A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing

praises unto thy name, O most High:

2 To show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they

shall be destroyed for ever:

8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.

9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall

be scattered.

10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked

that rise up against me.

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

15 To show that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Verses 1 tell us the Object of our worship: The Lord, the most high God.

Verses 1 & 3 tell us how to worship: with thanksgiving and with music, what to sing (praises), to include musical instruments if available*, and for the music to be solemn (Hebrew Higgaion, meditation, solemn sound, not boisterous)

Verses 2 & 4 tell us why worship: To acknowledge God’s loving kindness, faithfulness and the works He has done. (Verse 5 describes these works)

Verse 6 warns against foolishness (Hebrew keciyl – foolish, stupid, silly, not taken seriously) & brutish (Hebrew Ba’ar – fiery, greedy, wasteful) behaviour.

Verses 7 & 8 contrast the transitory life of wicked man with the eternity of God

Verse 9 highlight the fate of the wicked to contrast verses 10-14, which highlight the blessings of acknowledging God.

The Psalm concludes with another reason for worship, i.e.: To show that the LORD is upright: he is (our) rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him

So how do we summarise:

Music in worship should be joyful yet solemn, remembering that we are in the presence of the Most High God.

Music in worship should spring from gratitude within our hearts (thankfulness) and an acknowledgement of who God is and what He has done.

Music in worship should be taken seriously

Music in worship should not be conducted foolishly, flippantly and without regard to the Object of our worship.

Music in worship is for the benefit of:

1. God – He is the Object of our worship and deserves our thankfulness and praise (Verse 1, 2, 5, & 8)

2. The worshipper: (Verses 10-14) and

3. Observers and other worshippers: the music should lead others to see the righteousness and surety of God (Verse 15)

* I have written to include musical instruments if available because this Psalm is a worship item not a command

From Lionel Hartley, Music in the Bible, Available free from www.lrhartley.com/music