A Biblical Theology Behind Music, Praise, and Worship

By Dr. Mark Pearce

In A Biblical Theology Behind Music, Praise, and Worship, author Dr. Mark Pearce offers a researched and in-depth look at music, praise, and worship from a Biblical point of view. Providing keen insight into this complex subject, it gives a new understanding and appreciation of the importance of music, praise, and worship for individuals and those working in a corporate worship setting.

Using a host of scriptural examples, Pearce covers a wide range of subjects, including:

Lucifer and music from a Biblical perspective;
subliminal messages in music;
the meaning of praise and worship;
the role of music and dance within the church;
the symbolism of the tabernacle and the temple;
deciphering the Teamim music notations in the Bible;
dealing with conflict resolution within the worship team; and
how colour and sound affect praise and worship.

A study tool to use alongside the Bible, A Biblical Theology Behind Music, Praise, and Worship delves deep and presents wider Biblical understanding into music, praise, and worship. Pearce communicates that music is a powerful tool that affects the emotions of a listener, and he shares the importance of using it for the glory of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Feb 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524677268

Dr. Mark Pearce

Dr. Mark Pearce is an ordained minister who holds a doctor of theology degree from Shiloh Bible Institute and Seminary, Canada. He earned a masters degree in composition from Birmingham Conservatoire (Birmingham City University, United Kingdom) where he specialized in Biblical music and the Teamim. Pearce is an accomplished musician with more than thirty years of experience. He and his wife have been married twenty-three years. They have two children. Dr. Pearce currently lives in Wolverhampton, England.

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Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

© 2017 Dr. Mark Pearce. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/16/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7727-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7728-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-7726-8 (e)

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 Music from a Biblical Perspective –Lucifer and Subliminal Messages

Chapter 2 Musical Instruments in the Tanakh

Chapter 3 Hebrew Words for Praise and Worship

Chapter 4 Greek Words for Praise and Worship

Chapter 5 Prophetic Praise and Conflict Resolution

Chapter 6 The Role of the Levites in the Old Testament

Chapter 7 The Tabernacle of the Old Testament

Chapter 8 The Temple in the Old Testament

Chapter 9 Music and the Temple

Chapter 10 Notation and Cantillation

Chapter 11 The Colour and Sound of Praise and Worship

Conclusion

Works Cited

I

dedicate this book to my mom and dad, Frank and Alvita Pearce. We will always love you, and you will both always be in our memories.

Acknowledgements

I would like to give my sincere gratitude to the following people.

To my wife, Deborah, thank you for always being by my side. You have been a tower of strength to me. Your ministry is awesome. God has called you and ordained you even before you were conceived in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1: 5). You have the strength of your namesake, Deborah (Judges 4: 9–10), the faithfulness of Ruth (Ruth 1: 16–17), and the courage of Esther (Esther 4: 15–16). I thank God for you, my love. You are my faithful friend and lover, Ani ohev otach.

I want to say how proud I am of our son, Matthew, and our daughter, Elisha. The joy that you have both brought into my life is immeasurable. Thank you both for your encouragement and prayers, I love you both, with all my heart. God bless you xx.

Thanks to Julie Porter, a close friend and colleague. Julie, you are a very special friend of my family. You have been there for us to encourage us, pray with us, and cry with us, and you have stood with us through good and bad times. Also, thank you for the times when you were not timid to correct us; you are truly a friend (Proverbs 27: 17). Thank you for your advice and assistance in refining this book; words cannot express my appreciation. Your contribution is incalculable. God bless!

Most importantly, I give all praise and thanks to Yahweh, the most high God, who is my foundation and my all. He has been my inspiration and has led me throughout the whole process of writing this book. Without Him, I would not have been able to accomplish this final work. I give all praise and thanks to my Heavenly Father.

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

1 Corinthians 4: 1–5

Chapter 1

Music from a Biblical Perspective –Lucifer and Subliminal Messages

Jubal and Biblical Music History

There are many non-biblical mythological theories and thoughts concerning the true beginning of music. However, according to Moses and recorded in the first book of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), a man by the name of Jubal was the father of all those who played the harp and organ (Genesis 4: 21).

The period during which Jubal began to develop musical instruments is unknown. However, some theologians say that he developed the כנור kinnor, also known as the harp, from which all stringed instruments derived, and the עוגב ugab, also known as the organ, from which all wind instruments derived, nearly 1,500 years before the flood during Noah’s time.

However, the organ must not be confused with the traditional instrument found in the modern-day church. In fact, it was a woodwind instrument (to be explained in more detail later in this chapter). However, unbelievable to some, the origins of music entering the earthly realm can be argued to go back even further than Jubal. Some theologians believe it was Lucifer himself who became the portal for the origins of music.

So, as there seem to be arguments that the origin of music dates back to possibly within 160 years of humans on earth, I feel it wise to focus my research on the biblical perspective of the origins of music. I want to further investigate and present my research findings on the theory that music actually began when God placed it within Lucifer. This research may not be accepted by some theological circles, but it has a valid place in the argument of the origins of music.

As we read the Bible, we see it is permeated with account upon account of the use and enjoyment of music. Why is this? In a time before modern television, concerts, and electric musical instruments, music was an integral part of life, particularly in Old Testament times. In fact, if we could step back into this time, we would see biblical accounts come to life. For example, we would see women playing the timbrel (called the toph) or masses of people blowing rams’ horns (known as the shofar) while singing and dancing. Additionally, music would have been heard coming from the temple as people were gathering or in the act of worship. Such was the influence of music in this period as they worshipped Yahweh.

Incidentally, Yahweh is God’s personal name (Exodus 3: 15). In the Bible, LORD, written all in capitals, represents YHWH. In Hebrew, God’s name is written using the letters yod, hey, vav, hey. In English, the transliteration is Y-H-W-H. It is important to say here that the Hebrew language does not contain any vowels. When transcribed, the tetragrammaton YHWH is often pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah. However, I personally prefer Yahweh, and from here on, I may interchange the words ‘Yahweh’ and ‘God’, but He is the same Creator of the universe.

Yahweh means the One who exists. Its root word is actually hayah, which translates in English as ‘I am’. Interestingly, ‘I Am that I Am’ (Exodus 3: 14), which is transliterated as ‘hayah asher hayah,’ also means the existing One. Furthermore, Jesus made the declaration of ‘I Am’ on numerous occasions, one of which is in the account of John 8: 37–59, the key verse being verse 58: ‘Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’

Origins of Lucifer

This section explains the origins of Lucifer, his proper name, and finally, what this being is.

It is a widely accepted theological stance that whilst in heaven, Lucifer was the chief worship leader. However, is this stance truly correct, and if so, how does this affect the act of humankind’s worship to God? It is recorded in the Bible that the two major prophets, Ezekiel and Isaiah, describe a heavenly conversation concerning Lucifer. Firstly, we analyse the words of Ezekiel recorded in the book of Ezekiel 28: 13–15.

You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.

Notice that Ezekiel states that Lucifer was created by God with tabrets and pipes in him. Before we go any further, we must explain what is meant by tabrets and pipes.

‘Tabret’ is the Hebrew word תֹּף ‘toph’, meaning ‘tambourine’. ‘Pipe’ is the Hebrew word בקֶנֶ ‘neqeb’, meaning to bore through. Could neqeb be linked to an instrument similar to a flute in modern-day terms? If so, it can be argued that Ezekiel is actually stating that Yahweh created musical instruments and placed them within His creation. Based on this summary, many theologians believe Yahweh created Lucifer this way to lead praise and worship in heaven. All other heavenly beings are described as worshippers around the throne of God or as angels sent out to do God’s divine bidding. Lucifer is the only one described as being created with musical instruments within him. This cannot be a coincidence; the instruments built within him were established by the Creator of all things.

God has a purpose and a plan for everything He does. As such, I argue that it can be concluded that the instruments placed within Lucifer were there for no other reason but that of playing music and worshipping God.

At this point, it is beneficial to further discover who or what is this musical being Lucifer. Firstly, let’s discuss his name. The name ‘Lucifer’ is translated from the original Hebrew word הֵילֵל – ‘Heylel’ – found in Isaiah 14: 12. It means shining one, light bearer, day star, morning star. So why Lucifer and not Heylel? Let me explain. Although Heylel is the original word, it is imperative to note that Jesus Christ is also referred to in the Scriptures as the day star (2 Peter 1: 19) and the bright and morning star (Revelation 22: 16). There can be some confusion as to why Jesus and Lucifer are both called the day star or morning star. Let me attempt to bring some clarification to this seemingly confusing issue.

There are various translations of the Hebrew text. Two of the most popular are the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint. When we look at the original Hebrew word ‘Heylel’ in Isaiah 14: 12, it is translated in the Latin Vulgate as phosphoros and in the Septuagint as heosphoros. Both words translate as daystar. The Latin translation of heosphoros is Lucifer. Hence, the word ‘Lucifer’ is used in some Bible versions to avoid confusion between Jesus and Lucifer. Some modern-day versions of the Bible have the name ‘day star’ or ‘morning star’ for the word ‘Lucifer’. Personally, I feel Lucifer is an accurate translation, but you must keep in mind that the original name is Heylel. So do not be confused if I interchange Lucifer and Heylel; they are the same being.

Let me give you an example. A parent names his or her child Peter in the English tongue and with the English spelling. However, a Spanish translation of that name is Pedro. In the English language, Pedro sounds and looks different, but it means the same thing. Only the parents will know the true original pronunciation and the reason they named their child Peter. In the same vein, God created and gave the name Heylel.

Heylel was