Thursday, January 17, 2013

God Intended For Music to be Under Man's Supervision


            It is possible that the beginnings of musical knowledge could be traced to Genesis 1:26 where Adam is commanded to “...have dominion (7287) over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth (776), and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”  Also in verse twenty-eight he is admonished to “replenish the earth (776) and subdue (3533) it.”  The words dominion (radah 7287) and subdue (kabash 3533) mean to subjugate or to conquer and the word earth (erets 776) is the broad term used for the world as opposed to the word adamah (127) which means the soil.  Note that  God not only put the soil under man but also the erets i.e. the world around him. The world around him included music.
 
 So, Adam was given the command to conquer and bring under his control the world around him which included music.  We know from Genesis 2:19-20 that Adam was given tremendous insight and knowledge.  Although these passages say absolutely nothing about music, it is possible that he also had unusual insight in music.  However, the pursuit of such an exotic hypothesis would be nothing more than exegetical gymnasics

We know from the authority of the Genesis record, that God intended for man to subjugate and subdue all of his creation: which certainly included music.  We also know that God set man over the personal works of his creation.  Hebrews2:7-8," Thou madest him a little lower than the angles; thou didst set him over the works of thy hands:  Thou hast put all things in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.  But now we see not all things put under him."

Albert Barns stated,"It was the original appointment(Gen. 1:26) that man should have dominion over the lower world, and be its absolute lord and soverign.  Had he continued in innocense. this dominion would have been entire and perpetual.  But man fell, and we do not see him exerting this dominion. (Barnes Notes on the N. T. --Heb. to Jude-- p. 59.)  So, if Adam and Eve had not fallen, We probably would not be having so much debate over music philosophy. 

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