Music and the Genesis Record—part 3

Music and the Genesis Record—part 3

                It stands to reason that God created the building blocks of music to be exceedingly good and that it is the objective of Satan to pervert them by negating their “goodness”.  Since in this instance ma’od towb also means that  the elements of music were created to be the very best, we may safely deduce that it is the will and work of Satan to pervert a proper arrangement  of those elements (building blocks) of music that make them exceedingly “good”.  Satan is capable of influencing a composer’s arranging of the building blocks of music. When Satan has an influence that produces a perversion (incongruent ordering of the building blocks), then this perversion does not produce “good music”.

              I do not know about you, but I do not want to agree philosophically with the belief that Satan’s influence on music is good although it is perverted or that Satan’s influence on music makes it better.  I find it hard to imagine how any thinking Christian musician could agree with those who believe that anything that Satan is responsible for is good or that he does not negatively influence performers, arrangers, and performers.

             Although it is possible for a composer who is not a Christian to order the building blocks of music in a fashion that will make them congruent with the purposes of scared muscing, it is the responsibility of the Christian composer, arranger and performer to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order that his or her involvement with music will be influenced by the Spirit instead of Satan.  Romans 8:6-8 instructs Christians to be filled with the Spirit “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”  Furthermore, 1Corinthians 2:14 explains, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”   However, 1Corinthians 2:6 promises that the Christian is not alone in his or her musical endeavors, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”