Musical
Sound Communicates Meaning Part 5
The
musical discourse in Exodus 32:17-20 is a discussion between Joshua and Moses
about the musical sounds that they heard coming from the camp of the
Israelites. Although I will not be able
to thoroughly consider this Bible example of musicing in the middle of this
discussion of the formal properties of music, I simply wish to point out that
the sounds produced from the formal properties of this “worship” music greatly
disturbed both Joshua and Moses.
Remember that they “heard” before they “saw” the people musicing. These
men of God were aware from the sounds they heard that there was something wrong
with the worship music they were hearing as they approached the camp of the
Israelites. When they saw the people musicing Moses was convinced that it was
certainly a very carnal form of worship.
It is evident to me that if this musicing had been a representation of
“the joyful sound” that Joshua and Moses would not have been so upset by what
they heard.
One
more observation of this musical discourse in the thirty second chapter of
Exodus is that Moses had just spent time on Mount Sinai in the presence of
Jehovah. When he left the presence of
God, where he received the Ten Commandments, and no doubt spent time worshiping
in the presence of the giver of the Decalogue, he was in a position to
recognize the genuine from the false i.e. sacred from profane musical sounds of
worship. Twenty-first century Christian
worship leaders should learn from this example that it will be the presence of
God that will keep us in tune with “the joyful sound” and that there is a
difference in sacred and profane musical sounds.
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