Worship Music as Musical Offerings

            Worship Music as Musical Offerings

The sacrificial system mentioned in the Old Testament was very prescriptive in nature.  For instance, Leviticus 4:2 states, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:  If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.”  Notice that this offering was prescribed by YHVH to be a lamb “without blemish”.  The sacrificial system instituted in in ancient Israel was quite involved and included various prescribed sacrifices which were acceptable for different occasions and under different circumstances.   A careful study of the requirements for these sacrifices reveals that every sacrifice had the prescriptive requirement of being the best sacrifice the worshiper had to offer. 

            Why all the philosophical fuss over the sacrificial system of the Old Testament?  If a minister of music is going to refer to worship music as musical offerings presented to God, then it stands to reason that that musician should believe in the concept of presenting God the best suited musical offering that he or she and the worshiping body of believers are capable of offering.  Therefore, the notion that since all music is supposedly created equal, it does not matter what kind of musical offering one presents to God is not congruent with the biblical concept of musicing unto God.  Every honest minister of music minister or music educator who is knowledgeable of music composition and music theory will have to admit that all the creative efforts of composers and arrangers are not on the same level of musical quality and profundity and therefore not of the same value as musical offerings.