Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 7

Not only Beautiful but also Suitable—part 7

          2Corinthians 7:11 explains what happens when a sinner comes in true repentence  to Christ for forgiveness, “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”  I am drawn to the statement “what carefulness it wrought in you”.  I contend that one of the marks of a mature Christian musician is a carefulness in the selecton of the music he or she musics unto God.  I believe that carefulness should permeate all musical decisions.  The earnest Christian who loves much desires to bring honor to God as opposed to hocking his or her musical wares to a croud in order to please them. 

          Excess or flaw in sacred music can cause our musicing to be eneffectual.  As we study the musical notation (the te’amim) of the Old Testament, we can see that the Bible melodies supported the content of Scripture rather than beinging a distraction, hinderance, or competition to its message.  When it comes to sacred music as an art form and a a concomitant to the “subject”, the musical vehicle ( i.e. the way that the formal properties are arranged into an artistic whole)  must not only be beautiful but also a congruent representation of the moral nature of God.  Religious music clothed in an inapropriate or inept vehicle will not change the moral nature of God (i.e. what God is really like), but it can change a person’s conception of what God is like.