Secular and Sacred Music-part 2

 

Secular and Sacred Music-part 2    

 Some of the music mentioned in the Bible was not performed to honor God.  For instance, 1Samuel 18:7, “And the women answered one another (anah 6030)[i.e., they performed the music responsorally] as they played [sachaq (saw-khak') 3782], and said [i.e., sang], Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.  And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?”  This song was sung responsorally, not as a part of public worship to God, but rather to honor David. The word sachaq means to make merry or to make sport.  There is no indication that that their musicing was of a religious nature. The Bible makes no condemnation of these women’s secular musicing, neither does it intimate in any way that it was an occurrence of God honoring worship that could rightly be considered to be sacred musicing.

 I Samuel 21:11 and 29:5 both mention this singing and identify it as  musicing which honored David.  These two verses do not make any mention of God or praise being made to God by the performers.  Neither did King Achish nor the princes of the Philistines, nor did King Saul give any indication that this instance of responsorial singing (anah), playing (sachaq),  and dancing or piping (mecholah 4246) was sacred musicing to God. Certainly, the musicing that took place around the molten calf made from golden earrings of the people which was recorded in Exodus 32:1-4 and Deuteronomy 9:16-25 was not sacred musicing. Neither was the musicing that took place at the order of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 3 an instance of sacred musicing.  Also,  musicing at the party for the prodigal son’s return,  as recorded in Luke chapter 15, should be considered to be sacred musicing.