adminEdgar Moyana Christian Entertainment
The Bible in Exodus Chapter 32 teaches some important and yet often neglected points on songs and how these can easily be misinterpreted depending on one’s past experiences, mental state and fears of the unknown.
In this chapter we learn about the Israelites’ journey to Canaan but, more importantly, how they sinned against God through their singing and dancing.
According to the message in verse 17 going down, the Israelites under Aaron, one of their elders, committed idolatry by carving a golden calf and worshipping it.
The point to observe from these verses is that praise and worship songs can often carry different meanings to different people if their object of worship is confused or misdirected. In this chapter beginning from verse 17 we are shown Joshua, who also was an elder among Israelites and also a minister to Moses, having a discussion with Moses during which he argued that the shouting they both had been hearing while still a distant location from their camp were rumblings of discontent.
“And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted and sang, he said unto Moses, ‘There is a noise of war in the camp” (Exodus 32:17 [KJV]).
The noise had, in fact, been the sound of people singing and dancing as they worshipped their new idol god which they had made for themselves. However, since Joshua had been afraid of a possible attack against their camp as they journeyed to their Promised Land, Canaan, the noise of shouting gave him the wrong idea that their camp may have been attacked during their absence. Part of his problem for confusing the singing for noise of war had been that the noise itself triggered thoughts of war and fear especially in someone like himself, who already had fears of the unknown.
The same applies with today’s praise and worship singers. If in their songs or music their object of worship is misdirected such as, for example, putting together worship of God and worship of self or other material values, such songs can easily be confused for noise. Still in the same chapter in verse 18 Moses knew already the exact nature of the distant noise they had been hearing as that of singing and dancing since God had informed him before-hand of the situation in their camp while he still prayed on Mount Sinai.
“And he (Moses) said, it is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear” (Exodus 32:18 [KJV]). The other reason why Moses could easily tell that the people in their camp were singing songs dedicated to an idol god had perhaps been because of the unfamiliar tune of their singing together with their shrilled voices which suggested idolatry.
If, however, in your choice of gospel music you are interested only in that which sounds pleasing to the ear, chances are that your music selection is poor because much of your music fails to edify your spiritual life through not teaching the exact truth about God.
Overall, since music has such a huge impact in people’s lives, when it comes to gospel music there is need for listeners to be well versed in scriptures in order to tell exactly when their music is purely about God or otherwise reject it if it borders on idolatry.
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