Of all the musical elements, rhythm evokes the strongest physical response. To prove this point, put on your imagination with me and consider the following example. Picture a company of Marines parading by in rank, performing their morning cadence. Your Left, Your Left, Your Left, Right, Left… We'll make you a man, and that you can be sure of, Your Left, Your Left, Your Left, Right, Left. Can't you just feel your feet want to stay in cadence so as not to break rank? Now let's bring this type of rhythm into the "Christian" realm. Sing with me please: "Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before…" Can't you just see yourself marching along with the rest of your brothers and sisters? OK, I hope you can see my point about rhythm, because Satan certainly does, and he knows how to use it to his advantage if you let him. "They (young men and young women who profess to believe the truth) have a keen ear for music, and Satan knows what organs to excite to animate, engross, and charm the mind so that Christ is not desired. The spiritual longings of the soul for divine knowledge, for a growth in grace, are wanting... He is a skillful charmer, luring them on to perdition." 1T 496-497. Therefore, let us sing so as to never receive from the Lord what Amos had to deliver to the Israelites: "Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols." Amos 5:23.

The most defining text on music in God's Word is Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Notice some very important principles brought out in this text.

2) We will employ the God-given "wisdom" for the select words of our music. The Hebrew word "wisdom" spoken of here is "sophia," meaning (Strong's): "Wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters; the wisdom which belongs to men; the varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, and summed up in maxims and proverbs; the science and learning; the act of interpreting dreams and always giving the sagest advice; the intelligence evinced in discovering the meaning of some mysterious number or vision; skill in the management of affairs; devout and proper prudence in intercourse with men not disciples of Christ, skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth; the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living."

3) When employing music, the purpose is to teach and admonish. Admonish is the Hebrew word "noutheteo," meaning: "to admonish, warn, exhort." Thus, to admonish, warn or, exhort, would be to call sinners to repentance, advise strongly, urge earnestly, caution, entreat. "The melody of song, poured forth from many hearts in clear, distinct utterance, is one of God's instrumentalities in the work of saving souls." 5T:493; EVA:496.

4) We will sing with "grace." That is (from Strong's): "That which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness; grace of speech; good will, loving-kindness, favour; of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues; the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace; the token or proof of grace, as a benefit; a gift of grace; bounty; thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward." A great example of this would be found in Eph. 4:29: "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." And just a thought, Psalm 100:2: "Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing."

Paul calls for our music to be holy, just as our prayers are inspired by the Holy Spirit: "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." 1Co. 14:15. And in verse 26 Paul admonishes: "How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying." This "edifying" in the Hebrew is "oikodome," which means: "to enhance education, instructional, tutorial, enlightening, the act of one who promotes another's growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness," which follows along with the context of this section of Scripture down to verse 40.

Understanding the correct music to listen to is vital if only because in these end times the whole world will be divided into two camps - those who worship the Creator and those who worship (thus accepting the mark of) the beast (see Rev. 14:9-11). Remember our marine cadence? Notice how the emphasis of the rhythm is on beats 1 and 3. With Rock-n-Roll, forms of Blues, Country-Western, and the machine-gun style of Rap (which is a form of Rock-n-Roll spoken in monosyllables), the emphasis is on beats 2 and 4. Or as with constant syncopation the emphasis is on the upbeat, halves, or second portion of the beat. Example: one-AND, two-AND, three-AND, four-AND. Most Classical and Christian hymns, as an example, emphasize beats 1 and 3. So what's the problem with exalting beats 2 and 4? It goes against ones regular heart beat. Listen to the ticking rhythm of a battery clock and you will find it in sink with your beating heart. Pump-rest, pump-rest, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, as in ONE-two, THREE-four. Quite relaxing on a quiet winters day. However, combine the urge to move with a mesmerizing beat and words (one where the same phrase and rhythm are repeated over and over) and you may begin to understand why you seem to day-dream when listening to music which emphasizes beats 2 and 4.

In making these observations, please remember that music is not only a vehicle for words, but carries a message of its own through rhythm. It has power to expand the message of the words it accompanies, or to corrupt it. Music can ennoble the impact of the words, or diminish them and have a corrupting influence. Ask yourself this question when considering the type of music you will listen to. "Do I intend to follow my Lord fully and completely and walk even as He walked (see Mat. 22:37)?" Before you say "give me a break," consider the other alternative, the mark of the beast. And because there is no middle ground, your next question should be: "Does this music exalt and glorify my Savior, draw me closer to Him, and appeal to sinners in such a way that they ask that all important question - What must I do to be saved?" Therefore, the type of music we should listen to helps us to "seek ye first the kingdom of God," Mat. 6:33, and focuses our attention on God, thus fostering a commitment to duty and obedience. That Satan is using music as one of the arenas to draw people away from God and righteous living, should not be disputed. Numerous studies (not cited in this short article) have proven both the positive and negative effects available to us through the medium of music. Jesus taught that we should not pray with repetition (Mat. 6:7), so the principle would hold true that our music should not be in a repetitive tone also.

A most telling evidence of "Christ-centered" singing by the early church is found in the private correspondence between the Roman Governor Pliny and the Emperor Trajan. In a letter written in A. D. 112, Pliny reported to the emperor that he tortured some young Christian deaconesses in order to find out what possible crimes were committed by Christians in their religious gatherings. To his surprise, Pliny found that, "The sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this. They had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses alternately among themselves in honor of Christ as if to a god, and also to bind themselves by oath, not for criminal purpose, but to abstain from theft, robbery and adultery, to commit no breach of trust and not to deny a deposit when called upon to restore it." What an inspiring pagan testimony about early Christian worship! Christians became known for singing to "Christ as if to a god," and for binding themselves to follow His example in their lifestyle of purity and honesty. It is evident that the main theme of their songs was Christ. They witnessed for the Lord by singing about Him and living godly lives in His honor.

"Music is often perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring agencies of temptation. But rightly employed, it is a precious gift of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to inspire and elevate the soul… As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer." YI: 590. "The long-drawn-out notes and the peculiar sounds common in operatic singing are not pleasing to the angels. They delight to hear the simple songs of praise sung in a natural tone. The songs in which every word is uttered clearly, in a musical tone, are the songs that they join us in singing. They take up the refrain that is sung from the heart with the spirit and the understanding." Manuscript 91, 1903; EVA:510. "Music is acceptable to God only when the heart is sanctified and made soft and holy by its facilities. But many who delight in music know nothing of making melody in their hearts to the Lord. Their heart is gone `after their idols.' " Letter 198, 1899; EVA:512. "The instruments of music have taken time which should have been devoted to prayer. Music, when not abused, is a great blessing; but when put to a wrong use, it is a terrible curse. It excites, but does not impart that strength and courage which the Christian can find only at the throne of grace while humbly making known his wants and, with strong cries and tears, pleading for heavenly strength to be fortified against the powerful temptations of the evil one." AH:407.

OBJECTIONS: In his book Jewish Music in Its Historical Development, A. Z, Idelsohn notes that in the worship of the Temple only one pair of cymbals were used and that by the leader himself. "The percussive instruments were reduced to one cymbal, which was not employed in the music proper, but merely to mark pauses and intermissions." The basis, function, and significance of choral music in Chronicles is that: "... the cymbals were not used by the precantor to conduct the singing by beating out the rhythm of the song, but rather to announce the beginning of the song or a stanza in the song. Since they were used to introduce the song, they were wielded by the head of choir on ordinary occasions (1 Chron. 16:5) or by the three heads of the guilds on extraordinary occasions (1 Chron. 15:19). Since the trumpets and the cymbals were played together to announce the beginning of the song, the players of both are called the `sounders' in 1 Chron. 16:42." In a similar vein, in his book Rhythm and Tempo, Curt Sachs explains, "The music in the Temple included cymbals, and the modern reader might conclude that the presence of percussion instruments indicate rigid beats. But there is little doubt that the cymbals, as elsewhere, marked the end of a line and not the beats inside a verse... A word for rhythm does not seem to exists in the Hebrew language." The term "Selah," which occurs in some psalms to mark the end of a stanza, may indicate the place where the cymbals were struck.