The Corruption of Music

In my last post, “The Creation and Application of Music”, (If you haven’t read the first two posts, let me suggest that you do so as it will help you understand where we are in this discussion.), we observed three major truths about music. First, music is powerful and has an incredible ability to influence mind, emotion, and will. Second, the human mind has the ability to store, retain and recall an incredible amount of musically driven messages. And third, these statements are true because God created music with these properties for the purpose of bringing glory to Himself.
Now a forth truth that I want to present and which I’m sure will be affirmed by most who read this blog, is that all music does not glorify God. At some point after it’s creation a corruptive element changed the focus of some music. But what or who made that change?

In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel we find a passage that provides us with a description of the fall of Satan from heaven. Now when you read this chapter, (And I encourage you to do so.), you may be confused because it is addresses “the king of Tyre”. Yet as you read the text there is an unmistakable reference to an angelic creation of God who once had an exalted station in the presence of God, but who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. Sometimes there is in a passage of scripture a dual reference and in order to fully understand the meaning of the text, you must apply this principle of biblical interpretation. Such is the case here.

In Ezek. 28:13-17, (New International Version – After this referred to as NIV), we read these words. "You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings."

Now look again at :13, first in the NIV, then in the King James Version, (After this referred to as the KJV), and I want to show you something important.

(Ezek. 28:13 - NIV) "You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
(Ezek 28:13 - KJV) "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."

I want you to notice that there is a difference in the translation. There are two words that I want to note specifically.

A. First the word “TABRETS” in the (KJV), and “SETTINGS” in the (NIV). The Hebrew word is (toph), which is always used of a drum, or a tambourine. That's what the word tabrets in the KJV means. The translators of the NIV chose to translate it "settings" for reasons I'll show you in a moment, but that is inconsistent with the way it is translated every other place in Scripture. This word is used 17 times in the Old Testament and every other time the NIV translates it "tambourine". Below I have sited some examples.

(1 Sam 18:6 NIV) "When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes."
(Isa 24:8 NIV) "The gaiety of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent.'
(Isa 30:32 NIV) "Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm."
(Jer 31:4 NIV) "I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful."
So the King James Version is correct and the word should be translated "tambourines".

B. The second word is translated "PIPES" (KJV), and "MOUNTINGS" (NIV)
The Hebrew word is neqeb and the Root means to bore, or to pierce with holes.
Ezek. 28:13 has the only occurrence of this word in Old Testament so we can't compare it with other uses to determine the meaning. The comment inserted by the NIV Translators at the bottom of the page says, "The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain". So why did they translate it "mountings"? Because the first part of this verse indicates that Lucifer was covered or clothed in various gems, (ruby, topaz, emerald...) they have given both this word and the one previously discussed a meaning that has something to do with jewels, "settings and mountings". For the same reason others translate this second word, "engravings".

However because of the clarity of the meaning of the first word, (toph), "tambourines", it is evident that the context switches and bares be a musical reference as indicated by the King James. And the reference to boring holes that we see in the Hebrew word "neqeb" likely alludes to the holes bored in a pipe to make an instrument like a flute.

So a legitimate translation of this verse could be "You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your tambourines and flutes were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared".

So what's the point to all this? Why spend so much time on these word studies? Because what we have here in Ezek 28 is striking evidence that Lucifer was created as a MUSICAL BEING. That somehow built into his very person, his created make up, were musical instruments.

This fits very well with the other parts of the description that we are given of Lucifer. Ezek. 28 says, You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty... You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you."

Lucifer was probably the highest ranking of the angels, even above Michael who is called the "Archangel" (meaning Chief Angel) in Jude 1:9 and "the great prince who protects" the people of Israel in Dan. 12:1. Michael may have only assumed that position as chief angel after the fall of Lucifer.

He was "full of wisdom and perfect in beauty". He may have been the wisest and most beautiful of all God’s created beings who was originally placed in this position of authority over the cherubim surrounding the throne of God. He was created to dwell in the very presence of God, evidently for several reasons. One was to be a sentry to symbolically guard the throne of God. Not that God needed guarding but as a picture of God's unapproachableness, and invulnerability.

But another job of Lucifer must have been to lead the host of heaven in musical praise of Almighty God. That's the reason he was equipped with musical instruments.
Rev. 5:11-13 "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"

What an awesome picture. Millions of angels giving glory to God and singing praises to the lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. And Lucifer, the Shining One, was heaven's worship leader, the musician, and the orchestra all rolled into one.

Music was a part of his created nature. However Lucifer did not long keep his first estate. Instead he became proud of his own shining glory and his power and his wisdom, (even though it had all been given to him by God), and he rebelled against the One that he was created to glorify. And so God cast him out and the Bible tells us that the earth became his domain. And Revelation 12 tells us that along with him he persuaded 1/3 of the angels to rebel and they too lost their place in heaven.

Now when Lucifer the "Day Star" rebelled, he became Satan, the prince of darkness. However when he was cast out of heaven Lucifer did not lose those attributes of his creation. He is still very intelligent. He is powerful. He is still musical. And some of the music of the world, with all it’s power and influence, rather than bringing glory to the God who created it for that purpose, is instead a satanic counterfeit designed to draw men, women, away from Christ.