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Insights
Daily insights about worship.
Insights
Thursday, July 31st:
Play Skillfully
Psalms 33
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
*
We can identify two critical components addressed by the psalmist in this scripture as being "the spiritual" and "the physical."
The reference to the word "righteous", speaks of the spiritual condition of the worshiper. According to 1Chronicles 15, this is expressed through sanctification.
1 Chronicles 15:11-14
Sanctification:
To set apart for sacred use; consecrate.
To make holy; purify.
Source:
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Notice that David prepared a place for the Ark. It was also necessary for the bearers of the aArk (the presence of God) to prepare themselves through sanctification.
John 17:16-17
Romans 12:1
Ephesians 4:17-32
Psalms 101
In Psalms 33:3, the "physical" exhortation is seen in the word "skillfully."
Skill:
Proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience.
An art, trade, or technique, particularly one requiring use of the hands or body.
A developed talent or ability: writing skills.
Source:
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Notice that skill is something that is acquired or developed. However, skill is no less a part of the preparation of the worshiper than sanctification. In fact, it could be argued that the discipline of developing one's skill level is a part of the sanctification process itself.
1 Chronicles 15:22
22 Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful;
Note: Chenaniah means "preparation." In a sense, they were instructed by "preparation."
1 Chronicles 25:1-7
By the order of the King, the order and model for worship is commanded.
Psalms 33:3
3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
Skill apart from the direction of the Holy Spirit is a carnal pursuit, with the ultimate end being a striving after wind; the entertainment of the flesh rather than the glorification of God.
Though the spirit of the worshiper is not subject to the physical, the absence of developed skill of the worshiping singer or musician will result in the limitation of expressions of dynamic worship.
To give an analogy: What if someone asked you to paint a picture of a rainbow at sunset over the ocean, but you only had brown and gray in your palette? What do you think that picture would look like? Now, add red, blue, yello, black and white to your palette, and poof; a whole world of expression of color and hew is possible.
For a worshiping singer or musician, that's what skill is like. It's like adding colors to your palette. But even with just brown and gray, the Holy Spirit can do amazing things with a yielded heart. But as the old hymn says...
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.
The Spiritual provides the holy context for the worshiper's gift, and in turn, the skillfull performance of that gift releases the worshiping singer or musician into greater expressions of praise and adoration of the Father as the Holy Spirit directs.
In His abiding presence,
Jay
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