Musical Worship - Odes of Solomon

The Odes of Solomon condemns literal musical worship because it rejects the Word of God as adequate to interpret itself. Instruments are treated in the usual figurative way to contrast Christianity with paganism.

Because there is no New Testament evidence to support celebrative worship, it is tempting to seek a favorable view of music from other literature of the period. A recent book attempts to show that the Odes of Solomon teach a positive Christian view of music. The "watchmen of the night" hired to defend the faith didn't have a clue that the Odes were misappropriated.

The writer of the uninspired Odes used a common method of writing under the name of his hero, Solomon. However, far from painting a favorable picture of early Christian music, the Odes support the view that the harp, like incense and the sacrifice, is to be viewed figuratively.

As we move far enough from the proof-text "trees" to see the entire "forest" of the context, it is clear that the first reference to the harp does not describe public worship. It shows how God's Spirit "speaks in my members" to dispel error. To teach this, Solomon is caused to say--

"As the hand moves over the harp, and the strings speak, so speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord, and I speak by His love. For it destroys what is foreign, and everything that is bitter." Ode 6:1-3

While we might view playing and speaking taking place at the same time in this figurative speech, another view is that the Harp-Player (God) actively "plays" the passive harp. Those who read this early sermon understood that when one plucked a certain string of a harp it vibrated to produce a certain note. The harp could not, as did the Corinthians, invent their own songs or speeches out of their own "spirits." The musical instruments were therefore lifeless or carnal with no ability to direct worship to God.

Paul would have added that when one "teaches and admonishes" with the revealed Word of God, unity is necessary (harmony) so that the melody (a sequence of single notes) allows "Christ to sing in the congregation" (See Heb. 2:12; Rom. 15:9). The result is that "God plucks the heart strings" so that they vibrate sympathetically to the vibrations which came down from heaven.

Other writers support the notion of the human heart as the lyre or harp played by God. For instance, Athenagoras (IX) wrote:

"... Jeremiah, and the other prophets, who, lifted in ecstasy above the natural operations of their minds by the impulses of the Divine Spirit, uttered the things with which they were inspired, the Spirit making use of them as a flute-player breathes into a flute."

Another writer agrees by saying:

"For neither by nature nor by human conception is it possible for men to know things so great and divine, but by the gift which then descended from above upon the holy men, who had no need of rhetorical art, nor of uttering anything in a contentious or quarrelsome manner, but to present themselves pure to the energy of the Divine Spirit, in order that the divine plectrum itself, descending from heaven, and using righteous men as an instrument like a harp or lyre, might reveal to us the knowledge of things divine and heavenly." (Justin's Horatory Address to the Greeks, Chapt. VIII).

The pagans thought of their flute as the house where the gods or demons lived. When you "breathed" your own spirit into one end of the flute, the god spoke from within and gave an inspired, musical message. To show contrast, God's Spirit or the Spirit of Christ breathes into the prophet and the words which went into the prophet came out as the inspired, inbreathed Word of God.

In their view, the prophet as the "instrument," responded to God"s "playing," and his own tongue became the "notes" to speak the very words of the Spirit. The true prophet has no choice but to repeat God's message--

"For thus it was from the beginning and will be to the end, that nothing should be His adversary, and nothing should stand up against Him." Ode 6:4

Paul used the figure of music to show that the "songs" were the Word of Christ while the "act" was "speaking to one another" with these same words. The "result" would be "singing and making melody in the heart." This inner "string strumming" is directed vertically to God as the result of speaking the Word to one another.

To the Corinthians, Paul drew a direct parallel between the revealed Word which he had been commissioned to take to them, and how they as a group were to honor God by honoring Christ Who refused to speak that which God had not given to Him--

God did not just supply "topical titles" to feed a teaching process. He wanted His exact revelation "sung" to the whole world as both sermon and song. This this is the only way our spirit or mind can praise God's Spirit which is His Mind:

"The Lord has

multiplied the knowledge of Himself,

and is zealous that these things should be known,

which by His grace have been given to us. And the praise of His name He gave us: our spirits praise His holy Spirit." Ode 6:5-6

Shifting from "music" to "water" Solomon defined how God breathes His Word into the prophets as surely as a spring forces out water. This water or knowledge would flow from Jerusalem out into the whole world.

"For there went forth a stream and became a river great and broad; for it flooded and broke up everything and it brought (water) to the Temple; Ode 6:7-8

Jesus warned that the Pharisees had "taken away the key to knowledge" and, therefore, would be swept away when truth became available to each person.

In the same way, Solomon knew that men wanted to restrict the Word so that they could control the people. Therefore, the world is filled with people whose occupation is to restrict the Word of God to the people:

the restrainers of the children of men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts of those whose business it is to restrain water. Ode 6:9

Paul warned the Corinthians that they had ten thousand guardians or "restrainers" who were causing their worship to "do more harm than good." However, they had only one "father" or truth teacher. From chapters twelve through fourteen it is apparent that Corinth practiced the "art" of music and speech in tongues and thereby restrained Christ's doctrinal message (14:6). Right in the middle of this he gave us chapter 13 which identifies music as a communication tool as "noise" and "clang" for trying to get a message from the angles.

Other writers of this period believed that Satan gave the knowledge of music and other arts to turn off the water of the Word by the use of celebrative rituals. In their view, music became the restraining tool which deprived people of truth.

True knowledge is defined as a "song" or "light" or "water" which gives life to all living things. Therefore, when Messiah came, He delivered knowledge which flowed from the mountain of Jerusalem and out into all the world. Contrary to the new wineskins model of the gospel and kingdom, Christ came to give the water of the Word:

For it spread over the face of the whole earth, and filled everything: and all the thirsty upon earth were given to drink of it; and thirst was relieved and quenched: for from the Most High the draught was given." Ode 6:10-11

When God had given Israel the literal "water" from the literal "Rock" the message was that Jesus was the Rock who must be heeded when He came as "another :rophet" after Moses. While God was giving The Book of the Covenant in written form the Israelites fell back into their old Egyptian worship of Apis which was with drinking, singing their magical incantations or songs, playing instrumental music and praising Apis the "holy bull" which had probably perished to show God's superiority in the plagues.

The knowledge which God wanted to spread out to relieve the hunger and thirst was entrusted to certain apostles and prophets who had God's Spirit to guard it as God's "song."

"Blessed then are the ministers of that draught who are entrusted with the that water of His: They have assuaged the dry lips, and the will that had fainted they have raised up" Ode 6:12-13

The gospel was originally "entrusted" to the apostles and prophets (1 Tim. 1:11), it was then entrusted to evangelists like Timothy (1 Tim. 6:20), and in the permanent sense it is now entrusted to everyone, with the elders (Titus 1:7) being the primary pastor-teachers. The gospel can be guarded by the help of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 1:14) Who insists that God "plays" the "harp" as we repeat the note which He has plucked.

Rather than being evidence for collective worship with music, the "songs" are delivered by selected men whom God has chosen. Jesus "sings in the congregation" when He is allowed to speak through certain apostles and prophets who have the songs. In corinth, everyone wanted to sing their song out of their spirit but Paul said that not everyone has the gift.

These songs give information rather than entertain:

And the Most High shall be known in His Saints, to announce to those that have songs of the coming of the Lord; that they may go forth to meet Him, and may sing to Him with joy and with the harp of many tones." Ode 7:18-19

"They that have songs of the coming of the Lord" are the ones who are entrusted with the message and they may go forth to meet Him. The act is "singing" with a "harp" which has unlimited tones as opposed to the literal harp which used the same few notes or "words" to speak different messages.

The writer says that those with songs were "the seers" or those with a prophetic message. They do not "play" the harps but they are the harps upon which God plays to teach His Word. The motive is joy but the instrument is that which sings. Notice that the Odes compares the receptive spirit to a harp played by the Spirit of the Lord--

"As the hand moves over the harp, and the strings speak, so speaks in my members the Spirit of the Lord, and I speak by His love. For it destroys what is foreign, and everything that is bitter." Ode 6:1-3

In addition, the Psalms of Solomon say that after Messiah brought good tidings the people had a "new psalm" to sing rather than the old ones. The instrument of praise was now the tongue as it poured forth the fruit of the lips (Heb 13:15) in telling about God's good news--

"A new psalm with song in gladness of heart, the fruit of the lips with the well-tuned instrument of the tongue, the first fruits of the lips from a pious and righteous heart" Psalms of Solomon, 15:3

Clement of Alexandria supports this by defining the tongue as the "psaltery of the Lord" and the "mouth struck by the Spirit" as the "lyre."

This new "song" destroyed ignorance and the ritualistic forms of worship. This "singing" is a direct result of the arrival of God's knowledge and they will not, in the words of Amos, "sing idle songs and improvize upon the harp like David." They use the God-given "harp" to sing exactly those songs which He has given. The old Psalms which usually prayed for God's vengeance to the tune of the harp are now replaced with truth because Messiah has arrived:

"For ignorance hath been destroyed, because the knowledge of the Lord hath arrived. They who make songs shall sing the grace of the Lord Most High; and they shall bring their songs, and their hearts shall be like the day: and like the excellent beauty of the Lord their pleasant song." Ode 7:23-25

This does not describe celebrative singing of sentimental poetry but speaking God's Word to reveal His grace. Using the same imagry, Paul describes his own work of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles as singing:

so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." -- Rom 15:9

As "Solomon" continued in the twelfth Ode he showed what happens when the well-tuned instrument of the tongue begins to play--

"He hath filled me with words of truth; that I may speak the same; Ode 12:1

In a primary sense, only the seers who had been filled with the direct Word of God were able to speak the same. However, in a continuing sense Ephesians 5:18 demands that before we "sing" we must be "filled with the Spirit." The Colossians 3:16 parallel defines being filled with the Spirit as to "let the words of Christ dwell in you richly" before they taught and admonished one another.

Solomon knew that as the notes flow from the plucked string, the truth as water flows from the mouth of the prophet being strummed by God--

and like the flow of waters flows truth from my mouth, and my lips show forth His fruit. Ode 12:2

He continued the theme of "water" flowing from the mouth with the lips performing the task of the harp. This is consistent with Moses who "recited" the song which God gave Him (Deut. 31:30) so that the elders could learn it and repeat it to their tribes.

And He has caused His knowledge to abound in me, because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word, and the door of His light; Ode 12:3

No "water" or "light" has any value unless it flows from the Lord's mouth as the only "door" through which truth comes. Solomon further condemns any attempt to compose our own message or enhance it with music to "make it easier to understand." He does this by saying that God is able to interpret Himself:

and the Most High hath given it to His words, which are the interpreters of His own beauty, and the repeaters of His praise, and confessors of His counsel, and the heralds of his thoughts, and the chasteners of His servants." Ode 12: 4

This gives the revealed Word all of the power to teach us how to have a relationship with God. Therefore, the church was cleansed of "interpreters" of the Word because they were the "restrainers" of the water which flowed freely out of Jerusalem when they no longer "took away the key to knowledge" (Lk. 11:52).

Solomon repeated the message of John and Paul that once we have the Word "we do not need anyone to teach us." And he shows how the Word makes Paul's demand for a "one another" ministry possible:

"And by it (the Word) the worlds talk to one another; and in the Word there were those who were silent; and from it came love and concord; and they spake one to the other whatever was theirs; and they were penetrated by the Word; and they knew Him who made them, because they were in concord; for the mouth of the Most High spake to them; and His explanation ran by means of it; for the dwelling place of the Word is man: and its truth is love." Ode 12:8-11

The writer understood the universal truth that God is able to say what He wants to say in the word-pictures which He wants to use. These images can be understood by anyone who "loves the truth." Therefore, he continued--

"Behold the Lord is our mirror; open the eyes and see them in Him: and learn the manner of your face: and tell forth praise to His spirit: and wipe off the filth from your face: and love His holiness, and clothe yourselves therewith" Ode 13:1-2

Paul knew that in the beginning they saw God's truth "dimly as in a mirror." However, when God finished the revelation process they saw "face to face." By looking into God's Word we can open our eyes and understand Him as well as our own "face." The result will be repentance, being clothed with righteousness, and "telling forth praise to His Spirit." This writer agrees with Paul's message that we "speak to one another" with Biblical truth. However, we "sing and make melody unto the Lord."

The "seers" or apostle-prophets were the first "harps" whom God "played" to reveal His Word. However, in time the revealed Word becomes the sword which cuts, water which satisfies, mirror which reflects, or harp which God plays. Solomon's prayer that God "teach him the psalms" is parallel with his statement: "open the harp of thy Holy Spirit." The result of opening the Word--the harp or sword of the Spirit--would be that with those "very notes" he could praise God.

Teach me the Psalms of thy truth,

that I may bring forth fruit in thee: And

open to me the harp of thy Holy Spirit,

that with all its notes I may praise thee, O Lord." Ode 14:7-8

To bring forth fruit is to praise the Lord with the "notes" which the Spirit has already provided. The written word of God's truth makes up the "notes" so that God can "play" us as we repeat them.

He leaves no reason to believe that the "harp of the Holy Spirit" is the harp made by the hands of man. This image is inforced when we understand that we "open" the Word to "teach" the psalms of God's truth but the imagry is lost if we attempt to "open" a literal harp.

The Hebrew epistle supports the view of the true Christian sacrifice of praise when he urged:

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Heb 13:12

Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Heb 13:13

For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. Heb 13:14

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. Heb 13:15

Diapantos (g1275) ee-ap-an-tos'; from 1223 and the genit. of 3956; through all time, i.e. (adv.) constantly: - alway (-s), continually.

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. Mk.5:5

A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. Ac.10:2

Praise is not singing 'praise tunes' but:

Ainesis (g133) ah'ee-nes-is; from 134; a praising (the act), i.e. (spec.) a thank (offering): - praise.

Aineo (g134) ahee-neh'-o; from 136; to praise (God): - praise.

Ainos (g136) ah'ee-nos; appar. a prim. word; prop. a story, but used in the sense of 1868; praise (of God): - praise.

Epainos (g1868) ep'-ahee-nos; from 1909 and the base of 134; laudation; concr. a commendable thing: - praise.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Ph.4:8

But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Heb 13:16

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Heb 10:25

Egkataleipo (g1459) eng-kat-al-i'-po; from 1722 and 2641; to leave behind in some place, i.e. (in a good sense) let remain over, or (in a bad one) to desert: - forsake, leave.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mt.27:46

For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 2Ti.4:10

Forsaking means to totally abandon:

Kataleipo (g2641) kat-al-i'-po; from 2596 and 3007; to leave down, i.e. behind; by impl. to abandon, have remaining: - forsake, leave, reserve.

Assembling (gathering)

Episunagoge (g1997) ep-ee-soon-ag-o-gay'; from 1996; a complete collection; spec. a Chr. meeting (for worship): - assembling (gathering) together.

Episunago (g1996) ep-ee-soon-ag'-o; from 1909 and 4863; to collect upon the same place: - gather (together). Mt.23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not Mt 23:37

Sunago (g4863) soon-ag'-o; from 4862 and 71; to lead together, i.e. collect or convene; spec. to entertain (hospitably): - / accompany, assemble (selves, together), bestow, come together, gather (selves together, up, together), lead into, resort, take in.

Exhorting is:

Parakaleo (g3870) par-ak-al-eh'-o; from 3844 and 2564; to call near, i.e. invite, invoke (by imploration, hortation or consolation): - beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort (-ation), intreat, pray.

McClintock and Strong identifed the "first heresy widely pervading the church" as selecting men to perform the songs as "clergy presenters." However, Solomon had already condemned this when he wrote that he was the priest of the Lord and then told us how the Christian priest "offers sacrifice."

"I am a priest of the Lord, and to Him I do priestly service:

and to Him I offer the sacrifice of His thought.

For His thought is not like the thought of the world nor the thought of the flesh, nor like them that serve carnally.

The sacrifice of the Lord is righteousness, and the purity of heart and lips." Ode 20:1-3

The way one does priestly service and "plays the notes" of the Holy Spirit is to give back to God the very words which He has provided for this priestly service. Paul demanded the same thing--

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage (g3870) others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. Titus 1:9

Why is it so important to offer back God's own psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? It is because our thoughts are not God's thoughts and we do not remotely know what pleases Him unless He tells us through His Word.

Solomon continued the figurative images when he said that God has given us the only "light" by which we may see, the only "water" which will satisfy our thirst, and the only "clothing" which will hide our sins.

"Thou didst set me a lamp at my right hand and at my left: and in me there shall be nothing that is not bright:

and I was clothed with the covering of thy Spirit, and thou didst remove from me my raiment of skin" Ode 25:7-8

In 14:8 Solomon used the phrase harp of thy Holy Spirit and here he uses the phrase covering of thy Spirit. Just as we do not invent clerical robes and call them a spiritual covering, we do not invent musical instruments and call them instruments of the Holy Spirit. The harp is the Word of God "played" by the the believer and the clothing is the righteousness of God. To wear God's covering of the Spirit it is necessary to "circumcise the heart" by removing the old, filthy rags of self righteousness just as we begin singing a new set of psalms (Psalm15:3).

As we develop a right relationship with God we becomes "mighty in the truth" and righteousness:

"And I became mighty in the truth, and holy by thy righteousness; and all my adversaries were afraid of me" Ode 25:10

When one moves into this relationship, the praise (God's Word) will pour forth as the only legitimate praise and one will "speak His Holy song." This is not singing one's own self-composition but speaking exactly what God has given to us. Therefore, Solomon wrote--

I poured out praise to the Lord, for I am His:

and I will speak His Holy song, for my heart is with Him.

For His harp is in my hands, and the Odes of His rest shall not be silent.

I will cry unto him from my whole heart: I will praise and exalt Him with all my members." Ode 26:1-4

The "harp" is not my harp but God's harp by which one "sings" the "notes" of the Holy Spirit exactly as the Harp-player wants the notes sung. See above 14:7-8

In Ode 31 the image is of the abyss dissolved and error going astray. As a result, it is said of the Lord--

"He opened His mouth and spake grace and joy: and He spake a new song of praise to His name: and He lifted up His voice to the Most High, and offered to Him the sons that were with Him" Ode 31:3-4

In Ode 32 he speaks of Light from the Lord and says: "And words from the Truth, who was self-originate." The writer then makes a bold statement: "I run no risk of making any mistakes."

"And I ran no risk, because I walked with Him; and I did not make an error in anything because I obeyed the Truth. For Error flees away from it, and meets it not: but the Truth proceeds in the right path, and Ode 38:7-8

But how can the preacher, singer, or "laity" be so bold today? We can be so bold only when our practice is "speaking His Word" and "obeying the truth." God calls us to no higher responsibility.

The Biblical Solomon did not take any chances because when he "saw dimly as in a mirror" he asked for wisdom and understood that God would make it clear to him. This new Solomon agrees that the greatest task is to keep away from those things which seem to be "sweetness" because they appeal to our human senses--

whatever I did not know, it made clear to me, all the poisons of error, and the plagues of death which they think to be sweetness: Ode 38:8

Solomon along with Noah are uniquely called "preachers." He sought every avenue of knowledge through study and "research." However, when he had tested human wisdom he called people back to the Word of God.

Solomon used the image of Enoch and other apocalyptic writers to show that in order to deceive the faithful, Satan was forced to "turn himself into another man" through apparitions or other means of deceit. He looks, for all the world, just like the faithful, sweet angels. However, he uses error to cause the people to come down from God's Holy Mountain and violate His commands:

And I saw the destroyer of destruction, when the bride who is corrupted is adorned: and the bridegroom who corrupts and is corrupted. And I asked the Truth, 'Who are these?'; and He said to me, 'This is the deceiver and the error; Ode 38:9-10

They do not look like Satan but they look like the most faithful teacher in the best church even as they lead people astray and corrupt God's Word and way.

and they are alike in the beloved and in his bride: and they lead astray and corrupt the whole world: Ode 38:11

As Satan invited the Sethites to come down from the mountain to have a banquet, he gave them wine, music, and sex to "take away the key to knowledge." Only by removing the intelligence of the people by substituting for God's Word could he make the people believe that they had joined a faithful church.

and they invite many to the banquet, and give them to drink of the wine of their intoxication, and remove their wisdom and knowledge, and so they make them without intelligence" Ode 38:12-13

This also happened at the foot of Sinai: those who had worshiped according to what they had learned in Egypt rejected God and His law and gave the bull credit for saving them. They engaged in the same celebrative form of worship begun in Babylon, practiced in Egypt, honed to perfection in Canaan, and brought into the very Temple.

Using the image of Paul to the Ephesians and Colossians, the writer is so filled with the "water" or truth of God that it poured forth without effort.

"As the fountain gushes forth its waters,

so my heart gushes out the praise of the Lord and my lips utter praise to Him, and my tongues (the true harp) His psalms" Ode 40:5

God plays the seers as the musician plays the harp, and the heart gushes out praise as the fountain gushes forth waters. We certainly do not see this as evidence that we should have a fountain gushing forth water during worship services as an aid to our devotion. Therefore, we should not see Solomon's harp as a literal aid to worship.

As always, the source of the praise is God's psalms and the method or instrument is the tongue and lips. The motive for such singing and praise is to "collect the truth of His faith."

All the Lord's children will praise Him,

and will collect the truth of His faith.

And His children shall be known to Him. Therefore we will sing in His love." Ode 41:1-3

Early antiphonal or responsorial singing was not to "sing idle songs" but it was a way to progressively learn the "Truth of His faith" as passages were read and repeated to the point that the entire group or class could speak (sing) the passage in unison. Paul said that by speaking the words of Christ it was possible to "teach" and "admonish." It was not to charismatically excite people into believing that singing their own idle songs made God feel good just because it made them feel good.

To see these writers as advocates for modern songs and instruments is to miss the point of the entire Bible. That is, these writers want to show that those who honor God by honoring His Word do not celebrate their own senses. Rather, they allow themselves to be God's "harp" to be played in order to deliver His Word. However ineffective we may think God is in delivering His Word, with the need for "guardians" or "restrainers," if the "water" is allowed to gush forth, God will give the increase.

While this ancient commentary is "sauce for the goose" who defends celebrative or ritualistic worship, it is also "sauce for the ganders" who see singing purely as an act which must be performed even if it places its focus upon style while ignoring the content which demands truth-speaking to one another.

See Bill Swetmon claiming the Odes as PROOF of instrumental music. FHU couldn't refute him. Too bad, too sad.

The Odes of Solomon : An Authentic First Century Book of Christian Psalms

by Wayne Monbleau (Editor) Available at Amazon.com

A Formcritical Study of Selected Odes of Solomon (Harvard Semitic

Monographs, No 36)

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