Bisecting The Human Body

Bisecting The Human Body. (WHY MSUSIC?) Music, as already defined has a purpose for humanity. God created music with positive purpose for it in mind. In this particular chapter, God wants us to know Music as food for the Soul and also and instrument for His praise. Before will start to think of how music can be a food for the soul, Let’s bisect the human body and know what the soul is. What makes the Human body? According to the book of Genesis, God created Heaven and Earth and all that which is in it of which Human being are part. Man was formed from the dust of the ground and then God imparted into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. God did not make a body and put soul into it like letter into an envelope of dust. Rather, He formed man’s body from the dust then by breathing divine breath into it, He made the body of dust live. (The dust did not embody a soul but it rather became a soul. ---- A Whole Creature) So as a believer, your sole persona depends on your soul. Your soul makes up your body. You aren’t a living dust but a living soul. The soul like every other working living thing, needs to be empowered to work. Unfortunately, most believers though are living on earth, but dead in the spirit because the soul is not active. It is not being fed to do its job. So most believer are living dead. Feeding the Soul Now know therefore that as a believer, your core persona is your soul. How can you keep it alive, revived and active? Just as fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts are preferable choices over junk foods, so too exists preferable nourishing foods for the soul. It doesn’t matter how physically strong our bodies may be if we do not have tranquility, peace and harmony with our souls. We are told by the Apostle Paul how the people of the old survived in the wilderness. (1 cor. 10:4) “And they all ate the same spiritual food and they all drank the same spiritual drink….”. There are preferable spiritual foods that keeps our souls revived and active. Reading and listing to the word of God, listening to right Spirit filled music as well as praying.

This particular books allows us to talk about music as food for the soul. This brings us to our question, WHY MUSIC? One key thing you must not is that, even before the existence of man, there was music The Bible reveals that God sings (Zephaniah 3:17). He has always existed—without beginning of days or end of life (Hebrews 7:3). The question then arises, since God has always existed, wouldn’t His attributes—His eyes, hair, hands and voice—have always existed, as well as His infinite wisdom? (see Proverbs 8:22). Surely, therefore, music—or at the very least, the capacity for music—has always existed. God revealed a hint of this when talking to Job. When God was talking to Job, putting this wise man in his place in comparison to the creative feats of God Almighty, He asked a question that gives insight into history before Earth’s creation. “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” God asked, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4, 7). This reveals that God created angels before He created Earth, that they witnessed this magnificent moment, that they shouted for joy, and that they were singing! Consider how sound exists in this spirit realm. Ezekiel heard the “noise” of the great cherubim (Ezekiel 1:24). The book of Revelation records the lyrics of the angels’ shouting and singing around God’s heavenly throne, not to mention that they are playing instruments in this spiritual dimension. LUCIFER AND MUSIC Now, there was a moment when music took on a more institutionalized form. That was with the creation of angels. In them, God created innate musical ability. The chief of this angelic (and musical) creation was the archangel Lucifer. Lucifer’s Music Ezekiel 28:12-13 relate: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 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.” This is not a physical king, or else the notion of musical instruments being created “in” him makes no sense. This refers to a magnificent, beautiful, wise spirit being, an angel, who was in Eden.

This being’s “tabret” is very similar to a timbrel, or percussion instrument of the Hebrews (the tabret). The phrase “thy pipes” comes from a root meaning something “hollow,” but it is not the word used to describe the typical Hebrew pipes. The great cherub Lucifer was endowed with musical talents beyond human capability. God told Job the morning stars “sang together.” This means there was ensemble, community and cooperation in music, and Lucifer was of course included. How this must have changed, though, when he rebelled! Imagine how distorted and warped Lucifer’s music became when he turned from God’s way. Just before the description of Lucifer’s fall, Isaiah 14:11 talks about the “noise” of his neballim—another instrument, perhaps like bagpipes—being brought to the ground. Music Became Corrupted As with almost everything that God has created for man to use for a right purpose, it should not come as a surprise that mankind has perverted music to be used in many wrong ways. All of these wrong uses originate from Satan. The devil was created as the archangel Lucifer, a perfect being in every way (Ezek. 28:12-15), and this applies to his ability as a musician. Lucifer was given the ability to play beautiful music through his “workmanship” and to understand its purpose as well as we have seen already. But Satan eventually became a perverted being. Now, as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), he broadcasts into our lives all of the wrong ways to use music. It is now his desire that we use this wonderfully positive tool in a way that God did not intend. God’s Intended Purposes for Music In the Bible there are other clearly defined purposes for music. Some of these may surprise you. In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul reminded the congregation to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (3:16). The right kinds of songs can be powerful spiritual tools to communicate with Christ directly and they can be used to teach as well. In another example, music can have a calming effect and be helpful for relaxation. In I Samuel 16, the young David is described as a cunning and skilled harp player, who, when he played, “refreshed” the king with his wonderful music. Again, music can have a positive effect. It is a tool with tangible benefits! Would it surprise you to know there is a reference in the Bible to music being used at a party? Well there is! After Jacob secretly fled from his father-in-law Laban into the land that God instructed him to go, Laban chased and finally caught him. He asked Jacob, “Why did you flee

away secretly…and not tell me; that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with [timbrel], and with harp?” (Gen. 31:27). In other words, Laban would have organized a celebration to honor him! King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote the book Song of Solomon as a love song to his wife. So even “love songs” are appropriate—when used correctly. While music doesn’t always need to be used to directly praise God, all of these examples have one thing in common: whether used to praise, express joy, teach, celebrate, relax or even express love, music is always used in a positive way Choice of Music for You Depending on your family background, the kind of people you have been living with or the part of the world you are from, the combinations of music you may have been exposed to are probably endless. Because of this, the music people enjoy, either by listening to or actively playing, varies. Though music has been said to be a food for the soul. But now the question is “Is every music good for the soul?” The answer is NO! Getting to know that through Lucifer, there has been perversion in music, what then are the kinds of music a believer must listen to? 1. Holy Spirit Inspired Music Music comes in several forms. Spirit filled music here refers to the music that elevates your spirit to worship God. This is the kind of music, irrespective of the battles you may be going through in life, you can’t even sit down when you hear it being sung. Your spirit gets broken and you may even end up in tears, others even lay down their whole body to worship God. These Kind of Music are Christ centered. It makes us feel there is no place than the Presence of God The points to God and exalt him above any other god. It brings your conscience to the supremacy of the Most High. 2. Praise filled Music Praise filled music are centered on giving praises to the God. These music mostly drives us to put whatever God has done for us in praise of His name. They fill our hearts with joy and

happiness. It makes us feel there is no place than the house of God. Other put this song into a dance to the glorification of the Lord. The book of Psalms alone has 150 wonderful examples—separate songs—that are recorded to show us the right way to use music for praise 3. Music that help us to communicate directly with Christ. This form of music is mostly in the form of prayer. In place of praying, some may make all their supplications know to God in form of Music. 4. Music that bring Hope to our souls. This form of music comforts our souls when we go through struggles in life. It helps us to trust God for all our needs. This kind of music brings joy to our heart and makes us feel like having even what we haven’t received from God yet. Purposes of Music Have you ever considered what the Bible says about music? Do you know that God created music with several specific—and positive! —purposes in mind? Even though the Bible was written thousands of years ago, it contains numerous examples of the right purposes for music, and these can still be applied today. You will find that music is a wonderful tool that can benefit you in many ways. But this is only true when the right kind of music is used correctly! In the Bible there are other clearly defined purposes for music. Some of these may surprise you. In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul reminded the congregation to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (3:16). The right kinds of songs can be powerful spiritual tools to communicate with Christ directly and they can be used to teach as well. In another example, music can have a calming effect and be helpful for relaxation. In I Samuel 16, the young David is described as a cunning and skilled harp player, who, when he played, “refreshed” the king with his wonderful music. Again, music can have a positive effect. It is a tool with tangible benefits! Would it surprise you to know there is a reference in the Bible to music being used at a party? Well there is! After Jacob secretly fled from his father-in-law Laban into the land that God instructed him to go, Laban chased and finally caught him. He asked Jacob, “Why did you flee

away secretly…and not tell me; that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with [timbrel], and with harp?” (Gen. 31:27). In other words, Laban would have organized a celebration to honor him! King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote the book Song of Solomon as a love song to his wife. So even “love songs” are appropriate—when used correctly. While music doesn’t always need to be used to directly praise God, all of these examples have one thing in common: whether used to praise, express joy, teach, celebrate, relax or even express love, music is always used in a positive way Effects of Music on our lives 1. Music is a Powerful Tool That Elicits an Emotional Response Most have seen in their own lives that music can profoundly affect emotions—either positively or negatively. This even applies to God Himself! When “all the men of Israel assembled” with King Solomon to celebrate the Ark of the Covenant’s arrival at the completed Temple (II Chron. 5:3), we are told that in addition to the feast and many physical sacrifices made to honor God, music was played. The immediate effect? God’s response was so profound that the Temple was “filled with a cloud,” which represented His approval (vs. 13). Think about this for a moment. Even the all-powerful Creator God responded to music when it was used to glorify Him. This was not just any kind of music—it truly was “special music.” In II Chronicles 5:12-13, there is an amazing description of what garnered this response. When the singers and musicians praised God in song (there were over 120 priests playing trumpet alone), they all played “as one, to make one sound.” This means the musicians played with instruments, together in harmony. The result was uplifting due to the unison and harmony. This wasn’t like the disorderly or incoherent expression found in much of today’s music. Another clear example of music’s proper use is when the angels “shouted for joy” and “sang together” in unison when they first saw the earth’s foundations laid (Job 38:7). Since they understood God’s purpose for music, this was how the angels expressed their joy, awe and thankfulness for God’s creation. Again, they sang together—and with joy! Do you see a theme developing? In both of these examples, music was performed in harmony and with a specific purpose in mind—a positive one.