The question of whether or not the silence of
the Scriptures is prohibitive is cleared up by studying Hebrews
7:11-14. Here, the writer is stressing that Jesus is a priest,
but not a priest after the Levitical order. He is a priest after
the order of Melchisedec. Now, in order for this to have taken
place, the law had to be changed, for the law required that all
priests come from the tribe of Levi.
At verse 14 the Hebrew writer says, "For
it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe
Moses spake nothing concerning the priesthood."
God said that the priests of the Old Testament
system were to come out of Levi. If God had generally said, "Select
some good men from among you and make them priests," then
the Israelites would have been free to choose men from all the
tribes, but God was not that general. God was specific when it
came to the priesthood. He said "Levi." Furthermore,
God did not have to then state, "Not from Gad, not from Issachar,
not from Reuben, not from Judah, not from Benjamin, not from Asher,
etc." When God specifically stated, "Levi," that
ruled out all the others.
Notice the wording of Hebrews 7:14. Jesus came
out of Judah "...of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning
the priesthood." "Spake nothing" is certainly a
way of saying that God was silent, right? The fact is God was
silent concerning the other tribes being priests, and Moses and
the Israelites heard God's silence! There is not an instance of
one man from another tribe being made a priest with God's approval.
Oh, there is an example of one making priests of the other tribes.
Jeroboam did it when the Kingdom split (1 Kings 12:31), but the
Word says that Jeroboam sinned in so doing! He did not respect
the silence of the Scriptures!
We must respect the silence of the Scriptures
when it comes to the music God wants in worship. "God is
a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit
and in truth." (John 4:24). To worship Him "in truth"
is to worship Him according to His truth. (John 8:31-32; 17:17).
God knows how He wants to be worshipped; He knows what constitutes
"true worshippers." To go beyond what is written and
not to respect the silence of the Scriptures on this matter is
to worship God falsely.
The Word of God says that we are to "sing"
as we offer to God our musical worship. (Ephesians 5:19: Colossians
3:16). God is completely silent about playing a piano, a guitar,
an organ, a drum, etc. That is, "God spake nothing"
concerning these things. (cf. Hebrews 7:14). Just as the Israelites
respected this silence, we, too, must do so. The Israelites had
absolutely NO AUTHORITY to make a priest out of a man from Gad.
Why? Because "God spake nothing" about a man from Gad
being a priest. We have absolutely NO AUTHORITY to use a mechanical
instrument of music in Christian worship for the very same reason!
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