I'd like to turn, as we begin, to the Gospel of John and chapter 4. The Gospel of John and chapter 4, and I dare say you know where I'm going, it's verse 24, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Well, worship is under attack. I need hardly say. It's a free-for-all in so many circles these days. It's a matter of entertainment, pleasure, enjoyment. The rule now is that worship must be enjoyable. And of course worship is enjoyable. to the people of God spiritually. But the idea is that it should be enjoyable in a very human, fleshly sense. So worldliness has come in and all the physical antics and I'm sure the scene has already been set. But here the Lord Jesus Christ defines worship in terms that it must be spiritual, it is by faith, it is not physical, there can be no valid physical element to worship, movement of the body, and so on. Instruments cannot worship, they can help, they can assist, they can hold the singing of the people of God together, but you cannot worship with anything inanimate because it is a spiritual activity and I'm sure everyone knows that. In the New Testament the only things that have any physical aspect to them are baptism and the Lord's Supper. And they are symbols, pictures. You don't actually worship with the bread and the wine. You don't actually worship with the baptismal water. Worship is always spiritual. And furthermore, worship must be in truth. which means it must be sincere obviously it must be intelligent and it must respond to God's truth using the very concepts that God has revealed to us his own descriptions of himself and so on so this is just our opening sentence God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth no scope there for human instrumentality as a means of worship. No scope there for anything other than spiritual worship that accords with the Word of God. So that is my introduction and I imagine that has already been treated and expanded today. Now I'd like to turn over for another rapid principle to the book of Revelation and chapter 4. and this is so important for us just to set the scene further Revelation chapter 4 and well chapters 4 and 5 are a great vision of the rule of God in his created universe it's not so much a picture of what goes on in heaven though it's cast in those terms it is a picture of all the things that will be happening immediately after this revelation was given in other words it's a picture of the rule of God and the worship of God both in heaven and on earth from the people of God throughout the gospel age and for all eternity. So worship as well as rule is symbolized here. Now these chapters describe a wonderful scene in the center of which there is the Father and the throne of Almighty God and there are various other things which depicts the attributes of God and the power of God and the mercy of God and this is at the center of the whole scene. And then there is the Lamb there, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Seven Spirits of God, that perfect number. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are present and there is this throne from which God rules his created order and to which all worship is directed. Then around the throne there are four beasts, four living creatures. No doubt the cherubim of judgment, the angels of justice. And there they are protecting God's holiness and protecting the throne. But thankfully the lamb is there and so is that sea of glass. That glassy, that crystal sea which the old writers always used to say stood for the merits of Jesus Christ, stood for his mediatorial work, his shed blood, his offered up righteousness and those around the throne of Almighty God. And then there are 24 elders with their seats. 24 elders, very easy to interpret, representing the church of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament, the tribes and the apostles. And so here is the church of ancient times and the church of modern times depicted. And the elders representing all the redeemed of all ages are there as it were surrounding the phone and singing and worshipping. Then outside the ring of elders there are the angels 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands. Holy angels worshipping God. Interesting, isn't it, that they're further away from the throne than we are? Because in the sight of Almighty God we are of greater significance and they are ministering spirits. They are those who minister to the heirs of salvation. Well, what are they doing? What is the activity? They are singing. They are singing a new song. And if you glance at chapter 5 and verse 9, they sung a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests. and we shall reign on the earth. That's a wonderful new song. By the way, I would not wish in the tiniest degree to debate with our friends among the Presbyterian movement who sing psalms only. I don't wish to enter into any controversy except to say that on that point I think most of us here would find it difficult to agree because when you get this great vision of the people of God at worship they are singing a new song which contains the most explicit reference to some of these wonderful doctrines that are not in the Psalms. The salvation of the Gentiles certainly is in the Psalms but it's not expressed in as clear way as it is in this new song the fact that we are a kingdom of priests the priesthood of all believers is in this song and so is the earthly reign of the people of God in everlasting glory and the lamb is named in this song so there are very definite references to things which you will not find explicitly and clearly presented in the Psalms And I'm sure most of us here would agree that we are not necessarily to limit our worship in song to the types and figures of the Old Testament. These symbolic prophetic terms which have now been fulfilled but we live in the Gospel Age. The New Testament is ours in the clear light of Gospel Day and we can sing these Gospel doctrines and we can sing of the Lamb of God our Redeemer in the most clear and explicit terms and that's certainly in Revelation chapter 5 part of this great vision great picture of the people of God at worship it's there and so one other thing that I'd like to point out to you in these two chapters if you look at chapter 4 and verse 8 there's something very significant here the four beasts living creatures had each of them six wings about him and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night saying holy holy holy lord god almighty you notice that word saying their praise their worship was expressed in intelligent words they said it it could be put into words When you think of the cherubim of justice, don't think that they being high and lifted up, principal angels, somehow had a way of worshipping Almighty God without having to utter anything, without having to think intelligent words. Surely they could communicate with Almighty God in some manner, in some means unknown to us, not conceivable by us. No, they used words. that is the only way in which worship can be offered look down at verse 10 of chapter 4 the four and twenty elders churches of the old and new testament fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying thou art worthy O Lord then you go to chapter 5 and verse 9 and they sung a new song so it doesn't matter whether it's said or whether it's sung but it's intelligent words and down in verse 12 of chapter 5 saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and at the end of verse 13 heard I saying blessing and honor and glory and power and the very last verse the four cherubim of justice said Amen it's all said sung said sung so a principle that we need to bring back today and mention often worship is words worship is words if you cannot put it into words you cannot worship Worship is in spirit and in truth, offered by faith, and it is intelligent. It is expressed in words. And whenever I say this, I almost hear somebody thinking, what about groanings which cannot be uttered? but the groanings which cannot be uttered are the Holy Spirit's prayers, not our prayers. It is the Holy Spirit taking our prayers and translating them into the very language of Godhead and attaching to them a depth and a feeling which we do not possess and making them beautiful and acceptable and powerful prayers. They're not our groanings. Now it's perfectly true that sometimes when you pray your mind races and you are not conscious of forming intelligible words. But if somebody stopped you and said, what are you praying for? You could tell them, you could say, You may not say, well I can quote to you the sentences that I've used. It's too feelingful and too rushed even maybe. But you've got pictures in your mind. You know what you're concerned about. And even when prayer becomes expressed at its most vague, it is intelligent words. It cannot be done on a violin. It cannot be done on a trumpet. it cannot be done simply by melody you know they say let the instrumentalist take the platform and he will play something and we will all worship well I suppose you could if he plays something sufficiently familiar for you to close it with words but the melody itself cannot worship empty no use at all this is a biblical principle that we stopped announcing and therefore people got the wrong impression we stopped saying in the churches of Jesus Christ worship is words worship is words and because we stopped saying it we left it the opportunity there for Christian people to make some terrible mistakes now I'm going on to 1st Corinthians chapter 14 for another phase and I do hope I am not repeating things which have been already explained today but 1st Corinthians 14 and I'd like to read at verse 26 very difficult verse when it comes to worship how is it then brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a psalm hath a doctrine hath a tongue hath a revelation have an interpretation let all things be done unto edify now it would be easy to read that verse and form a mental picture of the early church along these lines they come together for worship and anybody can participate anybody can lead in song anybody can open the word and read anybody can bring a message Well of course the dear old brethren, they believe that this is how it should be and the world over in their morning meetings this is precisely what they do, with the exclusion of the women of course. but everybody who feels so moved may contribute, may participate the charismatics go much further, they say everybody must have the opportunity to express their gift and this is why they are so keen on house meetings they are not attacking house meetings of the right kind but they have them because the charismatic policy just won't work in a large congregation how can you have two hundred, five hundred, a thousand, maybe more people and everybody bringing some contribution to worship and so that they can operate this principle which they believe in they have to split the church up into little house groups there are other reasons for that but this is one of them so that everybody can have a go and everyone can be involved but what does the apostle mean here? There are one or two great Christian writers who have found this verse very difficult because they haven't knowledge that everybody is participating. One esteemed theologian read among us whose name I won't mention says if you had gone into the church at Corinth you would have found first one then another rising or whatever stance they took and contributing to the worship. is that true? well what exactly does the apostle say? how is it then brethren when you come together every one of you every one of you and within the space of a few verses he's disqualified half of us straight away by saying not the women so it's a very strange every one of you then he goes further and he says prophets two or three at most tongue speakers two or three at most well whatever are the others going to do of course you realize the apostles every one of you cannot possibly be addressed to the whole congregation the whole gathering because he immediately starts qualifying and cutting and there is only one way of making sense of 1st Corinthians 14 and verse 26 and it's this The apostle is not addressing the whole congregation, he is addressing what we may like to call the platform party. He is addressing, in this part of this chapter, the leaders, the properly appointed leaders of the church, those who would engage in leading in worship. If you want to say, oh I insist he must be addressing the whole congregation, you have the gigantic exegetical problem. you have to square Paul's apparent carelessness with his immediate exclusion of the women and some of the tongue speakers if there were more than two or three and some of the prophets if there were more than two or three you have to immediately make much better sense of this passage and there are other problems too how would the Apostle say every one of you when he spends most of the pastorals telling us that we have a restricted and qualified ministry in the church of Jesus Christ and those who would lead the church have to have very definite qualifications which have to be recognized and they have to be appointed why it would be contradictory to say that in worship and preaching and all the exercises of spiritual ministry every one of you would be a massive contradiction No, we are a restricted ministry. We are a qualified ministry, according to the qualifications of the Word of God. And there is no doubt whatever, surely, that the Apostle Paul is addressing the leaders of the church. How many were there on the platforms in those days? Well, we get a little snapshot, maybe, in Acts 13, to which I won't turn now. where you find that before Paul and Barnabas were sent out as missionaries, including them, there were five prophets and teachers in that church. It's not very many is it? After all, the platform even wasn't very crowded in those days. Antioch was a pretty large church. You can almost grasp that if there were churches very much smaller, measured in scores or hundreds rather than thousands, maybe there wouldn't even have been as many prophets and teachers as five. These are the people who Paul now addresses. Didi goes on and he says some very interesting things. He says the prophets must check on each other and so on. Those who are close by is one of the renderings of the passage. It's all the atmosphere of a platform group. of leaders, properly appointed, sitting together there. So I felt I had to make some mention of that because it presents a great problem to many people, this 26th verse. But I want to go a bit further and introduce you to four worship words in 1st Corinthians 14 and they are of enormous importance. The first two are in verse 33 for God is not the author of confusion but of peace as in all churches of the saints God is not the author of confusion now the word confusion maybe isn't the most helpful to us because we've already got a mental picture wrongly of everybody in the church popping up and doing their bit and so it's very easy for us in that context to be thinking of confusion and so we would expect the apostle to say God is not the author of confusion there must be some regulation and he is saying that but actually he's saying something much more profound than that the word translated here confusion literally means he is not the author of that which is not placed down not orderly he is not the author of people acting unilaterally He is not the order of uncoordinated individualism. And this is a worship word. True worship, it's not just a matter of it not being confusion, it's a matter of it not being anything which is not ordered, organized, set down. Now in the past some of the churchmen who've been justifying the liturgy have come to this word and its true Greek meaning to justify a liturgy. Well that's to take it much too far of course. But what this word does insist on is some premeditation, some order, some set plan and purpose as you lead the worship of Almighty God. This doesn't only come down against the charismatics. Sadly, I know some ministers who when they take the pulpit this is particularly a bit of a tradition in the United States they have the remotest idea what the hymns are they're going to select sometimes they have the remotest idea what they're going to do and they feel so much in charge as they glibly do everything, turn something up, choose things on the spur of the moment even that is outlawed by this word God does not require something which is unplanned, unpremeditated not set down in any way and we shall soon see why this is the case there's another word in verse 33 God requires peace he is if you like the author of peace and this is the Greek verb to join to join it doesn't mean peace simply in the sense that people are not screaming and shouting and interjecting and so on It means peace in the sense that there is harmony. See this word is saying the same thing. A service of worship is not uncoordinated. It is a harmony. Something which is harmonious. All the elements are joined together. That's what it is. God is the author of peace a joined together service somebody has thought about it somebody is leading it intelligently and properly and you see more and more why this should be so but look at verse 40 at the end of 1st Corinthians 14 let all things be done decently and in order now this verse stands as a principle by itself And you don't necessarily have to interpret it in the context of worship. There are many verses like that in the scripture. In their context they say something specific. But they are so expressed that they stand as principles and you can apply this verse not only to worship but to church governments and in other areas too. But I'm just sticking to the worship theme at the moment which is the strict context of the verse. Let all things be done decently. The word decently literally means well formed, fitting. See it's the same kind of emphasis. The worship of God must be well formed. In other words, it must be balanced. It mustn't be accidental. You think of all the elements of worship. Objective praise, subjective giving of thanks, repentance, yielding of yourself, intercession, prayers and petitions. There are so many elements of worship which must be honoured. And a service of worship that is honouring to God is well formed. the one who leads in worship, or the two or three who lead in worship, if you like, and participate, they've thought about this. And they've said of the service that they propose to lead, and its selection of hymns, and its scripture readings, and its message, well they haven't necessarily said they must all be on the same subject, oh no, but what they have said is, are all the elements of worship represented? Or am I going to go through a whole worship without any praise and adoration elevating of the living God? Or without any repentance? Or without any prayers and petitions? Or without any yielding of myself and dedication? Am I doing justice to God and to the people of God by carefully ensuring that I'm doing justice to all these elements of worship? So it must be well formed. It must be fitting, appropriate, balanced and then the last word I want to mention in verse 40 let all things be done decently and in order all four words say something different and yet they all emphasize the same general principle and this last one in order this term means literally a regular arrangement everything in the service is like a word which is used for military ranks in the army everything must be planned and set according to a pattern it must be in order well how necessary this is when you think of all the wonderful things that we have to do in worship remember the difference between objective praise where we look out to God and subjective self-examination and repentance and thanksgiving There is adoration. We need to mention the attributes of God. Very sad sometimes when one will go to a service and there'll be a good brother, loves the Bible, loves the Lord, preaches the gospel and he'll open his service without any extolling of the being, the attributes of God, his mighty being. He's left out. You come bouncing straight in on some subjective element, a kind of thank you Lord for saving my soul beginning. Well that's fine, but in its due place. So there must be real objective worship. We consider the attributes of God, the character of God, the works of God. We consider the doctrines of God that's what a lot of the old hymns are about you know there was a sudden shift of gear between the 19th century and the 20th century actually it happened maybe 20 years before the turn of the century but there was a sudden change in the kind of hymns that got written You look at the old hymns, whether you look at the Watts, his hymns, or you look at the Charles Wesley's hymns, or the great hymn writers of the past, there's so much doctrine in the hymns. As you sing to God, you are rehearsing great doctrines. You're running them through your mind, and praising him for them, thinking about them. And then suddenly, 1880s, 1890, all the hymn writers switched to subjective hymns. Thank you God for doing this for me. Thank you God for doing that for me. Thank you for this. Thank you for that. Which is all very valid. But what a change there was! From objective, with a subjective content, to subjective only. And that's been pretty well maintained to the present day. That with some notable exceptions, hymns have been largely subjective. The content The doctrinal content has gone down and down and down. Well, there must be objective worship. Then there must be true repentance. Then there must be thanksgiving. And there must be prayers, intercession. By the way, intercession is so important. Not only in public prayer, but in private prayer. If anyone here, I'm sure your pastors have mentioned this before, but if anyone here feels his or her heart to be cold in personal prayer, Well then switch to intercession and intercede for others and spend most of your time on intercession because by the time you've finished your warmth and feeling will have been aroused and your dependence upon Almighty God and your love of Him and then you'll be able to get down to your objective and your subjective sentiments and worship. intercession is so helpful to us, even at a personal lesson, when we intercede for others sincerely, then there must be dedication, commitment together, yielding to God. Do we do justice to all those things in the service of worship? Now I'm going to switch to yet another topic as we go through a number of aspects of worship here because I'm working towards the title of the lecture and I'd like you to turn with me back to the Psalms. And particularly Psalm 149. Here is a great problem to us. was certainly a problem to me years ago. Psalm 149. Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Let them praise his name in the dance. Let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. actually it is a little debatable whether dance is actually meant here in Psalm 149 but for the sake of argument let us assume that it is intended it is meant the Hebrew doesn't actually mention so much a dance but an instrument associated with dance but let's assume that it's dance which is promoted here and here's the first thing that we have to remember there are some five Psalms in the Psalter that amazingly urge us to worship God on instruments which are not permitted for the worship of God. This is very significant. David, under God, instituted an order of worship. And when he instituted that order of worship, out of the nine instruments named in the Old Testament somewhere or other, nine instruments known to the Jews of old Only four of them were permitted to be used in the worship of God. Four out of nine. In Old Testament days, God put a restriction on the instrumentation. Not that we are under that particular restriction today. It's the principle that counts. They could not use everything in divine worship. Only a certain number of instruments that were appointed. Actually there were other regulations which would rather shock the charismatics in our day. because they were only allowed to use those instruments on new moons and special festivals, special feast days, they were only given to certain people to play, that is certain selected branches of the family of Levi, and furthermore they were not to be played while worship was going on. They played them and as soon as the worship started the people fell silent. Now that isn't the whole story of course because it's quite clear that one of those permitted instruments, the harp and the psaltery, were used for the accompanying of the singing of psalms, that's quite clear. But it's interesting that in the Old Testament it is actually restrictions all the way. God permitted them some music, he permitted them some instruments, they were to use them with great enthusiasm, but he didn't allow them to do what they liked. There was a very firm restriction, and that's something to be noted in these days. Well this gives us a big problem because if you consider that some of these Psalms mention band instruments and exhaust us to worship with things that were not approved of either under David or under Nehemiah when he resurrected the requirements of David. How do we reconcile these different scriptures? The Bible seems to contradict itself which we know it cannot do ever. Well the instruments that were permitted were the psaltery or the lyre, the harp, cymbals and then trumpets or the horn. You say well that would make a pretty noisy group. well they weren't all used all the time of course but those were the instruments that were permitted and they're outlined in 1st Chronicles and chapter 16 I will not turn to that passage but if you'd like to note it and also a quick reference in 1st Chronicles 15 actually what the authorised version means by the organ is a pipe a sort of pipe-like instrument and the flute or dulcimer, they were all banned. And yet these very instruments are mentioned in the Psalms of David. I could take you to Psalm 68 for example and verse 25 before we even look at Psalm 149 and you'll get an example of this problem. I'm going to unfold the problem and then try to solve it for you. Psalm 68 and verse 25. The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after. Among them were the damsels playing with timbrels. Isn't that interesting? By the way, before I explain this, I hope you know the difference between living to the glory of God and direct worship of God. A lot of young people, we don't explain these things to them. They don't know the difference. They say, well, everything we do, we're to do for the glory of God. Therefore, it seems to them, as long as they can do it for the glory of God, it can be in worship. And that isn't right. Because though we do everything in life as believers for the glory of God, we have to worship in a spiritual manner and according to the requirements of God's Word. It is different. Somebody says, oh but if I can play my instrument to the glory of God in ordinary life, I can play it to the glory of God in the service of worship. No, you can't. There's a difference between living for the glory of God and what is offered as direct worship in the house of God. That is why they were only allowed four instruments out of nine in those days. It teaches this principle. You can play any of these instruments, says the scripture in effect, in your social life, your personal life, your civic life, but you can only take four of them into the house of God. See, there is a difference. And we realize that when somebody says, oh, my gift, can't I exercise my gift in worship? But what if your gift is to play cricket? What are you going to do there? Play it down the aisle, I suppose. So, I mean, the idea is ridiculous. It's very hopeless reasoning that we may exercise any gift we have in worship yes you can exercise that gift in your social personal life to the glory of God but there are only certain things can be brought into the house of God so we're looking at Psalm 68 in verse 25 and we see here that there are the damsels playing with timbrels but the timbrel is not a permitted instrument well here's the explanation You see, the Jews were not only a church, they were also a nation. They were two things. They were a nation, they were a church. And of course they have certain activities that they do as a nation. And they have certain activities which they do as a church. There are certain things they can do in their civic life, which they cannot do in the temple, in the worship of God, or in the synagogue. and there's a big difference now when they had a great victory given to them by the Lord they very often commemorated it and there would be festivities there would be a tremendous celebration every year at the appointed time of a certain victory and when that victory took place there would be a great ceremony there would be a great procession and out in the front of the procession would be the maidens banging the tambourines and dancing ahead the little girls You see that was a civic event. That wasn't a part of the service of worship. It wasn't part of the temple worship. When you read the Psalms, you have to bear in mind that the people of God are exhorted not only about temple worship, but about their civic activities and festivities as well. So when you read of the maidens banging the tambourines, you know that that is an out, open air victory celebration on the annual day for that particular battle. It's nothing to do with what is going on in direct worship of God in the temple. But you see, these days, the charismatics don't consider that. They say if it's there, then you can have maidens, and you can dance around, and you can play tambourines, or anything you like. It's there in the word of God. Actually, it's in five psalms. There's a little verse like this, where an instrument is mentioned, or dancing is mentioned, contrary to what is set down for worship. and it's mentioned because the psalmist in that place is talking about the whole national life of Israel not only the service of worship and in due course we'll go through a psalm to demonstrate that you can always tell this internally within the psalm look at psalm 81 and time is going on I have to begin to hasten to conclusion but psalm 81 and verse 2 take a psalm and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp, with the psaltery. There's that timbrel getting in there again. But then you soon find that this is a civic occasion. Verse 3, blow up the trumpet in the new moon in the time appointed on our solemn feast day. And it is the external celebration. of various great events that was associated with temple celebration certain things happened in the marketplace outside the temple and then they went into the temple and once in the temple they conformed to the worship as laid down in the scripture but both are here in the Psalms turn on to Psalm 149 let's have a good look at this Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of saints. Well now that looks as though it's a service of worship. Verse 2. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. Still looks as though it's a service of worship. Verse 3. Let them praise his name in the dance. Let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. Now this is difficult, because we've got a band instrument and a band activity, if you like. So what does the rest of the psalm say? Verse 4, For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people, he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory, let them sing aloud upon their beds. In the temple? now the psalm is beginning to explain itself after all it isn't just the temple its scope is quite broad it's all the life of the people of God so now they're considered at home on their beds look at verse 6 gets worse and worse if it's the temple let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand I dare say you had to hand all your pistols in as you came into the church, didn't you? No, it clearly is the whole life of Israel. And then verse 7, to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron. This is clearly a festival commemorating great victories when the people of God were called by God to exercise his judgment. among the Canaanites and the pagans around. So it isn't temple worship only, it's the whole national life of Israel, as well as temple worship. And wherever you see a problem in a psalm, the problem will be solved by close examination of the psalm. The Bible cannot contradict itself. it will not say this is the rule one minute and yet show the rule being broken and even exhort you to break the rule the next so those people who look to the Psalms and say well they were allowed all kinds of instruments and they could dance and they could do whatever they wish and God is the same yesterday today and forever and what are you telling us that we can't do these things today they haven't looked at the passage carefully they haven't thought about it If they want to do that they've got a self-contradicting Bible. They've got a Bible that makes rules and then urges you to break them. You've got a contradiction if you think that the use of certain instruments and dance and so on in the Psalms is a sanction for all those things to be used. It isn't. Psalm 150 is a little bit different from everything else. because as you read it, it is clearly a highly figurative psalm. Praise ye the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his power, praise him for his mighty acts, praise him according to his excellent greatness, praise him with the sound of the trumpet, praise him with the psaltery and harp, praise him with the timbrel and dance, which could be pipe again, praise him with stringed instruments and organs, praise him upon the loud cymbals praise him upon the high sounding cymbals let everything that hath breath praise the Lord and the some of the old Puritan writers used to say well this is clearly a highly figurative psalm it isn't actually commanding you to use all those instruments but each instrument is taken as representative of some aspect of praise the triumphant instruments call us to praise God with triumph The more melodic and even mournful instruments speak about sincerity. The praise of God should be sincere. And each instrument quite plainly suggests to us a different aspect of how we should worship and the attitude for worship. And it's quite clear therefore that it is a very figurative psalm. One last issue and that is dancing. now dancing in the Psalms is not part of the worship maybe the great civic activities but there is one one scripture you know it I won't therefore turn to it it's in 2nd Samuel chapter 6 and verse 14 where David dances before the Lord in connection with the return of the ark one scripture and Those who want to worship through physical movement leap on this text. There it is. There it is. They're very very enthusiastic about this text because they can't find any other. So naturally it has to be central in their thinking. There is no other scripture where it could be said that this was an example of worship. and that obviously makes it a very delicate thing if the Bible intended us to worship by dance it would set the precedent and give the command much more clearly than a dubious reference in one verse in the Bible nowhere are we told to dance once you eliminate these two or three references in the Psalms by showing, as you clearly can that they are to do with civic celebrations the whole social life of Israel nowhere in the Old Testament or in the New is there any command to dance it is however a civic act even David was performing a civic act when he danced before the Lord and if he did think he was worshipping which I very much doubt he did that in a very formative time before God had speaking through him had given the detailed regulations for the use of music in worship David was given those regulations by the Lord later the matter of his dancing came rather a long time before that in what we may call a formative period so even if David foolishly did imagine that he could worship by dance. He did it in a time before God gave him the definite instructions. But I don't believe he did think that worship was to be expressed in the dance. The exuberance he was worshipping, but the physical exuberance was more connected with the civic celebrations of the people of God. And of course, we've got a problem, because if David was dancing to set an example to the people of God, then you have a massive contradiction between what David did and what the Lord Jesus said in the Gospel of John, that we must worship in spirit and in truth. They have the contradiction, we do not have the contradiction. May we ever worship with due awe and reverence. May we keep balance in worship and honour all the elements of worship. May our worship be acceptable spiritually to Almighty God.