Psalm 33:1-5

well well well...for those sticks in the mud who don't think that anyhting other than an organ ought to be played for God on Sunday mornings, here's a bit of instruction from the book of Psalms:

Psalm 33:1-5

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD , you righteous;
it is fitting* for the
upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;*
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

*33:1 = Ps. 147:1 - Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

*33:5 = Ps. 11:7 - For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

hmm, let's check these points shall we?...we are told to "sing joyfully" (v1), praise him with the harp (v2), & the ten-stringed lyre (v2), SHOUT for joy! (v3)...

it's believed that King David wrote this Psalm, and David was known as a great harpist...that's how he got a spot in the previous king's (Saul's) court as shown here:

1 Samuel 16:15-23

Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better." So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him." Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

so David already knew that instruments and songs of praise were great to use in the service of God and pleasing to God...here we see David commissioning music for worship at the temple:

1 Chronicles 25

David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals...The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king's supervision...Jeduthun...who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the LORD...Heman...through the promises of God to exalt him...[had] fourteen sons and three daughters. All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the LORD , with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. Along with their relatives-all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD -they numbered 288.

so David had a 288 member Praise & Worship team...cool!...this is highly spiffy, and i think it only solidifies the postition that music as a tool for worship can be contemporary or classic as long as it's being used to focus everyone's hearts and spirits towards God and reaching that connexion to Him & with Him...