• I Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 
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Did you know that a couple of centuries ago, many churches did not use instruments in their services? The churches did not even have staple instruments of today like pianos and guitars. Certain Christians believed that instruments were inherently evil and/or not backed by Scripture.  There are still some who will not allow/use instruments and/or singing in their churches like Orthodox Church, Churches of Christ, Primitive Baptists, Old Regular Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, Old German Baptist Brethren, Mennonite, and Amish. (This rejection of music and instruments in God’s house is not supported in God’s Word. I Chron. 13:8, 25:7; II Chron. 5:13, 29:28; Neh. 11:22; Ps. 149:1; Is. 38:20; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16)

Someone may think that I made a mistake in putting a verse on money as our text. 🙂 But did you notice that the verse doesn’t say what the world commonly believes, “Money is the root of all evil.” Money is simply an inanimate object. Money alone is not evil. It is sinful man’s lust and greed that misuses and abuses money (“the love of money”). Actually there have been many believers throughout time who were both wealthy and godly. The issue is not money, but rather, man. 

There are certain today who do not accept certain instruments like guitars or drums because they still believe that certain instruments are inherently evil. Believe it or not, a drum is not evil. Guitars are not sinful. Like money, the problem is not the instruments but the people playing the instruments and how they play those instruments and what they play on those instruments. If a drum, for instance, is played in an older marching style and it is not the predominate part to a song, the drum is not being used sinfully. 

The media jumps on this ship, too. They make you think that guns are somehow the problem for all of our social ills. No, friend. Guns don’t move or shoot or do anything without a person. People are the problem, not objects. Any biblical study on sin, morality, and God’s judgment will reveal that humankind is the problem, not inanimate objects.  You can play a drum within God’s musical structure. You can play guitars within God’s musical structure. Instruments by themselves do not have sin in them. 

Remember that God created Lucifer without sin, and God also created in Lucifer all 3 main instrument divisions (Eze. 28; Is. 14; See “Satan Is Musical”). Some people say that rhythm is wrong. But again, remember that all music requires some sort of rhythm. God made music to require some sort of rhythm. Even a church song leader or an orchestral conductor provides a certain rhythm for us to follow. God even commands worship with rhythmic instruments. Take the last psalm, for instance, Ps. 50. It includes all 3 main instrument divisions in God’s command for us to praise Him. 

• Ps. 50:3-5 “Praise him with the sound of the trumpet (Wind instruments): praise him with the psaltery and harp (String instruments). Praise him with the timbrel (Percussion) and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs (Pianos and organs are mixed/combo instruments). Praise him upon the loud cymbals (Again percussion): praise him upon the high sounding cymbals (Again percussion).” 
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At the same time, remember that perfect Lucifer with all of his instruments is not so good anymore. He is now the insanely wicked Satan who now misuses all 3 instrument divisions for wickedness. Musical instruments are not inherently evil, but any of them can be used for evil. Some believers seem to think that any song with a clarinet or piano or flute is okay. No, any instrument can be distorted to play Satan’s musical style. Some instruments can be misused more easily like drums, but all instruments can be abused.

Note: Wrong, inaccurate beliefs and teachings about musical instruments will continue until the end of time. For instance, some believe and teach that electric and/or synthesized instruments are wrong. They believe that these are not “live music”. Again, the problem is not the instrument nor how that instrument produces sound. The issue is whether the instrument is playing music that God ordains and in the way God teaches in His Word.

Extra Bible study section –

Instrument catagories 3 times the phrase “musical instruments” is found, 8 times God uses the phrase “instruments of musick”, twice the phrase “players on instruments”, and 4 times “all kinds of musick” is used to indicate that more musical instruments were used than God takes time to mention in the passage. Just be aware that God’s Word does not list every instrument available or used. In Eccl. 2:8, King Solomon boasts of the music available to him and claims to have “musical instruments, and that of all sorts”.

• Note: Instruments are mentioned as being made of:
• -wood II Sam. 6:5 (fir); I Kgs. 10:12 (almug tree); II Chron. 9:11 (almug tree)
• -brass I Chron. 15:19; I Cor. 13:1
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Percussion in the Bible: (Tabrets and timbrels were similar to modern tambourines.)

• -tabret(s) [9x] – Gen. 31:27; I Sam. 10:5, 18:6; Job 17:6; Is. 5:12, Is. 24:8, 30:32; Jer. 31:4; Eze. 28:13 (created on Lucifer)
• -cymbal(s) [15x] – II Sam. 6:5; I Chron. 13:8, 15:16, 19, 28, 16:5, 42; 25:1, 6; II Chron. 5:12-13, 29:25; Ezra 3:10; Neh. 12:27; Ps. 150:5; I Cor. 13:1
• -timbrel(s) [9x] – Ex. 15:20; Judges 11:34; II Sam. 6:5; I Chron. 13:8; Job 21:12; Ps. 68:25, 81:2, 149:3, 150:4
• -drums The word English word “drum(s)” is not seen in Scripture. This does not mean that the concept is not in Scripture. Drums are called drums because we drum on them. 🙂 The idea of drumming is seen in the Hebrew word “taphaph” used in Ps. 68:25 as “timbrels” and Nahum 2:7 as “tambering”. So, these various types of percussion are seen in Scripture.
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Wind:

• -pipe(s) [7x] – I Sam. 10:5; I Kgs. 1:40; Is. 5:12, 30:29; Jer. 48:36; Eze. 28:13; I Cor. 14:7 The word “pipers” is used once and “piped” is seen 4 times.
• -cornet(s) [9x] – II Sam. 6:5; I Chron. 15:28; II Chron. 15:14; Ps. 98:6; Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15; Hosea 5:8 Cornets were curved wind instruments just like curved brass instruments of today like various varieties of tubas and modern cornets.
• -flute [4x] – Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15
• -sackbut [4x] – Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15 The sackbut is considered the equivalent to the trombone of today.
• -trumpet(s) [113x] – Ex. 19:13, 16, 19, 20:18; Lev. 23:24, 25:9; Num. 10:2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 29:1, 31:6; Josh. 6:4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 16, 20; Judges 3:27, 6:34, 7:8, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22; I Sam. 13:3; II Sam. 2:28, 6:15, 15:10, 18:16, 20:1, 22; I Kgs. 1:34, 39, 41; II Kgs. 9:13, 11:14, 12:13; I Chron. 13:8, 15:24, 28, 16:6, 42; II Chron. 5:12, 13, 7:6, 13:12, 14, 15:14, 20:28, 23:13, 29:26, 27; Ezra 3:10; Neh. 4:18, 20, 12:35, 41; Job 39:24, 25; Ps. 47:5, 81:3, 98:6, 150:3; Is. 18:3, 27:13, 58:1; Jer. 4:5, 19, 21, 6:1, 17, 42:14, 51:27; Eze. 7:14, 33:3, 4, 5, 6; Hos. 5:8, 8:1, Joel 2:1, 15; Amos 2:2, 3:6; Zeph. 1:16; Zech. 9:14; Mt. 6:2, 24:31; I Cor. 14:8, 15:52; Heb. 12:19; Rev. 1:10, 4:1, 8:2, 6, 13, 9:14 The word “trumpeters” is used 4 times and the word “trump” is seen twice.
• -organ [4x] – Gen. 4:21; Job 21:12; 30:31; Ps. 150:4 The organ was a reed instrument. Modern reed instruments are clarinets, saxophones, oboes, bassoons, harmonicas, and even accordions.
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String: The Hebrew word “nebel” is used for a number of OT instruments: viol and psaltery. It is also used for bottles, vases, and other hollow vessels. Violins, violas, basses, cellos, and guitars are the modern equivalent with strings attached to hollowed-out vessels. These instruments were plucked or strummed. – Ps. 150:4; Is. 38:20; Hab. 3:19

• -viol(s) [3x] – Is. 5:12, 14:11, Amos 6:5
• -psaltery/psalteries [27x]– I Sam. 10:5; II Sam. 6:5; I Kgs. 10:12 (an example of playing and singing at the same time); I Chron. 13:8, 15:16, 20, 28, 16:5, 25:1, 6; II Chron. 5:12, 9:11, 20:28, 29:25; Neh. 12:27; Ps. 33:2, 57:8, 71:22, 81:2, 92:3, 108:2, 144:9, 150:3; Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15
• -harp(s) [49x] – Gen. 4:21, 31:27; I Sam. 10:5, 16:16, 23; II Sam. 6:5; I Kgs. 10:12; I Chron. 13:8, 15:16, 21, 28, 16:5, 25:1, 3, 6; II Chron. 5:12, 9:11, 20:28, 29:25; Neh. 12:27; Job 21:12, 30:31; Ps. 33:2, 43:4, 49:4, 57:8, 71:22, 81:2, 92:3, 98:5, 108:2, 137:2, 147:7, 149:3, 150:3, Is. 5:12, 16:11, 23:16, 24:8, 30:32; Eze. 26:13; Dan. 3:5, 7, 10, 15; I Cor. 14:7; Rev. 5:8, 14:2, 15:2 The word “harpers” is used 2x, and the words “harped” and “harping” are each used once.
• -an instrument of 10 strings [3x] – Ps. 33:2, 92:3, 144:9
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Combo instruments:

• -dulcimer [3x] – Dan. 3:5, 10, 15 The dulcimer has confused many. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines the dulcimer as a bagpipe. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary and modern-day scholars differ with Strong’s and say the dulcimer is an instrument of strings that is struck or hammered like the Appalachian dulcimer. One reason for all of the confusion is because Aramaic is used in this part of Daniel, not the more familiar Hebrew used in the majority of God’s Word. Another reason for the confusion is probably because the dulcimer was a combo instrument. It could be a wind or string instrument with the key difference from other instruments in that it was hammered, struck, or some other pressure was put on it like the piano, the bagpipe, the organ, the harpsichord, hand bells, chimes, etc….
• Note: An interesting point revealed to me by another preacher was the absence of the dulcimer in vs. 7 of this passage in Dan. 3. All the other instruments are repeated verbatim in vs. 5, 7, 10, and 15 except for the dulcimer in vs. 7. I was asked my opinion, but it is not wise to give a reason unless God’s Word makes it clear (Pro. 18:13). It could be as simple as the dulcimer player was out sick, etc…, but we know that God’s Word is perfectly accurate (Ps. 19:7) and God knows why the dulcimer was missing from vs. 7.
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• (This article is from the “Music” series.)