Christ, the Law and the Gospel
Stephen Terry
Commentary for the May 31, 2014
Sabbath School Lesson
“Where were you when I laid the
earth’s foundation? ...while the morning stars sang together and all the angels
shouted for joy?” Job 38:4,7 NIV
Have you
ever listened to music and had it speak to your heart in such a way that
everything seemed to go better for the rest of the day? Or have you ever heard
a song that lifted your heart so much that you could not keep from singing
along? Some songs, once you hear them, you can never get them out of your head.
Perhaps there is a reason music has such a powerful influence on us. Maybe our
reaction to music goes deeper than simply appreciating a catchy tune.
Even with no
musical training, we can sense the discordancy of two people playing music
together but in two different keys. If someone plays a song in E Minor on the
piano and someone joins in on the cello in D Major, our nerves become irritated,
and we do not enjoy the music. But when they both play in the same key the
irritation resolves, and we can enjoy the music again.
Composers
and song writers will sometimes use that tension creatively. They know that a minor
key or even a minor chord can create feelings of sorrow, so they will compose
the entire song in a major key and then shift to a minor chord just before the
end. This creates a momentary tension that is quickly resolved by returning to
the major chord at the end, making for a more interesting piece overall.
Because of
our strong, innate response to music, some spend a great deal of time worrying
that someone might be tempted to manipulate them through music, and some have
even advocated avoiding music entirely for fear of the harm that they might
suffer spiritually through its influence. However, one might wonder why we were
created with such a strong affinity for music if it were indeed no more than a
tool for evil manipulators.
Perhaps,
instead, music is the fabric of creation and the very framework of all that
exists. Music is everywhere in the Old Testament, from Moses and Miriam’s songs
by the sea,[i]
to David’s dance before the Ark of the Covenant,[ii]
and even during the Babylonian captivity.[iii]
As our verse at the top suggests, music was a part of Creation, and in the Book
of Revelation, when the final victory takes place, there is music.[iv]
Classical operas have translated the triumphs and tragedies of the human story
to music. Even in modern times, whether we are speaking of folk ballads, rock
operas, or the musicals of Broadway and Hollywood, we continue to view the
story of our lives through music.
Who has not
stood for Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” and not been swept away by the moment?
Yet, we go through life, sometimes, feeling like a discordant note, not quite
fitting in despite our best efforts to do so. Perhaps it is because the note
never creates the harmony. While it participates in that harmony, it is the
Composer who produces the matrix where each note may find its place in the
overall music of the universe. The note may know everything about what kind of
note it is, but is unable to explain the music surrounding it beyond knowing
what “feels right” when harmony occurs.
Perhaps
David understood this feeling when he wrote:
“How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the
head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his
blessing,
even life forevermore.” Psalm
133:1-3, NIV
Some would
have us believe that such unity is based on a lock-step obedience to the
dictatorial whims of a god who behaves more like a petty tyrant than a loving
Father who cherishes each of His babies as though they were little pieces of
Him, little reflections of His own character. True, there are some parents who
expect their children to be miniature adults almost from the moment they leave
the womb. Our Puritan forbears would have approved of such a notion. However,
there are also parents who understand children and that their childish foibles
are simply a part of what all must experience to properly mature.
We can believe
that God is transcendent, spanning all of time and space and has the ability to
set limits to all matter so that nothing may reach the speed of a photon. Do we
honestly believe that such a God is concerned when a child goes wading on
Sabbath and gets a pant cuff wet so that the child must be punished? This diminishes
God by so many orders of magnitude. Maybe most no longer make such judgments,
but we still encounter those who think that their relationship with the God of the
universe is dependent on whether or not they wear an ankle-length jumper dress
and a head covering. It makes me wonder if they think God prefers plaids or
solid colors. Lest men think they are somehow above this, there are those who
think that wearing a shirt buttoned all the way up and suspenders is somehow
holier dress. Lest we be tempted to laugh at them, maybe we should examine our
own reasons for wearing what we do in church. In view of the Creation account
in Genesis, chapters one through three, maybe the
whole idea of clothing is a rabbit trail away from God’s original plan for us
anyway.
There are
also those find obedience to be performing certain rituals and feasts according
to a precise formula derived from arcane texts interpreted by privileged
religious leaders, in much the same way one would consult a grimoire to conjure
up favorable results based on magical incantations and ceremonies. This also
diminishes God to little more than a trained monkey who responds if we say the
right words. It also can reduce us to the level of sycophants who would say or
do anything to curry favor with someone with more power than our own. While we
certainly should not make God so small, we also should not demean ourselves in
such a manner either, as we are His creation.
The sad
element in all of this is we cannot obey anyway.[v]
The best we can do is to recognize that simple fact. Once we recognize that the
compassion of God is our only hope for achieving harmony with Creation, we can
begin to find our place in His musical composition. It is not about meeting
some standard in order to be “saved.” It is a gift.[vi]
We are invited by God to assume our proper place in His magnum opus. Just as a skilled musician will craft quarter notes,
half notes, rests, sharps, and many other elements to produce a composition, so
God has created each of us before birth[vii]
with a special place in mind that we should fill in His composition, His great
masterpiece of Creation.
We can
refuse to participate in that harmony. This perhaps is the greatest proof that
God is not the tyrant some would portray Him to be. But just as some more
mortal musicians have discovered, without the right notes in the right places, dissonance
ensues. We may drift from mishap shoals to fair-weather harbor, never
understanding the forces that brought us to our varied destinations and always
feeling anxious as though something soothing was just out of reach. This is
perhaps because when we are created for a purpose, we do not feel fulfilled in
our potential until that purpose is realized.
While some
would see us in a yoke of obedience, marching side-by-side with our fellow oxen
into oblivion with nary a joy or glint of personal happiness, Jesus told us of
a light yoke.[viii]
Could it be that yoke is light because it is no yoke at all, but simply an
invitation to join the music already playing? The journey to Dour Mountain may
be taking many further from the music as they plunge deeper into manufactured
obedience to a standard that has always been unobtainable.
Some might
say that we must attain perfect obedience prior to the Parousia. But human
perfection negates the need for a Savior. It also is something Paul, the
Apostle, apparently did not believe could be accomplished prior to that “great
expectation.” For he wrote that only then would “this corruptible put on
incorruption.”[ix]
We should perhaps
also understand that the note does not dictate the composition. The Composer
does. If we are an eighth note in a lengthy symphony, this does not give us
authority to use our experience as a guide for others. If we went around
telling every other note that the standard they should reach is to become a
perfect eighth note, we could destroy the entire composition as whole notes,
quarter notes, and others sought to become perfect eighth notes. The judgment
of what a person needs to be to fill their place in the heavenly symphony is
best left to the Composer, who with compassion and grace will invite each to be
all they can be in the place prepared for them.
