From Babel to the Bible

I always ask the question, “Did God know that most people in the world would not have the original languages of the Bible readily available to them?” And every question that starts with “Did God know…” is answered in the affirmative.

I listened to this talk by Jason DeRouchie given at Bethlehem College and Semenary (ht: Justin Taylor). He gave 7 arguments for the need for understanding the Biblical Languages:

1. Using the biblical languages exalts Jesus and affirms God’s wisdom in giving us his Word in a book.
2. Using the biblical languages enables us to observe more accurately and thoroughly, understand more clearly, evaluate more fairly, and interpret more confidently the inspired details of the biblical text.
3. Using the biblical languages allows us to use more efficiently and evaluate more fairly the best secondary tools for biblical interpretation.
4. Using the biblical languages fosters a depth of character, commitment, conviction, and satisfaction in life and ministry that results in a validated witness in the world.
5. Using the biblical languages provides a warranted boldness, a sustained freshness, and a more articulated, sure, and helpful witness to the Truth in preaching and teaching.
6. Using the biblical languages equips us to defend the Gospel and to hold others accountable more confidently.
7. Using the biblical languages helps preserve the purity of the Gospel and a joyful glorifying of God by his Church into the next generation.

There are many hindrances to the availability of the Biblical languages. Some I can think of:

1. While we have had the Bible in one form or another throughout and since its writing, we have only within the past century found enough evidence in the ancient manuscripts to be reasonably sure what was precisely written in the original languages. So they have not been readily available throughout most of history.
2. The printing press has only been available for a few hundred years now. Most people throughout history have not even had a Bible in any language readily available to them.
3. There are hundreds of people groups who even today barely have the Bible translated into their language, much less have the education available to them to delve into the original languages themselves.
4. A significant number of people don’t have the intellectual capacity to learn and understand the original languages. Many are barely literate in their own language.
5. Of the people who have some education in the original languages, the vast majority don’t think in those languages.
6. God confused language at Babel for a reason.

Regarding number 5: Scientific American has a short article touching on some research that is being done in the link between language and thought. The language that a person typically uses governs his thought. The example in the article was a 5-year-old Australian aborigine girl who could easily point the way north where a lecture hall of accomplished academicians could not. It reminded me of my mom’s side of the family. Always, they refer to things by their compass directions: “the south bedroom,” “the west field,” “Go to the end of the road and turn north on Kessler Road.” I can’t talk to my wife this way or she would get lost. For her, directions are relative: “the bedroom to the right of the bathroom,” “turn left on Museum Road.” Mastering language means being able to follow the linguistic logic of the references over and against those that one is accustomed to.

Regarding number 6: I’ll deal with this one shortly because it’s in the title. I wanted to make a reference here so you don’t think I just made a provocative statement without talking about it.

What can we make of the fact that A) Studying the Biblical languages is essential and B) The vast majority of Christians are not going to have the spiritual luxury of doing so? I mean, if this were the case then we revert back to dependence on priests for our understanding. We should close our Bibles and not even try to read them because we’ll never quite get it right.

And we indeed need to get it right. Our salvation is at stake if we don’t follow the true gospel. God’s glory is at stake if we don’t get our understanding of Him correct. Judging by the disputes and disagreements between Christians, it is more normal that we disagree on many things than if we agree.

What are we to do? I go back to my original question: “Did God know that most people in the world would not have the original languages of the Bible readily available to them?” We could also ask, “Did God not know that nearly all of the people who profess to follow Him wouldn’t get their theology straight?” So, if we assume that He knows these things we can further ask if He takes this all into account?

This is where we discuss things like the perspicuity of scripture (how clear it is), what is necessary to understand for salvation, and how understandable different things of scripture are. Some factors I see:

1. Some passages of scripture are more understandable than others no matter what language you use.
2. Some topics are more understandable than others.
3. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is necessary for proper understanding.
4. Some understanding depends on wisdom aside from intelligence.
5. Some understanding requires great intelligence or education.
6. Individual levels of understanding depend on personal experiences.
7. The understandability of some things of scripture depends heavily on cultural influences.
8. The understandability of most things of scripture depends on our level of spiritual discernment.
9. God causes a lack of understanding for His perfect purpose.

This is hardly an exhaustive list. But it is these last points that are key to tying Babel with God’s revelation of Himself in scripture and walking away with an assurance that we can know enough well enough.

God caused language to be confused in Babel and then proceeded to reveal Himself through prophets and inspired scripture.

In Babel, the goal of mankind was the exaltation of Man over God and the self-sufficiency of Man. God confused the language of Man so that His revelation to Man would be clear to Man when it came. In other words, Man could not rely on himself for knowledge of God, but had to rely on God to reveal Himself.

We still do. That’s the bridge between Babel and the revelation God gives us in the Bible. Inasmuch as we approach knowledge of God on our own accord, we lack understanding. Inasmuch as we approach knowledge of God by the light and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we have understanding. Those who lack understanding don’t understand how those who have understanding got it, and they often disparage those who have understanding as though they cannot have understanding. Those who lack understanding typically cannot believe that there is some understanding that they do not possess.

Here is another list (I seem to be into lists today) of how God works with us to understand His revelation:

1. Obtaining an understanding of scripture is part of our being made perfect as we are sanctified, set aside, for His glory. (Romans 15:14-21)
2. We are told, clearly enough, to study scripture. The implication is that we can know something from it. (Ephesians 5:17; 1 Timothy 4:13)
3. We are told that scripture is a sufficient revelation for us. (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16)
4. We are told how to deal with each other in grace as we differ in our understanding. This indicates that God knows that we are going to have slightly differing understandings for a time although we are all brothers and sisters in the faith. (1 Corinthians 8)
5. God deals with us graciously in our lack of understanding. (Romans 7:15-25; Philippians 4:7)
6. Although we often get things wrong and disagree, the revelation of God is not open to interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20)
7. God gives us understanding. (1 John 5:20; 2 Timothy 2:7; 1 Corinthians 2:12; Romans 1:19)
8. God takes understanding away. (John 12: 39,40; Romans 1:29; 11:25)
9. It is our desire to understand and our trust in God rather than our own intellectual machinations that give us true understanding. (Hebrews 11:3)
10. Understanding is not the ultimate goal. (1 Corinthians 13:12; John 5:39-40)

So, seek understanding. Study the Bible. Struggle to get it right. Learn the original languages if you can, but do not despair if you cannot. Understanding comes from God. Trust Him and seek Him above all, and deal graciously with others when you disagree.

Can Music Without Words Communicate?

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I’ve always known that music without words communicates. Inasmuch as we can see information in DNA, purposeful arrangements of pitches, timbres and rhythms performed within a sociological context can have great meaning even devoid of lyric or narration.

Music without words is like blank stationary designed for conveying certain types of messages. When wordless music is woven into a single tapestry with other elements that clearly convey meaning, then it is contextualized. Aside from faint lines on stationary, the graphical elements on the paper are most often oriented at the borders where no words go. The paper provides the foundation for the words and the graphical elements compliment the words. Likewise, music without words provides a foundation for and compliments the times when words are sung or spoken.

Have You Thought About This, Lucy?

Linus actually has a pretty good start on a decent Reformed epistemology. But what do you do when your thought life primarily consists of what is represented here by Linus' discourse and most of the rest of the world responds to you like Lucy?

Communication Through Music

I sang this at church the Sunday before last. This is sung by Steve Green. He's a tenor and I'm more of a baritone. I tell you this to give you an idea of how I might sound singing this. We have a state of the art digital sound system at church, but it's designed and tuned for amplification in our unique area. It doesn't produce studio quality recordings. Therefore, I have no usable recording of myself. Steve sings it just fine.

Edit: Dr. Jeff Spry, the Minister of Education at my church, read this and provided me with a recording from Sunday morning. It's still equalized for amplification, but it's not a bad live recording. I updated the video with the live audio.

Transposer just posted a thoughtful tribute to a friend of his who taught piano. Since I seem to be on a communication theme, I’ll take the occasion to discuss the non-verbal aspects of music. Songs have lyrics and therein may lay a message. However, music can convey much more than is in lyrics. What kind of communication happens with music?

First, I’ve considered being a musical ethnologist – a missionary who goes to remote people who are only now being presented the gospel. As some exhibit faith in Christ and gather to worship God, they may need help developing meaningful corporate worship. A musical ethnologist comes in and works with the permanent missionary and the new believers. He studies their music and its meaning to them as well as how they communicate together as a people and what the various affectations of their culture promote. He then advises leaders how to use these affectations to unify the expression of a body of believers in worship. So, while music plays a big role, there are other means for worshipping corporately.

For example, dance among Southern Baptists in the United States is associated with promoting lust between people. This is because of the culture we live in. Therefore, many Southern Baptist churches don’t allow dancing, especially in worship. However, some Hispanic cultures associate dance with familial bonding. These churches may use dance to encourage healthy relationships within their church family. The Jewish tradition is rich with dance as a form of worship. Therefore, Messianic congregations often find it appropriate to dance in worship.

Music is more than mere sound waves. Music is communication. The production of sound vibration involves the production of harmonics. These harmonics are the basis for much of the patterns of real, implied and tonal harmonic patterns (implied harmonics are usually called melodies and harmonic patterns that give each instrument a distinctive sound are often called tonal colors) used in musical cultures around the world. Cultural conditioning causes people within a culture to react emotionally to different harmonic patterns and rhythms differently. You can teach proper emotional response to theological propositions through music by combining meaningful lyrics with the appropriate harmonic patterns and rhythms for that culture. Worshippers conditioned in a similar cultural context will respond similarly. This gives meaning beyond mere words and unifies people within a corporate worship context. This is one type of communication.

Certainly I’ve missed the most obvious form of communication – that between musicians and their audience. Musicians love the music they make as though each piece were a child they raised. From the beginning where they heard the first tones in their mind’s ear through the process of developing and rehearsing every part, they raise this piece from infancy. When the piece has matured, they are pleased to offer it as a product of their hours of labor. A professional musician may be privileged to share a piece over and over again. Someone like me may spend hours upon hours perfecting a piece only to spend a few minutes sharing it. Those few minutes of communication are priceless.

I’ve been listening to Yo Iré for 1 ½ years. I started by translating the Spanish so I knew what it was. This past spring, I decided I wanted to sing it in Venezuela, but I needed the accompaniment track. I ordered the version from Steve Green ministries that came with the demo in English in case I wanted to sing it in English. After hours of practicing singing the Spanish pronunciations and conveying the message through my delivery, I was ready to go to Venezuela and sing it. When I got back, I started working on the English and decided to do part of it in English and part of it in Spanish. I then spent several hours over the course of a few weeks pulling together the images from a few of the missions our church has undertook recently on in order to create the video. The whole time, I have prayed through the words and prepared myself in worship so God can use my efforts to His glory. I pray that God was able to use the few minutes of presentation to encourage the hearts of my brothers and sisters toward missions. That’s communication.

Another venue of communication in music is between musicians. I have sung or played a variety of genres with a variety of musical groups. For choirs, orchestras, wind ensembles and jazz orchestras, you follow the director. You must also listen to those around you for blend and balance. With smaller groups there is usually a leader of sorts, but often arrangements are such that leadership may temporarily change throughout pieces. Each member must be followed by the rest of the members of the group at some point or another. A pianist must listen to the drummer for tempo and rhythm and to the bassist for improvised licks so that he doesn’t play atop the bassist. The bassist and drummer must coordinate bass rhythms. The fact is there is generally more communication between musicians than there is between the musicians and the audience/congregation. It may be technical, but music is a practice in communicating technical information by hearing and sight and using it to communicate the deeper meaning of the music between musicians. Without this, a group lacks cohesiveness and cannot communicate outwardly.

In high school, I knew a saxophone player named Tim Murdock who was an outstanding improvisational jazz artist. I could (and still can) compose music on the fly. I would sit at the piano and start playing. Tim would grab his axe and start adding melody to my changes. I could hear the implied harmonies in his melodies and adjust the direction of the changes to compensate. I could lead changes with internal moving licks that told Tim where I was going. We could fill an hour with nonstop original jazz music.

I’ve alluded to it already, but perhaps the greatest communication with music is between the musician and his Creator. The process of conceiving, composing, rehearsing and producing music is creative at every level. I’m convinced that there is a certain grace whereby we have been given the capacity by our Creator to create such as music. When I was in Bible college I sang in the choir. One concept stressed to us is that a Christian musician performs for an audience of One. Everything we do and every bit of music we create is to be offered up as praise to God and for His glory. While a Christian musician takes into consideration those he expects will listen, all these others before whom he stands and offers the music he creates are merely bystanders as he worships his Creator.