I grew up playing piano and soon learned to worship at the keyboard. I did that as a young man and have throughout my adult life. I have always believed that God's Word supports the use of instruments for His glory!
In I Chronicles 23 we see David gathering the people for temple service. Of the 38,000 Levite males, 4000 were designated musicians. David said they were to "offer praise to the Lord with instruments". In chapter 25 we then see that 228 of those 4,000 were especially trained and skilled "in singing to the Lord". Some were assigned specific instruments - harp, lyre, cymbals, and trumpets. The trumpets and cymbals were also used to announce or call the assembly together and we find other instruments were used for "sacred song" (I Chronicles 16:42).
Even though we can not make a direct jump from temple service to the New Testament Church, we still find Psalms being sung in the New Testament period and still should be today. To disconnect between Old Testament and New and say that the praise of God is somehow stifled is dangerous. Would it not be that we would praise God in even grander ways just by virtue of what has been revealed to us since the days of David? We have experienced the glorious, completed work of Christ Jesus and even gotten a view of heaven's worship from Revelation. A huge amount of teaching on worship is found in the Old Testament - should this be abandoned? There is no logical reason to believe that the worship instruments mentioned in the O.T. and Psalms, and used in the temple, would suddenly vanish from use. There is no scripture to be found that silences these instruments. The Psalms are full of calls to worship with instruments.
It is possible that instruments were not used as much during the time of the Roman persecution of Christians. But we find Paul referring to instruments in I Corinthians 14:6-8, and some theologians believe that the Greek words translated "sing" in some of the references in the New Testament indicate "accompanied by instruments".
Instruments make an invaluable contribution to congregational singing - leadership, melodic support, energy and interpretative meaning. I am so grateful for all of our instrumentalists--band and orchestra-- who faithfully enhance our worship in glory to God! mjm
