Here’s the thing about the sounding brass, as I see it. We should combine it with Paul’s words about a trumpet playing a recognizable tune. Brass instruments can be lovely when they’re played well. When they’re played badly, they will give you a headache in a minute. I suspect this is what he meant by a clanging cymbal.
I was pondering a fair deal on this stuff.
And I am not sure of the way you are using the sounding brass, and then combining it with Paul's words of a trumpet playing a recognizable tune, and how that a brass instrument can be played well or badly, in regards to men speaking in the tongues of men and of angels.
Are you saying that if one is speaking in the tongues of men and of angels and have no love, that that is likened unto someone who plays a brass instrument badly, which can give a headache?
And anyhow, I just want to go to that specific scripture of Paul mentioning a trumpet playing to get a bit of context, so to see what it is actually talking about:
1Co 14:6-13
(6) Now, brethren,
if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
(7) And even things without life giving sound,
whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
(8) For
if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
(9)
So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
(10) There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and
none of them is without signification.
(11)
Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
(12) Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
(13) Wherefore let him that
speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
Now the context of this scripture is quite different than the context in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
Here it is not necessarily talking about playing an instrument well, but rather it is talking about making a sound through say what is piped or harped, but in a way that one knows what the tune is, or in a way that one knows the distinction of the trumpet blast, which in this case mentions a battle.
I know that under the old testament they seemed to have specific types of trumpet blasts.
So it is talking about making specific noises, so you know what it is, such as a specific tune, or a trumpet blast so one knows that it is time to go into battle.
So it is comparing this to speaking in an unknown tongue, and speaking in a tongue that is recognizable to man, such as their native tongue.
For if you do not speak in their native tongue, how shall they understand what you are saying, and it talks about talking in words easy to be understood, and who understands an unknown tongue?
So that is the context, which when speaking to someone of course you won't be speaking to them in an unknown tongue but rather in a tongue they understand.
So now let us go to the context of 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
1Co 13:1
(1) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and
have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
The context here is not about speaking in a specific tongue that one recognizes so one can be understood, but rather it is about when someone speaks in tongues of men and of angels, and do not have love, that they are become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
So in what way are they become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal?
And we always have to remember that it is comparing this sounding brass, and tinkling cymbal, to men who are speaking in the tongues of men and of angels, but without love.
So how are they become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal, in their speaking in a tongue, without love?
Is it due to the way these cymbals and the brass are played?
Is it because they are being played so badly, that in essence, that is how it is spiritually when you speak in the tongues of men and of angels, without love?
It is as an horrible sound in God's ears?
Or is it due to the sounding brass, and the tinkling cymbal, always making their continuous noise, always tinkling and sounding,
no point to it, it is ritualistic, just an empty sound, thus in
God's ears it is as dead noise, empty noise, vain.
Well with more thought given, I personally would cling to the 2nd view of it being empty, dead, and vain.
But in saying this, how can we truly know?
Well I think the key would be in our scripture itself:
1Co 13:1
(1)
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Now we know that the tongues of men refers to men's languages such as English, French and so on.
Now what about the tongues of angels?
Well for one thing, we know that the word tongues has to be written in plural since men have many tongues.
Now do angels themselves have many tongues?
Well I know that concerning speaking in an unknown tongue, which is mentioned in Corinthians, there is no mention anywhere that angels can speak in these specific tongues.
Now we know that angels do speak the word of God, and bible wise, we do have evidence that angels can speak in the tongues or languages of men, as we see all kinds of examples of this in the bible such as Gabriel talking to Daniel, and even all kinds of examples testimony wise as well.
So we know this for a certainty.
But do angels have their own specific language or languages?
Well bible wise, I am not aware of any scripture that specifically shows this, if there is one, I am surely not aware of it.
I won't really debate this idea, but I will for myself leave on the side for now.
And before the tower of Babel, I know that there was only one language, could the angels as well up in Heaven at that time be only speaking that one language as well? Who knows, it is possible, but who knows.
But I know since babel, we see evidence of angels being able to speak in the languages of men plural.
So whether angels have many specific languages specific to them or not, regardless to this, they still speak in many languages, which are the languages of men.
So in what way then is it mentioning the tongues of men and of angels anyways?
Is it because angels have their own specific languages in this case, or is God trying to show us some type of contrast between the tongues of men and of angels?