Musicians in the House

 Musicians in the House

November 18; 2024

1 Chronicles 25:1 (NASB95) 

Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, whowere to prophesy with lyres, harps and cymbals; and the number of those who performed their service was: …

1 Chronicles 25:6-7 

6 All these were under the direction of their father to sing in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the direction of the king. 7 Their number who were trained in singing to the LORD, with their relatives, all who were skillful, was 288.

Today’s scripture reading is out of Chronicles. It’s easy to get bogged down in this section of the Bible with all the genealogies and minute details of the history of the kings of Israel. However, this passage struck me as important to me because it lists the musicians that King David appointed to serve in the tabernacle. The fact that struck me as important, is that of all the officials appointed to serve the kings, the musicians were listed first. When you have been a church musician for a long time, such as I have been, you can get a bit jaded. There is a danger that the worship service can become simply a performance, but it is much more important than that. The king listed the musicians first because they were not just entertainment, but were a vital part of the worship which was an essential part of the business of running a kingdom. Note that it not does say that they played instrument, but that the prophesied with their instrument. Worship proclaims the glory and majesty of the Lord and invites the power of the Holy Spirit into the congregation which brings wisdom and power and healing. Worshipping first, before anything else, was essential for the king to rule in a godly way and not just out of his own wisdom and strength. King David knew that. It is said that David was a man after God’s own heart. He knew about seeking the Lord first before he made any significant moves as a king.

Also, there were not just one of two musicians. It says here that the choir had 288 members. Now that is a pretty impressive ensemble! Do we have that same dedication to prophesy with our instruments and to sing skillfully before we make any important decisions?  Looking back to the battle of Jericho we remember that it was the musicians that went first ahead of the army and that the Lord’s victory was announced by the trumpets before the wall fell! The army only went in to clean up after the sounding of the trumpets and shouts of the people brought down the wall.

So, if you are called to be a musician in the church, be encouraged. Our part is very important. Praise and worship opens the gates for the people to enter into the presence of the Lord and ushers in the Holy Spirit to bring power, wisdom and healing to the people. It is not a small thing and being skillful is also important. The King deserves the best that we have to offer. So take heart and worship the Lord with all your heart and all your mind. It will bless the Lord and His people.