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In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:
From the sons of Asaph: Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.
As for Jeduthun, from his sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.
As for Heman, from his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. (All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)
All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.
Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.
The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons and relatives 12
the second to Gedaliah, him and his relatives and sons 12
the third to Zakkur, his sons and relatives 12
the fourth to Izri, his sons and relatives 12
the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and relatives 12
the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and relatives 12
the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons and relatives 12
the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and relatives 12
the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and relatives 12
the tenth to Shimei, his sons and relatives 12
the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and relatives 12
the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and relatives 12
the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons and relatives 12
the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons and relatives 12
the fifteenth to Jerimoth, his sons and relatives 12
the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and relatives 12
the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and relatives 12
the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and relatives 12
the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and relatives 12
the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and relatives 12
the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and relatives 12
the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and relatives 12
the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and relatives 12
the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer, his sons and relatives 12.
1 Chronicles 25
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In Chapter 24, we examined how there was an intentional division of priests to ensure that the necessary ministry to the Lord within the temple would be covered. As Chapter 25 opens up, we find the focus shifting from the priests and their assistants to the musicians.
As we have seen already through the scriptures, music was an important element of worship. Today as music continues to hold an important place in bringing praise and honor to the Lord, we carry on a rich legacy that has spanned well over 2,000 years. Now that’s staying power!
Looking at our passage, we find that King David was involved in designating who would provide the temple music, just as he had been involved in scheduling the priests:
David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.
From the sons of Asaph: Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.
As for Jeduthun, from his sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.
As for Heman, from his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. (All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)
All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.
Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288.
All and all, there were 24 sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun who, under the supervision of their father, formed the foundation for the temple music program using cymbals, lyres, and harps for the ministry of the Lord. And one more very significant point: all of them were trained and skilled for music, not for themselves or for someone else, but for the Lord.
I say this is significant because I think many people do not see themselves in that perspective, as being trained and skilled in something for the Lord. One may see themselves as skilled and trained for the purpose of providing for their families. One may see themselves as skilled and trained to provide services or entertainment for others. One may see themselves as skilled and trained to work in some special vocational field. But if we would really sit down and reflect on this matter, I think we would remember one very important thing: every skill or talent gained by practice or training is there because the Lord deemed it to be there.
In other words, the very Source of our skill and talent is the One who we should be using it to the glory of.
If you are a skilled businessperson, then you conduct your business for the Lord.
If you are a skilled teacher, then you teach for the glory of the Lord.
If you are a doctor or nurse or any other person skilled in the medical business, you help heal people to honor the Lord.
I could go on but I know you get the point. Everything we do in life, using the gifts that the Lord has given us, is done for Him and Him alone. He is to be magnified with every action we take. Period. Anyone else that benefits as a result of what we do is secondary and actually, we should be compelling them to give their thanks to the Lord who used us as an instrument of His will to do something that was life changing, life edifying, or life preserving.
Friends, the Lord has given us all gifts for us to use to His glory and for the benefit of His kingdom. When we do so, then these words that Jesus taught us to pray begin to come to life:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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