“David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart 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:”
~ 1 Chronicles 25:1
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like the sound of musical instruments? Would you someday like to learn to play a musical instrument? Would you someday like to be able to play a musical instrument in an orchestra? Would you someday like to be able to march in a marching band? Do you like to watch guys and gals march in a marching band as they are playing their musical instruments? If your grandpaa had decided to learn to play a musical instrument so that he could one day march in a marching band, your grandpaa – because he cannot keep a beat, would have had a difficult time trying to keep step with every other guy and gal in the marching band. Do you like to sing? Do you sing well? Your grandpaa likes to sing but . . . your grandpaa should have been born a frog. Frogs croak. Ask your dad if he thinks that there is much difference in the way that your grandpaa sings and in the way that a frog croaks. When your grandpaa was a kid, your grandpaa’s dad and ma would each year take your grandpaa and the rest of their kids to Brookings to see a parade. The parade is called the Hobo Day Parade. Your grandpaa always looked forward to the Saturday morning in late October when the annual Hobo Day Parade was scheduled. A good number of the college students who were going to South Dakota State University – which is in Brookings, would dress up as bums and they would march in the Hobo Day Parade. A bum is like a hobo. Now you know why the yearly October parade in Brookings is called the Hobo Day Parade. It was always entertaining to watch what the college students did who had gotten dressed up like bums or hobos. Something else that your grandpaa remembers is watching the different marching bands as they marched – especially when the marching bands made the turn around a corner near where your grandpaa’s dad and ma always liked to stand to watch the parade with their kids. Your grandpaa knew as he watched bands march past him – even though your grandpaa really enjoyed the music and watching the bands march, that playing a musical instrument and marching in a band someday was not something that your grandpaa ever wanted to do. Another reason why your grandpaa always looked forward to this Saturday morning in late October is that pheasant hunting season always begins right at noon on this same Saturday. Your grandpaa always looked forward to going with his dad to hunt pheasants. Your grandpaa’s dad was a really good shot with his twelve gauge double barrel shotgun.
If you had the chance, would you learn to play a musical instrument? If you had the chance, would you sing in a choir? Your dad liked to sing. Your grandpaa hopes that you are able to sing more like your dad than like your grandpaa. Your grandpaa thinks that your grandmaa has a very nice singing voice but . . . your grandmaa does not think that she sings all that well. David wrote songs. David played a harp. David by 1 Chronicles 25 is an old king. David is getting everything in place to pass on the king job to his kid Solomon. David wanted to have a group of temple musicians in place for Solomon. These musicians were to be able to prophesy as they played harps, lyres and cymbals. Ask your dad or ma to show you pictures of a harp, lyre and cymbal. Harps and lyres are not musical instruments that you are going to today see a guy or gal playing while marching in a marching band. If a harp or lyre is played in an orchestra, more often than not a gal will be playing the harp or lyre. Your grandpaa likes to listen to and watch orchestras. David seemed to want to have a temple orchestra. This temple orchestra would do more than just play instruments and sing; it would use words to praise and thank God. How do you think that David chose the guys and gals who would be in his temple orchestra? David asked his army commanders to help him decide which of the family clans among God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids, had the best musical instrument players, singers and prophesiers. The chronicler chronicled in verse 1 “David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart 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:” Asaph had four sons, Jeduthun had six sons and Heman had fourteen sons – making a total of twenty-four family units. The instrument players, singers and prophesiers were chosen to be members of the temple orchestra from these twenty-four family units. Twelve sons or relatives were chosen from each of the twenty-four family units with a son of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun being the head of each of these twenty-four family units. The guys and gals who became members of David’s 288 member orchestra were trained and skilled musicians. If you check off the list of all the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun along with the names of the twelve sons and relatives, there are three names which are not the same as the initial list. Why do you think that Asarelah, Zeri and Uzziel are only listed in the first list of names while Jesarelah, Izri and Azarel are only listed in the second list of names?
Worshipping God by singing, playing an instrument or simply thanking and praising God for everything that He has done really pleases and blesses God. David wanted to please and bless God with a choir or an orchestra of singers, instrument players and guys and gals who would thank and praise God. Why do you think that churches today have a worship team, play instruments and have guys and/or gals sing special songs and choruses that praise and thank God? Churches today want to do what David did – which is to please and bless God by singing, playing an instrument and verbally praising and thanking God. Is singing and/or playing an instrument – such as a keyboard or a guitar, something that you would like to do as a way to thank God for everything that He has done for you?
1 Chronicles 25 (191)