“All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king’s order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.” — 1 Chronicles 25:6

My invitation to church came from a young lady who played flute in the high school band where I was a percussionist. It did not take me long to learn that both music and faith in God ran deeply in her family. Her father was a high school choir director and also a church music director, and her grandfather played in the church orchestra for many years. Her mother played piano, and her three siblings were proficient on a variety of instruments including flute, trombone, French horn, piano, harp, violin, viola, and recorder, and ultimately all pursued musical careers and activities. In fact, after the young lady and I were married, I used to joke that in order to be considered as a candidate for marrying into the family, you had to present not only your spiritual credentials, but also your musical credentials! Over the years at family holiday gatherings, everyone was expected to bring their instruments to play together. 

Decades later, the focus in our family is still on faith and music. Our children are all musicians and participate in the music of the church. Their children are taking music lessons too, so the family musical heritage continues to be intertwined with a heritage of faith and trust in God. Someday, when our grandchildren are a bit older, we hope that their talents and training will be used for God’s glory as well. 

Today’s text describes the duties of three families of the tribe of Levi—Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun—who were chosen to participate as musicians in the worship of the Lord in the Temple. This guild of musicians was divided into twenty-four teams, each headed by a son of one of the three leaders. According to our focus verse, each served “under the hands of their father” on a rotating basis. This method of division and sharing of responsibilities mirrors the pattern given the priests for their duties in the Temple. 

It is interesting to note that the family guilds consisted of musicians both old and young, as well as those of varying skill levels. Likely the purpose behind this was to sustain the music used in worship from generation to generation, just as my wife’s family (and many other families as well) have done through the years in our churches. 

God continues to use music to bless hearts, and He often inspires older musicians to commit to teaching, training, and mentoring younger ones. Yet, music is just one of the many types of gifts and talents God has given to His followers to develop for His service. No matter what portion of God’s work we are privileged to be a part of, may we all be inspired by the Holy Spirit and commit ourselves to offering God our best.

BACKGROUND

Chapter 25 describes King David’s organization of the Levites for musical service in the Temple worship. The system he put in place mirrors the way the priests were organized for their official duties in the Temple (see chapter 24). King David, a musician himself, along with his military leaders, appointed the families of Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman to lead the music. Individuals within those three families were then appointed to lead twenty-four teams of twelve each, for a total of 288 musicians who participated on a rotating basis. 

The text indicates the musicians used various instruments including harps, psalteries, horns, and cymbals. Verse 1 notes they were to “prophesy” with these instruments, which suggests they were to play under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, while maintaining the established order of worship under the direction of their leaders (verse 6). 

The harp mentioned was a lyre, which was a stringed instrument consisting of a body, crossbar, and sometimes a sounding box. The psaltery was a zither, an instrument with thirty to forty strings placed over a shallow soundboard and played with a pick and fingers.Cymbals were two round, slightly concave metal plates that were struck together; they came in a variety of sizes, enabling them to produce differing tones and volumes during times of worship and celebration (see Psalm 150:5). The horns mentioned in verse 5 were a type of wind instrument that projected a powerful sound. All of these instruments provided the backdrop and accompaniment for human voices singing in unity. “Words” and “songs” in verses 5-6 suggest a choir made up of both male and female voices singing before the Lord. 

In verse 5, Heman is called “the king’s seer” while Asaph and Jeduthun are titled similarly in 2 Chronicles 29:30 and 35:15. Asaph is also noted as the composer of twelve of the Psalms—Psalm 50 and Psalms 73 through 83. 

Verse 8 indicates that the order in which the various teams were to serve was determined by casting lots. David did not allocate the choice worship assignments only to the most talented. He let God do the choosing, and this method provided both a protection against pride for the talented and a learning opportunity for those who were still novices.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

II. The reign of David
     C. The organization of the Temple ritual
          3. The preparation of singers and musicians (25:1-31)
               a. The choice of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun (25:1-8)
               b. The division into twenty-four courses (25:9-31)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. According to verse 7, how many musicians were appointed by King David to serve in the Temple?
2. Why do you think the musicians were divided into “courses” (or “teams”)?
3. How can we assist in preparing others to carry on the musical aspect of worship?

CONCLUSION

The talents given by God and returned to Him in faithful service will certainly result in God’s glory and our benefit.