1 & 2 Chronicles
The two books of the Chronicles which originally formed one work in the Hebrew canon is called, “Events of the days” (the first words of the text, and is called by the Greek translation (the Septuagint), “Paraleipomena”. It means a supplement to the books of Samuel and I & II Kings, “as many things passed over in the Kings are contained in these” (K&D, 375). The English name in our Bible was derived from a Latin term used by Jerome.
Traditionally it is believed that Ezra is the author of this work as the book of Ezra begins with the same words that end this work (see 2 Chr. 36:22-23; Ezr. 1:1-3). As a supplement to the books of Samuel and Kings, Chronicles skip over much of the history of the Northern Kingdom, and while the history of the kings of Judah is mentioned, the focus is on the worship of Yahweh. Together with the reference to the writings of several prophets (including Nathan, Ahijah, Iddo, Shemaiah and Isaiah), the Chronicler's message is clear: Obedience to God brings blessing while disobedience results in disaster and defeat. It was a lesson these post-exile returnees who now have Jerusalem repaired and the temple rebuilt should take to heart.
It is important to note “that the Chronicle was composed in the time of Ezra, and that up to that time, of the whole people, for the most part only households and families of the tribes of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin had returned to Canaan” (K&D, 401). This also helps to explain why, for the most part, many of the genealogies are fragmentary and incomplete. The Chronicle is meant partly as a historical document of the returnees to re-establish their lives in a much smaller territory than the Promised Land once occupied by the twelve tribes. Hence no genealogies of the tribes of Dan and Zebulun are given at all, and the sons of Naphtali are mentioned in one single verse (7:13) — all tribes that used to occupy the most northern part of Palestine which was no longer theirs to reside in at the time of Ezra.
A good part of 1 Chronicles consists of genealogies (especially the first nine chapters) which, as I mentioned in the introduction, might be more relevant to the post-exile returnees to Jerusalem than to us today. However, I still encourage you to read through these genealogies and we shall seek to reflect on some of the purposes of their being recorded.
Divisions of Chapters 1-9: From primeval times to the tribes of Israel
I. From Adam to Abraham (Ch. 1)
II. Sons of Israel, families of Judah and the sons of David (2:1–4:23)
III. The tribe of Simeon and the Transjordan tribes (4:24–5:26)
IV. The tribe of Levi (5:27–6:66)
V. Remaining tribes (chs. 7 and 8)
VI. Former inhabitants of Jerusalem and Saul’s families (9:1–9:44)
1:1-4—The Patriarchs from Adam to Noah
(1) Why do you think the Chronicler would trace the genealogy of the Chosen People to Adam — who is not only the common ancestor of all humankind, but the one through whom sin has entered into the world? (Rom. 5:12)
1:5-23—Descendants from the sons of Noah
(2) Japheth (1:5-7) appears to be the ancestor of the “more northern peoples of southern Europe” (PCD, 402) and not the ancestor of the Chosen people. What righteous act did he do in aiding his brother Shem and what blessing did he receive? (Gen. 9:20-27)
(3) Ham (1:8-13), like his brothers, were among the eight saved from the flood, and is the ancestor of the Egyptians, Ethiopians, Libyans and the Canaanites. What did he do that invited the curse of Noah? (Gen. 9:20-27)
(4) Shem—ancestor of the Semites (1:17-23): What did he do right and what blessing did he receive? (Gen. 9:20-27)
1:24-34—The Patriarchs from Shem to Abraham to the sons of Abraham
(5) Compare 1:24-27 with Genesis 11:10-26. What might the reason be that none of the other sons of Terah are mentioned here?
(6) While Keturah also bore sons to Abraham, why are only Isaac and Ishmael called “sons of Abraham”? (1:28)
1:35-54—The Descendants of Esau—the Edomites
(7) It appears that Esau and his descendants had not only settled in Mount Seir but assimilated with the aboriginals and thus their descendants are called “the sons of Seir”:
a. Why do you think the Bible would bother to record the descendants of Esau in such detail?
b. What did they do to the Israelites subsequently in history and what is their fate? (see for example Amos 1:9, 11; 2:1)
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“These were their descendants….” (1 Chr. 1:29)
“Nine chapters of genealogical tables! What waste of space! Nay, rather, what blindness to think so! No part of the Chronicles is more important. Such lines of descent were of sacred importance to all godly Jews, and rightly so, for they knew that their nation, besides being the repository of a special Divine revelation, was the possessor of wonderful Divine promises reaching on to unborn generations. The chronicler himself knew well enough that these genealogies reveal the selective process of Divine election right from Adam downwards, and that the covenant line of redemptive purpose was to culminate in the Messiah. Especially did the preservation of the trunk and main branches of Israel’s family tree become vital after the Babylonian exile (when the Chronicles were written). Families had been uprooted by the thousand. Connections had been broken. Many records had been lost (see for instance Ezra ii. 59), and Judah’s archives must have become largely disintegrated even where not actually destroyed. Our chronicler’s lists link the pre-Exile with the post-Exile period; for (as should be clearly grasped) chapter ix. 2-34 concerns the resettlement in Judea after the Exile. The break is marked by the first verses of that chapter, which should really be the last verse of the preceding chapter. The Angus Bible Handbook remarks: 'These tables give the sacred line through which the promise was transmitted for nearly 3,500 years, a fact unexampled in the history of the human race'.”
(Explore the Book, J. S. Baxter, 164)
The descendants of the sons of Israel (the list begins not with the oldest son, Reuben, but with Judah): It may not mean a lot to us, but we can imagine it would have meant a lot to the returnees from exile at the time, many of whom were from the tribe of Judah. On the other hand, we can also learn a lot from the past history of many of these famous or infamous characters and gain insight into many of the important places the names of which have derived from some of these patriarchs of the tribe of Judah.
It is helpful to keep track of which of these descendants are parts of the Chosen line by reading Matthew 1:1-6 alongside this chapter.
2:1-2—The Sons of Israel
(1) Why were the older two sons passed over and why did the role of the Chosen fall on Judah instead? (Gen 49:1-7; 35:22; 34:26)
2:3-5—The Sons of Judah
(2) What is being highlighted in this genealogy and why? (Gen. 38:6-10)
2:6-8—The Sons of Zerah—Judah’s other son
(3) Why is Achar (or Achan) being highlighted as a descendant of Zerah? (2:7; Jos. 7:1)
2:9-54—Descendants of Judah’s Chosen Son, Perez—His genealogy continues with his son Hezron’s children, Ram, Caleb and Jerahmeel. More descendants of Hezron are recorded in vv. 21-24:
(4) What do we know about the ancestry of Gilead after whose name the land of Gilead is called ? (K&D, 412) (vv. 21-23)
(5) Descendants of Ram (vv. 10-17) — this is part of genealogy of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1)
a. Who are the famous characters with whom you are familiar? (vv. 10-14)
b. Who does Matthew highlight in Christ’s genealogy that is not mentioned here? Why does Matthew choose to highlight even the mother(s)?
c. Why does the Chronicler include the descendants of David’s sisters? (vv. 16-17)
(6) Descendants of Jerahmeel (vv. 25-41)
a. What might the detailed inclusion of the genealogy of the descendants of Jarha signify? (v. 35)
(7) Descendants of Caleb (vv. 18-20; 42-49) and of Hur, the son of his second marriage is mentioned in v. 20 (vv. 50-55)
a. There are certain names that scholars believe contribute to the naming of the town after them: See if you can find who the following are:
- Hebron (v. 42)
- Ephrathah/Bethlehem (vv. 19-20, 54)
b. Who is the famous Kenite who is related to Moses? (v. 55; Jdg. 1:16)
c. What are the Racabites famous for? (v. 55; Jer. 35:12-14)
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.” (1 Chr. 2:1-2)
The fact that the descendants of Judah receive the most attention by the Chronicler is understandable, because Judah is the “Chosen” line of the Messiah (Matt. 1). It is also understandable that the Chronicler is very selective in his record, confining the genealogy to the more famous or infamous families or characters in the history of Israel. As a result, it is more than simply a historical document for use by the returnees from exile in re-establishing their lives within Jerusalem and its vicinity allowed by the edicts of successive Persian emperors (Ezr. 1:1-4; 6:1-12; Neh. 6:9); it is also meant to teach the Israelites lessons from their past history, and within chapter two, we can at least notice the following:
- The wickedness of the sons of Judah including Er and Onan who died as a punishment by the Lord (2:3-4; Gen. 38:6, 10): These sons, unlike any of the sons of Israel, had had the privilege of being the ancestor of the Messiah, except that they despised such a privilege and chose the way of death;
- The sin of Achar or Achan (2:7; Jos. 7:1ff): It highlights the fact that the sin of a member of a faith community is not just an individual sin, but has ramifications beyond oneself and one’s family, and in the case of Achan, his sin led to the defeat of Israel at the hands of the men of Ai; but
- There is also a brighter side to this genealogy in that the faithful Recabites are being highlighted (2:55): They are subsequently used by the Lord in Jeremiah’s time to be an example of unwavering faithfulness to obey the decrees passed on to them by the ancestors (Jer. 35:1ff).
Having given us a detailed genealogy for the other two sons of Hezron, Jerahmeel and Caleb in the last chapter, the Chronicler now give us details of the genealogy of the most important character in the lineage of Ram, David:
3:1-9—Sons of David
(1) Can you count how many sons David had in total?
(2) How many wives, apart from concubines, did David have?
(3) With so many wives and concubines and a total of at least 19 sons, even though David was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), do you think he could teach and lead his children to know and fear God? Why or why not?
(4) David must have had many daughters too. Why was only Tamar mentioned in this genealogy? (v. 9; see 2 Sam. 13)
(5) How did the rape by Ammon and the subsequent murder by Absalom and his plot to usurp the throne of David support your answer to question #3 above?
3:10-16—The Kings of Judah
(6) In this part of the genealogy, several things might be worth noting:
a. The sons of Josiah were lumped together, “because with Josiah the regular succession to the throne in the house of David ceased…and the independent kingship of David came properly to an end with the death of Josiah” (K&D, 421): What might be the meaning of the reading of this list to the returnees from exile?
b. Matthew, in his rendering of this part of the genealogy, omitted (for a purpose, obviously) the names of Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah (vv. 11-12; Matt. 1:7-11) to make the lineage from Solomon to Jeconiah (or Jehoiachin) into 14 generations: What was the point Matthew tried to make? (Matt. 1:17)
3:17-24—The Royal Line after Exile
(7) Most of these names after exile are relatively unknown: What was the point of listing them out by the Chronicler for the returnees? For future generations beyond his time?
(8) The most prominent descendant of all on this list was Zerubbabel (v. 19). Read also Ezra 3:2; 5:2; Haggai 1:1, 14; Zechariah 4:9. What is the importance of this genealogy to Zerubbabel and the work of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.” (1 Chr. 3:9)
Reading the genealogy here in 1 Chronicles 3 reminds me that as much as the many kings of Judah and their people had invited the wrath of God with their rebellion against the Lord, especially in idol worship, but David, the king after God’s own heart, in fact, planted the seed of rebellion in the heart of the nation.
As a devout king, he should know the Law of Moses very well, especially the warning to a king like him, “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.” (Deut. 17:17) And yet, he chose to follow the culture of his time, and worse, he followed the practice of the kings of the nations around him, and married many wives and took concubines, most likely out of political expediency. Some of these women were obviously not God-fearers, like Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur (a small kingdom in the north-east of Bashan). The result could not have been more tragic because out of this union prohibited by God, we are reminded here that Absalom was born (3:2). “Absalom denotes ‘father of peace’ or ‘father’s peace'. The name was a complete misnomer, for the bearer became the disturber of David’s happiness and a rebel to his government.” (JFB, 222)
The words of Malachi come to mind, “And did not He make one? Yet had He the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.” (KJV) (Mal. 2:15) Indeed, by taking many wives and concubines, David could not have produced “godly seeds”, and the highlighting of Tamar by the Chronicler (3:9) reminds us of the tragic rape and murder that took place among the children of David which led to his fleeing for his life in his old age for fear of Absalom. Unfortunately, the old adage is always true, “we reap what we sow!” (Job 4:8)
4:1-23—The Other Clans of Judah
As we read this chapter, allow me to mention the following:
- This is a selected genealogy of the other heads of families of the descendants of Judah not already mentioned. Of the “sons” of Judah listed as a superscription of what follows, only Perez was his son, while Hezron was his grandson, Hur was the grandson of Hezron and Shobal was Hur’s son, plus Carmi, likely the grandson of Judah from the line of Zerah (v. 1).
- It is futile to try to trace some of these names which seem to appear out of nowhere. The reason might be that the names of the sons given in chapter 3 may not include every son of the each family. As a result, we have no idea who “Etam” was in 4:3, except to assume that the names in v. 3 are likely a continuation of the descendants of Shobal in v. 2.
- The selective nature of the genealogy might be due to the fact that some of these families had ceased to exist by the time of Ezra and were of no practical use to the re-establishment of the family life of these returnees from exile.
May I suggest that you slowly read through these clans of Judah and see what might catch your special attention, including perhaps the following:
(1) Jabez (vv. 9-10)—It appears that Jabez whose name means “to grieve” or “son of sorrow” is one of the descendants of Koz (v. 8) who can be traced back to Shobal (v. 2).
a. Why was he given such a name?
b. In old Hebrew tradition, a name seems to foretell the life of a person: How did Jabez seek to change his future?
c. What happened to his prayer? (see beginning of v. 9 and end of v. 10)
d. Without making too much speculation, what can you learn from this short interlude?
(2) The “son” of Kenaz, Othniel (v. 13):—Read Judges 3:9-11 and Joshua 15:17.
a. Who was Othniel?
b. How did God use this “1st Judge” of Israel?
c. Given the description in both Judges and Joshua, what was his relationship to Caleb, son of Jephunneh?
d. What does “son” of Kenaz mean in this case?
4:24-43—The Families and Dwelling-places of the Tribe of Simeon
- The families of the tribe—vv. 24-27
- Ancient dwelling places of the tribe—vv. 28-33
- Migration of some of the families of the tribe—vv. 34-43
(3) The families of the tribe (vv. 24-27)
a. Why did Simeon have such a short genealogy? (v. 27)
b. See Numbers 1-4 and compare the size of the tribe of Simeon to that of Judah even at the time of Moses.
c. How does this reflect the curse of Jacob? (Gen. 49:5-7)
(4) Ancient dwelling of the tribe (vv. 28-33)
a. Read Joshua 19:1-9 about their allotment, including the town of Ziklag.
b. What happened to (at least part of) their land during the time of Saul? (see 1 Sam. 27:1-6 and Note below)
(5) Migration of the tribe (vv. 34-43)
a. We have no idea where Gedor was, except that it used to be occupied by the Hamites—the descendants of Ham—the North African peoples: What kind of land was Gedor?
b. They also invaded the hill country of Seir (i.e. Edom) and finished off the Amalekites that Saul failed to kill and “they have lived there to this day” (v. 43)—that perhaps explains why they were not mentioned in the post-exilic period of re-settlement.
(6) What is the main message to you today, and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“Ziklag had been, even before the reign of David, taken away from the Simeonites by the Philistines, and had become the property of King Achish, who in the reign of Saul presented it to David, and through him it became the property of the kings of Judah…The subscription can only mean that till the reign of David these cities rightfully belonged to the Simeonites, but that during and after David’s reign this rightful possession of the Simeonites was trenched upon; and of this curtailing of their rights, the transfer of the city of Ziklag to the kings of Judah gives one historically attested proof.”
(K&D, 434)
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ‘I gave birth to him in pain'. Jabez cried out to the God of Israel…” (1 Chr. 4:9-10)
I am not sure if the Chronicler senses that several chapters of genealogy must be pretty dry reading, so from time to time, he inserts some rather interesting interludes into the genealogy. The story of Jabez is a case in point (4:9-10).
While I would caution us not to interpret and extrapolate too much out of a short few verses of mention about this character beyond which we really know nothing about, the fact is clear that his mother suffered a great deal in giving birth to him, causing her to give him the name, Jabez which means to grieve. Unfortunately, it appears that in ancient Eastern culture, the name of a person carried significant meaning which seemed to dictate the future of a person, at least psychologically. In order to free himself from this bondage (at least psychologically), Jabez resorted to praying to the Lord. Since we do not know exactly what his situation was, I would not want to speculate what his prayer “enlarge my territory” means (4:10), but the result was clear: “God granted his request” and “Jabez was more honorable than his brother”.
The reason why the Chronicler chooses to include this short story in his otherwise monotonous genealogy is certainly not to promote “prosperity theology”, but to show us that our future is not dictated by our past or family of origin, but is totally in God’s hand. If we look to God, and not to men or even our own ability, He will turn our lives around. The words of the Psalmist come to mind:
“Why are you so downcast, O may soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Ps. 42:11; 43:5)
5:1-10—The Descendants of Reuben
(1) Reason for the Sequence of the genealogy (5:1-3)
a. What was the reason given for not listing the genealogy of Rueben ahead of Judah? (v. 1)
b. To whom was the firstborn right transferred as signified by the inheritance of a double portion? (vv. 1-2; see Deut. 21:7)
c. Why was this genealogy still not recorded according to the (new) birthrights?
(2) Family heads of Joel (vv. 4-6)—Joel was likely the descendant of one of the sons in v. 4.
a. What happened to one of the heads of the families of the descendants of Joel, Beerah? (see Note 1 below)
(3) Families of the brothers of Joel (vv. 7-10)
a. You may want to consult the map of the Bible to see where Gilead is and how far the descendants of Reuben spread in order to reach even the Euphrates.
b. With whom did they engage in war successfully during the time of Saul? (See Note 2 below)
5:11-17—The Descendants of Gad (the other Transjordan tribe)
(4) Which part of the Transjordan did the descendants of Gad occupy?
(5) How was it given to them? (See Deut. 3:12ff)
(6) Where did the Chronicler get his genealogical record from? (v. 17)
5:18-22—The Transjordan war record
(7) How many fighting men did the 2½ Transjordan tribes have (likely referring to the time of Saul as indicated by v. 10)?
(8) How many did these tribes number at the time of their entrance into the Promised Land? (see Num. 26:14, 18 and 34)
(9) What might have happened in the ensuing years?
(10) What was the reason given for their victory over the Arabic alliance? (v. 20)
(11) How large was their booty?
(12) When did they lose all their land and possession? (v. 22)
5:23-26—The Descendants of the ½ tribe of Manasseh (the other Transjordan tribe)
(13) While the chiefs of the Manasseh tribes were great warriors and the ½ tribe of Manasseh was numerous in number (vv. 23-24)...
a. ... why were they destroyed (together with the other Transjordan tribes)? (v. 25)
b. Where are they now (i.e. in the time of Ezra? (v. 26)
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
The people of Israel appeared to have been carried away thrice by the Assyrians: 1st by Pul (v. 26), 2nd by Tiglath-pileser (vv. 6, 26; 2 Ki. 15:29) and 3rd by Shalmanaser (2 Ki. 17:6; 18:11).
Note
2:
The Hagarenes were originally synonymous with Ishmaelites but were later used for a particular tribe of Arabs, the Hagarites, who headed a powerful Bedouin alliance in the desert, but were defeated by the Reubenites, likely with the help of the other Transjordan tribes. (Source, JFB, 462-463)
“So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.” (1 Chr. 5:26)
It is interesting to read the defense by the Chronicler in not listing Reuben first in his genealogical record. He is obviously correct in pointing out the sin of Reuben (of defiling his father’s bed [Gen. 49:4]) that led to his loss of the “firstborn rights” (5:1). He is also correct that Reuben’s “firstborn rights” have been transferred to the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:5). However, he also insists in putting Judah ahead of all the sons of Jacob because of his strength (the greatest in number among the tribes) and the chosen ruler, David. (Keil points out that grammatically, the “he” in the clause, “he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright” (5:1) refers to Joseph, not Reuben [see K&D, 438]). After this explanation, the Chronicler proceeds to list the genealogical record of the rest of the sons of Jacob beginning with the 2½ tribes east of Jordan — the “Transjordan tribes”. Although, it is only a short record of 26 verses for the tribes, it gives the readers a good historical lesson.
A Great Beginning:
Those who know the history of
Israel will no doubt remember how these 2½ tribes got their land — by making a
bold request to Moses to settle east of Jordan, without having to take a share in the
land west of Jordan, the Promised Land Proper (Num. 32:1-5), if you like. This does not mean they did not wish to fight
and drive out the Canaanites like the rest of the people, but they simply enjoyed
the land possessed through their victory over King Og
of Bashan. They pledged to go and fight
along with their brothers until the good portion of the Promised Land was
possessed (Num. 32:25-27). This, they
honored with considerable sacrifice in that they had to leave their families and
postponed their enjoyment of their rest for who knows how many years (Jos. 22:1-3).
A Great Revival:
We have no idea what happened
during the 300 years under the judges, but we read that their number of
fighting men had greatly decreased—Reuben and Gad alone had a combined 84,230
as they entered the Promised Land (Num. 26), and now with the ½ tribe of
Manasseh, they had only a total of 44,760 fighting men (5:18). But this was the time of Saul (v. 10) and
under the spiritual leadership of Samuel, no doubt, they learned to trust in
the Lord and acknowledged that “the battle was God’s” (5:22). The result was a complete victory over the
powerful Arabian alliance in the desert with a huge booty that enabled them to
have a prolonged time of prosperity.
A Tragic End:
But as the kingdom of God’s
people was divided into two, they chose not to follow the house of David (1 Ki.
12:20), and together with the rest of Israel, "they were unfaithful to the God
of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the people of the
land” (5:25). The result was most
tragic: They appeared to be among the first being taken captive by the
Assyrians to “Halah, Habor,
Hara and the river of Gozan” and when many Israelites
returned to Jerusalem and Judah from exile under Cyrus, at the time of Ezra and
Nehemiah, they were still in their land of exile (5:26).
I can almost feel the sigh of the Chronicler (likely Ezra) as he penned these last words about the 2½ tribes.
6:1-30—The Descendants of Levi
(1) Who are the three sons of Levi? (v. 1)
(2) Judging from the list of the heads of the families in vv. 3-15, why do you think the four sons, the descendants of Kohath are mentioned first?
(3) Vv. 3-15 basically narrows the list down to the sons of Aaron. Why is this list so important?
a. What are their main duties according to vv. 48-53? (They are in fact, the high priests of Israel.)
b. How do their duties differ from the rest of the Levites?
(4) Vv.16-19 is a list of the grandsons of Levi after his three sons, Gerson, Kohath and Merari. Then follows a brief list:
a. Gershon’s descendants after his son Libni (vv. 20-21)
b. Kohath’s descendants after his son, Amminadab—likely another name for Izhar (vv. 22-24), with an expansion of the line of Elkanah’s other sons (vv. 25-28), and
c. Merari’s descendants after his son Mahil (vv. 29-30)
(5) Vv. 31-47 is a list of the temple musicians:
a. Why do you think David took such care to make such an elaborate arrangement for the music ministry “before the tabernacle” which presumably was a full-time job for these Levites? (v. 32)
b. What part has “church music” played in the history of Christendom, in your church and in your own life?
- The chief musician was Heman from the descendants of Kohathites (vv. 33-38)
- His associate to the right was Asaph of the descendants of Gershon (vv. 39-43)
- His associate to the left appeared to be Ethan of the descendants of Merari (vv. 44-47)
c. There are at least 12 psalms composed by these musicians which have become part of the Holy Scriptures: I suggest that you look in the Book of Psalms and locate one of these psalms based on the superscription; read it to appreciate the relationship that some of them had with the Lord. (Psalm 73 is perhaps the most famous of the twelve.)
(6) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.” (1 Chr. 6:31)
Have you ever wondered why David would appoint 4,000 out of a total of 38,000 Levites to be musicians who sang and played musical instruments during the worship of the Lord? (1 Chr. 23:5)
I believe it has nothing to do with the fact that David loved music, but rather, it is his recognition that God has given us the gift of music as a means to express our deepest feelings, especially when words are not adequate to express them—be it joy or sorrow.
The many psalms written by David, presumably all to be sung or played by one or more musical instruments, are evidence of him using music to express his praises, love, sorrow and even complaint to the Lord.
More than that, these psalms are also meant to be sung and/or played corporately to unite the faith community in one heart in their worship of the Lord.
In the Bible, we also come to understand that music can be used not only to calm one’s soul, but to drive away the evil spirit (1 Sam. 16:23).
Personally, my conversion, my growth in Christ and even my maintenance of a peaceful spirit have much to do with music. In fact, my relationship with music is a pretty good barometer of my relationship with the Lord. For many years after I gave myself to pastoral ministry, the busyness and heaviness of my workload caused my heart to harden—I found myself lacking patience and compassion on people around me, and my relationship with the Lord was reduced to obedience only.
As I succumbed to the pressure of time, it took the attendance of a two-week seminar away from home that allowed me to see how burnt-out I was. As I was playing the piano together with another pastor in the lounge, suddenly, I realized that I had not had a song in my heart for a long, long time. As I struggled with this condition for the longest time (in fact, for another 16 years), it was through being woken up one morning by the Lord who drew my attention to the lyrics of a song that I had not sung for many years that I came to regain not only a song in my heart, but to begin my journey in reclaiming my “first love” for the Lord (Rev. 2:4).