Chronicles 25:1 – 31 Twenty-Four Divisions of Musicians
“Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.
From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. All these sons of Heman, the king’s seer, were given to him through the promises of God to exalt him. For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of 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. Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288. They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.
The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the fourth to Izri,d his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the eleventh to Azarel, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all.”
David was a skilled musician and composer, so it’s no surprise that David would be organizing the praise and worship, but look who else was involved? The army commanders also had a hand in this decision. The first assignment was to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. Not only David, but also his army commanders realized that the only true path to military success lay in hearing from the Lord and obeying His instructions.
288 men, young and old alike, teacher and pupil, all cast lots for their turns to lead praise and worship and to prophesy. David had things organized so that nobody’s ego could get in the way. There might have been other members of some of these families who would have to take turns within the family; however, David’s organization ensured that each family would have its opportunity and nobody would be overlooked or accidentally eliminated.
Again, we wonder why Ezra bothered recording all these details, but remember that when the Israelites returned from Babylon, there were still members of these families who probably wanted their traditional jobs back. Without Ezra’s record of David’s decisions, there might have been a major fight resulting in somebody huffing off across the landscape to sulk.
APPLICATION: I began singing in churches at the age of 4 and have continued singing in choirs and other choral groups as much as I can. I have been the accompanist for all kinds of worship services and have led group singing acapella on many occasions. Being a worship leader is not about YOU at all! A good worship leader begins by praying and asking God what He wants to do in the service. After praying alone, the worship leader should pray with others. Then the team must be prepared for God to change everything they have carefully planned! God has a way of completely rearranging services to fit Himself, and the worship team must be able to realize when God is doing a new thing and run with it. The most important member of the worship team is the Holy Spirit, and if you fail to recognize that fact, you have no business leading worship! Effective worship means that at the end of the service, everybody says, “Wow! God is great, mighty, and wonderful!” If people are busy complimenting the worship leader at the end of the service, then the wrong person is receiving the glory.
David knew what he was doing when he involved his army commanders. If these rough tough soldiers felt that a worship leader was on track, they were most likely correct. These guys wouldn’t be worried about the standing or reputation of the worship leader; their only test for a good worship leader would be whether or not they could feel the presence of God.
How did some of these families who had more members work out who got to lead worship? Presumably, they would cast lots within the family so that sooner or later, everyone would have the opportunity. One thing I really like is that “young and old, teachers and students alike” had to cast lots. Nobody got to pull rank. For the ancient Israelites, casting lots was also a means of discerning the will of God. Proverbs 16:33 tells us, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” When those Israelites were casting lots, they were actually begging God to show them His will for the conduct of worship.
Does God NEED our worship? No. We need to worship and praise to remind ourselves of who God is and how great He is. No matter how talented any of us might be, none of us is indispensable. Worship leaders must hold their responsibilities lightly, realizing that at any point, God can relieve them of their duties and move on. Friends who pastor a church recently faced a crisis when their worship leader took offense at something and quit suddenly. But once that individual was gone, it gave opportunity for others to come forward and for the congregation to explore new means of worship and praise. This congregation is entering into a new season of growth. The only person hurt by the decision of the worship leader is the individual himself.
May God help each of us so that if we are fulfilling a role, we will realize that our calling and our gifting are from God. May we always try to make sure that God receives the praise and not us!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember that every talent we have is a gift from You and that we can only give back what You have already given to us. Help us to do everything we can to make sure that You get the glory and not us. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment