1Chronicles – Bible Lesson 22
Just for your thoughts.
1 Chronicles – Bible Lesson 22
Scripture Portion for Meditation: 23:1-5
The one who brought a revolution in worship was David.
From the day the Tabernacle of Moses was set up, the people of Israel worshiped God primarily through sacrifices. They offered various kinds of animals as offerings to God.
In the days of Moses, the Tabernacle was a place for sacrifices and reading the Law — not a place for musical praise. The Levites carried the Tabernacle, but there was no system of praising God with musical instruments.
This method of worship continued for about 450 years. But David brought about a great transformation in this form of worship. As we read in 1 Chronicles 23:1–4, we see that among the 30,000 Levites who were above 30 years of age, David assigned 4,000 men specifically to praise the Lord with the musical instruments that he himself had made for that purpose (1 Chronicles 23:5).
It is amazing even to read this! David was the first person to introduce praising God through songs — a truly remarkable spiritual revolution. Until that time, worship had been conducted only through sacrifices; from then on, Israel began to worship God also through songs of praise.
This practice continued until the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and later it was also followed in the early Church. David introduced this new form of worship — though it was not commanded by Moses — within the Tabernacle. Yet he did not do it out of human emotion or fleshly thought, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
When we read 1 Chronicles 28:11–13,19 and 2 Chronicles 29:25, we understand clearly that David organized all these arrangements according to the will of God.
Though David did not build the Temple, he prepared the entire plan for it. It is true that continuing in tradition is important, but at the same time, changing according to God’s will and the needs of the time is not wrong.
Thus, David was the one who brought a great spiritual revolution in worship. Today, he stands as the forerunner of all who worship God through songs in the Church.
Therefore, in our personal worship, we must reflect on how we worship God through songs. The joy we experience in praising God through singing is a unique joy.
Let us sing a new song to the Lord and worship Him every day!