Bible Study

*Just for your thoughts.*

*Bible Lesson 14
1 Chronicles book
*
David was a great warrior, an excellent military commander, and a man of great courage. He was anointed as king when he was only fifteen years old. He defeated the Philistine giant Goliath with a sling and a stone. He overcame surrounding enemies and established peace throughout the land. He built a vast kingdom for the Israelites.
After the Ark of the Covenant had been unseen for about sixty years in the Tabernacle, David brought it back to Jerusalem. He built a special tent for it and placed the Ark there. He also made all the preparations and gathered all the materials necessary for building the Temple of God, which Solomon would later construct.
Though David accomplished many great things, one act stands out above the rest. When he placed the Ark of the Covenant inside the tent he had prepared, the way he worshiped before the Ark brought about a great transformation in worship itself.
During that time, there were two tabernacles:
The Tabernacle built by Moses.
The Tabernacle established by David.
The Ark of the Covenant was found in David’s tent.
In the Tabernacle of Moses, sacrifices and rituals were conducted under the leadership of the priest, according to God’s commandments given to Moses. David appointed Zadok the priest and his fellow priests to continue those duties (1 Chronicles 16:40).
At the same time, David appointed certain Levites to minister before the Ark of the Covenant in the tent he had prepared, to offer thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, through songs.
David appointed Asaph and his relatives to minister continually before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and also Obed-Edom and sixty-eight others were assigned for this service. Obed-Edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were gatekeepers (1 Chronicles 16:37–38).
David also gave Asaph and his relatives the responsibility of offering songs of thanks to the Lord for the first time (1 Chronicles 16:7).
He appointed 4,000 Levites to praise the Lord with the musical instruments he had made for worship (1 Chronicles 23:5). He organized music groups (1 Chronicles 15:16; 23:5; 25:1). Leaders such as Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun led these musical teams. David made worship a continual service, ensuring that music and praise took place every day (1 Chronicles 16:37).
He introduced many kinds of musical instruments. The worship pattern David began before the Ark of the Covenant continued later in the Temple built by Solomon.
In summary, the way David personally worshiped and sang to God in songs, he also established in the house of the Lord by appointing singers and musicians to praise God with instruments.
Today, the way churches worship God through songs and music began with David. There is no doubt that David was the first to establish this practice.
In the Tabernacle of Moses, worship through singing was not practiced. David was the one who began it.
To summarize:
David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the tent he had built and appointed *68 people to worship God there daily (1 Chronicles 16:37). Later, he organized a choir of* 4,000 Levites to praise the Lord (1 *Chronicles 23:5). As a result, during Solomon’s time, the* Temple worship also included praise with various musical instruments (2 Chronicles 5:13).
Thus, David laid the foundation for praising and worshiping God through songs and musical instruments in the Temple.
Even though the Israelites worshiped God mainly through sacrifices, David became the pioneer of musical worship — introducing a new dimension in worshiping God.
*Today, David stands as our example and forefather of worship, leading us* *to praise God with songs and music.*