1 Chronicles 6:31-32 “These are the men whom David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there. They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.”
These men were paid employees of Israel. Their responsibility was to worship God with song and to lead others in worship. David wrote about singers and mentioned many specific instruments. David had a trained choir of 288. His son Solomon composed over 1,000 songs. Songs of Zion were famous. Instruments of the day included a dozen string instruments, percussion, cymbals, many horns, flutes, bag pipes and more.
Principle: Skilled musicians lead worshippers with music and lyrics in a universal language understood by all.
Ralph Carmichael was a well-known composer, musician, singer, and leader of Christian music in 60 years of service in the American Church. He was prolific in bringing contemporary music into the church. He was able to bridge big band music with gospel music. He wrote dozens of musicals and helped to foster the careers of Andrae Crouch, the Winans, Dino, Reba Rambo, Req Band and Bryan Duncan to name a few. He said in interview, “The direction that my life has taken has been exactly what God wanted for me. I had no formal music education, so all the work I did in the secular field was my education. I would learn things by writing in the secular field, and then I would take them and apply them to gospel music. It didn’t seem worldly to me. It fit perfectly into praise and worship music.”
God gave music and music appreciation; He is an orchestrator. God created food, farming, and appetite; He was a farmer. God created healing. He is the Great Physician. God created commerce; He is a worker and a business booster. God has called us to fulfill His will. Take the best of the world and turn it into service of worship and praise. He will be pleased and so will we.
Discussion:
1. What music brings you to a place of worship?
2. What in your vocational can brings glory to God?
3. Is there any vocation that could never bring glory to God? Why is that?
