Song Leaders

  

1 Chronicles 6: 31-48

 

February 13, 2023

 

These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house the Lord after the ark rested there.  They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order.  These are the men who served and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer the son of Joel, son of Samuel,  son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah,  son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai,  son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah,  son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel;  and his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, namely, Asaph the son of Berechiah, son of Shimea,  son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah,  son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah,  son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei,  son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi.  On the left hand were their brothers, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch,  son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah,  son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer,  son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi.  And their brothers the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

 

When I was a young boy in a small Baptist Church we had a person that led the music, and we sang hymns. The person often was not on staff, in fact, most of the time the preacher was the staff, with a group of deacons, who thought they were to run the church.  My experience was that did not work well and it was not a Biblical role for a deacon, they are called to serve and if needed teach and even preach.

 

But back to what I experienced and from singing those hymns, I still can recall the tune and words of many of those hymns, like “How Great Thou Art”, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story”, and I could add so many others, like amazing grace, and Wonderful Words of Life.   

 

Jan and I often before our prayer time will sing a few hymns that they have a message.  One that I often sing is “If That Isn’t Love”. It goes like this; “He left the splendor of heaven, knowing His destiny  Was the lonely hill of Golgotha.  There to lay down His life for me.  If that isn’t love the ocean is dry, There no star in the sky, and the sparrow can’t fly!  If that isn’t love then heaven’s a myth,   There no feeling like this if that isn’t love.”  How to let me be clear, that a message, took residence in my heart as a young boy, and at the age of 27, I acted on that message and asked Jesus to come in and be my LORD  and Master. 

 

It may be age but the praise songs we sing each Sunday, have not stayed in my memory, it may be age, but I recall songs like “I Will Sing of My Redeemer”  “I Will Sing of My Redeemer, And His Wondrous Love to Me: On the cruel cross He suffered  From the curse to set me free: Sing O sing  of my Redeemer with His Blood  He purchased me; On the cross, He sealed my pardon Paid the debt and made me free.”

 

King David singers sang songs of the Psalm, they were words to live by then and now, many of the hymns were like the Psalm, praise song of what God has done and Is doing, one wonders why we move to repetitive words one line over and over that we read on a big screen and forget before leaving the building.

 

As stated I may be in the minority but I wonder if the repetitive words over and over will be remembered like the psalm and the hymns of my time?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice