Day 317
I Chronicles 6:31-32
"And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest.
And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order."
It is interesting to note that the ministry of singing was not mentioned in the law of God. Even musical instruments for the purpose of praise were not mentioned. We find that trumpets were used for war or communication. The law contained instructions for offerings and various types of worship. The offices of the priests and the Levites were described, and music or singing was not mentioned. The first time God used the word song was in Deuteronomy 31, where He told Moses to teach the Israelites a song as a witness for Him against them because they would eventually go after other gods.
Although God gave no instructions for singing songs of praise and worship, singing for the purpose of praise and worship appears to have been a cultural thing that was already being done. After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, Miriam led the women in a dance as they sang a song of praise. They boasted about the greatness of God. Later, we see that David appointed singers to minister in song before the tabernacle of God. They continued their ministry in the temple, once Solomon had constructed it.
Since God did not request songs to be sung to Him for praise and worship, we must recognize that it is our choice to do so. Even in Heaven, according to the book of Revelation, when the elders sang a song of worship, it was their choice to do so. When we choose to do something for someone, it should be meaningful, and not ritualistic. In Psalm 47:7, the psalmist wrote, "for God is King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding." We should not sing just to be singing. We should not sing to the Lord just because someone asks us to. God must have expressed concern over the lack of quality in the worship He received, because Jesus said the Father was seeking worshipers who would worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24) Thought should be given to the words of our songs, and we should understand what we are singing. We should sing from our hearts and mean what we say.
It would be interesting to find out what was required in training the singers that were appointed to sing in the tabernacle and later, in the temple. Considering that we serve an awesome and holy God, it seems that the ministry of music in the act of praise and worship should not be delegated to persons simply based upon their ability to sing. When the songs are ones of praise or worship to God, it would be inappropriate for the song leaders to enjoin the congregation simply for the purpose of having a good time. Praise songs should not be sung over and over because they sound good or make us feel good. Song leaders should lead more by example than by coercion. They should provoke ·the worshipers to get involved rather than coerce them.
For us, worship and praise should not be a thing we do just because we are told to. It should be a private practice that makes participating in corporate praise and worship an easy thing to do. Our God is so worthy. Let us come up higher in praise and worship to Him.
I will be more thoughtful when I sing in praise and worship to the Almighty. He is awesome, and I will sing to Him with understanding.