As Prescribed by David
By Patty Nicholas-Boyte
Nehemiah 12:23-24 (NASB)
“The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers’ households, were registered in the Book of the Chronicles up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, to praise and give thanks, as prescribed by David the man of God, division corresponding to division.”
Yes, another set of scriptures with a list of names, but what struck me the most in this passage was the heads of the Levites who stood opposite of each other and gave thanks and praise as prescribed by David. This made me want to find out, what exactly did David prescribe?
1 Chronicles 16: 4-6 describes when David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and dedicated it to the Lord. The prescription was an extravagant display of worship with musical instruments cymbals and trumpets.
“He appointed some of the Levites to serve before the ark of the LORD, to offer prayers, songs of thanks, and hymns to the LORD God of Israel. Asaph was the leader and Zechariah second-in-command, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They were to play stringed instruments, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of God’s covenant.”
Working where I do, as well as the many years I have served in Christian Ministry, I have noticed there are not many things that divide a church more than the style of worship. This breaks my heart.
When Nehemiah decided to re-dedicate the walls and the Holy City, he pulled from God’s word and chose to worship like the “man after God’s own heart,” King David. We can learn many things from those who came before us, especially when tradition is steeped in the word of God. However, the word of God is far from tradition itself. We should always think critically and be careful not to carry on tradition simply because it is “the way it has always been done.” It’s important to examine God’s word first.
We find ourselves in a unique time in history. Many of our churches have been closed or limited to a small number of in-person gatherings. Our pastors and leaders have had to scramble to find new ways to keep people engaged in worship while a vast number of us may never feel safe to be in a congregation. And yet, to worship on our own, while it can be done, is difficult at best. I long for the day when we can all gather together again as we were made for community.
When we do come together, I pray we will encourage each other to worship God the way He desires, with extravagance and with our whole heart, however that looks like to you.
What Can We Learn From Nehemiah?
- We were made for community and to worship together
- Worship should come from an extravagant heart, not necessarily from extravagant numbers
- We should be contagious in our worship to Almighty God
- We should be willing to respond to others’ worship of God
- Do not let tradition dictate how another worships, but do not let the “new” stop the good things that come from experience either.
There was a reason David prescribed so many musical instruments, and why Nehemiah had the Levites stand facing each other corresponding by Division. There is power when we gather to praise God.
Isaiah 6:1-4
In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet and they used the remaining two to fly. They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” The sound of their voices shook the door frames and the temple was filled with smoke.
What Questions Can We Ask Ourselves That Can Affect Change?
- What does our worship look like today?
- How can we be more like the Levites who stood opposite each other calling out and encouraging worship from one another?
- What would it look like if we were active and contagious in our praise, worship, and thanksgiving to Almighty God?
- What traditions are holding me back from being free in worship?
- What traditions could I be disregarding that I could actually learn from?
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