Week 18 1 Chronicles
Last year on April 28 I was reading chapter 16 and noticed that the chronicler more or less quoted Psalm 105:1-15. This year I noticed that right after quoting Psalm 105 the chronicler more or less quotes a chunk of Psalm 96. So chapter 16 looks like this – Introduction + Psalm 105 + Psalm 96 + Conclusion. But it’s mostly two psalms celebrating the Lord.
I also noticed that on the big day when the ark was taken to Jerusalem musical instruments were used to accompany the psalms: Asaph…sounded the cymbals. His assistants…played the harps and lyres. The priests…played the trumpets. I think I noticed the instruments today because I noticed them yesterday too – singers musicians lyres harps bronze cymbals trumpets.
Near the end of the chapter I noticed one other thing . The ark is home in Jerusalem now and David gives the Asaph Levites a job: to minister regularly before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, doing whatever needed to be done each day. Minister & ministry & ministering are funny words. They usually give me the feeling of doing something religious – like praying in public for example. But the chronicler seems to include in ministry just doing the things that needed doing from day to day. Doing good things that need doing is ministry too.
Note: quotes from 1 Chronicles 16:5-6 (plus see where music is talked about in 15:16-22) & 16:37 (NLT)