I was leading churches when the transition was being made from ‘Song Leaders and Instrumentalists’ to “Worship Teams’. The worship tradition of the 1950’s and 1960’s for many churches was to have a song leader who was accompanied by a pianist – and sometimes also an organist. The following years saw gentle transitions to adding guitars and other instruments. Before long, we were using worship teams to direct our singing. Platforms had to be rebuilt to accommodate an influx of instruments, monitors, mike-stands and speakers!
I read in I Chronicles 13-17 this morning and observed the worship transitions and structures of the Israelites under King David’s influence. King David: Remember him? He was the youngest in his family of boys and had responsibility for watching over his father’s sheep! He had a poetic mind and wrote lots of songs/psalms. We also envision him with crude stringed instruments – and eventually a harp – playing and singing for his audience of One!
These chapters chronicle the evolution of worship under the new King David’s direction as he reunited Israel [the northern kingdom] and Judah [the southern kingdom].
A few chapters earlier [9] we learn that David reinstituted a cadre of families who had responsibility for maintaining the Tent of God and all of its accoutrements. Whole family systems were tasked with caring for the maintenance needs of this sacred area, while other family systems and individuals were assigned responsibility for planning and leading worship times! It’s rather shocking to learn that “…1760 skilled and seasoned servants were involved in the work of worshipping God.” [I Chronicles 9:13 All quotes from The Message unless otherwise noted.]
We can assume from all of this that the worship of Israel was rather important at this stage of their history! Sadly, through future generations it would deteriorate and be watered down with idols, horrendous things like child-sacrifice and sexual practices! But while David was king, the worship remained central and pure! What does THAT tell us about leadership?
I took particular notice this morning of the variety and volume of instruments used in the worship of God:
o
bronze
cymbals
o
lyres
[small stringed instrument]
o
harps
o
trumpets
o
every
kind of brass and percussion and stringed instruments [all mentioned in chapter 15]
I just wrote in my granddaughter Rylie’s Bible that I’d love to have a video of Israel’s worship from this period! 😲
In a psalm of David included in chapter 16, David exhorts the people to “Shout Bravo! To God”!
There were many responsibilities tied to the worship of the Israelites:
o
Maintaining
supplies of incense
o
Making
incense
o
Baking
bread
o
Maintaining
supplies of wine, flour, oil, and spices
o
Around-the-clock
guards
o
Maintenance
people [remember, the Temple at this time was a massive tent]
o
Priests
o
Levites
– the only ones who were authorized by God to move the Temple and its
furniture.
o
Instrumentalists
o
Worship
planners
The lives of the children of Israel centered on the worship of a mighty God who had chosen them and brought them to this point in history as a light to the world!
Maintaining this position of influence required total dependence on God and appropriate, constant worship of Him!
Toward the end of his life, David realized that he was living in a palace while God was still living in a tent. He immediately approached God about building a Temple. Initially, God gave him a green light, but then told him that his son, Solomon, would be the one to build the Temple. David didn’t seem disappointed at all by this decision. Instead, he began aggressively gathering materials to be available to Solomon for when he was ready to begin construction!
_____________________________
Reading all of this may make us pale as we reflect on the miniscule time we tend to devote to the worship of God! Frequently, we walk into church on Sunday morning having given no thought whatsoever to the worship we’re about to engage in.
In the churches that I served we tried to have music playing for a half-hour before worship with an encouragement for people to come into the sanctuary and pray before worship. I tried to spend at least a few minutes at the altar before worship. There were others who frequently visited that altar before AND DURING worship!
I have ALWAYS trained worship team members that worship is NOT a time to show off skills and ability. Humility is essential if worship is to be genuine and meaningful!
When I was a boy, I remember preachers praying before their messages asking God to “hide me behind the cross as I share Your Word this morning, Lord!” This was a way to express their desire for help in not being a showman but a deliverer of the Holy Word of God!
We’ve all likely been in churches where worship leaders/team members – and even people in the congregation – seemed focused on performing rather than worshipping God! This can be a distraction from worshipping God! There have been times when I’ve moved to another seat so as NOT to be distracted by fellow worshippers.
It’s fitting for us to remember that initially God set apart a whole day of rest. Some still retain this focus on observing the Lord’s DAY!
It’s also appropriate to remember Psalm 34:1, [NASB, 1995]
"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."
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