Roger Lewis - The House of Asaph - Family of Faith and Masters of Music - Class 1 - The Founding of the House of Asaph

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Well, brothers and sisters, our second speaker this morning is our Brother Rodger Lewis of the Christchurch Ecclesia in New Zealand. And the theme for Brother Louis’s classes this week, as you know, is the House of ASAP Family of Faith. Today’s class is entitled The Founding of the House of ASAP Brother Rodger. Well, thank you, brother, Chairman and good morning, brothers and sisters. May I just make a slight adjustment to the Chairman’s remarks this morning?

2. 0:34

   The the full and proper title for the study is the House of Asaf Family of Faith and Masters of Music. Because one of the great features, of course, about this family was their, their contribution to the music and the story of worship in the history of Israel. And that’s one of the things, God willing, that we hope to take a look at in the course of these studies.

3. 1:01

   You may not know much about Asaph or or think that there’s much about him in the Divine record, but hopefully by the time we’ve finished this particular story, you will find just how remarkable this man was and in fact, how remarkable his family was. I’m going to suggest to you this morning, and I ask you to reserve judgement in the matter until you’ve heard the balance of the studies.

4. 1:27

   But I’m going to suggest to you this morning that this is the story of the most remarkable family in the history of Israel. And I’ve used those words carefully, and I do not think that they are an overstatement. I think that this family, the family of Asaph, was absolutely unique in the history of of the nation. And what we’re going to do, God willing, in the course of these studies is to try and get into the heart and soul of this family, to understand their passion for the truth, to see what it was that moved then for so many generations of this one single family.

5. 2:08

   What was the secret of this house that kept them faithful for almost 600 years of history? One family, 600 years of absolute faithfulness. Now there must have been a secret, mothers and sisters to this family. And we want to try and discover what it was. Because if we want to build faithful families in the truth today, then there’s no better family to look at than the than the House of Asaph down through their several generations.

6. 2:42

   Because he was a family of extraordinary commitment to the things of the truth. So that’s what we’re going to try and do, God willing in these studies, is to discover the secrets of this family. And secondly, to try and look at their musical contribution to the to the history of worship in the nation of Israel. We want to try and see what it was, what the guiding principles were of this family and their singing of praise to the Father as a basis for how we should worship the Father even in these last days.

7. 3:16

   Well, this morning, as our study title suggests, we’re going to look at the founding of this particular house. And that really is the story of how Asaph came about to be in the role that he was to play. And that story begins for us this morning in the first of Chronicles chapter 15.

8. 3:33

   So if you’ll turn, please, to the first of Chronicles 15, we take up the record. And here we see that this is the moment of time when you’ll recall David brought the ark of God to Zion. And there in the first of Chronicles and chapter 15, we read these words, verse 14. So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, God of Israel.

9. 4:08

   And the children of the Levites bear the ark of God upon their shoulder, with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded, according to the word of Yahweh. And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps, and symbols, sounding by lifting up the voice with joy.

10. 4:34

    So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and of his brethren Asaph the son of Berekhar, and of the sons of Marari their brethren Ethan the son of Kushaya. So here at the time of the bringing of the ark of God to Zion, the leaders of the singers were appointed and they were selected by the Levites out of their own ranks.

11. 4:57

    And the Levites chose three men in particular, says the first of Chronicles 15 and verse 17. They chose him and the son of Joel, they chose Asaph, the son of Berekhar, and they chose Ethan the son of Kusaya. And Ethan of course, is later to be known in other passages as Juduthan. So Ethan and Juduthan are interchangeable terms.

12. 5:26

    So these three men were selected out of the ranks of the Levites, and presumably they were chosen because of their musical ability. But they weren’t just chosen at random, brothers and sisters. Because if you come back to the 6th chapter of the First of Chronicles, this was not just the selection of three men out of the whole House of Levi at random. Now there was something more specific about the selection, because when we come to the First of Chronicles, chapter 6 will find that each of these men in fact represented one of the three great branches of the tribe of Levi. So notice verse 33.

13. 6:06

    Here’s our first man again. These are they that waited with their children of the sons of the caliphates, Heman, a singer. Now Heman of verse 33 is a man, verse 38, of Kohath the son of Levi. And then in verse 39 we have our second man Asaph, and he verse 43 is a son of Gershon the son of Levi. And then we have our third man in verse 44, Ethan, the son of Cushy, and he verse 47 is a son of Mararai, the son of Levi. So you see, each of the three men that were selected by the Levites in turn represented one of the three great divisions of the tribe of Levite itself.

14. 7:03

    So we have Heman of the Kohathites, we have Asaph of the Gershomites, and we have Jaduthan of the Mariah rights. So here then is the whole House of Levi represented in the selection of these three men. Now if you come back to the first of Chronicles chapter 15, therefore we see now the story of how these singers were involved in this very special day when the Ark of God was brought to Zion by David in the first of Chronicles chapter 15 and verse 19, we read So the singers Heman, Asaph and Ethan or Judithan were appointed to sound with symbols of brass. And then we’re told in the in the 20th verse that they were the players on the Psalteries.

15. 7:53

    And at the end of the verse we’re told that they played with or on Alamoth. And Alamoth we believe, is the female choir. They were a choir of female singers of female voices. Then in verse 21 we have the players on the harps, and with them is the choir known as Sheminoth. And the word sheminoth means an eighth or an octave lower. And it represented the male choir who accompanied the players on harps.

16. 8:22

    Then we have Ken and I are in verse 22. Who’s responsible for the lifting up and the carriage of the Ark on the shoulders of the Coathites. Then we’ve got 2 doorkeepers in front of the Ark, verse 23. Seven trumpeters who play before the Ark, verse 24, 2 Deep doorkeepers behind the arc, verse 24.

17. 8:43

    And so we have this whole procession there that travels to Jerusalem on this on this occasion. And who is at the forefront? Who’s right at the front of the whole procession of them all? And the answer is, why the three singers, Heman, verse 19, Asaph and Judithan all there at this beginning of the story of the bringing of the arc to Zion?

18. 9:09

    And so chapter 16 and verse one says, So they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the 10th that David had pitched for it. And they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God. And when David had made an end of offering, of offering the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh. And he dealt to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon of wine.

19. 9:38

    So now you see this tremendous celebration has come to an end. All the singers have sung their songs, all the choirs have sung, the sultries and the harps have played, the trumpeters have blown, and the whole procession has brought the Ark into Zion. And now all the people are about to depart and to go home their several ways after this wondrous day of praise and celebration.

20. 10:03

    And now this chapter is going to tell us exactly what David did once this ark had been brought to Zion. Now I wanted to show you something interesting about the first of Chronicles 16. If you hold your hands in the first of Chronicles 16 and come back to the parallel record, which is in the second of Samuel chapter 6, I want to show you something interesting about the way the first of Chronicles 16 is constructed. Because in the second of Samuel 6, which is the same story in the Samuel record.

21. 10:37

    Well, let’s just see if we can compare notes between the two records in the second of Samuel chapter 6 and verse 19. You’ll notice that it says there He dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well as to the woman as to the men, to every good, to everyone, a cake of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon of wine.

22. 11:01

    Now where is that in Chronicles? And the answer is why? That’s the first of Chronicles, chapter 16 and verse 3, isn’t it? So that’s the same reference. Now look again at the second of Samuel 6 and verse 19 and see how the verse ends. And you’ll notice that the verse ends with this phrase. So all the people departed everyone to his house. Now where’s that in Chronicles?

23. 11:37

    And the answer is why? It’s the very last verse of the first of Chronicles, chapter 16, verse 43. And all the people departed, every man to his house. So you see, what this tells us is that in the First of Chronicles 16, that the balance of the verses in between represent a special interpolation, an extra section that’s only found in the Chronicles record from verse 4 right through to verse 42. And if we were to ask, well, what is this special section found in the Chronicles record?

24. 12:18

    The answer is that this is the original story of the appointment of Asaph to his responsibilities as leader of the music in the in the celebration of the art being brought to Zion. And you know, one of the interesting things about these verses from verse 4 onwards is this, that this was David’s first and greatest concern after bringing the ark of God design. It’s not until chapter 17 and verse one that David will take any concern for where the ark of God will dwell. His greatest concern was this, that on this day, the very day that he had brought the ark of God design, he was concerned about those who would minister before the ark. David wanted someone who would explain to Israel the true power and importance of what the ark represented. He wanted someone who could explain to the nation the significance of what they had done this day, that the ark of God, which represented the presence of God amongst his people, had been brought to them in Jerusalem. David said.

25. 13:29

    We never, ever want to lose this precious moment in the history of our nation. I need someone who can celebrate this principle before this is the first thing that must be done. So he chose a man. He chose a man who understood what that arc was all about. He chose a man who would be able to recount before Israel in the songs of worship and praise the real significance of the ark of God’s presence amongst his people.

26. 14:05

    And verse 4 says he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Yahweh, to record and to thank and to praise the Lord God of Israel. Asaph, the chief, So you see, isn’t that interesting? Because you see, back in chapter 15, the Levites had chosen three men, hadn’t they? The Levites had chosen Heman and ASAP and Jaduthan. But when David comes to make his appointment in the first of Chronicles 16, he says no, I want ASAP. I want Asaph especially to take responsibility for this matter of worship.

27. 14:44

    Why do you think David chose Asaph, Brothers and sisters, do you think he had more musical abilities than the others? No, I don’t think so. I think he chose Asaph because in this man he found a truly kindred spirit. They share the common understanding of divine principles, David said. This is the man who will be able to explain the significance of these things before the nation.

28. 15:12

    And as we will find in our subsequent studies, we believe absolutely that David put his finger on just the right man. He put his finger on the very person who would be able to celebrate those principles that were so dear to David’s own heart. In fact, you’ll notice in verse 5 it says he chose Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jaheel and Shimmer, Amath and Jaheel and Matathah and Delaib and Beniah and Obed, Edom and Jaheel were sultries and harps, but Asaph made a sound with cymbals.

29. 15:52

    You know why Asaph made a sound with symbols, brothers and sisters? Well, he did so because he was to give leadership to the choir, and they all sang in harmony to the beat of his heart and to the rhythm of his time. And as Asaph tapped the symbols, the choirs all took their leadership from this man. And you notice this, brothers and sisters, that it was a symbol that he played and not a drum. This was not the heavy beat of the drum of paganism. This was not the heavy pounding of the music of the heathen. Funny thing, you know, but you know that they’ve never in archaeological diggings in Israel, they’ve never dug up drums.

30. 16:40

    Did you know that they’ve never discovered a drum? Israel didn’t use drums. The nations did. But Israel used the symbol, and the symbol that Asaph played gave leadership to all the choir who followed in sequence after him. Oh yes, he’s the leader. Brothers and sisters, this man was going to be the leader.

31. 17:09

    And verse 7 says, Then on that day David delivered first this Psalm to thank Yahweh into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Now by the way, you’ll notice that the words this Psalm and verse seven are in italics. The New American Standard Bible says Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks unto the Lord.

32. 17:39

    Or as the Revised Standard Version says, then on that day David first appointed that Thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brethren. So what the seventh verse is telling us is that David gave the responsibility of leading the nation in song to this man. And what day did he do it?

33. 18:01

    On the very day, brothers and sisters, that the ark of God came to Zion, David singled out Asaph and made him chief. So you see, I think that we can safely conclude from this that this man, therefore Asaph, was the original chief musician. Now you will have heard of that phrase. It’s a famous phrase in the book of Psalms, and I think that Asaph was the first of the chief musicians.

34. 18:31

    Now we’re just going to have a look quickly at a couple of references in this regard. So come, if you would, for the second of the Second of Chronicles and Chapter 20. Now Second Chronicles, chapter 29. Now in the Second of Chronicles and chapter 29 you notice what it says there in the 30th verse. Second Chronicles 29 and verse 30 says. Moreover, Hezekiah the king and the Princess commanded the Levites to sing praise unto Yahweh with the words of David and of Asaph the seer.

35. 19:14

    Now you notice this, brothers and sisters, do you notice how that Asaph and David are brought together? They stand as equals in the matter of divine worship. David and Asaph, Asaph and David. Now, when it says that they were to sing praise to God with the words of David and Asaph, there’s only 12 psalms that are related to Asaph in the book of Psalms.

36. 19:39

    But I think that the reference here is to the fact that Asaph, as the chief musician, had the responsibility for all the songs of worship that the nation would sing. He was the collector. He was the organizer of all the spiritual material that would be used for worship. So that when it says here that they were to sing with the words of David and the words of Asaph, the reason is because as chief musician, all the words of the songs of worship belong to him as the leader of the choir. Now this is a long time after David, isn’t it? The Second of Chronicles, chapter 29 is in fact in the days of Hezekiah.

37. 20:20

    And yet Asaph is seen to rank alongside David himself in these things. Come and have a look at Nehemiah chapter 12. In the book of Nehemiah we have a similar phrase in chapter 12 and verse 45.

38. 20:49

    Nehemiah 12, verse 45 says, And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God and the ward of purification according to the commandment of David and of Solomon his son. Four, in the days of David and Asaph of old. Oh, you know, you see how these two men are brought together again in the record in the days of David and Asaph of old.

39. 21:16

    And now I’m going to read from the revised version. It says in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the singers, and there were songs of praise and Thanksgiving unto God. So from the days of Asaph there was always a chief of the singers, says Nehemiah chapter 12. And I think that the first of those singers was none other than Asaph himself.

40. 21:46

    He was the first of the chief singers. In fact, you see the word chief there in Nehemiah chapter 12 and verse 46. The word chief there is the word Rosh, the head of all the singers. Do you know that that’s the very same word used in the first of Chronicles chapter 16 and verse 5, when it says that David appointed Asaph and the Asaph was the chief?

41. 22:20

    So yes, I think we can safely assume, brothers and sisters, that that indeed Asaf was, was the beginning of this order of men in Israel who would lead the principles of spiritual worship. He was the first of the chief musicians who would ever after be responsible for the organization of the spiritual material of worship and the leader of the choir down through the ages. So coming back to the First of Chronicles and chapter 16. Therefore we read these words in verse 8. David appointed Asaph, but he did also give him this Psalm that they might celebrate the principles of the ark of God being brought to Zion.

42. 23:07

    And verse eight of the first of Chronicles 16 says, give thanks unto Yahweh and call upon His name. And now we have the balance of this special Psalm that goes from verse 8 right through to verse 36 in the first of Chronicles chapter 16. This Psalm was special. It belongs to the House of Asaph.

43. 23:32

    It was written, I believe to be sung in front of the ark, and it was written to celebrate the significance of the presence of God amongst his people. Now, I don’t know if you’ve all got the same sort of margin as my Bible, but the common explanation of the words of Chronicles is as follows, that the first of Chronicles 16 and verses 8 to 22, the margin says are the same as Psalm 105 verses 1 to 15.

44. 24:08

    Now, just before you mark all of this in, just be careful because I’m going to tell you what I think about this at the end. So, so you might find it’s already in the margin, but the common explanation is that therefore verses 8 to 22 of Chronicles is drawn from Psalm 105 and verses 1 to 15, and then the first of Chronicles chapter 16.

45. 24:32

    Verse 23 through to verse 33, the margin says is drawn from Psalm 96 and verses 1 to 13. And then the first of Chronicles 16 and verse 33, sorry, verse 34 is drawn from Psalm 106, verse one. And finally the first of Chronicles chapter 16 and verses 35 to 36 is drawn from Psalm 106, verses 47 to 48. So now let me tell you, brothers and sisters, that I think that that is absolutely wrong.

46. 25:17

    I think in fact, that the the real truth of the matter is that that is that is the exact opposite. I believe that the Psalms are drawn from Chronicles, not Chronicles from Psalms. Now let me give you a couple of proofs of that. Shall I just hold your hand in the first of Chronicles 16 and come to Psalm 106, which is one of the Psalms that does make reference to the the same phrases? So the question is, is here which one comes first? Is the Chronicles record of this Psalm first or is in fact Chronicles a composition from other Psalms as is suggested in our margins?

47. 26:02

    Well come and have a look at Psalm 106 and reading verses 46 to 48. It says, there, now hold your hand and you’ve got Chronicles 16. Now have a look at first of Chronicles 16 and verse 35 And say, Ye save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name and glory and thy praise.

48. 26:30

    Blessed be Yahweh, Elohim of Israel forever and ever. Now have a look at Psalm 106 and verse 46. He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them. Captives save us, O Yahweh our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks to Thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. Blessed be Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

49. 26:59

    So, Oh yes, it’s the same phrase, isn’t it? But you notice this, that Psalm 106, verse 46 says these words. He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captive. Now was that David’s experience? The answer is no, it wasn’t. When did the captivity occur? When was Israel carried away captive?

50. 27:23

    And the answer is much later on in their history. And in fact, if you look really carefully at Psalm 106 and verse 47, you’ll notice that there is one word that’s been added to the text of the first of Chronicles 16 and verse 35. Whereas the first of Chronicles said, Deliver us, sorry, gather us together and deliver us from the heathen, the Psalm says gather us from among the heathen.

51. 27:58

    Now I believe that that word among was added when the words of the first of Chronicles were adapted for this Psalm that related to a time of Israel’s captivity and distress. So in other words, which one comes first? And the answer is Chronicles comes first. But the book of Psalms later took up the words of Chronicles and adapted them to a later moment in the history of Israel.

52. 28:26

    Shall I give you another example in the first of Chronicles 16? Now we need have a look at Psalm 96. So you need first of Chronicles 16 in your left hand and Psalm 96 in the right hand. Now you notice this in the first of Chronicles 16 and verse 27. It says glory and honor are in his presence, strength and gladness are in his place, says the record. Now you see what Psalm 96 says in the sixth verse. Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty in his sanctuary.

53. 29:15

    So whereas Chronicles says they are in His place, Psalm 96 says, no, no, they are in His sanctuary. Now have a look at again at the first of Chronicles 16. And now verse 29, Give unto Yahweh the glory due unto His name, bring an offering, and come before Him worship Yahweh in the beauty of holiness. Now Psalm 96 says, and this time reading from verse 8, Give unto Yahweh the glory due unto His name, bring an offering, and come into His courts.

54. 29:59

    But that’s not what Chronicles said. Chronicles said come before Him. Psalm says, no, no, come into his courts. Now, brothers and sisters, why would it be that Chronicles would say strength and gladness are in His place, come before Him with an offering, but the Psalm would say strength and beauty are in His sanctuary, come into his courts with an offering, But that the Psalm reflects a later time in the history of Israel, where now there is a temple for worship. So there is a sanctuary and there are courts. But when David wrote his Psalm in the First of Chronicles 16, there was no such place in Zion.

55. 30:48

    He had only just brought the ark there and pitched it underneath some curtains. The temple had not yet been built. So you see, I think that the First of Chronicles is the original version of the Psalm, and that this Psalm was written by David expressly for the House of Asaph to be sung in front of the ark.

56. 31:14

    Almost, you see, as if David gave Asaph and his family this Psalm, and he said, look, I want you to read this. I want you to understand the principles of this Psalm, and then I want you to lead the worship of Israel after the story of this Psalm. Well, I can tell you, brothers and sisters, and I’m going to prove it to you, God willing, in the course of these studies, that this family, they absolutely devoured the spirit of this Psalm and they lived it for 600 years. They lived the Psalm for 600 years. Did the House of Asaph.

57. 31:46

    In fact, you notice what it says if we just skip over the Psalm for a moment and come to the end, Verse 37 says, and now we’re back in the first of Chronicles chapter 16, verse 37 says, so he left there before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, Asaph and his brethren to minister before the ark of God continually as every day’s work required.

58. 32:17

    But we’re told that in verse 39, Zadok, the priest and his brethren, the priests, they, they stayed before the Tabernacle of Yahweh in the high place that was at Gibeon. And verse 41 tells us that with them were Heman and Jedotham and the rest that were chosen who were expressed by name to give thanks to Yahweh. So you see what we’re being told in these verses, brothers and sisters, we’re being told that the musicians now were divided into two groups, the House of Asaph. And only the House of Asaph were left in front of the Ark of God at Jerusalem, verse 37.

59. 32:59

    But the singers of Heman and Jedutham, verse 41, were sent to the Tabernacle where Gibeon was, where Zadok the priest ministered, and where the relics of the Mosaic system of things as yet remained. So now we have two groups of singers in two different locations, and only the House of Asaph are left in front of the Ark of God in Jerusalem.

60. 33:24

    You know, it’s interesting because you see what we’re being told here is that there were two tabernacles. There was the Tabernacle of Moses in Gibeon that related to the spirit of the Law, and there was the Tabernacle of David of which Amos speaks in Jerusalem, which related to the true spirit of worship. It’s the Tabernacle of David that James shall refer to in Acts 15 when he gives us summation at the Jerusalem conference.

61. 33:59

    And there at the Tabernacle of David, which is the things concerning the law of Christ, is Asaph and his family singing this Psalm with all their hearts before the ark of God. You know what it says in verse 37? It says that they were left there to minister before the ark. How do you think they ministered before the ark, brothers and sisters?

62. 34:23

    They didn’t take it out and Polish it. They couldn’t parade it around. I think that they, well, the first of Chronicles chapter 6 and verse 32 says they ministered with singing. That’s how they ministered, and I believe that every day they celebrated the significance of the ark of God amongst the people of Israel by standing in front of the ark and singing the words of this Psalm.

63. 34:53

    Their praise was offered on a daily basis in this particular place. And verse 37 goes on to say that David left Asaph and his brethren there to minister before the ark continually. And the word continually here means that which is perpetual, that which shall be forever more. And I think this was the other reason why David chose Asaph. Firstly, because he was musical.

64. 35:21

    Secondly because he had the same spirit of the truth. But the third reason why David chose Asaph was because he said, I never want these principles to be lost. And this man, this man, the Asaph, was able to guarantee that those principles would be perpetuated. And I’ll tell you why, because this man began a dynasty in Israel that forever stood for the principles of their father Asaph. And one of the burdens of these studies, God willing, is going to try and discover how it was that that was done. You see, what Asaph did was he founded an entire dynasty that would follow him.

65. 36:03

    He faithfully fulfilled the charge given to him by David by ensuring that his sons captured his spirit standing with him. They learned responsibility and commitment by watching their father every day before the Ark. The instruction of his family in the songs of the Lord effectively founded the House of Asaph, whose influence upon the nation for spiritual good was enormous. Every generation that followed upheld the the same family standard of education and excellence in the things of the truth.

66. 36:43

    I think David chose the right man, brothers and sisters, and I think he chose them with wisdom and that that choice was blessed by Almighty God. He kept the spirit of these things burning. Now, one of the things, God willing, that we’re going to try and do in the course of these studies is to try and discover what we believe were the benchmarks by which the House of Asaph conducted their songs of praise. That’s a bit of a challenge, by the way, because you see, we haven’t got a single note.

67. 37:14

    We haven’t got a single chord, We haven’t got a single sound that Asaph sang. And yet we want to know all about their singing and their music. But even though we don’t have their music, brothers and sisters, we do have their words, and I believe that we can trace the key principles that guided the House of Asaf in their spiritual worship before the Father.

68. 37:41

    And God willing, in the course of each of our studies, we’re going to look at one of these principles by way of illustration as a benchmark for our own singing and our own songs of worship to the Father. Let me just briefly review them for you now, because here are the keys that we’re going to look at. I think there were five key principles that the House of Asaph stood for in their music of praise. They were not only a family of faith brothers and sisters, but they were truly masters of music of the very best sort as far as Israel was concerned.

69. 38:18

    Well, the first thing was that the music of the House of Asaph ascribed thanks and praise to the deity and therefore consistently promoted the supremacy of God. Everything they did and everything they sang celebrated the supremacy of God. We’re going to try and come back and have a look at that, God willing, in one of our subsequent studies. The second thing that was important for the music of the House of Asaph was that they showed a reverence for the divine majesty, and they therefore carefully maintained the solemnity of worship in all their singing. We don’t know, brothers and sisters, what the music was, but we do know the spirit with which they sang, and we know that their spirit was one of tremendous reverence for the majesty of the God whom they came before. The 3rd principle was that the music of the House of Asaph would elevate the beauty of spiritual thought. It was the words that were important and not the music. The music was subservient to the words. The key to the songs of the House of Asaph was that they emphasized the preeminence of scriptural principle, and these are the benchmarks that we believe we should test our own songs of worship against.

70. 39:59

    The fourth thing that this family stood for was. That what they sang represented an offering of dedication to the Father, and therefore continually demanded the excellence of endeavour. We’re going to be amazed, brothers and sisters, in the course of these studies, at just what a marvellous spirit this house had, as they never gave up in their spirit to offer the very best that they could in their service to the Father and in their singing of praise unto Him. And the 5th principle that characterized their worship was that they expressed the joy of eternal truths, and therefore they unceasingly proclaimed the virtue of constancy. Their words and their thoughts never deviated for 600 years. They never changed one of the keys to this family because they believed that what they were singing about was eternal truth that therefore never needed to be changed, never needed to be altered.

71. 41:08

    Now these five things, brothers and sisters, become a marvellous benchmark for our own songs of praise to the Father. And we believe that these things contributed to the tremendous spiritual tone and spiritual faithfulness of this family.

72. 41:28

    Well, brothers and sisters, that’s the beginning of this story, the founding of the House of Asaph, which all begins in the first of Chronicles 16 with the appointment of Asaph to office by David. David in his wisdom, we believe, selecting absolutely the right man for the job. In the course of our subsequent studies, we’re now going to move down through history from this moment of time, from the first of Chronicles 16. And for the next 600 years, we’re going to trace that family as they appear in the history of this nation. And we’re going to marvel at their faithfulness and marvel at their zeal and try, if we can, to learn the secret that kept this family faithful so that we can build those principles into our families today.