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

1
00:00:00,680 –> 00:00:03,560
Well, brothers and sisters, our
second speaker this morning is

2
00:00:03,560 –> 00:00:08,520
our Brother Rodger Lewis of the
Christchurch Ecclesia in New

3
00:00:08,520 –> 00:00:11,280
Zealand.
And the theme for Brother

4
00:00:11,280 –> 00:00:15,000
Louis’s classes this week, as
you know, is the House of ASAP

5
00:00:15,640 –> 00:00:20,600
Family of Faith.
Today’s class is entitled The

6
00:00:20,600 –> 00:00:24,920
Founding of the House of ASAP
Brother Rodger.

7
00:00:26,040 –> 00:00:28,040
Well, thank you, brother,
Chairman and good morning,

8
00:00:28,040 –> 00:00:32,400
brothers and sisters.
May I just make a slight

9
00:00:32,400 –> 00:00:34,480
adjustment to the Chairman’s
remarks this morning?

10
00:00:34,480 –> 00:00:38,560
The the full and proper title
for the study is the House of

11
00:00:38,560 –> 00:00:43,680
Asaf Family of Faith and Masters
of Music.

12
00:00:43,760 –> 00:00:46,240
Because one of the great
features, of course, about this

13
00:00:46,240 –> 00:00:49,840
family was their, their
contribution to the music and

14
00:00:49,840 –> 00:00:53,640
the story of worship in the
history of Israel.

15
00:00:53,880 –> 00:00:56,120
And that’s one of the things,
God willing, that we hope to

16
00:00:56,120 –> 00:00:59,160
take a look at in the course of
these studies.

17
00:01:01,600 –> 00:01:05,120
You may not know much about
Asaph or or think that there’s

18
00:01:05,120 –> 00:01:08,960
much about him in the Divine
record, but hopefully by the

19
00:01:08,960 –> 00:01:13,000
time we’ve finished this
particular story, you will find

20
00:01:13,000 –> 00:01:17,920
just how remarkable this man was
and in fact, how remarkable his

21
00:01:17,920 –> 00:01:21,720
family was.
I’m going to suggest to you this

22
00:01:21,720 –> 00:01:25,280
morning, and I ask you to
reserve judgement in the matter

23
00:01:25,600 –> 00:01:27,600
until you’ve heard the balance
of the studies.

24
00:01:27,880 –> 00:01:30,760
But I’m going to suggest to you
this morning that this is the

25
00:01:30,760 –> 00:01:36,400
story of the most remarkable
family in the history of Israel.

26
00:01:37,160 –> 00:01:39,760
And I’ve used those words
carefully, and I do not think

27
00:01:39,760 –> 00:01:43,080
that they are an overstatement.
I think that this family, the

28
00:01:43,080 –> 00:01:49,080
family of Asaph, was absolutely
unique in the history of of the

29
00:01:49,080 –> 00:01:51,000
nation.
And what we’re going to do, God

30
00:01:51,000 –> 00:01:53,840
willing, in the course of these
studies is to try and get into

31
00:01:53,840 –> 00:01:59,000
the heart and soul of this
family, to understand their

32
00:01:59,000 –> 00:02:03,680
passion for the truth, to see
what it was that moved then for

33
00:02:03,680 –> 00:02:07,800
so many generations of this one
single family.

34
00:02:08,639 –> 00:02:15,040
What was the secret of this
house that kept them faithful

35
00:02:15,280 –> 00:02:25,120
for almost 600 years of history?
One family, 600 years of

36
00:02:25,120 –> 00:02:28,520
absolute faithfulness.
Now there must have been a

37
00:02:28,520 –> 00:02:30,680
secret, mothers and sisters to
this family.

38
00:02:30,680 –> 00:02:32,480
And we want to try and discover
what it was.

39
00:02:32,480 –> 00:02:35,560
Because if we want to build
faithful families in the truth

40
00:02:35,560 –> 00:02:38,600
today, then there’s no better
family to look at than the than

41
00:02:38,600 –> 00:02:42,400
the House of Asaph down through
their several generations.

42
00:02:42,640 –> 00:02:46,400
Because he was a family of
extraordinary commitment to the

43
00:02:46,400 –> 00:02:49,760
things of the truth.
So that’s what we’re going to

44
00:02:49,760 –> 00:02:52,160
try and do, God willing in these
studies, is to discover the

45
00:02:52,160 –> 00:02:55,880
secrets of this family.
And secondly, to try and look at

46
00:02:55,880 –> 00:03:00,080
their musical contribution to
the to the history of worship in

47
00:03:00,080 –> 00:03:03,640
the nation of Israel.
We want to try and see what it

48
00:03:03,640 –> 00:03:07,600
was, what the guiding principles
were of this family and their

49
00:03:07,600 –> 00:03:12,280
singing of praise to the Father
as a basis for how we should

50
00:03:12,280 –> 00:03:15,400
worship the Father even in these
last days.

51
00:03:16,560 –> 00:03:19,960
Well, this morning, as our study
title suggests, we’re going to

52
00:03:19,960 –> 00:03:22,440
look at the founding of this
particular house.

53
00:03:22,440 –> 00:03:26,400
And that really is the story of
how Asaph came about to be in

54
00:03:26,400 –> 00:03:30,120
the role that he was to play.
And that story begins for us

55
00:03:30,120 –> 00:03:32,880
this morning in the first of
Chronicles chapter 15.

56
00:03:33,360 –> 00:03:37,000
So if you’ll turn, please, to
the first of Chronicles 15, we

57
00:03:37,000 –> 00:03:40,360
take up the record.
And here we see that this is the

58
00:03:40,360 –> 00:03:43,600
moment of time when you’ll
recall David brought the ark of

59
00:03:43,600 –> 00:03:48,640
God to Zion.
And there in the first of

60
00:03:48,640 –> 00:03:57,840
Chronicles and chapter 15, we
read these words, verse 14.

61
00:03:59,000 –> 00:04:04,520
So the priests and the Levites
sanctified themselves to bring

62
00:04:04,520 –> 00:04:07,200
up the ark of Yahweh, God of
Israel.

63
00:04:08,160 –> 00:04:11,520
And the children of the Levites
bear the ark of God upon their

64
00:04:11,520 –> 00:04:14,640
shoulder, with the staves
thereon, as Moses commanded,

65
00:04:14,640 –> 00:04:19,240
according to the word of Yahweh.
And David spoke to the chief of

66
00:04:19,240 –> 00:04:24,400
the Levites to appoint their
brethren to be the singers, with

67
00:04:24,520 –> 00:04:31,720
instruments of music, psalteries
and harps, and symbols, sounding

68
00:04:31,720 –> 00:04:34,240
by lifting up the voice with
joy.

69
00:04:34,280 –> 00:04:37,800
So the Levites appointed Heman
the son of Joel, and of his

70
00:04:37,800 –> 00:04:42,120
brethren Asaph the son of
Berekhar, and of the sons of

71
00:04:42,120 –> 00:04:45,760
Marari their brethren Ethan the
son of Kushaya.

72
00:04:46,000 –> 00:04:49,480
So here at the time of the
bringing of the ark of God to

73
00:04:49,480 –> 00:04:53,800
Zion, the leaders of the singers
were appointed and they were

74
00:04:53,800 –> 00:04:57,440
selected by the Levites out of
their own ranks.

75
00:04:57,680 –> 00:05:01,880
And the Levites chose three men
in particular, says the first of

76
00:05:01,880 –> 00:05:06,920
Chronicles 15 and verse 17.
They chose him and the son of

77
00:05:06,920 –> 00:05:14,440
Joel, they chose Asaph, the son
of Berekhar, and they chose

78
00:05:14,480 –> 00:05:18,320
Ethan the son of Kusaya.
And Ethan of course, is later to

79
00:05:18,320 –> 00:05:21,480
be known in other passages as
Juduthan.

80
00:05:21,720 –> 00:05:26,000
So Ethan and Juduthan are
interchangeable terms.

81
00:05:26,240 –> 00:05:31,600
So these three men were selected
out of the ranks of the Levites,

82
00:05:31,600 –> 00:05:34,440
and presumably they were chosen
because of their musical

83
00:05:34,440 –> 00:05:37,000
ability.
But they weren’t just chosen at

84
00:05:37,000 –> 00:05:39,760
random, brothers and sisters.
Because if you come back to the

85
00:05:39,760 –> 00:05:43,640
6th chapter of the First of
Chronicles, this was not just

86
00:05:43,760 –> 00:05:48,040
the selection of three men out
of the whole House of Levi at

87
00:05:48,040 –> 00:05:50,080
random.
Now there was something more

88
00:05:50,080 –> 00:05:53,280
specific about the selection,
because when we come to the

89
00:05:53,280 –> 00:05:58,200
First of Chronicles, chapter 6
will find that each of these men

90
00:05:58,440 –> 00:06:03,000
in fact represented one of the
three great branches of the

91
00:06:03,000 –> 00:06:06,880
tribe of Levi.
So notice verse 33.

92
00:06:06,880 –> 00:06:09,760
Here’s our first man again.
These are they that waited with

93
00:06:09,760 –> 00:06:14,040
their children of the sons of
the caliphates, Heman, a singer.

94
00:06:15,080 –> 00:06:23,800
Now Heman of verse 33 is a man,
verse 38, of Kohath the son of

95
00:06:23,800 –> 00:06:28,360
Levi.
And then in verse 39 we have our

96
00:06:28,360 –> 00:06:37,520
second man Asaph, and he verse
43 is a son of Gershon the son

97
00:06:37,520 –> 00:06:41,400
of Levi.
And then we have our third man

98
00:06:41,400 –> 00:06:49,880
in verse 44, Ethan, the son of
Cushy, and he verse 47 is a son

99
00:06:49,880 –> 00:06:55,000
of Mararai, the son of Levi.
So you see, each of the three

100
00:06:55,000 –> 00:06:58,920
men that were selected by the
Levites in turn represented one

101
00:06:58,920 –> 00:07:02,920
of the three great divisions of
the tribe of Levite itself.

102
00:07:03,120 –> 00:07:08,080
So we have Heman of the
Kohathites, we have Asaph of the

103
00:07:08,080 –> 00:07:12,440
Gershomites, and we have
Jaduthan of the Mariah rights.

104
00:07:12,800 –> 00:07:17,440
So here then is the whole House
of Levi represented in the

105
00:07:17,440 –> 00:07:20,400
selection of these three men.
Now if you come back to the

106
00:07:20,400 –> 00:07:24,680
first of Chronicles chapter 15,
therefore we see now the story

107
00:07:24,680 –> 00:07:28,760
of how these singers were
involved in this very special

108
00:07:28,760 –> 00:07:35,080
day when the Ark of God was
brought to Zion by David in the

109
00:07:35,080 –> 00:07:38,720
first of Chronicles chapter 15
and verse 19, we read So the

110
00:07:38,720 –> 00:07:44,120
singers Heman, Asaph and Ethan
or Judithan were appointed to

111
00:07:44,120 –> 00:07:48,680
sound with symbols of brass.
And then we’re told in the in

112
00:07:48,680 –> 00:07:52,440
the 20th verse that they were
the players on the Psalteries.

113
00:07:53,040 –> 00:07:55,560
And at the end of the verse
we’re told that they played with

114
00:07:55,560 –> 00:07:58,040
or on Alamoth.
And Alamoth we believe, is the

115
00:07:58,040 –> 00:08:02,040
female choir.
They were a choir of female

116
00:08:02,040 –> 00:08:06,560
singers of female voices.
Then in verse 21 we have the

117
00:08:06,560 –> 00:08:11,200
players on the harps, and with
them is the choir known as

118
00:08:11,200 –> 00:08:14,000
Sheminoth.
And the word sheminoth means an

119
00:08:14,000 –> 00:08:17,960
eighth or an octave lower.
And it represented the male

120
00:08:17,960 –> 00:08:21,440
choir who accompanied the
players on harps.

121
00:08:22,080 –> 00:08:24,440
Then we have Ken and I are in
verse 22.

122
00:08:24,440 –> 00:08:27,440
Who’s responsible for the
lifting up and the carriage of

123
00:08:27,440 –> 00:08:30,320
the Ark on the shoulders of the
Coathites.

124
00:08:30,960 –> 00:08:34,919
Then we’ve got 2 doorkeepers in
front of the Ark, verse 23.

125
00:08:35,440 –> 00:08:40,559
Seven trumpeters who play before
the Ark, verse 24, 2 Deep

126
00:08:40,559 –> 00:08:43,440
doorkeepers behind the arc,
verse 24.

127
00:08:43,440 –> 00:08:47,120
And so we have this whole
procession there that travels to

128
00:08:47,120 –> 00:08:49,720
Jerusalem on this on this
occasion.

129
00:08:49,960 –> 00:08:54,600
And who is at the forefront?
Who’s right at the front of the

130
00:08:54,600 –> 00:08:58,160
whole procession of them all?
And the answer is, why the three

131
00:08:58,160 –> 00:09:05,400
singers, Heman, verse 19, Asaph
and Judithan all there at this

132
00:09:05,480 –> 00:09:08,880
beginning of the story of the
bringing of the arc to Zion?

133
00:09:09,280 –> 00:09:13,680
And so chapter 16 and verse one
says, So they brought the ark of

134
00:09:13,680 –> 00:09:17,240
God and set it in the midst of
the 10th that David had pitched

135
00:09:17,240 –> 00:09:18,360
for it.
And they offered burnt

136
00:09:18,360 –> 00:09:21,080
sacrifices and peace offerings
before God.

137
00:09:21,880 –> 00:09:25,160
And when David had made an end
of offering, of offering the

138
00:09:25,160 –> 00:09:28,560
burnt offerings and peace
offerings, he blessed the people

139
00:09:28,640 –> 00:09:31,280
in the name of Yahweh.
And he dealt to everyone of

140
00:09:31,280 –> 00:09:34,840
Israel, both man and woman, to
everyone a loaf of bread and a

141
00:09:34,840 –> 00:09:37,680
good piece of flesh and a flagon
of wine.

142
00:09:38,840 –> 00:09:42,560
So now you see this tremendous
celebration has come to an end.

143
00:09:42,720 –> 00:09:48,480
All the singers have sung their
songs, all the choirs have sung,

144
00:09:48,640 –> 00:09:51,240
the sultries and the harps have
played, the trumpeters have

145
00:09:51,240 –> 00:09:55,000
blown, and the whole procession
has brought the Ark into Zion.

146
00:09:55,120 –> 00:09:58,360
And now all the people are about
to depart and to go home their

147
00:09:58,360 –> 00:10:03,360
several ways after this wondrous
day of praise and celebration.

148
00:10:03,520 –> 00:10:07,800
And now this chapter is going to
tell us exactly what David did

149
00:10:08,040 –> 00:10:10,680
once this ark had been brought
to Zion.

150
00:10:10,880 –> 00:10:13,120
Now I wanted to show you
something interesting about the

151
00:10:13,120 –> 00:10:17,240
first of Chronicles 16.
If you hold your hands in the

152
00:10:17,240 –> 00:10:20,760
first of Chronicles 16 and come
back to the parallel record,

153
00:10:21,000 –> 00:10:24,960
which is in the second of Samuel
chapter 6, I want to show you

154
00:10:24,960 –> 00:10:28,520
something interesting about the
way the first of Chronicles 16

155
00:10:28,520 –> 00:10:32,360
is constructed.
Because in the second of Samuel

156
00:10:32,360 –> 00:10:36,520
6, which is the same story in
the Samuel record.

157
00:10:37,000 –> 00:10:39,680
Well, let’s just see if we can
compare notes between the two

158
00:10:39,680 –> 00:10:45,680
records in the second of Samuel
chapter 6 and verse 19.

159
00:10:46,240 –> 00:10:50,880
You’ll notice that it says there
He dealt among all the people,

160
00:10:51,400 –> 00:10:54,720
even among the whole multitude
of Israel, as well as to the

161
00:10:54,720 –> 00:10:58,320
woman as to the men, to every
good, to everyone, a cake of

162
00:10:58,320 –> 00:11:01,520
bread and a good piece of flesh
and a flagon of wine.

163
00:11:01,520 –> 00:11:06,000
Now where is that in Chronicles?
And the answer is why?

164
00:11:06,000 –> 00:11:10,840
That’s the first of Chronicles,
chapter 16 and verse 3, isn’t

165
00:11:10,840 –> 00:11:13,360
it?
So that’s the same reference.

166
00:11:14,640 –> 00:11:19,680
Now look again at the second of
Samuel 6 and verse 19 and see

167
00:11:19,680 –> 00:11:23,560
how the verse ends.
And you’ll notice that the verse

168
00:11:23,560 –> 00:11:29,840
ends with this phrase.
So all the people departed

169
00:11:29,840 –> 00:11:35,760
everyone to his house.
Now where’s that in Chronicles?

170
00:11:37,320 –> 00:11:42,360
And the answer is why?
It’s the very last verse of the

171
00:11:42,360 –> 00:11:46,120
first of Chronicles, chapter 16,
verse 43.

172
00:11:46,480 –> 00:11:51,600
And all the people departed,
every man to his house.

173
00:11:52,080 –> 00:11:55,600
So you see, what this tells us
is that in the First of

174
00:11:55,600 –> 00:12:00,960
Chronicles 16, that the balance
of the verses in between

175
00:12:01,240 –> 00:12:06,040
represent a special
interpolation, an extra section

176
00:12:06,240 –> 00:12:10,200
that’s only found in the
Chronicles record from verse 4

177
00:12:10,720 –> 00:12:14,520
right through to verse 42.
And if we were to ask, well,

178
00:12:14,520 –> 00:12:18,160
what is this special section
found in the Chronicles record?

179
00:12:18,160 –> 00:12:23,160
The answer is that this is the
original story of the

180
00:12:23,160 –> 00:12:29,160
appointment of Asaph to his
responsibilities as leader of

181
00:12:29,160 –> 00:12:33,080
the music in the in the
celebration of the art being

182
00:12:33,080 –> 00:12:34,720
brought to Zion.
And you know, one of the

183
00:12:34,720 –> 00:12:38,240
interesting things about these
verses from verse 4 onwards is

184
00:12:38,240 –> 00:12:44,680
this, that this was David’s
first and greatest concern after

185
00:12:44,680 –> 00:12:48,800
bringing the ark of God design.
It’s not until chapter 17 and

186
00:12:48,800 –> 00:12:52,160
verse one that David will take
any concern for where the ark of

187
00:12:52,160 –> 00:12:56,360
God will dwell.
His greatest concern was this,

188
00:12:56,560 –> 00:13:00,160
that on this day, the very day
that he had brought the ark of

189
00:13:00,160 –> 00:13:05,960
God design, he was concerned
about those who would minister

190
00:13:06,120 –> 00:13:09,680
before the ark.
David wanted someone who would

191
00:13:09,680 –> 00:13:14,600
explain to Israel the true power
and importance of what the ark

192
00:13:14,600 –> 00:13:16,640
represented.
He wanted someone who could

193
00:13:16,640 –> 00:13:19,880
explain to the nation the
significance of what they had

194
00:13:19,880 –> 00:13:23,600
done this day, that the ark of
God, which represented the

195
00:13:23,600 –> 00:13:27,920
presence of God amongst his
people, had been brought to them

196
00:13:28,080 –> 00:13:29,840
in Jerusalem.
David said.

197
00:13:29,840 –> 00:13:34,160
We never, ever want to lose this
precious moment in the history

198
00:13:34,160 –> 00:13:37,920
of our nation.
I need someone who can celebrate

199
00:13:37,920 –> 00:13:41,840
this principle before this is
the first thing that must be

200
00:13:41,840 –> 00:13:45,600
done.
So he chose a man.

201
00:13:46,640 –> 00:13:52,320
He chose a man who understood
what that arc was all about.

202
00:13:53,280 –> 00:13:58,240
He chose a man who would be able
to recount before Israel in the

203
00:13:58,240 –> 00:14:02,800
songs of worship and praise the
real significance of the ark of

204
00:14:02,800 –> 00:14:05,440
God’s presence amongst his
people.

205
00:14:05,640 –> 00:14:09,680
And verse 4 says he appointed
certain of the Levites to

206
00:14:09,680 –> 00:14:13,480
minister before the ark of
Yahweh, to record and to thank

207
00:14:13,600 –> 00:14:16,160
and to praise the Lord God of
Israel.

208
00:14:17,760 –> 00:14:23,280
Asaph, the chief, So you see,
isn’t that interesting?

209
00:14:23,280 –> 00:14:26,720
Because you see, back in chapter
15, the Levites had chosen three

210
00:14:26,720 –> 00:14:31,480
men, hadn’t they?
The Levites had chosen Heman and

211
00:14:31,480 –> 00:14:35,200
ASAP and Jaduthan.
But when David comes to make his

212
00:14:35,200 –> 00:14:38,120
appointment in the first of
Chronicles 16, he says no, I

213
00:14:38,120 –> 00:14:42,360
want ASAP.
I want Asaph especially to take

214
00:14:42,360 –> 00:14:44,880
responsibility for this matter
of worship.

215
00:14:44,880 –> 00:14:48,680
Why do you think David chose
Asaph, Brothers and sisters, do

216
00:14:48,680 –> 00:14:51,160
you think he had more musical
abilities than the others?

217
00:14:51,360 –> 00:14:55,520
No, I don’t think so.
I think he chose Asaph because

218
00:14:55,600 –> 00:14:58,880
in this man he found a truly
kindred spirit.

219
00:14:59,640 –> 00:15:03,040
They share the common
understanding of divine

220
00:15:03,040 –> 00:15:07,880
principles, David said.
This is the man who will be able

221
00:15:07,880 –> 00:15:11,840
to explain the significance of
these things before the nation.

222
00:15:12,120 –> 00:15:15,480
And as we will find in our
subsequent studies, we believe

223
00:15:15,480 –> 00:15:21,080
absolutely that David put his
finger on just the right man.

224
00:15:21,880 –> 00:15:25,480
He put his finger on the very
person who would be able to

225
00:15:25,480 –> 00:15:29,680
celebrate those principles that
were so dear to David’s own

226
00:15:29,680 –> 00:15:31,680
heart.
In fact, you’ll notice in verse

227
00:15:31,680 –> 00:15:36,480
5 it says he chose Asaph the
chief, and next to him

228
00:15:36,480 –> 00:15:40,160
Zechariah, Jaheel and Shimmer,
Amath and Jaheel and Matathah

229
00:15:40,160 –> 00:15:44,520
and Delaib and Beniah and Obed,
Edom and Jaheel were sultries

230
00:15:44,520 –> 00:15:50,680
and harps, but Asaph made a
sound with cymbals.

231
00:15:52,000 –> 00:15:54,680
You know why Asaph made a sound
with symbols, brothers and

232
00:15:54,680 –> 00:15:57,680
sisters?
Well, he did so because he was

233
00:15:57,680 –> 00:16:04,680
to give leadership to the choir,
and they all sang in harmony to

234
00:16:04,680 –> 00:16:08,880
the beat of his heart and to the
rhythm of his time.

235
00:16:10,400 –> 00:16:14,320
And as Asaph tapped the symbols,
the choirs all took their

236
00:16:14,320 –> 00:16:18,160
leadership from this man.
And you notice this, brothers

237
00:16:18,160 –> 00:16:21,440
and sisters, that it was a
symbol that he played and not a

238
00:16:21,440 –> 00:16:25,960
drum.
This was not the heavy beat of

239
00:16:25,960 –> 00:16:31,040
the drum of paganism.
This was not the heavy pounding

240
00:16:31,040 –> 00:16:35,800
of the music of the heathen.
Funny thing, you know, but you

241
00:16:35,800 –> 00:16:38,320
know that they’ve never in
archaeological diggings in

242
00:16:38,320 –> 00:16:40,520
Israel, they’ve never dug up
drums.

243
00:16:40,520 –> 00:16:44,080
Did you know that they’ve never
discovered a drum?

244
00:16:46,240 –> 00:16:50,200
Israel didn’t use drums.
The nations did.

245
00:16:51,920 –> 00:16:58,520
But Israel used the symbol, and
the symbol that Asaph played

246
00:16:58,520 –> 00:17:03,120
gave leadership to all the choir
who followed in sequence after

247
00:17:03,120 –> 00:17:05,200
him.
Oh yes, he’s the leader.

248
00:17:05,200 –> 00:17:08,920
Brothers and sisters, this man
was going to be the leader.

249
00:17:09,280 –> 00:17:16,160
And verse 7 says, Then on that
day David delivered first this

250
00:17:16,160 –> 00:17:21,720
Psalm to thank Yahweh into the
hand of Asaph and his brethren.

251
00:17:22,760 –> 00:17:25,240
Now by the way, you’ll notice
that the words this Psalm and

252
00:17:25,240 –> 00:17:29,760
verse seven are in italics.
The New American Standard Bible

253
00:17:29,760 –> 00:17:35,920
says Then on that day David
first assigned Asaph and his

254
00:17:35,920 –> 00:17:38,600
relatives to give thanks unto
the Lord.

255
00:17:39,000 –> 00:17:42,520
Or as the Revised Standard
Version says, then on that day

256
00:17:42,800 –> 00:17:46,880
David first appointed that
Thanksgiving be sung to the Lord

257
00:17:46,880 –> 00:17:51,560
by Asaph and his brethren.
So what the seventh verse is

258
00:17:51,560 –> 00:17:56,000
telling us is that David gave
the responsibility of leading

259
00:17:56,000 –> 00:18:01,960
the nation in song to this man.
And what day did he do it?

260
00:18:01,960 –> 00:18:05,280
On the very day, brothers and
sisters, that the ark of God

261
00:18:05,480 –> 00:18:10,400
came to Zion, David singled out
Asaph and made him chief.

262
00:18:11,960 –> 00:18:16,080
So you see, I think that we can
safely conclude from this that

263
00:18:16,080 –> 00:18:21,600
this man, therefore Asaph, was
the original chief musician.

264
00:18:21,600 –> 00:18:23,400
Now you will have heard of that
phrase.

265
00:18:23,600 –> 00:18:27,240
It’s a famous phrase in the book
of Psalms, and I think that

266
00:18:27,240 –> 00:18:31,640
Asaph was the first of the chief
musicians.

267
00:18:31,640 –> 00:18:34,560
Now we’re just going to have a
look quickly at a couple of

268
00:18:34,760 –> 00:18:37,560
references in this regard.
So come, if you would, for the

269
00:18:37,560 –> 00:18:41,600
second of the Second of
Chronicles and Chapter 20.

270
00:18:42,080 –> 00:18:44,040
Now Second Chronicles, chapter
29.

271
00:18:45,640 –> 00:18:50,280
Now in the Second of Chronicles
and chapter 29 you notice what

272
00:18:50,280 –> 00:18:58,200
it says there in the 30th verse.
Second Chronicles 29 and verse

273
00:18:58,200 –> 00:19:02,640
30 says.
Moreover, Hezekiah the king and

274
00:19:02,640 –> 00:19:06,800
the Princess commanded the
Levites to sing praise unto

275
00:19:06,800 –> 00:19:14,440
Yahweh with the words of David
and of Asaph the seer.

276
00:19:14,720 –> 00:19:16,720
Now you notice this, brothers
and sisters, do you notice how

277
00:19:16,720 –> 00:19:19,240
that Asaph and David are brought
together?

278
00:19:19,520 –> 00:19:24,440
They stand as equals in the
matter of divine worship.

279
00:19:24,920 –> 00:19:27,480
David and Asaph, Asaph and
David.

280
00:19:28,640 –> 00:19:32,080
Now, when it says that they were
to sing praise to God with the

281
00:19:32,080 –> 00:19:36,440
words of David and Asaph,
there’s only 12 psalms that are

282
00:19:36,440 –> 00:19:38,760
related to Asaph in the book of
Psalms.

283
00:19:39,000 –> 00:19:41,920
But I think that the reference
here is to the fact that Asaph,

284
00:19:42,160 –> 00:19:47,880
as the chief musician, had the
responsibility for all the songs

285
00:19:48,040 –> 00:19:50,080
of worship that the nation would
sing.

286
00:19:50,240 –> 00:19:54,280
He was the collector.
He was the organizer of all the

287
00:19:54,280 –> 00:19:57,320
spiritual material that would be
used for worship.

288
00:19:57,920 –> 00:20:00,680
So that when it says here that
they were to sing with the words

289
00:20:00,680 –> 00:20:04,920
of David and the words of Asaph,
the reason is because as chief

290
00:20:04,920 –> 00:20:09,560
musician, all the words of the
songs of worship belong to him

291
00:20:09,840 –> 00:20:14,440
as the leader of the choir.
Now this is a long time after

292
00:20:14,440 –> 00:20:16,200
David, isn’t it?
The Second of Chronicles,

293
00:20:16,360 –> 00:20:19,360
chapter 29 is in fact in the
days of Hezekiah.

294
00:20:20,880 –> 00:20:26,080
And yet Asaph is seen to rank
alongside David himself in these

295
00:20:26,080 –> 00:20:28,120
things.
Come and have a look at Nehemiah

296
00:20:28,120 –> 00:20:32,000
chapter 12.
In the book of Nehemiah we have

297
00:20:32,240 –> 00:20:36,720
a similar phrase in chapter 12
and verse 45.

298
00:20:49,580 –> 00:20:54,740
Nehemiah 12, verse 45 says, And
both the singers and the porters

299
00:20:54,740 –> 00:20:58,660
kept the ward of their God and
the ward of purification

300
00:20:59,320 –> 00:21:02,440
according to the commandment of
David and of Solomon his son.

301
00:21:03,040 –> 00:21:09,440
Four, in the days of David and
Asaph of old.

302
00:21:09,440 –> 00:21:11,800
Oh, you know, you see how these
two men are brought together

303
00:21:11,800 –> 00:21:16,000
again in the record in the days
of David and Asaph of old.

304
00:21:16,400 –> 00:21:18,840
And now I’m going to read from
the revised version.

305
00:21:19,560 –> 00:21:25,480
It says in the days of David and
Asaph of old there was a chief

306
00:21:25,760 –> 00:21:33,000
of the singers, and there were
songs of praise and Thanksgiving

307
00:21:33,000 –> 00:21:36,440
unto God.
So from the days of Asaph there

308
00:21:36,440 –> 00:21:40,920
was always a chief of the
singers, says Nehemiah chapter

309
00:21:40,920 –> 00:21:43,440
12.
And I think that the first of

310
00:21:43,440 –> 00:21:46,360
those singers was none other
than Asaph himself.

311
00:21:46,520 –> 00:21:49,320
He was the first of the chief
singers.

312
00:21:49,320 –> 00:21:53,200
In fact, you see the word chief
there in Nehemiah chapter 12 and

313
00:21:53,200 –> 00:21:56,160
verse 46.
The word chief there is the word

314
00:21:56,160 –> 00:22:00,080
Rosh, the head of all the
singers.

315
00:22:00,960 –> 00:22:06,240
Do you know that that’s the very
same word used in the first of

316
00:22:06,240 –> 00:22:14,880
Chronicles chapter 16 and verse
5, when it says that David

317
00:22:14,880 –> 00:22:19,840
appointed Asaph and the Asaph
was the chief?

318
00:22:20,640 –> 00:22:23,080
So yes, I think we can safely
assume, brothers and sisters,

319
00:22:23,080 –> 00:22:27,280
that that indeed Asaf was, was
the beginning of this order of

320
00:22:27,280 –> 00:22:32,080
men in Israel who would lead the
principles of spiritual worship.

321
00:22:32,080 –> 00:22:37,040
He was the first of the chief
musicians who would ever after

322
00:22:37,320 –> 00:22:40,520
be responsible for the
organization of the spiritual

323
00:22:40,520 –> 00:22:45,480
material of worship and the
leader of the choir down through

324
00:22:45,520 –> 00:22:48,040
the ages.
So coming back to the First of

325
00:22:48,040 –> 00:22:55,920
Chronicles and chapter 16.
Therefore we read these words in

326
00:22:55,920 –> 00:22:59,760
verse 8.
David appointed Asaph, but he

327
00:22:59,760 –> 00:23:04,200
did also give him this Psalm
that they might celebrate the

328
00:23:04,200 –> 00:23:07,160
principles of the ark of God
being brought to Zion.

329
00:23:07,480 –> 00:23:11,720
And verse eight of the first of
Chronicles 16 says, give thanks

330
00:23:12,040 –> 00:23:14,800
unto Yahweh and call upon His
name.

331
00:23:15,080 –> 00:23:18,760
And now we have the balance of
this special Psalm that goes

332
00:23:18,760 –> 00:23:22,600
from verse 8 right through to
verse 36 in the first of

333
00:23:22,600 –> 00:23:27,520
Chronicles chapter 16.
This Psalm was special.

334
00:23:28,360 –> 00:23:31,400
It belongs to the House of
Asaph.

335
00:23:32,200 –> 00:23:38,360
It was written, I believe to be
sung in front of the ark, and it

336
00:23:38,360 –> 00:23:42,320
was written to celebrate the
significance of the presence of

337
00:23:42,320 –> 00:23:45,640
God amongst his people.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve all

338
00:23:45,640 –> 00:23:50,360
got the same sort of margin as
my Bible, but the common

339
00:23:50,360 –> 00:23:56,120
explanation of the words of
Chronicles is as follows, that

340
00:23:57,440 –> 00:24:02,880
the first of Chronicles 16 and
verses 8 to 22, the margin says

341
00:24:03,040 –> 00:24:08,200
are the same as Psalm 105 verses
1 to 15.

342
00:24:08,760 –> 00:24:12,560
Now, just before you mark all of
this in, just be careful because

343
00:24:12,800 –> 00:24:15,000
I’m going to tell you what I
think about this at the end.

344
00:24:15,240 –> 00:24:18,200
So, so you might find it’s
already in the margin, but the

345
00:24:18,200 –> 00:24:21,880
common explanation is that
therefore verses 8 to 22 of

346
00:24:21,880 –> 00:24:30,120
Chronicles is drawn from Psalm
105 and verses 1 to 15, and then

347
00:24:30,120 –> 00:24:32,520
the first of Chronicles chapter
16.

348
00:24:32,520 –> 00:24:40,400
Verse 23 through to verse 33,
the margin says is drawn from

349
00:24:40,400 –> 00:24:47,720
Psalm 96 and verses 1 to 13.
And then the first of Chronicles

350
00:24:47,720 –> 00:24:55,320
16 and verse 33, sorry, verse 34
is drawn from Psalm 106, verse

351
00:24:55,320 –> 00:24:58,360
one.
And finally the first of

352
00:24:58,360 –> 00:25:05,080
Chronicles chapter 16 and verses
35 to 36 is drawn from Psalm

353
00:25:05,200 –> 00:25:11,680
106, verses 47 to 48.
So now let me tell you, brothers

354
00:25:11,680 –> 00:25:15,400
and sisters, that I think that
that is absolutely wrong.

355
00:25:17,360 –> 00:25:20,880
I think in fact, that the the
real truth of the matter is that

356
00:25:20,880 –> 00:25:23,880
that is that is the exact
opposite.

357
00:25:25,080 –> 00:25:31,960
I believe that the Psalms are
drawn from Chronicles, not

358
00:25:31,960 –> 00:25:37,040
Chronicles from Psalms.
Now let me give you a couple of

359
00:25:37,040 –> 00:25:39,360
proofs of that.
Shall I just hold your hand in

360
00:25:39,360 –> 00:25:44,120
the first of Chronicles 16 and
come to Psalm 106, which is one

361
00:25:44,120 –> 00:25:47,440
of the Psalms that does make
reference to the the same

362
00:25:47,440 –> 00:25:49,800
phrases?
So the question is, is here

363
00:25:49,800 –> 00:25:53,600
which one comes first?
Is the Chronicles record of this

364
00:25:53,600 –> 00:25:58,080
Psalm first or is in fact
Chronicles a composition from

365
00:25:58,320 –> 00:26:02,040
other Psalms as is suggested in
our margins?

366
00:26:02,360 –> 00:26:06,520
Well come and have a look at
Psalm 106 and reading verses 46

367
00:26:06,920 –> 00:26:13,080
to 48.
It says, there, now hold your

368
00:26:13,080 –> 00:26:15,200
hand and you’ve got Chronicles
16.

369
00:26:15,200 –> 00:26:19,960
Now have a look at first of
Chronicles 16 and verse 35 And

370
00:26:19,960 –> 00:26:24,880
say, Ye save us, O God of our
salvation, and gather us

371
00:26:24,880 –> 00:26:27,080
together, and deliver us from
the heathen, that we may give

372
00:26:27,080 –> 00:26:29,960
thanks to thy holy name and
glory and thy praise.

373
00:26:30,320 –> 00:26:34,480
Blessed be Yahweh, Elohim of
Israel forever and ever.

374
00:26:34,720 –> 00:26:38,560
Now have a look at Psalm 106 and
verse 46.

375
00:26:39,680 –> 00:26:44,400
He made them also to be pitied
of all those that carried them.

376
00:26:44,400 –> 00:26:50,360
Captives save us, O Yahweh our
God, and gather us from among

377
00:26:50,360 –> 00:26:53,320
the heathen, to give thanks to
Thy holy name, and to triumph in

378
00:26:53,320 –> 00:26:56,440
thy praise.
Blessed be Yahweh, Elohim of

379
00:26:56,440 –> 00:26:59,000
Israel, from everlasting to
everlasting.

380
00:26:59,000 –> 00:27:01,200
So, Oh yes, it’s the same
phrase, isn’t it?

381
00:27:01,200 –> 00:27:06,400
But you notice this, that Psalm
106, verse 46 says these words.

382
00:27:06,760 –> 00:27:10,640
He made them also to be pitied
of all those that carried them

383
00:27:10,680 –> 00:27:14,800
captive.
Now was that David’s experience?

384
00:27:16,720 –> 00:27:20,560
The answer is no, it wasn’t.
When did the captivity occur?

385
00:27:21,280 –> 00:27:23,480
When was Israel carried away
captive?

386
00:27:23,840 –> 00:27:27,240
And the answer is much later on
in their history.

387
00:27:28,480 –> 00:27:32,160
And in fact, if you look really
carefully at Psalm 106 and verse

388
00:27:32,160 –> 00:27:36,360
47, you’ll notice that there is
one word that’s been added to

389
00:27:36,360 –> 00:27:40,600
the text of the first of
Chronicles 16 and verse 35.

390
00:27:41,240 –> 00:27:44,920
Whereas the first of Chronicles
said, Deliver us, sorry, gather

391
00:27:44,920 –> 00:27:51,360
us together and deliver us from
the heathen, the Psalm says

392
00:27:53,000 –> 00:27:57,400
gather us from among the
heathen.

393
00:27:58,800 –> 00:28:02,920
Now I believe that that word
among was added when the words

394
00:28:02,920 –> 00:28:06,760
of the first of Chronicles were
adapted for this Psalm that

395
00:28:06,760 –> 00:28:11,320
related to a time of Israel’s
captivity and distress.

396
00:28:11,520 –> 00:28:13,640
So in other words, which one
comes first?

397
00:28:13,880 –> 00:28:16,200
And the answer is Chronicles
comes first.

398
00:28:16,880 –> 00:28:20,200
But the book of Psalms later
took up the words of Chronicles

399
00:28:20,320 –> 00:28:24,680
and adapted them to a later
moment in the history of Israel.

400
00:28:26,720 –> 00:28:30,880
Shall I give you another example
in the first of Chronicles 16?

401
00:28:30,880 –> 00:28:34,200
Now we need have a look at Psalm
96.

402
00:28:34,200 –> 00:28:38,480
So you need first of Chronicles
16 in your left hand and Psalm

403
00:28:38,680 –> 00:28:43,320
96 in the right hand.
Now you notice this in the first

404
00:28:43,320 –> 00:28:49,520
of Chronicles 16 and verse 27.
It says glory and honor are in

405
00:28:49,520 –> 00:28:58,240
his presence, strength and
gladness are in his place, says

406
00:28:58,240 –> 00:29:02,160
the record.
Now you see what Psalm 96 says

407
00:29:02,360 –> 00:29:06,360
in the sixth verse.
Honor and majesty are before

408
00:29:06,360 –> 00:29:14,080
Him, strength and beauty in his
sanctuary.

409
00:29:15,640 –> 00:29:21,560
So whereas Chronicles says they
are in His place, Psalm 96 says,

410
00:29:21,560 –> 00:29:24,040
no, no, they are in His
sanctuary.

411
00:29:25,480 –> 00:29:28,080
Now have a look at again at the
first of Chronicles 16.

412
00:29:28,280 –> 00:29:33,640
And now verse 29, Give unto
Yahweh the glory due unto His

413
00:29:33,640 –> 00:29:39,840
name, bring an offering, and
come before Him worship Yahweh

414
00:29:39,840 –> 00:29:46,160
in the beauty of holiness.
Now Psalm 96 says, and this time

415
00:29:46,320 –> 00:29:50,880
reading from verse 8, Give unto
Yahweh the glory due unto His

416
00:29:50,880 –> 00:29:57,840
name, bring an offering, and
come into His courts.

417
00:29:59,280 –> 00:30:00,680
But that’s not what Chronicles
said.

418
00:30:00,880 –> 00:30:06,760
Chronicles said come before Him.
Psalm says, no, no, come into

419
00:30:06,760 –> 00:30:09,840
his courts.
Now, brothers and sisters, why

420
00:30:09,840 –> 00:30:13,640
would it be that Chronicles
would say strength and gladness

421
00:30:13,680 –> 00:30:18,360
are in His place, come before
Him with an offering, but the

422
00:30:18,360 –> 00:30:22,880
Psalm would say strength and
beauty are in His sanctuary,

423
00:30:23,840 –> 00:30:29,280
come into his courts with an
offering, But that the Psalm

424
00:30:29,520 –> 00:30:34,120
reflects a later time in the
history of Israel, where now

425
00:30:34,360 –> 00:30:40,040
there is a temple for worship.
So there is a sanctuary and

426
00:30:40,040 –> 00:30:44,280
there are courts.
But when David wrote his Psalm

427
00:30:44,280 –> 00:30:48,560
in the First of Chronicles 16,
there was no such place in Zion.

428
00:30:48,680 –> 00:30:52,520
He had only just brought the ark
there and pitched it underneath

429
00:30:52,520 –> 00:30:55,520
some curtains.
The temple had not yet been

430
00:30:55,520 –> 00:30:58,840
built.
So you see, I think that the

431
00:30:58,840 –> 00:31:04,680
First of Chronicles is the
original version of the Psalm,

432
00:31:05,960 –> 00:31:10,280
and that this Psalm was written
by David expressly for the House

433
00:31:10,280 –> 00:31:13,360
of Asaph to be sung in front of
the ark.

434
00:31:14,160 –> 00:31:17,400
Almost, you see, as if David
gave Asaph and his family this

435
00:31:17,400 –> 00:31:20,120
Psalm, and he said, look, I want
you to read this.

436
00:31:20,400 –> 00:31:24,120
I want you to understand the
principles of this Psalm, and

437
00:31:24,120 –> 00:31:28,000
then I want you to lead the
worship of Israel after the

438
00:31:28,000 –> 00:31:30,520
story of this Psalm.
Well, I can tell you, brothers

439
00:31:30,520 –> 00:31:32,920
and sisters, and I’m going to
prove it to you, God willing, in

440
00:31:32,920 –> 00:31:35,480
the course of these studies,
that this family, they

441
00:31:35,480 –> 00:31:40,080
absolutely devoured the spirit
of this Psalm and they lived it

442
00:31:40,080 –> 00:31:44,880
for 600 years.
They lived the Psalm for 600

443
00:31:44,880 –> 00:31:46,760
years.
Did the House of Asaph.

444
00:31:46,960 –> 00:31:50,000
In fact, you notice what it says
if we just skip over the Psalm

445
00:31:50,000 –> 00:31:54,400
for a moment and come to the
end, Verse 37 says, and now

446
00:31:54,400 –> 00:32:00,320
we’re back in the first of
Chronicles chapter 16, verse 37

447
00:32:00,320 –> 00:32:04,440
says, so he left there before
the ark of the covenant of

448
00:32:04,440 –> 00:32:11,360
Yahweh, Asaph and his brethren
to minister before the ark of

449
00:32:11,360 –> 00:32:15,680
God continually as every day’s
work required.

450
00:32:17,760 –> 00:32:22,200
But we’re told that in verse 39,
Zadok, the priest and his

451
00:32:22,200 –> 00:32:25,400
brethren, the priests, they,
they stayed before the

452
00:32:25,400 –> 00:32:30,280
Tabernacle of Yahweh in the high
place that was at Gibeon.

453
00:32:30,480 –> 00:32:36,560
And verse 41 tells us that with
them were Heman and Jedotham and

454
00:32:36,560 –> 00:32:41,000
the rest that were chosen who
were expressed by name to give

455
00:32:41,040 –> 00:32:43,560
thanks to Yahweh.
So you see what we’re being told

456
00:32:43,560 –> 00:32:46,240
in these verses, brothers and
sisters, we’re being told that

457
00:32:46,240 –> 00:32:50,280
the musicians now were divided
into two groups, the House of

458
00:32:50,280 –> 00:32:54,200
Asaph.
And only the House of Asaph were

459
00:32:54,200 –> 00:32:58,640
left in front of the Ark of God
at Jerusalem, verse 37.

460
00:32:59,400 –> 00:33:04,280
But the singers of Heman and
Jedutham, verse 41, were sent to

461
00:33:04,280 –> 00:33:08,120
the Tabernacle where Gibeon was,
where Zadok the priest

462
00:33:08,120 –> 00:33:12,480
ministered, and where the relics
of the Mosaic system of things

463
00:33:12,480 –> 00:33:16,080
as yet remained.
So now we have two groups of

464
00:33:16,080 –> 00:33:20,640
singers in two different
locations, and only the House of

465
00:33:20,680 –> 00:33:24,680
Asaph are left in front of the
Ark of God in Jerusalem.

466
00:33:24,960 –> 00:33:27,120
You know, it’s interesting
because you see what we’re being

467
00:33:27,120 –> 00:33:29,240
told here is that there were two
tabernacles.

468
00:33:31,680 –> 00:33:36,560
There was the Tabernacle of
Moses in Gibeon that related to

469
00:33:36,560 –> 00:33:42,640
the spirit of the Law, and there
was the Tabernacle of David of

470
00:33:42,640 –> 00:33:48,840
which Amos speaks in Jerusalem,
which related to the true spirit

471
00:33:48,840 –> 00:33:51,720
of worship.
It’s the Tabernacle of David

472
00:33:51,720 –> 00:33:55,720
that James shall refer to in
Acts 15 when he gives us

473
00:33:55,720 –> 00:33:58,000
summation at the Jerusalem
conference.

474
00:33:59,480 –> 00:34:03,320
And there at the Tabernacle of
David, which is the things

475
00:34:03,320 –> 00:34:10,400
concerning the law of Christ, is
Asaph and his family singing

476
00:34:10,400 –> 00:34:13,520
this Psalm with all their hearts
before the ark of God.

477
00:34:14,239 –> 00:34:15,840
You know what it says in verse
37?

478
00:34:15,840 –> 00:34:18,760
It says that they were left
there to minister before the

479
00:34:18,800 –> 00:34:21,400
ark.
How do you think they ministered

480
00:34:21,400 –> 00:34:23,120
before the ark, brothers and
sisters?

481
00:34:23,320 –> 00:34:24,880
They didn’t take it out and
Polish it.

482
00:34:25,760 –> 00:34:29,920
They couldn’t parade it around.
I think that they, well, the

483
00:34:29,920 –> 00:34:34,320
first of Chronicles chapter 6
and verse 32 says they

484
00:34:34,320 –> 00:34:39,800
ministered with singing.
That’s how they ministered, and

485
00:34:39,800 –> 00:34:43,199
I believe that every day they
celebrated the significance of

486
00:34:43,199 –> 00:34:47,639
the ark of God amongst the
people of Israel by standing in

487
00:34:47,639 –> 00:34:51,679
front of the ark and singing the
words of this Psalm.

488
00:34:53,080 –> 00:34:56,920
Their praise was offered on a
daily basis in this particular

489
00:34:56,920 –> 00:34:59,600
place.
And verse 37 goes on to say that

490
00:34:59,600 –> 00:35:02,600
David left Asaph and his
brethren there to minister

491
00:35:02,600 –> 00:35:08,720
before the ark continually.
And the word continually here

492
00:35:08,920 –> 00:35:13,600
means that which is perpetual,
that which shall be forever

493
00:35:13,600 –> 00:35:16,720
more.
And I think this was the other

494
00:35:16,720 –> 00:35:20,800
reason why David chose Asaph.
Firstly, because he was musical.

495
00:35:21,160 –> 00:35:24,240
Secondly because he had the same
spirit of the truth.

496
00:35:24,640 –> 00:35:29,520
But the third reason why David
chose Asaph was because he said,

497
00:35:29,520 –> 00:35:32,080
I never want these principles to
be lost.

498
00:35:32,320 –> 00:35:38,280
And this man, this man, the
Asaph, was able to guarantee

499
00:35:38,480 –> 00:35:40,840
that those principles would be
perpetuated.

500
00:35:41,000 –> 00:35:45,560
And I’ll tell you why, because
this man began a dynasty in

501
00:35:45,560 –> 00:35:49,640
Israel that forever stood for
the principles of their father

502
00:35:49,640 –> 00:35:52,280
Asaph.
And one of the burdens of these

503
00:35:52,280 –> 00:35:55,280
studies, God willing, is going
to try and discover how it was

504
00:35:55,280 –> 00:35:59,040
that that was done.
You see, what Asaph did was he

505
00:35:59,040 –> 00:36:02,880
founded an entire dynasty that
would follow him.

506
00:36:03,160 –> 00:36:07,800
He faithfully fulfilled the
charge given to him by David by

507
00:36:07,800 –> 00:36:13,160
ensuring that his sons captured
his spirit standing with him.

508
00:36:13,440 –> 00:36:17,160
They learned responsibility and
commitment by watching their

509
00:36:17,160 –> 00:36:22,640
father every day before the Ark.
The instruction of his family in

510
00:36:22,640 –> 00:36:26,760
the songs of the Lord
effectively founded the House of

511
00:36:26,760 –> 00:36:31,120
Asaph, whose influence upon the
nation for spiritual good was

512
00:36:31,120 –> 00:36:34,400
enormous.
Every generation that followed

513
00:36:34,720 –> 00:36:40,120
upheld the the same family
standard of education and

514
00:36:40,120 –> 00:36:42,520
excellence in the things of the
truth.

515
00:36:43,080 –> 00:36:46,200
I think David chose the right
man, brothers and sisters, and I

516
00:36:46,200 –> 00:36:49,960
think he chose them with wisdom
and that that choice was blessed

517
00:36:50,120 –> 00:36:54,440
by Almighty God.
He kept the spirit of these

518
00:36:54,440 –> 00:36:57,400
things burning.
Now, one of the things, God

519
00:36:57,400 –> 00:36:59,640
willing, that we’re going to try
and do in the course of these

520
00:36:59,640 –> 00:37:04,200
studies is to try and discover
what we believe were the

521
00:37:04,200 –> 00:37:09,640
benchmarks by which the House of
Asaph conducted their songs of

522
00:37:09,640 –> 00:37:11,960
praise.
That’s a bit of a challenge, by

523
00:37:11,960 –> 00:37:14,360
the way, because you see, we
haven’t got a single note.

524
00:37:14,360 –> 00:37:19,080
We haven’t got a single chord,
We haven’t got a single sound

525
00:37:19,080 –> 00:37:22,400
that Asaph sang.
And yet we want to know all

526
00:37:22,400 –> 00:37:24,080
about their singing and their
music.

527
00:37:25,400 –> 00:37:28,720
But even though we don’t have
their music, brothers and

528
00:37:28,720 –> 00:37:33,840
sisters, we do have their words,
and I believe that we can trace

529
00:37:34,160 –> 00:37:38,760
the key principles that guided
the House of Asaf in their

530
00:37:38,760 –> 00:37:40,840
spiritual worship before the
Father.

531
00:37:41,360 –> 00:37:43,760
And God willing, in the course
of each of our studies, we’re

532
00:37:43,760 –> 00:37:46,560
going to look at one of these
principles by way of

533
00:37:46,560 –> 00:37:51,720
illustration as a benchmark for
our own singing and our own

534
00:37:51,720 –> 00:37:55,960
songs of worship to the Father.
Let me just briefly review them

535
00:37:55,960 –> 00:37:59,160
for you now, because here are
the keys that we’re going to

536
00:37:59,160 –> 00:38:01,280
look at.
I think there were five key

537
00:38:01,280 –> 00:38:06,160
principles that the House of
Asaph stood for in their music

538
00:38:06,160 –> 00:38:08,760
of praise.
They were not only a family of

539
00:38:08,760 –> 00:38:13,400
faith brothers and sisters, but
they were truly masters of music

540
00:38:13,400 –> 00:38:17,840
of the very best sort as far as
Israel was concerned.

541
00:38:18,600 –> 00:38:23,080
Well, the first thing was that
the music of the House of Asaph

542
00:38:23,120 –> 00:38:28,160
ascribed thanks and praise to
the deity and therefore

543
00:38:28,160 –> 00:38:31,520
consistently promoted the
supremacy of God.

544
00:38:32,160 –> 00:38:35,960
Everything they did and
everything they sang celebrated

545
00:38:35,960 –> 00:38:39,800
the supremacy of God.
We’re going to try and come back

546
00:38:39,800 –> 00:38:42,200
and have a look at that, God
willing, in one of our

547
00:38:42,200 –> 00:38:46,840
subsequent studies.
The second thing that was

548
00:38:46,840 –> 00:38:50,960
important for the music of the
House of Asaph was that they

549
00:38:50,960 –> 00:38:55,800
showed a reverence for the
divine majesty, and they

550
00:38:55,800 –> 00:39:02,000
therefore carefully maintained
the solemnity of worship in all

551
00:39:02,000 –> 00:39:05,040
their singing.
We don’t know, brothers and

552
00:39:05,040 –> 00:39:09,920
sisters, what the music was, but
we do know the spirit with which

553
00:39:09,920 –> 00:39:14,080
they sang, and we know that
their spirit was one of

554
00:39:14,080 –> 00:39:20,040
tremendous reverence for the
majesty of the God whom they

555
00:39:20,040 –> 00:39:24,600
came before.
The 3rd principle was that the

556
00:39:24,600 –> 00:39:28,320
music of the House of Asaph
would elevate the beauty of

557
00:39:28,320 –> 00:39:32,920
spiritual thought.
It was the words that were

558
00:39:32,920 –> 00:39:40,600
important and not the music.
The music was subservient to the

559
00:39:40,600 –> 00:39:44,840
words.
The key to the songs of the

560
00:39:44,840 –> 00:39:49,120
House of Asaph was that they
emphasized the preeminence of

561
00:39:49,120 –> 00:39:54,640
scriptural principle, and these
are the benchmarks that we

562
00:39:54,640 –> 00:39:58,160
believe we should test our own
songs of worship against.

563
00:39:59,520 –> 00:40:02,560
The fourth thing that this
family stood for was.

564
00:40:03,000 –> 00:40:07,160
That what they sang represented
an offering of dedication to the

565
00:40:07,160 –> 00:40:11,080
Father, and therefore
continually demanded the

566
00:40:11,240 –> 00:40:14,800
excellence of endeavour.
We’re going to be amazed,

567
00:40:14,800 –> 00:40:17,680
brothers and sisters, in the
course of these studies, at just

568
00:40:17,880 –> 00:40:22,240
what a marvellous spirit this
house had, as they never gave up

569
00:40:22,360 –> 00:40:25,360
in their spirit to offer the
very best that they could in

570
00:40:25,360 –> 00:40:29,880
their service to the Father and
in their singing of praise unto

571
00:40:29,880 –> 00:40:33,680
Him.
And the 5th principle that

572
00:40:33,680 –> 00:40:39,520
characterized their worship was
that they expressed the joy of

573
00:40:39,520 –> 00:40:45,360
eternal truths, and therefore
they unceasingly proclaimed the

574
00:40:45,360 –> 00:40:50,520
virtue of constancy.
Their words and their thoughts

575
00:40:50,760 –> 00:40:56,760
never deviated for 600 years.
They never changed one of the

576
00:40:56,760 –> 00:41:00,360
keys to this family because they
believed that what they were

577
00:41:00,360 –> 00:41:04,880
singing about was eternal truth
that therefore never needed to

578
00:41:04,880 –> 00:41:07,440
be changed, never needed to be
altered.

579
00:41:08,920 –> 00:41:12,680
Now these five things, brothers
and sisters, become a marvellous

580
00:41:12,680 –> 00:41:16,640
benchmark for our own songs of
praise to the Father.

581
00:41:16,640 –> 00:41:21,360
And we believe that these things
contributed to the tremendous

582
00:41:21,440 –> 00:41:26,560
spiritual tone and spiritual
faithfulness of this family.

583
00:41:28,840 –> 00:41:31,160
Well, brothers and sisters,
that’s the beginning of this

584
00:41:31,160 –> 00:41:35,320
story, the founding of the House
of Asaph, which all begins in

585
00:41:35,320 –> 00:41:39,200
the first of Chronicles 16 with
the appointment of Asaph to

586
00:41:39,200 –> 00:41:42,560
office by David.
David in his wisdom, we believe,

587
00:41:42,720 –> 00:41:45,480
selecting absolutely the right
man for the job.

588
00:41:45,680 –> 00:41:49,040
In the course of our subsequent
studies, we’re now going to move

589
00:41:49,040 –> 00:41:52,680
down through history from this
moment of time, from the first

590
00:41:52,680 –> 00:41:57,280
of Chronicles 16.
And for the next 600 years,

591
00:41:57,440 –> 00:42:01,160
we’re going to trace that family
as they appear in the history of

592
00:42:01,160 –> 00:42:03,440
this nation.
And we’re going to marvel at

593
00:42:03,440 –> 00:42:09,480
their faithfulness and marvel at
their zeal and try, if we can,

594
00:42:10,360 –> 00:42:14,920
to learn the secret that kept
this family faithful so that we

595
00:42:14,920 –> 00:42:18,680
can build those principles into
our families today.