Roger Lewis – The House of Asaph – Family of Faith and Masters of Music – Class 5 – The Faithfulness of the House of Asaph

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Our second speaker this morning
is Brother Roger Lewis of the

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Christchurch Ecclesia of New
Zealand.

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The theme for Brother Louis’s
class this week is the House of

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Asaph Family of Faith.
Today’s class is entitled The

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Faithfulness of the House of
Asaph.

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Well, thank you, brother
Chairman, and my dear brothers

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and sisters in the Lord Jesus
Christ.

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You’ll remember the now.
In our previous study yesterday,

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we looked at the House of Asaph
from the time of Jehoshaphat to

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the time of Hezekiah.
You’ll remember how we saw

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Jehoiada’s revival 25 years
after Jehoshaphat in

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approximately BC 835, and how he
insisted on having the very best

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of the singers present at the
coronation of Joash.

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And how that the sons of Asaph
in fact were the leading course

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of those leading singers in
praise who were there at the

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coronation of the King, so that
the very best of standards might

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be the benchmark of the young
King’s reign.

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Then you’ll remember that about
120 years later, in

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approximately BC 715, we saw the
tremendous readiness of the

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House of Asaph in the days of
Hezekiah.

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And we learned how this amazing
family had practiced their songs

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in secret through all those
years of dreadful apostasy.

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And we learned to appreciate,
did we not, the excellence of

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endeavour, and to know that for
the House of Asaph, even their

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practice each day was considered
to be part of their offering to

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Almighty God.
So what happened then to the

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House of Asaph after Hezekiah
died?

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Well, you know, the reigns of
the next two kings in Judah were

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amongst the worst in the history
of the nation.

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In fact, if you come to the
Second of Kings and chapter 21,

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we’re told of the circumstances
of the king that followed

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Hezekiah, who was of course his
son Manasseh.

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And we told him the Second of
Kings chapter 21.

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And reading from verse, perhaps
reading from verse 4, it says

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this.
And he built altars in the House

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of Yahweh, of which Yahweh said
in Jerusalem, I will put my

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name.
And he built altars for all the

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hosts of heaven, and the two
courts of the House of Yahweh.

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Verse 7.
And he set a graven image of the

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Grove that he had made in the
House of which Yahweh said to

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David and to Solomon his son in
this house and in Jerusalem,

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which I have chosen out of all
tribes of Israel, will I put my

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name forever their brothers and
sisters inside the very House of

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God.
Manasseh put a graven image of

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the Grove.
What would it have been like to

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be one of the singers in the
days of this man?

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Manasseh brothers and sisters.
And and his successor Amon was

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little better than he because in
this same chapter in the reign

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of Ammon, we’re told in the
second of Kings chapter 21 and

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verse 21, it says of Amon or
Amon his son.

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And he walked in all the way
that his father walked in and

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served the idols, that his
father served and worshipped

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them.
And he forsook Yahweh, Elohim of

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his fathers, and walked not in
that particular way, the way of

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God, but his son, son of Amon,
surprisingly, was a man

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altogether different in spirit
to his father, because of

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course, the son of Ammon was
none other than good king Josiah

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of Judah.
And if you come to the Second of

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Chronicles chapter 34, this man
was going to launch yet another

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revival in the nation of Judah.
And the history of that people

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we’re told in the Second of
Chronicles, chapter 34 and verse

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30, right at the end of the
chapter, it says this.

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It says, And the king went up
into the House of the Lord, and

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all the men of Judah, and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and

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the priests and the Levites, and
all the people great and small,

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he read in their ears all the
words of the book of the

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covenant that was found in the
House of Yahweh.

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And the king stood in his place
and made a covenant before

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Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh,
and to keep his commandments and

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his testimonies and his statues
with all his heart, and with all

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his soul, to perform the words
of the covenant which are

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written in this book.
And so he was a man that was

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going to begin things afresh.
He repaired and he cleansed the

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temple, and then standing here
at the temple, he bound the

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nation into a covenant promise
that they might keep the law of

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God.
Again, as it was written in the

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scroll of the book of
Deuteronomy.

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You see, Josiah, I believe, knew
by this stage that judgment

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could not be avoided.
He knew that judgment would come

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and that it could not be
avoided.

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But the desire of Josiah was
that he would try to build

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nevertheless a spiritual remnant
who, although carried away to

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Babylon, would become the
spiritual core of those who

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might one day come back to the
land of promise.

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He knew that he could not avoid
the judgement on Judah.

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It had already been pronounced
in this chapter.

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God had already said, they will
go into captivity, the nation

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will be judged.
But I think Josiah’s spirit of

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endeavour here in causing the
nation to be pledged again to

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the law was that he might build
a remnant that could be saved

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out of that in due course.
And then we’re told in chapter

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35 and verse one of the great
Passover that Josiah celebrated

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in his 18th year.
Now I want you to notice

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something really interesting
about the opening verses of the

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Second of Chronicles 35.
It says in verse one.

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Moreover, Josiah kept the
Passover unto Yahweh in

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Jerusalem, and they killed the
Passover on the 14th day of the

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first month, that he set the
priests and their charges and

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encouraged them to the service
of the House of Yahweh.

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And he said unto the Levites,
that taught all Israel, which

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were holy unto Yahweh, put the
holy ark in the house, which

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Solomon the son of David, king
of Israel, did build.

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Now if those words are true,
brothers and sisters, in the

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second of Chronicles 35 and
verse 3, then the burning

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question of this chapter is
where was the ark and who had

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it?
If the command came to the

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Levites in the third verse that
they should put it back into the

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house, where was the ark of God?
And I think that there are three

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possibilities as to what had
happened to the ark on this

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occasion in the history of the
nation.

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The 1st is, and it has been
suggested and it’s perfectly

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reasonable, that it was taken
out by by Josiah himself at the

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time of the cleansing of the
temple.

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So that’s one possibility, and
it may well be so, that Josiah

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had removed the ark in the
course of his cleansing and

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repair of the Temple in the
previous chapter.

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A second possibility is, and
this is what the rabbinical

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writers of the Jews say, is that
it was actually sent forth by

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Manasseh to make room for the
idolatrous statues that he

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wished to bring into the House
of God.

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That it was at the request of
Manasseh that the ark was

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removed in order that he might
bring in his own private

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worship, idols of worship, into
the house.

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But a third possibility is, and
I’m going to suggest to you this

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morning, that this is quite
possibly what did happen. 1/3

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possibility is that the Ark of
God was removed by the Levites

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themselves in order to prevent
the desecration of the Ark in

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these times of the apostasy of
Manasseh and Amon.

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Now were the Levites who have
taken the Ark, who would carry

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the Ark?
And of course, well, there’s no

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doubt about that, is there?
It would be the Koathites.

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Only the Koathites were allowed
to lift the Ark.

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But who would be with them in
spirit?

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And the answer is surely the
House of Asaph, because the

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House of Asaf, Well, their whole
job was to sing before the ark

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of God and to celebrate the
sacredness of that ark and what

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it stood for.
If there was ever a family in

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Israel that would want to see,
that, would want to prevent any

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desecration to the Ark, it would
be the House of Asaph.

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And we wonder whether perhaps
the House of Asaph, in

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collaboration with the
Koathites, had had ensured that

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the Ark was spirited away at
this time into a place of safety

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so that it might, might not be
defiled or profaned.

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Now, do you know why we suggest
that that is possibly what

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happened?
It’s because of the strange

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phrase that occurs later on in
this third verse, because you

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see what the verse goes on to
say.

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Josiah says, put the holy ark in
the house which Solomon the son

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of David, king of Israel, did
build.

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And then he says this.
It shall not be a burden upon

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your shoulders.
Now, by the way, those words

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come from the first of
Chronicles 23 and verse 26, as

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the margin tells us.
And, and in those words of David

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on an earlier occasion, what
we’re being told is that when

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the ark of God finally came to
its resting place in the temple,

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the Levites were told that it
would no longer be their burdens

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to carry the ark anymore.
It had come to its final resting

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place.
So why does Josiah in chapter 35

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of the Second of Chronicles, in
verse three, say to the Levites,

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It shall not be a burden upon
your shoulders, unless the ark

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had in recent times become yet
again a burden of responsibility

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to the coophytes?
And why might it have become in

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recent times a burden again to
the coophytes?

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The answer is because they had
recently borne the ark 4IN

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collaboration with the sons of
Asaph, who would be determined

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to safeguard it from damage and
defilement.

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After all, as the verse says, it
was the holy ark.

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So I believe, brothers and
sisters, that when Josiah in

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this verse asked the Levites to
put the ark back in the house, I

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think, well, sorry, when he
asked for the Levites to put the

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ark in the house, I think he
meant for them to put it back in

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the house because they had it.
And that that’s therefore

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exactly what they did.
And what then follows is a

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magnificent Passover
celebration, the like of which

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had not been seen for hundreds
of years in the history of the

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nation.
They observed everything

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according to the writings of
David and the writings of

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Solomon and the writings of
Moses.

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Everything was to be done
according to Scripture and the

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writing of Scripture on this
occasion.

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And one thing I can tell you,
brothers and sisters, and it’s a

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remarkable thing, is that when
the ark of God suddenly

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reappears back in the temple on
this occasion, guess who’s

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there?
Quick as a flash, verse 15.

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And the singers, the sons of
Asaph, were in their place

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according to the commandment of
David and Asaph and Heman and

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Judithan, the King’s seer, and
the porters waited at every

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gate.
You know, it was not a

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requirement of the Passover law
that the singers be present at

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Passover time.
So the House of Asaph are not

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there in verse 15 because it is
in any sense a commandment of

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Moses.
And I don’t think that they were

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there because Josiah had
instructed them to be there,

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because the record doesn’t tell
us in any, at any stage of this

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chapter that Josiah had
specifically requested that the

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House of Asaph be there.
And although they were there in

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accordance with the instructions
of David, I don’t think they

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were there because of the
commandment of David either.

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I think the House of Asaph was
there in the 15th verse for one

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reason only.
They were there on an entirely

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voluntary basis, brothers and
sisters.

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They were there because no power
on earth could have stopped them

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from being there that day.
This was their chance to

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minister before the Ark with the
singing of their family psalms.

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You try stopping them from being
there that day.

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There must have been tears for
joy in the House of Asaph as

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they sang their psalms before
the Ark on this occasion,

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because the discipline of
practice now had its fulfillment

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and an outpouring of praise in
public worship.

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Some of these here this day had
waited all their lives for this

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one moment, this one day in the
time of Josiah, for the chance

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to sing before the ark just this
once.

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Can you imagine, brothers and
sisters, if we were told that we

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had but one chance, but one
opportunity, to sing in an

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00:14:33,840 –> 00:14:37,400
evening of song and praise, in a
choral evening of worship to our

216
00:14:37,400 –> 00:14:40,760
Father?
One chance in our life to sing

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00:14:40,760 –> 00:14:44,040
in a choir and to offer praise
to the Father.

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00:14:46,080 –> 00:14:53,440
How would we sing on that night?
Wouldn’t we strain every fibre

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00:14:53,440 –> 00:14:56,200
of our being and lifting up our
our songs of praise?

220
00:14:56,240 –> 00:14:59,560
You know, this is the last
occasion, Brothers and sisters,

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00:14:59,960 –> 00:15:04,000
this chapter, the second of
Chronicles 35, is the last

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00:15:04,000 –> 00:15:09,680
occasion in recorded history
that the Ark of God appears

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00:15:10,200 –> 00:15:17,120
amongst the children of Israel.
And who’s there singing in front

224
00:15:17,120 –> 00:15:22,480
of the ark with all their hearts
but the House of Asaph?

225
00:15:24,400 –> 00:15:27,240
It’s exactly the spirit that we
would have expected of this

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00:15:27,240 –> 00:15:31,240
family.
You know, Psalm 81 celebrates

227
00:15:31,240 –> 00:15:34,720
that particular time in the life
of Josiah.

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00:15:34,720 –> 00:15:40,080
If we come back to Psalm 81,
we’re told this, and we’ve

229
00:15:40,080 –> 00:15:43,200
already looked at this in terms
of the fact that the great theme

230
00:15:43,200 –> 00:15:47,520
of Psalm 81 is connected with
both the book of the Law and the

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00:15:47,520 –> 00:15:50,960
theme of Passover.
But just have a look at the

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00:15:51,200 –> 00:15:59,440
recurring refrain, the recurring
refrain of Psalm 81, because you

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00:15:59,440 –> 00:16:03,560
see, I think that this Psalm was
brought forth by the House of

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00:16:03,680 –> 00:16:07,640
Asaph at the very time of
Josiah’s reformation, and that

235
00:16:07,640 –> 00:16:12,640
what it captures is the
bittersweet sadness of Josiah’s

236
00:16:12,640 –> 00:16:14,920
reformation.
He knew that the bulk of the

237
00:16:14,920 –> 00:16:18,280
people were lost.
He desperately wanted to build a

238
00:16:18,280 –> 00:16:21,560
remnant if he could.
And here’s the refrain of Psalm

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00:16:21,560 –> 00:16:23,120
81.
Verse 8.

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00:16:24,080 –> 00:16:31,960
Here, O my people, and I will
testify unto thee, O Israel, if

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00:16:32,000 –> 00:16:36,760
thou wilt hearken unto me.
Verse 11.

242
00:16:38,080 –> 00:16:43,280
But my people would not hearken
to my voice, and Israel would

243
00:16:43,280 –> 00:16:49,000
none of me.
Verse 13, that my people had

244
00:16:49,000 –> 00:16:53,680
hearkened unto me, and Israel
had walked in my ways.

245
00:16:54,000 –> 00:16:57,000
And you see what this Psalm
dwells on, Brothers and sisters,

246
00:16:57,160 –> 00:17:01,400
it is a lamentation of the
tragedy of a people for whom the

247
00:17:01,400 –> 00:17:05,839
time of repentance had gone.
If only they had listened, if

248
00:17:05,839 –> 00:17:09,000
only they had hearkened, what
could have been done?

249
00:17:09,079 –> 00:17:10,880
What might have been
accomplished?

250
00:17:11,960 –> 00:17:16,720
It’s a Psalm of lamentation that
shows all the pathos and all the

251
00:17:16,720 –> 00:17:22,119
heartbreak of those there who
saw Josiah’s mighty effort and

252
00:17:22,119 –> 00:17:26,040
who knew the desperate sadness
of the king in his endeavors of

253
00:17:26,040 –> 00:17:28,280
reformation.
I think that that Psalm from the

254
00:17:28,280 –> 00:17:32,720
House of Asaph breathes all the
sadness of that moment in the

255
00:17:32,720 –> 00:17:35,000
history of the nation.
Do you know when this episode

256
00:17:35,000 –> 00:17:38,880
took place?
The great Passover of Josiah in

257
00:17:38,880 –> 00:17:41,400
the Second of Chronicles,
chapter 35?

258
00:17:41,720 –> 00:17:52,440
Well, this is about BC 620, and
therefore it is 95 years after

259
00:17:52,440 –> 00:17:56,720
Hezekiah’s Reformation in the
Second of Chronicles chapter 29.

260
00:17:57,760 –> 00:18:00,160
So from the time that the
singers sang in the days of

261
00:18:00,160 –> 00:18:05,280
Hezekiah, we’ve marched now
another 95 years to come to the

262
00:18:05,280 –> 00:18:09,440
great Passover of Josiah in the
Second of Chronicles chapter 35.

263
00:18:09,600 –> 00:18:12,760
That’s about another 3
generations of the House of

264
00:18:12,760 –> 00:18:17,080
Asaph, but they’re still there,
quick of the flesh, when the Ark

265
00:18:17,080 –> 00:18:20,840
of God reappears in the temple
in Josiah’s time.

266
00:18:24,120 –> 00:18:29,920
So what must this family have
felt when a man, when a king as

267
00:18:29,920 –> 00:18:32,680
good as Josiah died?
Well, we’re told actually in the

268
00:18:32,680 –> 00:18:36,080
Second of Chronicles chapter 35,
because of course, this is the

269
00:18:36,080 –> 00:18:39,240
tragedy of what happened in the
time of Josiah.

270
00:18:39,600 –> 00:18:42,640
He embarked upon this
reformation and upon this

271
00:18:42,640 –> 00:18:46,200
wondrous Passover at which the
House of Asaph sang.

272
00:18:46,480 –> 00:18:51,360
But we’re told in the Second of
Chronicles chapter 35 and verse

273
00:18:51,360 –> 00:18:57,880
23, and The Archers shot at King
Josiah and, and the king said to

274
00:18:57,880 –> 00:19:00,600
his servants, have me away, for
I’m sore wounded.

275
00:19:01,200 –> 00:19:04,200
His servants therefore took him
out of that chariot and put him

276
00:19:04,200 –> 00:19:05,680
in the second chariot that he
had.

277
00:19:05,840 –> 00:19:07,320
And they brought him to
Jerusalem.

278
00:19:07,320 –> 00:19:11,600
And he died and was buried in
one of the sepulchers of his

279
00:19:11,600 –> 00:19:14,840
fathers.
And all Judah and Jerusalem

280
00:19:14,840 –> 00:19:20,320
mourned for Josiah, and Jeremiah
lamented for Josiah, and all the

281
00:19:20,320 –> 00:19:25,360
singing men and the singing
women spake of Josiah in their

282
00:19:25,360 –> 00:19:29,720
lamentations to this day.
You see, I can imagine how how

283
00:19:29,720 –> 00:19:33,920
desperately sad the House of
Asaph would have been when such

284
00:19:33,920 –> 00:19:37,360
a man as this, who was so close
in spirit to them, died.

285
00:19:37,520 –> 00:19:40,760
And that work of revival began
to decline again, because with

286
00:19:40,760 –> 00:19:45,600
the death of Josiah, the nation
now rapidly did decline through

287
00:19:45,600 –> 00:19:50,120
the reign of Jehoiahs, through
the time of Jehoiakim, through

288
00:19:50,120 –> 00:19:54,080
the reign of Jehoiah Qin, to the
time of Zedekiah.

289
00:19:55,600 –> 00:19:59,880
When finally all was lost and
the nation was about to be

290
00:19:59,880 –> 00:20:03,920
carried forth into captivity,
the House of God was burned with

291
00:20:03,920 –> 00:20:08,880
fire.
And Psalm 74 and Psalm 79 were

292
00:20:08,880 –> 00:20:13,040
written by the House of Asaph,
weeping as they went forth into

293
00:20:13,040 –> 00:20:16,400
captivity in Babylon, at the
desolation that had come upon

294
00:20:16,400 –> 00:20:20,640
the House of God, and bitter
lamentation.

295
00:20:21,360 –> 00:20:23,680
Or the spiritual failure of the
nation.

296
00:20:25,640 –> 00:20:30,000
In the meantime, brothers and
sisters, the sons of Asaph were

297
00:20:30,000 –> 00:20:34,480
put in the basket of good figs,
and they were carried to

298
00:20:34,480 –> 00:20:37,720
Babylon.
And what was their spirit when

299
00:20:37,720 –> 00:20:39,080
they got to Babylon, do you
think?

300
00:20:40,040 –> 00:20:42,760
What do you think the spirit and
the attitude of the family of

301
00:20:42,760 –> 00:20:46,960
Asaph was when they came into
the land of the stranger and

302
00:20:46,960 –> 00:20:49,400
into their place of captivity?
Well, I think we know.

303
00:20:49,560 –> 00:20:54,600
I think we’re given a Psalm that
tells us exactly how the how the

304
00:20:54,960 –> 00:20:58,880
whoops, how the House of Asaph
felt in captivity.

305
00:20:59,000 –> 00:21:01,040
Now, what might that Psalm be?
Anyone know?

306
00:21:03,840 –> 00:21:09,880
Well, it’s Psalm 137.
Now come and have a look at this

307
00:21:10,480 –> 00:21:14,040
because I think that this Psalm
tells us exactly what the spirit

308
00:21:14,040 –> 00:21:18,840
of this family was in the time
of their captivity in the land

309
00:21:19,000 –> 00:21:23,520
of Babylon.
It says there in the first

310
00:21:23,520 –> 00:21:26,640
verse, you see what this Well,
in fact, before we even get to

311
00:21:26,640 –> 00:21:30,920
the first verse, the heading
over my Bible for Psalm 137 says

312
00:21:31,280 –> 00:21:35,640
the constancy of the Jews in
captivity.

313
00:21:36,360 –> 00:21:40,320
That’s the heading for the
Psalm, the constancy of the Jews

314
00:21:40,320 –> 00:21:43,120
in captivity.
But I, I don’t think that the

315
00:21:43,120 –> 00:21:47,960
Psalm celebrates the constancy
of the Jews in general.

316
00:21:48,840 –> 00:21:52,200
I think that this Psalm
celebrates the constancy of a

317
00:21:52,280 –> 00:21:56,200
particular group of Jews in
captivity.

318
00:21:57,120 –> 00:21:59,200
Now, do you know who that that
group might be?

319
00:21:59,960 –> 00:22:02,280
Well, I’ll tell you.
It’s the group who are known as

320
00:22:02,280 –> 00:22:05,640
the Singers.
This Psalm is all about the

321
00:22:05,640 –> 00:22:10,000
singers who went to Babylon, and
the Psalm will reveal the spirit

322
00:22:10,160 –> 00:22:13,320
of the House of Asaph.
Here’s a breakup or a breakdown

323
00:22:13,320 –> 00:22:16,960
as the case may be, of Psalm
137.

324
00:22:17,400 –> 00:22:25,920
It’s a very simple 1 verses one
to three pathos, verses 4 to 6

325
00:22:26,160 –> 00:22:31,640
defiance, verses 7 to 9,
judgment.

326
00:22:32,800 –> 00:22:36,960
This Psalm is the spirit of the
House of Asaph in Babylon.

327
00:22:37,200 –> 00:22:41,080
They were determined not to give
up their songs, but they were

328
00:22:41,080 –> 00:22:43,840
equally determined that they
would not sing them to the

329
00:22:43,840 –> 00:22:46,200
heathen.
And so when it says, well,

330
00:22:46,200 –> 00:22:50,520
wedding in verse one by the
rivers of Babylon, there we sat

331
00:22:50,520 –> 00:22:53,080
down.
Yeah, we wept when we, when we

332
00:22:53,080 –> 00:22:57,040
remembered Zion.
We hanged our hearts upon the

333
00:22:57,040 –> 00:23:00,960
willows in the midst thereof.
For there they that carried us

334
00:23:00,960 –> 00:23:06,320
away captive required of us a
song, and they that wasted us

335
00:23:06,320 –> 00:23:10,800
required of us mirth, saying,
Sing us one of the songs of

336
00:23:10,800 –> 00:23:13,240
Zion.
Now who might the Babylonians

337
00:23:13,240 –> 00:23:16,520
have asked to sing the songs of
Zion?

338
00:23:16,520 –> 00:23:19,840
Brothers and sisters, but the
families of the singers, of

339
00:23:19,840 –> 00:23:22,240
course.
And what was the spirit of the

340
00:23:22,240 –> 00:23:23,760
singers?
Verse 4?

341
00:23:24,000 –> 00:23:28,400
How shall we sing Yahweh song in
a strange land?

342
00:23:28,640 –> 00:23:31,680
Now you see, I think that the
words of verse 4 is not the

343
00:23:31,680 –> 00:23:36,080
spirit of apathy.
I think that here instead was

344
00:23:36,080 –> 00:23:40,440
that silence which sprang from a
burning loyalty to the truth,

345
00:23:40,680 –> 00:23:44,720
only made more intense by the
disaster of the captivity.

346
00:23:44,880 –> 00:23:47,720
It wasn’t that this family
weren’t prepared to sing the

347
00:23:47,720 –> 00:23:50,480
songs of God, brothers and
sisters, that they would not

348
00:23:50,480 –> 00:23:55,400
sing them to strangers.
You see what verse, what verses

349
00:23:55,400 –> 00:23:58,920
5 and 6 say?
If I forget Theo Jerusalem, let

350
00:23:58,920 –> 00:24:02,080
my right hand forget her
cunning.

351
00:24:02,480 –> 00:24:07,120
If I do not remember thee, let
my tongue cleave to the roof of

352
00:24:07,120 –> 00:24:13,360
my mouth.
Tongues and hands.

353
00:24:15,040 –> 00:24:20,080
Now who might those two words
refer to in Psalm 137?

354
00:24:20,480 –> 00:24:28,080
Tongues and hands, but the
singers on instruments.

355
00:24:29,440 –> 00:24:33,960
This is the vow of loyalty that
the singers made in Babylon,

356
00:24:34,520 –> 00:24:38,960
that they would never forget
Jerusalem in all of their

357
00:24:38,960 –> 00:24:43,160
captivity.
Now, you see, I think that this

358
00:24:43,160 –> 00:24:46,800
particular Sam is appropriate to
the overthrow of Babylon.

359
00:24:46,800 –> 00:24:49,240
That has been used, by the way,
on some occasions in the

360
00:24:49,240 –> 00:24:52,560
brotherhood to argue other
causes, such as relating it to

361
00:24:52,560 –> 00:24:55,000
the time of the Assyrians and
Seneca.

362
00:24:55,000 –> 00:24:56,480
But I do not think that that’s
so.

363
00:24:56,680 –> 00:24:59,800
I think it is definitely a Sam
relating to the Babylonian

364
00:24:59,800 –> 00:25:02,280
captivity.
I can think of three good

365
00:25:02,280 –> 00:25:07,080
reasons for saying so.
Firstly, in verse 7, the day of

366
00:25:07,080 –> 00:25:11,560
Jerusalem that is referred to is
the day when the foundations of

367
00:25:11,560 –> 00:25:13,680
the city of Jerusalem were
discovered.

368
00:25:13,880 –> 00:25:17,000
It is clearly the day of
Jerusalem overthrow.

369
00:25:17,680 –> 00:25:20,440
The overthrow of Jerusalem never
happened in the days of the

370
00:25:20,440 –> 00:25:23,120
Assyrians.
Sennacherib never got even

371
00:25:23,120 –> 00:25:25,760
inside the city.
He never did overthrow

372
00:25:25,760 –> 00:25:28,960
Jerusalem.
But this Psalm is a lamentation

373
00:25:28,960 –> 00:25:33,040
for the day when Jerusalem fell
that relates to the Babylonians

374
00:25:34,000 –> 00:25:37,280
in verse 8.
The words happy, the word

375
00:25:37,280 –> 00:25:42,760
reward, and the word served are
all deliberately taken from

376
00:25:42,760 –> 00:25:49,680
Jeremiah chapter 51 and verse 56
concerning the future overthrow

377
00:25:49,680 –> 00:25:54,320
of Babylon.
The very verbs of Psalm 137

378
00:25:54,320 –> 00:25:58,600
verse 8 are taken specifically
from the prophecy of Jeremiah

379
00:25:58,600 –> 00:26:03,640
chapter 51, verse 56, which most
certainly is not about a Syria,

380
00:26:03,920 –> 00:26:09,240
it’s about Babylon.
And lastly, verse 9 says, Happy

381
00:26:09,240 –> 00:26:14,280
shall he be that taketh and
dasheth thy little ones against

382
00:26:14,280 –> 00:26:17,040
the stones.
And Rotherham’s translates that

383
00:26:17,320 –> 00:26:21,520
blessed is the man that shall do
these things.

384
00:26:21,680 –> 00:26:26,400
And this Psalm looks forward to
a particular individual that one

385
00:26:26,400 –> 00:26:30,360
day would conquer Babylon and
answer the prayers of the

386
00:26:30,360 –> 00:26:33,400
singers who were there.
And you see, I think that what

387
00:26:33,400 –> 00:26:36,880
Psalm 137 is talking about,
brothers and sisters, is that

388
00:26:36,880 –> 00:26:40,440
the way by which the singers
would not forget Jerusalem was

389
00:26:40,440 –> 00:26:44,080
that they would continue to
practice the songs of Zion in

390
00:26:44,080 –> 00:26:48,000
the blazing conviction that one
day they would return there.

391
00:26:48,160 –> 00:26:53,280
This Psalm is the passion and
the drive and the commitment of

392
00:26:53,280 –> 00:26:57,080
the House of Asaph in captivity.
It wasn’t that they wouldn’t

393
00:26:57,080 –> 00:27:01,720
sing the temple songs in a
strange land, but they wouldn’t

394
00:27:01,720 –> 00:27:05,800
sing them for the public
amusement of profane and

395
00:27:05,800 –> 00:27:10,800
scornful heathen.
So in public, therefore, they

396
00:27:10,800 –> 00:27:15,720
showed that their singing was
over and their harps abandoned.

397
00:27:17,040 –> 00:27:22,920
But in private they practiced
like they always had, because

398
00:27:22,920 –> 00:27:27,560
they vowed in the Psalm that
they never, ever would forget

399
00:27:27,560 –> 00:27:31,360
Jerusalem with their heart or
their hand or their tongue.

400
00:27:31,640 –> 00:27:35,960
You see, this family never gave
in, and they never gave up.

401
00:27:37,800 –> 00:27:45,680
And one day, one blessed day,
the deliverer of their prayers

402
00:27:46,080 –> 00:27:52,040
appeared, and his name was
Cyrus.

403
00:27:53,920 –> 00:27:58,240
And in Ezra chapter 1, we’re
told of the great proclamation

404
00:27:58,240 –> 00:28:03,360
of Cyrus that would lead to a
return of the Jewish people from

405
00:28:03,360 –> 00:28:07,000
captivity.
And this is what we’re told in

406
00:28:07,200 –> 00:28:12,520
Ezra chapter 1 and reading from
the second verse.

407
00:28:15,400 –> 00:28:18,040
Thus saith Cyrus, king of
Persia.

408
00:28:20,360 –> 00:28:22,920
The Lord God of heaven hath
given me all the kingdoms of the

409
00:28:22,960 –> 00:28:27,120
earth, and he hath charged me to
build him and the house at

410
00:28:27,120 –> 00:28:31,840
Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Who is there among you of all

411
00:28:31,840 –> 00:28:34,560
His people?
His God Be with him, and let him

412
00:28:34,560 –> 00:28:38,640
go up to Jerusalem, which is in
Judah, and build the House of

413
00:28:38,640 –> 00:28:42,040
Yahweh, God of Israel.
Now Can you imagine, brothers

414
00:28:42,040 –> 00:28:44,640
and sisters, this phrase in the
third verse utter than the

415
00:28:44,640 –> 00:28:47,640
proclamation of Cyrus?
Can you imagine the impact of

416
00:28:47,640 –> 00:28:50,440
this phrase upon the House of
Asaph in particular?

417
00:28:50,880 –> 00:28:56,120
Who is there of all His people
that might respond to this call?

418
00:28:56,360 –> 00:28:58,680
Well, you just know that it
would have to be the House of

419
00:28:58,680 –> 00:29:01,000
Asaph, wouldn’t you?
That of all the families that

420
00:29:01,000 –> 00:29:04,440
would desire to go back to the
land of Israel killer, to the

421
00:29:04,440 –> 00:29:07,720
place of the House of God and to
the presence of God amongst his

422
00:29:07,720 –> 00:29:09,760
people, it would be the House of
Asaph.

423
00:29:09,920 –> 00:29:14,280
So it is with no surprise then
that when we come to Ezra

424
00:29:14,280 –> 00:29:18,760
chapter 2 and we read the list
of the genealogy of those who

425
00:29:18,760 –> 00:29:23,320
returned in this first wave,
this first return of the

426
00:29:23,320 –> 00:29:26,960
redeemed to Zion under
Zerubbabel and Joshua.

427
00:29:27,200 –> 00:29:32,400
That in Ezra chapter 2 and verse
41 amongst those who came in

428
00:29:32,400 –> 00:29:39,920
this very first wave, it says
the singers, the children of

429
00:29:39,920 –> 00:29:47,320
Asaph and 120 and 8.
So this was the family, perhaps

430
00:29:47,320 –> 00:29:51,440
above all others who celebrated
the spirit of Psalm 137 that

431
00:29:51,440 –> 00:29:53,000
they would never forget
Jerusalem.

432
00:29:53,160 –> 00:29:56,560
Because when the when the chants
first came to come back to the

433
00:29:56,560 –> 00:29:59,840
land, the House of Asaph are
there right at the front, right

434
00:29:59,840 –> 00:30:01,920
on the forefront.
And that brings us you see to to

435
00:30:01,960 –> 00:30:04,320
Ezra chapter 3.
Now just come and have a look at

436
00:30:04,320 –> 00:30:08,040
Ezra chapter 3 then, because
here and there is the story in

437
00:30:08,040 –> 00:30:12,800
Ezra chapter 3 of the laying
again of the foundation of the

438
00:30:12,800 –> 00:30:15,560
temple.
This was an exciting, exciting

439
00:30:16,120 –> 00:30:18,920
in the history of the nation.
Now you see what the seventh

440
00:30:18,920 –> 00:30:23,520
verse says in Ezra chapter 3.
It says that they gave money

441
00:30:23,520 –> 00:30:29,520
also unto the Masons and to the
carpenters and meat.

442
00:30:29,720 –> 00:30:32,280
Now that word meat, by the way,
in verse 7 ought to be

443
00:30:32,280 –> 00:30:35,720
translated meal, shouldn’t it?
It’s the word for meal.

444
00:30:36,000 –> 00:30:40,960
So it’s really to do with grain.
So they gave grain and drink,

445
00:30:41,120 –> 00:30:46,440
and that drink is wine and oil
to them of Zeidan, and to them

446
00:30:46,440 –> 00:30:51,160
of Tyre, to bring cedar trees
from Lebanon to the sea of

447
00:30:51,160 –> 00:30:53,960
Joppa.
So what this first tells us is

448
00:30:53,960 –> 00:30:59,680
that they made arrangements to
supply exports of grain, of wine

449
00:30:59,920 –> 00:31:06,480
and of oil in return for Cedars
from Lebanon floated down to

450
00:31:06,480 –> 00:31:08,680
Joppa.
Do you know where that all comes

451
00:31:08,680 –> 00:31:13,000
from?
That is a deliberate reenactment

452
00:31:13,000 –> 00:31:16,040
of the days of Solomon.
Now hold your hand in Ezra

453
00:31:16,040 –> 00:31:19,520
chapter 3 and come back to the
Second of Chronicles chapter 2

454
00:31:19,800 –> 00:31:22,240
because, well, this is what
happened in the days of Solomon.

455
00:31:22,240 –> 00:31:25,240
You see, we’re told in the
Second of Chronicles chapter 2.

456
00:31:25,760 –> 00:31:30,800
And then reading firstly from
verse three, it says this here’s

457
00:31:30,800 –> 00:31:34,160
Solomon building the temple.
And I think that you see in Ezra

458
00:31:34,160 –> 00:31:36,840
chapter 3 that those who had
come back to the land

459
00:31:37,120 –> 00:31:40,800
deliberately did it this way
that they might echo the days of

460
00:31:40,800 –> 00:31:42,840
Solomon.
They wanted to recreate the

461
00:31:42,840 –> 00:31:45,600
golden age of Solomon all over
again.

462
00:31:45,600 –> 00:31:49,920
Now in the second of Chronicles
2, verse three, it says, And

463
00:31:49,920 –> 00:31:54,720
Solomon sent to Hiram the king
of Tyre, saying, As thou didst

464
00:31:54,720 –> 00:31:59,600
deal with David my father, and
didst send him Cedars to build

465
00:31:59,600 –> 00:32:03,360
him an house to dwell therein,
Even so dwell with me.

466
00:32:04,160 –> 00:32:08,080
And then in verse 2, verse 10,
he he, he said that this is what

467
00:32:08,080 –> 00:32:11,440
he would be prepared to pay.
Behold, I will give to thy

468
00:32:11,440 –> 00:32:16,040
servants the hewers that cut
timber, 20,000 measures of

469
00:32:16,040 –> 00:32:18,920
beaten wheat and 20,000 measures
of barley.

470
00:32:20,400 –> 00:32:30,280
So that’s the grain, and 20,000
baths of wine and 20,000 baths

471
00:32:30,280 –> 00:32:34,400
of oil.
So there was an arrangement for

472
00:32:34,400 –> 00:32:39,080
the export of grain, of wine and
of oil.

473
00:32:39,400 –> 00:32:43,840
In return for what?
Well, in return for trees.

474
00:32:44,360 –> 00:32:47,280
And Hiram agreed.
Because verse 15 says Now

475
00:32:47,280 –> 00:32:50,760
therefore the wheat and the
barley, the oil and the wine

476
00:32:50,840 –> 00:32:54,680
which my Lord has spoken of, let
him send under his servants and

477
00:32:54,680 –> 00:32:57,560
we will cut wood out of Lebanon
as much as thou shalt need, and

478
00:32:57,560 –> 00:32:59,880
we will bring it to thee in
floats.

479
00:33:00,720 –> 00:33:03,320
I see.
So Joppa.

480
00:33:04,440 –> 00:33:08,480
Oh, now that’s the very language
you see of Ezra chapter 3 and

481
00:33:08,480 –> 00:33:10,600
verse 7.
And I think that what happened

482
00:33:10,600 –> 00:33:13,520
is when they came back to the
land that they deliberately re

483
00:33:13,520 –> 00:33:17,120
enacted the story of Solomon.
They wanted to recreate the

484
00:33:17,120 –> 00:33:20,960
temple as it was in its glory in
earlier times.

485
00:33:20,960 –> 00:33:24,080
Come back to Ezra chapter 3 and
and now read verse 8.

486
00:33:25,160 –> 00:33:29,880
So in Ezra chapter 3 and verse 8
it says Now in the second year

487
00:33:29,960 –> 00:33:33,400
of their coming into the House
of God at Jerusalem, in the

488
00:33:33,400 –> 00:33:39,160
second month began Sarabel and
Jesua.

489
00:33:39,960 –> 00:33:43,200
And if we were to ask what was
it that they began in the eighth

490
00:33:43,200 –> 00:33:47,880
verse, the answer is they began
to lay the foundation of the

491
00:33:47,880 –> 00:33:49,440
temple.
But when did they lay it?

492
00:33:49,600 –> 00:33:53,040
Well, the eighth verse says it
was in the second month, but if

493
00:33:53,040 –> 00:33:56,040
you come back to the First of
Kings chapter 6, you’ll find

494
00:33:56,040 –> 00:34:01,920
that that was the very month
that Solomon began to build the

495
00:34:01,920 –> 00:34:03,960
temple.
And I think that they chose this

496
00:34:03,960 –> 00:34:07,000
time deliberately.
You see in the First of Kings

497
00:34:07,000 –> 00:34:11,520
chapter 6, we’re told in the
first verse, it came to pass on

498
00:34:11,520 –> 00:34:15,400
the 480th year after the
children of Israel would come

499
00:34:15,400 –> 00:34:18,639
out of the land of Egypt in the
fourth year of Solomon’s reign

500
00:34:18,639 –> 00:34:25,360
over Israel in the month Ziff,
which is the second month that

501
00:34:25,360 –> 00:34:32,360
he began to build the House of
Yahweh, first of Kings 6, verse

502
00:34:32,360 –> 00:34:33,760
one.
And not only that, but if you

503
00:34:33,760 –> 00:34:38,560
come to the very if you come to
verse 37 of that chapter, first

504
00:34:38,560 –> 00:34:43,280
of Kings 6, verse 37, it says in
the fourth year was the

505
00:34:43,280 –> 00:34:47,639
foundation of the House of
Yahweh laid in the month Ziff.

506
00:34:48,679 –> 00:34:51,560
So the second month was the very
month that Solomon laid the

507
00:34:51,560 –> 00:34:56,960
foundations of the temple.
And now in Ezra chapter 3 and

508
00:34:56,960 –> 00:35:01,360
verse 8, Joshua and Zerubbel
begin to lay the foundations of

509
00:35:01,360 –> 00:35:05,600
the temple in the second month.
Oh yes, I think they knew

510
00:35:05,600 –> 00:35:08,240
exactly what they were doing on
this occasion.

511
00:35:08,480 –> 00:35:12,040
Now come back to Ezra 3 and
verse 10.

512
00:35:15,120 –> 00:35:19,400
And when the build is laid, the
foundation of the temple of

513
00:35:19,400 –> 00:35:26,960
Yahweh, they set the priests in
their apparel with trumpets and

514
00:35:26,960 –> 00:35:36,360
the Levites, the sons of Asaph
with symbols to praise Yahweh

515
00:35:36,360 –> 00:35:38,600
after the ordinance of David,
King of Israel.

516
00:35:40,080 –> 00:35:42,120
Now you see what we’re being
told in verse 10, I think, is

517
00:35:42,120 –> 00:35:45,600
that this was again exactly the
same as it were in the day that

518
00:35:45,600 –> 00:35:48,040
the ark of God was taken in, in
Solomon’s celebration.

519
00:35:48,040 –> 00:35:49,600
It’s all the same all over
again.

520
00:35:49,600 –> 00:35:52,360
You see, the trumpeters are
there, the singers are there,

521
00:35:52,440 –> 00:35:55,280
the instruments are there.
They’re all clothed in the in

522
00:35:55,280 –> 00:35:57,600
the robes of linen.
It’s exactly as if it’s

523
00:35:57,600 –> 00:36:01,640
Solomon’s day all over again.
And yet of course it wasn’t

524
00:36:01,640 –> 00:36:06,760
Solomon’s day and it was.
Honestly brothers and sisters,

525
00:36:06,760 –> 00:36:10,640
in the 10th verse of Ezra 3.
Really there is heart rending

526
00:36:10,640 –> 00:36:15,320
pathos to this particular scene
on this occasion because as we

527
00:36:15,320 –> 00:36:19,000
looked about the hill on which
they stood on the occasion of

528
00:36:19,000 –> 00:36:24,160
Ezra 3IN verse 10, the signs of
desolation are everywhere.

529
00:36:25,120 –> 00:36:27,920
The Temple Mount is still
scarred and ravaged from

530
00:36:27,920 –> 00:36:32,200
Babylonian fire.
But there, amidst the signs of

531
00:36:32,200 –> 00:36:36,880
ruin, embedded into the good
earth of Mount Moriah, sunk into

532
00:36:36,880 –> 00:36:41,960
its rocky outcrop, was a row of
freshly dressed stones, clean

533
00:36:41,960 –> 00:36:44,600
and sharp.
That was the beginning of a new

534
00:36:44,600 –> 00:36:49,320
foundation for a new temple.
And who’s there ready to sing

535
00:36:49,320 –> 00:36:51,160
the songs of the Lord?
Verse 10.

536
00:36:51,240 –> 00:36:53,560
Why the sons of Asaph?
You notice, by the way, in the

537
00:36:53,560 –> 00:36:56,800
10th verse it doesn’t mention
either Heman or Juduthan.

538
00:36:58,240 –> 00:37:01,600
There’s no record that either
the sons of Heman or the sons of

539
00:37:01,600 –> 00:37:05,200
Judithan returned at this time.
Only the sons of Asaph are

540
00:37:05,200 –> 00:37:07,200
there.
You see, these are the ones,

541
00:37:07,200 –> 00:37:11,080
perhaps more than any others,
who kept that burning flame of

542
00:37:11,080 –> 00:37:15,640
Psalm 137 alive.
And look what it says in verse

543
00:37:15,640 –> 00:37:19,560
11.
They sang together by course.

544
00:37:20,680 –> 00:37:23,520
You know that the Nehemiah
Chapter 7, we’re told that when

545
00:37:23,520 –> 00:37:26,040
some of the priests came back to
the land that they couldn’t

546
00:37:26,040 –> 00:37:28,760
prove their lineage, could they?
And they were not able to

547
00:37:28,760 –> 00:37:31,400
establish what priestly course
they belonged to.

548
00:37:31,400 –> 00:37:36,320
Do you remember that the sons of
Asaph had no trouble with

549
00:37:36,320 –> 00:37:40,720
knowing what their course was?
They were ready to sing in their

550
00:37:40,720 –> 00:37:44,280
courses after all this time
without hesitation.

551
00:37:44,360 –> 00:37:47,960
They knew exactly what their
orders and their courses were,

552
00:37:48,080 –> 00:37:51,080
and they were ready to sing at
the command of Joshua and

553
00:37:51,080 –> 00:37:52,480
Zerubbabel.
And what do they sing?

554
00:37:52,480 –> 00:37:55,360
Verse 11.
They sang together by course in

555
00:37:55,360 –> 00:37:59,280
praising and giving thanks.
Also there, there are two

556
00:37:59,280 –> 00:38:03,200
keywords.
They praised and gave thanks,

557
00:38:04,400 –> 00:38:09,120
and you’d never believe the
words of their song were

558
00:38:09,240 –> 00:38:14,880
brothers and sisters, would you?
They gave thanks unto Yahweh

559
00:38:16,400 –> 00:38:25,680
because He is good for His mercy
endureth forever toward Israel.

560
00:38:27,120 –> 00:38:29,560
Why?
That’s the first of Chronicles

561
00:38:29,560 –> 00:38:36,520
chapter 16 and this 34.
You see, the foundation might be

562
00:38:36,520 –> 00:38:40,040
new brothers and sisters, but
the singers who sang in front of

563
00:38:40,040 –> 00:38:44,960
that new foundation this day
sang their old songs to the old

564
00:38:44,960 –> 00:38:48,800
words.
They didn’t find them old

565
00:38:48,800 –> 00:38:52,360
fashioned.
They found them absolutely fresh

566
00:38:52,360 –> 00:38:54,880
and new because they believed
that they were singing eternal

567
00:38:54,880 –> 00:38:56,840
truths.
Do you know that this episode in

568
00:38:56,840 –> 00:38:59,000
Ezra Chapter 3, brothers and
sisters?

569
00:38:59,280 –> 00:39:03,880
Well, it’s 85 years after to the
time of Josiah in the second of

570
00:39:03,880 –> 00:39:08,040
Chronicles 35.
It’s 85 years later.

571
00:39:08,040 –> 00:39:16,920
This is BC 535, but it’s 460
years after David gave this

572
00:39:16,920 –> 00:39:23,160
Psalm to this family in the
first of Chronicles 16, 460

573
00:39:23,160 –> 00:39:25,200
years later.
Brothers and sisters, you know,

574
00:39:25,200 –> 00:39:27,720
we’re told on the occasion of
this chapter that there were

575
00:39:27,720 –> 00:39:30,680
some who wept, some who wept
because of the joy of building a

576
00:39:30,680 –> 00:39:33,120
new temple, some who wept
because they remembered the

577
00:39:33,120 –> 00:39:35,920
glories of the old.
I would have wept on that day,

578
00:39:35,920 –> 00:39:40,560
brothers and sisters, for a
family who after 460 years could

579
00:39:40,560 –> 00:39:45,640
stand up and sing the same hymn
to the same words, never have

580
00:39:45,640 –> 00:39:49,640
forgotten it in their family
through all those generations.

581
00:39:49,800 –> 00:39:52,320
And you see, this is the spirit
of Psalm 137.

582
00:39:52,480 –> 00:39:56,040
They said, never let us forget
those who said, raise it, raise

583
00:39:56,040 –> 00:39:58,240
it to the very foundations
thereof.

584
00:39:58,400 –> 00:40:03,000
And now in triumph they sing
before a fresh foundation that

585
00:40:03,000 –> 00:40:06,560
arises upon the good earth.
You see, they didn’t despise the

586
00:40:06,560 –> 00:40:10,440
day of small things.
They were always there.

587
00:40:10,520 –> 00:40:13,120
At the time of a spiritual
revival of brothers and sisters

588
00:40:13,120 –> 00:40:17,080
in the nation, the House of
Asaph were there, ready to sing

589
00:40:17,200 –> 00:40:19,960
their ancient songs all over
again.

590
00:40:20,120 –> 00:40:22,600
You see, I think that this is
the great lesson of our study

591
00:40:22,600 –> 00:40:26,400
this morning.
It is the lesson of the virtue

592
00:40:26,560 –> 00:40:32,240
of constancy.
The virtue of constancy is one

593
00:40:32,240 –> 00:40:36,040
of the great principles that the
House of Asaph stood for.

594
00:40:36,680 –> 00:40:41,360
You know, we have hymns in our
hymn book today that come from

595
00:40:41,360 –> 00:40:44,880
the Golden Harp.
Now you know what the Golden

596
00:40:44,880 –> 00:40:47,360
Harp is.
The Golden Harp was the very

597
00:40:47,360 –> 00:40:49,960
first Christadelphian hymn book.
You know that we’ve still got

598
00:40:49,960 –> 00:40:52,720
hymns that we sing today from
that first hymn book.

599
00:40:52,720 –> 00:40:56,480
I think that’s marvelous that we
still sing according to the

600
00:40:56,480 –> 00:40:59,120
principles of our own ancient
heritage.

601
00:40:59,400 –> 00:41:01,360
You know, our hymn book,
brothers and sisters, the

602
00:41:01,360 –> 00:41:03,640
Christadelphian hymn book over
the years.

603
00:41:03,920 –> 00:41:07,120
Well, it did borrow hymns from
other sources, but I’ll tell you

604
00:41:07,120 –> 00:41:12,000
what, our earlier brethren that
borrowed those hymns put them

605
00:41:12,000 –> 00:41:17,400
through a mighty fine sieve.
And by the time they got through

606
00:41:17,400 –> 00:41:21,840
that soothe into our hymn book,
the words and the spirit so

607
00:41:21,840 –> 00:41:25,960
utterly echoed what we believed,
that we could sing that Psalm or

608
00:41:25,960 –> 00:41:28,960
that song and give a hearty Amen
to the words.

609
00:41:29,040 –> 00:41:34,800
It preserved the heritage of our
faith, and we need to appreciate

610
00:41:34,920 –> 00:41:39,080
how vital a hymn book is in
holding together a community to

611
00:41:39,080 –> 00:41:40,760
those principles that we believe
in.

612
00:41:40,760 –> 00:41:45,040
You see this house, they never,
ever once changed their hymns

613
00:41:45,200 –> 00:41:49,240
because they believed that the
truths they sang were eternal.

614
00:41:49,320 –> 00:41:52,000
Will sow out our truths,
brothers and sisters, and

615
00:41:52,000 –> 00:41:55,360
therefore we believe that we
should treasure and value the

616
00:41:55,360 –> 00:41:58,000
hymn book that we have.
Whenever I hear a brother or

617
00:41:58,000 –> 00:42:00,960
sister saying that they think
the hymns are boring, I think

618
00:42:00,960 –> 00:42:04,480
there’s a problem.
I think they haven’t discovered

619
00:42:04,480 –> 00:42:07,840
the true majesty and power of
the scriptural record that will

620
00:42:07,840 –> 00:42:11,280
make those hymns come alive.
But what I do know for certain

621
00:42:11,440 –> 00:42:15,480
is that the solution doesn’t lie
in borrowing from modern

622
00:42:15,480 –> 00:42:19,840
Christian sources.
And there is a bit of that in

623
00:42:19,840 –> 00:42:21,280
the Brotherhood today, isn’t
there?

624
00:42:22,520 –> 00:42:26,520
An increasing use of music from
modern Christian sources.

625
00:42:26,520 –> 00:42:31,440
But the danger is that we may
not use the same careful

626
00:42:31,640 –> 00:42:36,360
discriminating process that was
used by earlier generations of

627
00:42:36,360 –> 00:42:41,080
Christadelphians, especially
given the fact that modern

628
00:42:41,080 –> 00:42:46,240
Christian music is nothing other
than pure humanism with a

629
00:42:46,280 –> 00:42:49,440
religious coat on.
It’s nothing more than that.

630
00:42:50,560 –> 00:42:52,720
It’s utterly different to the
spirit of the truth.

631
00:42:52,920 –> 00:42:56,440
We need to be very careful,
brothers and sisters, in terms

632
00:42:56,440 –> 00:43:01,400
of the source of our music.
Now, I’m all for exploring new

633
00:43:01,400 –> 00:43:04,880
music and worship.
I think it’s good, and we do,

634
00:43:05,120 –> 00:43:08,440
especially in our special
evenings of of song and praise.

635
00:43:08,680 –> 00:43:13,000
But if the spirit of searching
for new music is to replace our

636
00:43:13,000 –> 00:43:16,360
hymn book because we think it’s
boring, then I’m passionately

637
00:43:16,360 –> 00:43:19,440
against new music if that’s the
motive.

638
00:43:20,880 –> 00:43:24,440
But if we want to sing other
spiritual songs as well as

639
00:43:24,440 –> 00:43:27,360
treasure our hymn book, then I
think that’s a wonderful thing.

640
00:43:27,640 –> 00:43:31,960
Our hymn book should remain the
core of our spiritual worship.

641
00:43:32,160 –> 00:43:36,760
And that hymn book, in turn,
ought to maintain the heritage

642
00:43:36,760 –> 00:43:41,480
of our faith and be the standard
bearer for what we truly believe

643
00:43:41,680 –> 00:43:45,320
is proper music according to the
benchmark of the House of Asaph.

644
00:43:45,520 –> 00:43:48,120
You see, the spirit of today is
we want something new.

645
00:43:48,200 –> 00:43:51,800
We want something new.
The spirit of the House of Asaph

646
00:43:51,800 –> 00:43:54,880
was treasure.
The old treasure the old.

647
00:43:56,000 –> 00:43:57,120
It’s a different spirit, isn’t
it?

648
00:43:58,560 –> 00:44:01,680
But you see, that spirit of that
family is what kept them

649
00:44:01,680 –> 00:44:04,240
faithful down through all these
years.

650
00:44:04,400 –> 00:44:08,040
You know, change sometimes can
seem to be very small.

651
00:44:09,000 –> 00:44:13,960
Such a little change here and
there may seem to be harmless.

652
00:44:16,760 –> 00:44:23,000
Beware the triumph of
gradualism.

653
00:44:25,960 –> 00:44:30,920
It is by little changes,
brothers and sisters, that our

654
00:44:30,920 –> 00:44:33,800
songs of worship might
imperceptible be altered over

655
00:44:33,800 –> 00:44:42,520
time until our faith is lost.
And we don’t ever want that to

656
00:44:42,520 –> 00:44:45,920
happen.
So you watch for trends.

657
00:44:45,920 –> 00:44:49,840
You see, you watch for trends.
And if the trend is towards an

658
00:44:49,840 –> 00:44:55,320
increasing focus on music at the
expense of the words, then

659
00:44:55,320 –> 00:45:01,000
resist the trend and stay with
those old and lovely things that

660
00:45:01,000 –> 00:45:03,880
we have sung as a community and
that have kept us faithful as a

661
00:45:03,880 –> 00:45:05,840
brotherhood now for a long
period of time.

662
00:45:06,320 –> 00:45:12,560
Not as long, mind you, as the
House of ASAP who managed to

663
00:45:12,560 –> 00:45:16,080
stay on the same hymn book
without revision for an awful

664
00:45:16,080 –> 00:45:21,880
long period of time.
The virtue of constancy.

665
00:45:23,160 –> 00:45:26,880
You see, the instruments of
music were specially made by

666
00:45:26,880 –> 00:45:32,360
David for praising the Lord.
It suggested that David received

667
00:45:32,360 –> 00:45:37,080
the pattern for these by the
divine revelation, and that he

668
00:45:37,080 –> 00:45:39,880
received this in common with the
pattern for all other

669
00:45:39,880 –> 00:45:42,920
instruments that were used for
service in the temple.

670
00:45:44,120 –> 00:45:47,760
They were known, therefore, as
musical instruments of God.

671
00:45:49,320 –> 00:45:53,000
Later revivals of the temple
worship did not deviate from

672
00:45:53,000 –> 00:45:56,440
this standard, and the songs of
the Lord were still sung with

673
00:45:56,440 –> 00:45:58,680
the instruments of David, the
man of God.

674
00:45:59,880 –> 00:46:03,760
In similar fashion.
The words of these songs were

675
00:46:03,760 –> 00:46:06,200
jealously guarded by the House
of Asaph.

676
00:46:06,640 –> 00:46:09,760
The original Psalm delivered
them, delivered to them by

677
00:46:09,760 –> 00:46:12,600
David.
To sing became the center of

678
00:46:12,600 –> 00:46:18,040
their praise, its simple majesty
undimmed by centuries.

679
00:46:19,000 –> 00:46:24,840
It is reasonable to assume that
just as both instrument and word

680
00:46:25,000 –> 00:46:32,360
did not vary, so also the music
played remained unchanged

681
00:46:33,440 –> 00:46:37,040
throughout the centuries.
I believe that brothers and

682
00:46:37,040 –> 00:46:41,120
sisters, I believe that when the
House of Asaph sang their songs

683
00:46:41,320 –> 00:46:46,080
in Ezra Chapter 3, that they
sang the same words played on

684
00:46:46,080 –> 00:46:50,360
the same instruments, sung to
the same tune.

685
00:46:51,880 –> 00:46:55,240
They never, ever varied.
This faithful family.

686
00:46:55,440 –> 00:46:57,520
Well, brothers and sisters,
they’re back in the land.

687
00:46:58,680 –> 00:47:02,200
They’ve come back.
And there’s more to the story

688
00:47:02,200 –> 00:47:04,520
yet, because the story’s not
quite finished.

689
00:47:06,000 –> 00:47:11,200
But as to what finally happened
to the House of Asif, well, we

690
00:47:11,200 –> 00:47:13,080
must wait until tomorrow to find
out.