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Five little ducks went out one day…
Posted by Jay at 5:06 pm
In debates about the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW), arguments are often made from the form of worship given in the Old Testament. To summarize the nature of such arguments, one might say that in the Old Testament it was very clear that God was pleased by worship offered in accordance with the rather detailed prescriptions he provided, and very displeased by worship offered in any other way.
Such a view arises from many passages of scripture, but can be summarized by highlighting a couple of key passages. As one example, in Deuteronomy 12:29-32 [+/-]Deuteronomy 12:29-32
[29]"When the LORD your God cuts off before you the
nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess
them and dwell in their land, [30]take care that you be not
ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed
before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods,
saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?--that I
also may do the same.' [31]You shall not worship the LORD
your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the
LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even
burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their
gods.
[32] "Everything that I command you, you shall be
careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
(ESV)
, when commanding the Israelites to not take the form of worship used by the nations being displaced in the Land, the Lord states, “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.” It is important to note that this statement is made explicitly with regard to worship.
Leviticus 10 [+/-]Leviticus 10
[10:1]Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took
his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and
offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not
commanded them. [2]And fire came out from before the LORD
and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. [3]Then
Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said,
'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and
before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held
his peace.
[4]And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of
Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near;
carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary
and out of the camp." [5]So they came near and carried them
in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. [6]And
Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons,
"Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not
tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all
the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of
Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled.
[7]And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of
meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is
upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses.
[8]And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, [9]"Drink no
wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you
go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a
statute forever throughout your generations. [10]You are to
distinguish between the holy and the common, and between
the unclean and the clean, [11]and you are to teach the
people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken
to them by Moses."
[12]Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his
surviving sons: "Take the grain offering that is left of
the LORD's food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the
altar, for it is most holy. [13]You shall eat it in a holy
place, because it is your due and your sons' due, from the
LORD's food offerings, for so I am commanded. [14]But the
breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you
shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your
daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your
sons' due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the
people of Israel. [15]The thigh that is contributed and the
breast that is waved they shall bring with the food
offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering
before the LORD, and it shall be yours and your sons' with
you as a due forever, as the LORD has commanded."
[16]Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the
sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was
angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of
Aaron, saying, [17]"Why have you not eaten the sin offering
in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most
holy and has been given to you that you may bear the
iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them
before the LORD? [18]Behold, its blood was not brought into
the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to
have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded." [19]And
Aaron said to Moses, "Behold, today they have offered their
sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and
yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had
eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have
approved?" [20]And when Moses heard that, he approved. (ESV)
offers the story of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, who varied from the regulations of tabernacle worship by bringing fire they themselves had lit in from of the Lord, and were consumed by the Lord’s fire. Such a story reinforces the seriousness of the admonition in Deuteronomy 12 [+/-]Deuteronomy 12
[12:1]"These are the statutes and rules that you shall
be careful to do in the land that the LORD, the God of your
fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you
live on the earth. [2]You shall surely destroy all the
places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served
their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and
under every green tree. [3]You shall tear down their altars
and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim
with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their
gods and destroy their name out of that place. [4]You shall
not worship the LORD your God in that way. [5]But you shall
seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of
all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation
there. There you shall go, [6]and there you shall bring
your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and
the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your
freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of
your flock. [7]And there you shall eat before the LORD your
God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all
that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed
you.
[8]"You shall not do according to all that we are doing
here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own
eyes, [9]for you have not as yet come to the rest and to
the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you.
[10]But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land
that the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and when
he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you
live in safety, [11]then to the place that the LORD your
God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you
shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings
and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that
you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow
to the LORD. [12]And you shall rejoice before the LORD your
God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male
servants and your female servants, and the Levite that is
within your towns, since he has no portion or inheritance
with you. [13]Take care that you do not offer your burnt
offerings at any place that you see, [14]but at the place
that the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, there you
shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do
all that I am commanding you.
[15]"However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any
of your towns, as much as you desire, according to the
blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you. The
unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and
as of the deer. [16]Only you shall not eat the blood; you
shall pour it out on the earth like water. [17]You may not
eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your
wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of
your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or
your freewill offerings or the contribution that you
present, [18]but you shall eat them before the LORD your
God in the place that the LORD your God will choose, you
and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your
female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns.
And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that
you undertake. [19]Take care that you do not neglect the
Levite as long as you live in your land.
[20]"When the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as
he has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat meat,'
because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you
desire. [21]If the place that the LORD your God will choose
to put his name there is too far from you, then you may
kill any of your herd or your flock, which the LORD has
given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within
your towns whenever you desire. [22]Just as the gazelle or
the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it. The unclean and
the clean alike may eat of it. [23]Only be sure that you do
not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall
not eat the life with the flesh. [24]You shall not eat it;
you shall pour it out on the earth like water. [25]You
shall not eat it, that all may go well with you and with
your children after you, when you do what is right in the
sight of the LORD. [26]But the holy things that are due
from you, and your vow offerings, you shall take, and you
shall go to the place that the LORD will choose, [27]and
offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the
altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your sacrifices
shall be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, but
the flesh you may eat. [28]Be careful to obey all these
words that I command you, that it may go well with you and
with your children after you forever, when you do what is
good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.
[29]"When the LORD your God cuts off before you the
nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess
them and dwell in their land, [30]take care that you be not
ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed
before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods,
saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?--that I
also may do the same.' [31]You shall not worship the LORD
your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the
LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even
burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their
gods.
[32] "Everything that I command you, you shall be
careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
(ESV)
.
In all this, I believe we are to order our worship now and always in accordance with the word of God. However, As I have been reading through the Bible these past few weeks I have been startled to find many challenges to a strictly held viewpoint that God was only pleased by worship offered in exact accordance with his prescriptions. So many challenges, in fact, that I am beginning to conclude it is not sustainable apart from significantly more nuance as well as a few caveats thrown in for good measure.
To be clear, I do not believe there is any challenge to the precept that we are to order worship according to the Bible. However, some arguments for a certain interpretation of the RPW entail the belief that God is displeased by worship that is not in accordance with an explicitly stated/mandated worship activity. Thus, for instance, some conclude that God is displeased by musical instruments in worship, because they are not commanded in the New Testament. Such arguments often place great weight on God’s attitudes toward worshippers found in the Old Testament. It is at this specific place I have found numerous challenges in the Bible.
I’ll leave it to a scholar to make this a sustainable argument (if such a thing is possible), but here are a few of the examples I have come across of late along with my thoughts regarding them.
1) Immediately following the story of Nadab and Abihu, in the very same chapter of the Bible (Leviticus 10 [+/-]Leviticus 10
[10:1]Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took
his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and
offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not
commanded them. [2]And fire came out from before the LORD
and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. [3]Then
Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said,
'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and
before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held
his peace.
[4]And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of
Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near;
carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary
and out of the camp." [5]So they came near and carried them
in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. [6]And
Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons,
"Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not
tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all
the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of
Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled.
[7]And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of
meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is
upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses.
[8]And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, [9]"Drink no
wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you
go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a
statute forever throughout your generations. [10]You are to
distinguish between the holy and the common, and between
the unclean and the clean, [11]and you are to teach the
people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken
to them by Moses."
[12]Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his
surviving sons: "Take the grain offering that is left of
the LORD's food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the
altar, for it is most holy. [13]You shall eat it in a holy
place, because it is your due and your sons' due, from the
LORD's food offerings, for so I am commanded. [14]But the
breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you
shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your
daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your
sons' due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the
people of Israel. [15]The thigh that is contributed and the
breast that is waved they shall bring with the food
offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering
before the LORD, and it shall be yours and your sons' with
you as a due forever, as the LORD has commanded."
[16]Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the
sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was
angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of
Aaron, saying, [17]"Why have you not eaten the sin offering
in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most
holy and has been given to you that you may bear the
iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them
before the LORD? [18]Behold, its blood was not brought into
the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to
have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded." [19]And
Aaron said to Moses, "Behold, today they have offered their
sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and
yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had
eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have
approved?" [20]And when Moses heard that, he approved. (ESV)
), Aaron their father diverges from the prescribed worship of God as given by Moses. Though Moses is initially angry, he is ultimately pleased once he learns the reason Aaron innovated in the offering of the sin offering.
2) When Hezekiah restored temple worship (2 Chronicles 29 [+/-]2 Chronicles 29
[29:1]Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five
years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.
His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.
[2]And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD,
according to all that David his father had done.
[3]In the first year of his reign, in the first month,
he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired
them. [4]He brought in the priests and the Levites and
assembled them in the square on the east [5]and said to
them, "Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and
consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. [6]For our
fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in
the sight of the LORD our God. They have forsaken him and
have turned away their faces from the habitation of the
LORD and turned their backs. [7]They also shut the doors of
the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned
incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the
God of Israel. [8]Therefore the wrath of the LORD came on
Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of
horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with
your own eyes. [9]For behold, our fathers have fallen by
the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are
in captivity for this. [10]Now it is in my heart to make a
covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, in order that
his fierce anger may turn away from us. [11]My sons, do not
now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in
his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers
and make offerings to him."
[12]Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai,
and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites;
and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and
Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah
the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; [13]and of the
sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of
Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; [14]and of the sons of
Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun,
Shemaiah and Uzziel. [15]They gathered their brothers and
consecrated themselves and went in as the king had
commanded, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house
of the LORD. [16]The priests went into the inner part of
the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out
all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the
LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the
Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron.
[17]They began to consecrate on the first day of the first
month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the
vestibule of the LORD. Then for eight days they consecrated
the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the
first month they finished. [18]Then they went in to
Hezekiah the king and said, "We have cleansed all the house
of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering and all its
utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its
utensils. [19]All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in
his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and
consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the
LORD."
[20]Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the
officials of the city and went up to the house of the LORD.
[21]And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs,
and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and
for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the
priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of
the LORD. [22]So they slaughtered the bulls, and the
priests received the blood and threw it against the altar.
And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood was thrown
against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs, and
their blood was thrown against the altar. [23]Then the
goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the
assembly, and they laid their hands on them, [24]and the
priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their
blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For
the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin
offering should be made for all Israel.
[25]And he stationed the Levites in the house of the
LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the
commandment of David and of Gad the king's seer and of
Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the LORD
through his prophets. [26]The Levites stood with the
instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
[27]Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be
offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began,
the song to the LORD began also, and the trumpets,
accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.
[28]The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and
the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt
offering was finished. [29]When the offering was finished,
the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves
and worshiped. [30]And Hezekiah the king and the officials
commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the
words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises
with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.
[31]Then Hezekiah said, "You have now consecrated
yourselves to the LORD. Come near; bring sacrifices and
thank offerings to the house of the LORD." And the assembly
brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were of
a willing heart brought burnt offerings. [32]The number of
the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was 70 bulls,
100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt
offering to the LORD. [33]And the consecrated offerings
were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. [34]But the priests were
too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so
until other priests had consecrated themselves, their
brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was
finished--for the Levites were more upright in heart than
the priests in consecrating themselves. [35]Besides the
great number of burnt offerings, there was the fat of the
peace offerings, and there were the drink offerings for the
burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the LORD
was restored. [36]And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced
because God had prepared for the people, for the thing came
about suddenly. (ESV)
), there were not enough consecrated priests to manage the sacrifices, so consecrated Levites filled in alongside the priests. Though contrary to earlier prescriptions, the text gives no indication that this was displeasing to the Lord. This pattern is seen in a couple other situations in Israel’s history, with the Levites standing in for priests.
3) In Hezekiah’s restored Passover (2 Chronicles 30 [+/-]2 Chronicles 30
[30:1]Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote
letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come
to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem to keep the Passover
to the LORD, the God of Israel. [2]For the king and his
princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel
to keep the Passover in the second month-- [3]for they
could not keep it at that time because the priests had not
consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the
people assembled in Jerusalem-- [4]and the plan seemed
right to the king and all the assembly. [5]So they decreed
to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from
Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the
Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for
they had not kept it as often as prescribed. [6]So couriers
went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the
king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, "O
people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of
you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
[7]Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were
faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made
them a desolation, as you see. [8]Do not now be stiff-
necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the
LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated
forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger
may turn away from you. [9]For if you return to the LORD,
your brothers and your children will find compassion with
their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your
God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his
face from you, if you return to him."
[10]So the couriers went from city to city through the
country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but
they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. [11]However,
some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled
themselves and came to Jerusalem. [12]The hand of God was
also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king
and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD.
[13]And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep
the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very
great assembly. [14]They set to work and removed the altars
that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning
incense they took away and threw into the Kidron Valley.
[15]And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the
fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the
Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves
and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.
[16]They took their accustomed posts according to the Law
of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that
they received from the hand of the Levites. [17]For there
were many in the assembly who had not consecrated
themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the
Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate
it to the LORD. [18]For a majority of the people, many of
them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not
cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise
than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them,
saying, "May the good LORD pardon everyone [19]who sets his
heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even
though not according to the sanctuary's rules of
cleanness." [20]And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the
people. [21]And the people of Israel who were present at
Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days
with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests
praised the LORD day by day, singing with all their might
to the LORD. [22]And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all
the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the
LORD. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days,
sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD,
the God of their fathers.
[23]Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the
feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another
seven days with gladness. [24]For Hezekiah king of Judah
gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for
offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls
and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in
great numbers. [25]The whole assembly of Judah, and the
priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came
out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land
of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced.
[26]So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time
of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been
nothing like this in Jerusalem. [27]Then the priests and
the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice
was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in
heaven. (ESV)
), unclean Israelites ate the meal and God ultimately accepted them once Hezekiah explained their intentions to God in prayer and asked Him to accept their worship. Notice verse 18 explicitly states that these actions were contrary to what was prescribed.
4) See 2 Chronicles 7:6 [+/-]2 Chronicles 7:6
[6]The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also,
with the instruments for music to the LORD that King David
had made for giving thanks to the LORD--for his steadfast
love endures forever--whenever David offered praises by
their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets,
and all Israel stood. (ESV)
& 8:14 (along with a few others) for indications that David had created a musical liturgy to accompany the offering of sacrifices. Though we perhaps have some of the songs preserved in the Psalms, the entire process of creating the liturgy and its resultant form is barely mentioned in the scriptures and is never given in terms of the spoken word of God describing the pattern of the heavenlies (as the original tabernacle and its associated worship had been given to Moses). See the first part of 1 Chronicles 25 [+/-]1 Chronicles 25
[25:1]David and the chiefs of the service also set apart
for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of
Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with
cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their
duties was: [2]Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph,
Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the
direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of
the king. [3]Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah,
Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six,
under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who
prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the
LORD. [4]Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah,
Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah,
Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir,
Mahazioth. [5]All these were the sons of Heman the king's
seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God
had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. [6]They
were all under the direction of their father in the music
in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres for
the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman
were under the order of the king. [7]The number of them
along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to
the LORD, all who were skillful, was 288. [8]And they cast
lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil
alike.
[9]The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second to
Gedaliah, to him and his brothers and his sons, twelve;
[10]the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
[11]the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
[12]the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers,
twelve; [13]the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his
brothers, twelve; [14]the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons
and his brothers, twelve; [15]the eighth to Jeshaiah, his
sons and his brothers, twelve; [16]the ninth to Mattaniah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve; [17]the tenth to Shimei,
his sons and his brothers, twelve; [18]the eleventh to
Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve; [19]the twelfth
to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; [20]to the
thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
[21]to the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his
brothers, twelve; [22]to the fifteenth, to Jeremoth, his
sons and his brothers, twelve; [23]to the sixteenth, to
Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; [24]to the
seventeenth, to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers,
twelve; [25]to the eighteenth, to Hanani, his sons and his
brothers, twelve; [26]to the nineteenth, to Mallothi, his
sons and his brothers, twelve; [27]to the twentieth, to
Eliathah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; [28]to the
twenty-first, to Hothir, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
[29]to the twenty-second, to Giddalti, his sons and his
brothers, twelve; [30]to the twenty-third, to Mahazioth,
his sons and his brothers, twelve; [31]to the twenty-
fourth, to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his brothers, twelve.
(ESV)
for the record of David’s apparent innovation in worship. See also 1 Kings 10:12 [+/-]1 Kings 10:12
[12]And the king made of the almug wood supports for the
house of the LORD and for the king's house, also lyres and
harps for the singers. No such almug wood has come or been
seen to this day. (ESV)
for Solomon’s contribution to this addition to levitical worship.
5) A couple of the above issues are repeated in Josiah’s celebration of the Passover (2 Chronicles 35 [+/-]2 Chronicles 35
[35:1]Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem.
And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth
day of the first month. [2]He appointed the priests to
their offices and encouraged them in the service of the
house of the LORD. [3]And he said to the Levites who taught
all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, "Put the holy ark
in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel,
built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve
the LORD your God and his people Israel. [4]Prepare
yourselves according to your fathers' houses by your
divisions, as prescribed in the writing of David king of
Israel and the document of Solomon his son. [5]And stand in
the Holy Place according to the groupings of the fathers'
houses of your brothers the lay people, and according to
the division of the Levites by fathers' household. [6]And
slaughter the Passover lamb, and consecrate yourselves, and
prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of
the LORD by Moses."
[7]Then Josiah contributed to the lay people, as
Passover offerings for all who were present, lambs and
young goats from the flock to the number of 30,000, and
3,000 bulls; these were from the king's possessions. [8]And
his officials contributed willingly to the people, to the
priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and
Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the
priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 Passover lambs and
300 bulls. [9]Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his
brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs
of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover
offerings 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls.
[10]When the service had been prepared for, the priests
stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions
according to the king's command. [11]And they slaughtered
the Passover lamb, and the priests threw the blood that
they received from them while the Levites flayed the
sacrifices. [12]And they set aside the burnt offerings that
they might distribute them according to the groupings of
the fathers' houses of the lay people, to offer to the
LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they
did with the bulls. [13]And they roasted the Passover lamb
with fire according to the rule; and they boiled the holy
offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried
them quickly to all the lay people. [14]And afterward they
prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the
priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt
offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites
prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of
Aaron. [15]The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their
place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and
Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the gatekeepers
were at each gate. They did not need to depart from their
service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.
[16]So all the service of the LORD was prepared that
day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on
the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King
Josiah. [17]And the people of Israel who were present kept
the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened
Bread seven days. [18]No Passover like it had been kept in
Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the
kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by
Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and
Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
[19]In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this
Passover was kept.
[20]After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple,
Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the
Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him. [21]But he sent
envoys to him, saying, "What have we to do with each other,
king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but
against the house with which I am at war. And God has
commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me,
lest he destroy you." [22]Nevertheless, Josiah did not turn
away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with
him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth
of God, but came to fight in the plain of Megiddo. [23]And
the archers shot King Josiah. And the king said to his
servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded." [24]So
his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in
his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he
died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah
and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. [25]Jeremiah also uttered
a lament for Josiah; and all the singing men and singing
women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day.
They made these a rule in Israel; behold, they are written
in the Laments. [26]Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and
his good deeds according to what is written in the Law of
the LORD, [27]and his acts, first and last, behold, they
are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
(ESV)
).
6) When the ark is brought into the temple, Solomon consecrates additional space in the courtyard to offer sacrifices, since there were too many offerings for the one altar.
7) Unlike the tabernacle, the building of the temple is not described as following a pattern given by God to Solomon. Solomon is recorded as simply deciding what it should look like, though it clearly expands on the various themes for tabernacle. Not sure what to make of this.
8) I recall seeing a couple of other interesting events, but cannot locate them at this time.
The point of all this is that we have, particularly in these early stories of Israel, explicit statements of God’s displeasure when Israel innovates in worship (such as the numerous high places used to offer sacrifices to God). Yet in the examples above, it appears the worship offered was acceptable, though it differed from that which was prescribed. In each case, however, I believe one does find the following principles:
1) The worshippers tended to understand they were diverging/adding to the prescribed worship of God.
2) In the cases of outright change, their intentions were to honor God according to the prescription, but factoring in circumstances that rendered the prescribed means inappropriate.
3) The Davidic innovation with music… not sure what to make of all this.
If 1 & 2 are at all accurate, they represent a significant divergence from the typical assumptions made with regard to Old Testament worship. Contrary to the assumptions of many, it would seem that human judgment had a role to play in worship that was pleasing to God. Prescriptions were given, yet the OT saints appropriately interacted with those prescriptions and made judgments as to how to proceed.
June 14th, 2004 at 10:48 pm
Great stuff! On David’s musical innovation, see Peter Leithart, From Silence to Song.
One thing: Didn’t David receive the pattern for the Temple?
June 15th, 2004 at 11:27 am
Really fascinating observations. Many of these require some real wrestling with. As you lay it out, I get the impression that there was some flexibility allotted to the organizers of worship.
June 15th, 2004 at 7:46 pm
Mark, I can’t find any reference to a pattern being given, though I obviously may be missing a reference somewhere.
June 30th, 2004 at 7:26 am
I think what we’re talking about ito pattern would be that David had some real prophetic access to God. through his gift of music he had one, which of itself wouldn’t be authoritative. However, when God affirmed David’s desire to build a house for Him, that explicit affirmation had to come from somewhere. To me this says even when it’s not recorded how, that God declared his affirmation explicitly to David: probably prophetically.
One of the issues of cessationism involves this, I think. God doesn’t prophetically acclaim a variation in worship now. I don’t know how that factors in, either.
June 30th, 2004 at 7:32 am
Mike, I tend to agree with your view of David as it applies to the development of the musical liturgy. However, the application of the liturgy by future generations would have been based on oral tradition, not the canonicle scriptures, so I’m still not sure what to do with it.
The other innovations seem to be just that, innovations, though they are clearly attempts to most nearly follow God’s law at the big picture level based on troublesome circumstances.