Sun, 24 December, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Chronicles 29:25-30

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.

Hezekiah has dedicated himself to purifying the worship of Judah. His father, Ahaz, had been a wicked king, leading Israel into all sorts of idolatry. So there was much work for Hezekiah to do to correct the temple worship. This chapter describes how he had the priests clean out the temple, and how they began to do the rituals that had commanded.

After a careful study of what God had commanded (this was done 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), Hezekiah appointed priests to play musical instruments as part of their worship. The instruments were begin playing when the burnt offering began, and they continued until the burnt offering was finished. When the sacrifice was done, the priests sang psalms unaccompanied.

What do we learn from this?

This is one of the clearest passages that explain what God had commanded for music as part of the sacrificial worship in the Old Testament. The instruments were only to be used during the slaughter and burning of the animal. Once the sacrifice was complete, they were to sing the psalms unaccompanied. That is God’s command for worship.

Where is Christ in this passage?

The sacrificial system has been completely fulfilled by Jesus Christ. He came and as the spotless lamb lived a sinless life. He then died on the cross as the sacrifice of atonement for the sins of His people. He died in the place of all who come to Him in faith. This fulfilled all sacrifice, and there is now no more acceptable sacrifice. Remember, the temple veil was torn in half at Christ’s death. The way to God was fully opened and the sacrificial system was ended.

Thus, there is no more sacrifice. The burnt offering is now finished, and so the use of instruments in worship is also finished. There is no New Testament command to use instruments in worship (there are New Testament commands to sing psalms), and the only Old Testament authorization for the use of instruments has been removed. This is the reason that churches who hold to the regulative principle (we can only do in worship that which God has explicitly commanded) have traditionally held to singing only psalms and singing them without accompaniment. Most regulative principle churches have fallen away from exclusive, a capella psalmody, but they have not done so because they suddenly found a New Testament authorization to do so.