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Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy and not sacrifice;
and the knowledge of God more than your burnt offerings.
Bible Chapter Studies
1A0I CHRONICLES CHAPTER 25
Our last Chapter I Chronicles 24, brought us the 24 “Courses or, Lots” of the Priests. Which in turn brought us, when we came to I Chronicles 24:10, the “Course of Abijah,” which we read was 8th Course, or Lot.
We discovered that the Courses were actually dates of the year; that, each Priest served during the 4 major Feasts of Father YHVH—Feast of Passover, Feast of Weeks—what we call Pentecost today—the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles—and then twice a year, individually. Abijah’s dates to serve in Father’s Temple were 12 - 18 Chisleu, or December 6th - 12th, and his second ministration was from 12 - 18 Sivan, or June 13th - 19th.
I point Abijah’s specifically because, his Course is the only one expressly called out in Father’s Word—in Luke 1—where we read that John the Baptist’s father: Zecharias, was serving when the angel Gabriel visited him to inform him that his prayers were about to be answered, that he and his wife Elisabeth would have a child, a son, and they were to name him John.
The remainder of the Chapter dealt with the Levites, their Courses, duties and responsibilities.
In this Chapter, we’ll be reading of the twenty-four Courses of the Levitical Singers—sometimes called “musicians”. We’ll be reading of, and learning that their duties didn’t just include being “Singers or, Musicians,” some of them were prophets, some also had other duties in Father’s Temple too.
With that introduction being said, let’s go to Father and ask Him for His Blessings on our Study of His Word: “Father, we come to you right now to thank you for inviting us to Your table in order that we might be able to partake of and receive Your Spiritual Meat, and Father, as we prepare to dine on the sustenance which sustains our inner man, we ask that You Oh LORD open our ears and eyes, that we might be able to hear and see your Truths, open our hearts and minds and prepare us in order that we may receive Your Truth. We Pray for Your Understanding of Your Word, we seek Your Knowledge in Your Word, and most importantly Father, we Pray for and desire Your Wisdom from Your Word, in Jesus’ Precious name we Pray, thank You Father, Amen.”
I Chronicles 10:1-
II Chronicles 36:21
HISTORY (UP TO THE
CAPTIVITY.) (Division.)
11:1-II Chronicles 36:21
THE HOUSE OF David
ESTABLISHED. (Division.)
11:1-29:25 EVENTS IN
DETAIL. (Introversion.)
11:1-29:30 DAVID. (Division.)
22:2-29:25 The
RESIGNATION OF DAVID.
(Introversion and Alternation.)
23:1-27:34 Princes and
priests. Appointments.
23:1-27:34 PRINCES AND
PRIESTS. APPOINTMENTS.
(Division.)
23:3-26:28 Sacred.
23:3-26:28 SACRED
APPOINTMENTS.
(Introversion.)
25:1-31 Sons of Asaph.
25:1-31 David organizes the
Singers (also known as: musicians.)
I Chronicles 25:1 Moreover David (loving; or, well-beloved) (Daw-veedי) and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph (collector; or, collector of the people) (aw-sawfי), and of Heman (faithful; and, faithful) (hay-mawnי), and of Jeduthun (laudatory; and, praising) (yed-oo-thoonי), who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was: —> And=First off, notice all the “and(s)” to start off this chapter brethren? The use of multiple and(s) in Father’s Word indicates a polysyndeton. These consecutive or multiple uses of the word “and” in a single verse or consecutive verses, are used to highlight and emphasize each detail and point.
Captains of the host=These captains are the leaders or heads—called “the princes”—of each Tribe which we read of in I Chronicles 23:2, who David called together—along with the High Priest and the Levitical Priests—in order to make it known that Father and he, the king, wants these Levitical singers to speak or sing by Divine inspiration. Who did he call together brethren? Asaph—who was of the Tribe of Gershon—Heman—of the Tribe of Kohath—and Jeduthun—of the Tribe of Merari—so, he has the heads or, leaders of the Levitical singer of each of the three Tribes of Levi.
Host=Host also as used here in this verse is referring to the Levites and their “service” in Father’s Temple, but let’s check out the word in our Strong’s Concordance, where we’ll find that it is Hebrew word number: H6635, - צָבָא or צְבָאָה, - tsâbâ' or tsebâ'âh, pronounced - tsaw-bawי or tseb-aw-awי, and means: From H6633; a mass of persons (or figurative things); especially regularly organized for war (an army); by implication a campaign, literally or figuratively (specifically hardship, worship): - appointed time, (+) army, (+) battle, company, host, service, soldiers, waiting upon, war (-fare). Total KJV occurrences: 484.. So, we see that although it is used here in this verse to indicate the Levites and their “service” in Father’s Temple, it can and has also been used of the Levites and others to indicate an army—such as the Host of Heaven, i.e., Father’s Army—the Angelic Host—or war and\or warfare.
Asaph...Heman...Jeduthun=If you’re familiar with the Book of the Psalms brethren, these three names ought to look familiar to you as they are mentioned by name several times. Even if the Psalm was written by David, he addressed some as “To the Chief Musician.”.
David=I could spend days discussing David and his life; literally, an entire Book—II Samuel—covered most of what David accomplished as king of Israel. David was a man after Father’s own heart, and though he made a few mistakes, David always tried to please Father in all that he did; therefore, Father loved David; so much so that, He chose David as the Line to bring forth the Branch, The Bright Morning Star, Immanuel\Emmanuel, God in the Flesh: Jesus. Even though Father chose David, it doesn’t mean that David never sinned as, David indeed did sin. He committed adultery with the wife of one of his soldiers; and, then had that soldier murdered by ordering his being put on the front lines of the hottest part of the battle. David was not perfect; however, he was obedient in the end; and, in the end, he left judgment in Father’s hand. All the other kings of Judah and some of the kings of Israel will be judged; or, compared to David; and, the one thing which can always be said of David, is that, not one time had David ever fallen away into idolatry. But, what else can we take away from David? If you sin: repent to Father and then leave the correction and judgment in Father’s hands. † While researching the etymology of the name David we find that most Bible translators and commentator will render the name David as Beloved; but, as always with important names, the etymology of the name David is disputed. However, we can’t help noticing the distinct similarity of this name with the Hebrew root דוד (dwd) that yields דוד (dod), generally meaning beloved. This word is also the Hebrew word for uncle — I Chronicles 27:32, for instance, speaks of דוד־דויד, or “David’s uncle”: The distinct difference between the name דוד (David) and the word דוד (dod) is that in the name David the letter waw counts for a consonant, while in the word dod it counts for a vowel. A consonant and a vowel are completely different entities and they’ll never mean the same, no matter how many times you write them with the same symbol (in this case the waw). If the name was meant to mean Beloved, then it was perhaps given to David after he became king and beloved. In his father’s household he wasn’t much of a hit, after all. But then, if this name was meant to mean Beloved, why hasn’t history given us the tales of King Dod? Harris Archer Waltke (HAW) Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament lists David under dod but admits that “the name is conjectured to come from dod, beloved, but the etymology is uncertain. It has been compared with the Mari term dawidum, Lsquo;leader,’ but this too is unsure.” Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary too lists the name David under the derivations of the root dod, but also makes mention of A.H. Sayce’s note of a sun-god named Dodo — דודה — which was worshipped in East-Jordan Israel. Zion, now known as the city of David, was then apparently known as the city of the god Dod. But where Dod went the way of the dodo, king David is eternally remembered as the beloved king. And this is curious for more than one reason. But whatever the reason, Israel’s identity of a Kingdom is associated with a king whose name is not a regular Hebrew word, but which is spelled identical to the word for Beloved, and pronounced completely different. Perhaps, and this is a wild guess, the name Dod was altered to David to charge it with the tone of the word דוה (dawa), meaning infirmity.. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H1732, - דּוד, or דּויד, - dâvid, or dâvı̂yd, pronounced - daw-veed’, or daw-veedי and means: From the same as H1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse: - David. Total KJV occurrences: 1076.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we find that the description of David in the Smith’s Bible Dictionary is extensive and too long to post here; so, I’ll instead just post the link to it: David.
Asaph=A Gershonite Levite, the son of Berechiah. † He was one of the leaders of David’s Choir during the bringing up of Father’s Ark out of the house of Obed-edom after Father had struck Uzzah dead for reaching out his hand to steady It as It was possibly about to tumble off the ox-drawn cart It was being transported on as read in II Samuel 5 and I Chronicles 13. † Other things we know of Asaph from Father’s Word inc lude the following: (1) David called him a “seer” in II Chronicles 29:30; and (2) he was known for being both, a musical composer and as being the author of twelve cannonized Psalms, Psalms 50, and 73 through 80. † The etymology of the name Asaph is a direct derivative of the verb אסף (asap), meaning to gather or collect: For a meaning of the name Asaph, both New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List and Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Collector. Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary has Gatherer.. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, we find it is Hebrew number: H623, - אסף, - ssיAsâph, pronounced - Aw-sawfי, and means: From H622; collector, Asaph, the name of three Israelites, and of the family of the first: - Asaph. Total KJV occurrences: 46.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “(collector of the people) A Levite, son of Berechiah, one of the leaders of David’s choir I Chronicles 6:39. Psalm 50,73-83 are attributed to him; and he was in after times celebrated as a seer as well as a musical composer II Chronicles 29:30; Nehemiah 12:46.”.
Heman=Heman was the son of Joel and grandson of Samuel. † He was known for his being one of the musicians—he was called a “singer” in I Chronicles 6:33; I Chronicles 15:19; II Chronicles 5:12; and II Chronicles 35:15—during the return of Father’s Ark from the house of Obed-edom to Jerusalem—Israel’s Capital City and Father’s most favorite place in all His Created Universe—during David’s bringing It to It’s rightful place among our forefathers. † He is identified as being a “seer in the words of God” in I Chronicles 25:5, where Father’s Word also mentions that he had fourteen sons and three unnamed daughters. † The etymology of the name Heman appears to derive of the Chaldean adjective מהימן, which comes from a verb that is a close cognate of the Hebrew verb אמןss(יaman), meaning to support or confirm: For a meaning of the name Heman, the usually discordant New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List, Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names and Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary all read Faithful. The word הימן occurs once in the narrative of the Bible, namely in Daniel 6:23, with the meaning of He Trusted.. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H1968, - הֵימָן, - hêymân, pronounced - hay-mawnי, and means: Probably from H530; faithful; Heman, the name of at least two Israelites: - Heman. Total KJV occurrences: 17.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “(faithful) Son of Joel and grandson of Samuel the prophet, a Kohathite. He is called “the singer,” rather the musician I Chronicles 6:33, and was the first of the three Levites to whom was committed the vocal and instrumental music of the temple service in the reign of David I Chronicles 15:16-22. The 88th Psalm is ascribed to him.”.
Jeduthun=Also known as Ethan. A Merarite Levite, son of Kishi—which was short for Kushaiah, think of Dick for Richard or Bill for William. † He was one of the three directors—or “chief Musicians”—of the Temple worship I Chronicles 16:41, 42; 25:1-6; II Chronicles 5:12; 35:15. Ethan—Jeduthun—was one of the Levitical “singers” in David’s Choir during the bringing up of Father’s Ark out of the house of Obed-edom after Father had struck Uzzah dead for reaching out his hand to steady It as It was possibly about to tumble off the ox-drawn cart It was being transported on as read in II Samuel 5 and I Chronicles 13, though Ethan’s role was as a cymbal sounder. † In II Chronicles 35:15 Ethan\Jeduthan is called “the king’s seer;” and in I Chronicles 25:1 it was the duty of Ethan\Jeduthan, Asaph and Heman “to prophesy,” then we read in II Chronicles 25:3 they were to “to give thanks,” and “to praise” Father YHVH. This was according to the king’s order according to II Chronicles 25:6. There are three Psalms connected with Ethan\Jeduthun: Psalms 38, 61 and 76, and they will be found to fulfill the conditions. By comparing these Psalms as set out in The Companion Bible, the confusion, caused by two of these Psalms appearing to have the names of two different authors, vanishes. The sub-scription of each Psalm now stands “To the chief Musician—Jeduthun\Ethan.” † The etymology of the name Jeduthun appears to be derived from an otherwise unused noun ידות (yeduth), meaning praise which in turn comes from the verb ידה (yada) meaning to confess, praise or give thanks: Our name ends with the familiar waw-nun couple that personifies or localizes the idea of the root; Jeduthun means Man Of Praise or Praiser. For a meaning of the name Jeduthun, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Praising. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Praising or Celebrating. Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary does not interpret this name but does list it under the verb ידה (yada).. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3038, - יְדוּתוּן, ְדֻתוּן or יְדִיתוּן, - yedûthûn, yedûthûn or yedı̂ythûn, pronounced - (1,2) yed-oo-thoonיss, (3) yed-ee-thoonי, and means: Probably from H3034; laudatory; Jeduthun, an Israelite: - Jeduthun. Total KJV occurrences: 17.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “(praising). A Levite of the family of Merari, is probably the same as Ethan, compare: I Chronicles 15:17,19 with 16:42,42; 25:1,3,6; II Chronicles 35:15. His office was generally to preside over the music of the temple service, Jeduthun’s name stands at the head of the 39th, 62nd and 77th Psalms, indicating probably that they were to be sung by his choir.”.
I Chronicles 25:2 Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king. —> Like as with many of the names in this Book of the I Chronicles, I’ll not be giving a detailed description of each of the names. I suggest you look them up in your Strong’s Concordance—notice that the names are underlined in the verse, that’s because I’ve provided a link. Just click on the name and it’ll take you to the Hebrew Lexicon, where you’ll be able to look up the name—and more specifically, in the Smith’s Bible dictionary.
I Chronicles 25:3 Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD. —> The verse says that there were six sons of Jeduthun, but, yet, only five are named here. The sixth—Shimei—is mentioned in verse v25:17 below. Now, just because these verses read “sons” it doesn’t automatically mean that they were his physical sons or descendants, it could also mean that they were “intellectual or spiritual” sons, meaning that they may have studied under the man named.
I Chronicles 25:4 Of Heman: the sons of Heman; Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Elithah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth: —>
Dr. Bullinger notes in his Companion notes to ths verse, the following: “The fact that the meanings of these six names form a complete sentence in Hebrew is no more proof that this is a mistaken “obscure and ancient prayer”, than that the chronicler has strung together a list of six names in order to form a sentence. What it shows is that Heman, in naming his sons, did so with this set purpose, as parents have often done since his day. The supposed prayer would read:
“I have magnified, and I have raised up
help,
Sitting in trouble, I have spoken many
oracles.”.”
I Chronicles 25:5 All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. —> The king’s seer=Let’s check out this word in our Strong’s Concordance brethren, and we’ll find that it is Hebrew word number: H2374, - חֹזֶה, - chôzeh, pronounced - kho-zehי, and means: Active particle of H2372; a beholder in a vision; also a compact (as looked upon with approval): - agreement, prophet, see that, seer, [star-] gazer. Total KJV occurrences: 18.. So in other words, one who sees Spiritual apprehension of what was seen.
In the words of God=The words of God, not the words of man. Nothing but Divine Words in Divine Worship of our Father YHVH. It is for this reason, this Pastor—and every Pastor should for that matter—teaches Father’s Word Verse–by–Verse, Chapter–by–Chapter, and Book–by–Book.
God gave to Heman=Yes, it was and is—even to this day—Father Who Blesses the womb. We can read of this in Genesis 49:25 which reads: Genesis 49:25 Even by the GOD of thy father, Who shall help thee; and by the ALMIGHTY, Who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: —> As was the case here with Heman, whom He Blessed with seventeen children. Conversely, Father can also shut up the womb as we can read in I Samuel 1:5-6 which reads: I Samuel 1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: (but the LORD had shut up her womb.) [1:6] And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb..
God=As used in this verse, this is ELOHIM—from Dr. Bullinger’s Companion Bible Appendices: ELOHIM—the genus God, Father in His role of Creator of all things. Dr.Bullinger notes in his Companion notes to this verse, that “(with Art.) = the [true] God.”.
I Chronicles 25:6 All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king’s order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. —> Many of the musical portion of Worship of Father YHVH in the Psalms were arranged and composed by David, but then given to one of the three Chief Musicians: Asaph, Heman or Jeduthun to perform the Worship. Also, remember, many of the Psalms were written to the Chief Musician.
I Chronicles 25:7 So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight. —> Songs of the LORD=Again, the Words were by Father, given to David to put to paper, who then gave them to one of the three Chief Musicians.
Cunning=Skilful—in a good sense. Dr. Bullinger says to compare this with Exodus 26:1; however, in the negative sense, I’d rather compare it with Genesis 3:1, even though the word used there is subtil, it means cunning in a negative sense. It is why this is one of the words which have been degraded in meaning, through the fall of man. Cunning, Meaning, knowing; but those who know, generally know too much.
Two hundred fourscore and eight=These 288 Levite singers were assigned—like the Priests—to the 24 courses of the Priests, though in the case of these Levitical singers, 12 men served each “Course” or, “Lot.” In other words, they too were on a bi-annual Rotational Duty, having to Serve for a week, twice a year, besides during the 4 major Feasts of Father YHVH—Feast of Passover, Feast of Weeks—what we call Pentecost today—the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles—and then twice a year, individually. 288 may seem like a large number but, remember, we read back in I Chronicles 23:5 that, there were 4,000 of these Levitical singers. 288 which is a multiplication of 24 x 12. Twelve in Biblical numberics denotes: “Governmental Perfection,” which is a factor in all that pertains to government: “whether by Tribes or Apostles, or in measurements of time, or in things which have to do with government in the heavens and the earth.”.
I Chronicles 25:8 And they cast lots, ward against ward, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar. —> Cast lots=This was done through the High Priest using the Urim and Thummim, the two stones which in the Hebrew language means “lights,” and “perfection.” “Lights” in the manner that brought all judgments of gilt to light, and “perfection” for moral perfection, and thus, innocence. The two stones were part of the Priest’s Breastplate and worn in a bag which was attached to the Breastplate. When any legal decision needed to be made, the Priest had to be present, especially concerning land or of the such. The Thummim stone would be cast down and the way the stone landed determined innocence or guilt. If a moral decision was to be made the Urim stone was cast, and the pointing determined it to be yes or no, guilt or innocence. The decisions were made on yes or no, right or wrong, and—though this is a bad analogy, it’ll still put it forth—it was sort of like flipping a coin to see what the answer would be; however, the reality was that Father had complete control over the two stones for, it was at His command that the Levites used this method to receive their answer, or judgment.
Ward=Let’s check out this word in our Strong’s Concordance brethren, and we’ll find that it is Hebrew word number: H4931, - מִשְׁמֶרֶת, - mishmereth, pronounced - mish-mehי-reth, and means: Feminine of H4929; watch, that is, the act (custody) or (concretely) the sentry, the post; objectively preservation, or (concretely) safe; figuratively observance, that is, (abstractly) duty, or (objectively) a usage or party: - charge, keep, to be kept, office, ordinance, safeguard, ward, watch. Total KJV occurrences: 78.. In other words, a charge, which is a word having much usage in and belonging to the Pentateuch—or the first 5 Books of Father’s Word, known as The LAW. We can compare this charge with it’s use in Numbers 18:3-5: Numbers 18:3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die. —> This is that part of the responsibility from verse Numbers 18:1 where Father says they shall “bear the iniquity of...” If the Priests—Aaron, and later his descendants—would have allowed the Levites or anybody else to come near the vessels of Father YHVH, that person and even possibly Aaron and his sons would have died. Remember, these vessels have been sanctified and are holy or “set apart” for Father YHVH. [18:4] And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. —> Back in Numbers 3, Father already laid out who would keep the charge of the tabernacle and such: Numbers 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. —> So we see that Moses was to bring the entire tribe of Levi and cause them to stand before Aaron and then start to perform their ministerial duties. In other words, they were to attend to, and see to, Aaron’s—the High Priest’s—needs. [3:7] And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. —> We’ll now see what the duties of the tribe of Levi are. This “And they shall keep” is a combination of Hebrew words H8104 and H853. Let’s take a look at them both, first with H8104: H8104, - שָׁמַר, - shâmar, pronounced - shaw-marי, and means: A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.; to beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man). Total KJV occurrences: 468.. Meaning then, that they were to protect and hedge about something, what was that something? That is where we add in word H853, - אֵת, - 'êth, pronounced - ayth, and means: Apparently contracted from H226 demonstrative sense of entity; properly self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely): - (As such unrepresented in English.) Total KJV occurrences: 7302.. Namely, the High Priest and the tabernacle. So their responsibilities included hedging about/guarding the High Priest and the tabernacle itself, which we know from Hebrew word H4931, which means, to act as a guard of sentry, they also had the responsibilities of ministering unto the tabernacle and the priests. [3:8] And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. —> Again, they were to maintain and keep all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle. [3:9] And thou shall give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. —> Aaron, his sons and their descendants are to be the priests of all the children of Israel, and they were the only ones who were allowed to be the priests. Remember, Aaron, Moses and Miriam were brothers and sister, they also were Levites; but, it was only Aaron’s descendants who were allowed to be the priests. Father is saying here that, the Levites were to minister, to be in charge of all things that pertain to His tabernacle, including the service and the priests. They were to keep and bear the Ark of God, maintain the oil and wicks for the candles, wash all the instruments after the services, cut, stack and store the wood for the fires, set-up, and take-down and carry the tabernacle whenever they moved, the scribing of all the services and Father’s Word, etc. This is how it can be said, “all the priests were of Levi, but not all Levites could be priests.” [3:10] And thou shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.” —> It was up to Aaron and his sons to make sure that no-one other than Aaron and his descendants entered into the priesthood, and if anybody else tried, they were to be put to death per Father’s Command. We know from reading I Chronicles 2:55, that they fell down on the job: I Chronicles 2:55 And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab. —> Why would Father become so angry about this? Well, we know He knows everything, and it should come to no surprise to anyone that He would know also what would happen in the future. So, let’s see just who these are who are of the house of Rechab. We can find out about them in Jeremiah 35. Before we go to there, allow me to give a little background info: I Chronicles 1, starts the Adamic genealogy from Adam. Then we pick it up in I Chronicles 2, with the descendants from Jacob—whom Father later renamed Israel, but when we come to I Chronicles 2, we then find others, who are the nethinims and not of the Adamic seedline, which the Levites wrongly allowed to become the scribes of Father’s Word. These families of the scribes, the ones who wrote the manuscripts from which the King James Bible came from, are kenites, of the sons of Cain, we know that because “kenite” literally means — “sons of Cain.” They boldly proclaim that they are not of Israel, or of any of the tribes of Israel, but of the house or family of Rechab, and the land of the kenites — of Hamath. Earlier in I Chronicles 2, what did Father say about these people when he tested them? Remember, that it was Father Who told Jeremiah to call these the sons of Jonadab into His Temple, before they had taken over the priesthood, to show Jeremiah how far off the house of Judah had gone from being obedient to His Word. So, after the test of giving wine to these entire families, and not one taking the wine—Jeremiah 35:1-4—we then come to: Jeremiah 35:5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and said unto them, “Drink ye wine.” [35:6] But they said, “We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, ‘Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons forever: [35:7] Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.’ —> Then we read in [35:18] And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Because ye have obeyed the commandments of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you: —> To the letter of their law—not Father’s law but Jonadab’s command and precepts—these kenites were obedient. So, Father is making a pledge here through the prophet Jeremiah to these kenites. [35:19] Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before Me for ever.’ ” —> Father is promising the kenites that they will always have a leader who will hold them together as a people. Though this is the negative part of Father’s plan, it is also positive, for they will take an important part in carrying out the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and in turn, condemn their own father Satan to the fire of hell as recorded in Revelation 20:15. So, Father did bless them well for their obedience to satan, and Jonadab their father, even to the point where they are the most successful people on the face of the earth today. When you and I stay faithful to Father and His Word, and become Biblically literate, He will also bless us. Father blesses everyone who is faithful and obedient to our heavenly Father, and it is not a matter of what you know from His Word, but how obedient you are to what you do know. Father gave us these Scriptures for the sake of giving us an example of what we are to expect in this end generation of this earth age, for the events of the end times are passing us by fast. This is why Father said, the stranger that Aaron’s descendants allowed into the priesthood “shall be put to death.” Numbers 18:5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel. —> The Levites alone were to stand as boldly as they did at the base of Mount Sinai and not allow anybody to try and take their duties from them, and they also to put down any rebellion from anybody else.
I Chronicles 25:9 Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah, who with his brethren and sons were twelve: —>
Beginning with this verse through the end of the Chapter, we have the break-down of the 24 “Courses” and the names of the Levitical singers who fulfilled, were responsible for, and served in each of those “Courses.” Even though there was a Monarchy in place and running the kingdom, it was the Levites who had control over the activity within the Temple which controlled the affairs of the people.
I’ll not provide a detailed description of each man’s name, but I will provide a link to the Hebrew Lexicon for each name.
As you read through this list of names, notice that at the end of each division of Levites it states that there, “were twelve,” twelve Levitical singer, or musicians fpr each Course.
I chronicles 25:10 The third to Zaccur, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:11 The fourth to Izri, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:12 The fifth to Nethahiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:13 The sixth to Bukkiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:14 The seventh to Jesharelah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:15 The eighth to Jeshaiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:16 The ninth to Mattaniah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:17 The tenth to Shemei, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:18 The eleventh to Azareel, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:19 The twelfth to Hashabiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:20 The thirteenth to Shubael, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:21 The fourteenth to Mattithiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:22 The fifteenth to Jeremoth, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:23 The sixteenth to Hananiah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:24 The seventeenth to Joshbekashah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:25 The eighteenth to Hanani, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:26 The nineteenth to Mallothi, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:27 The twentieth to Eliathah, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:28 The one and twentieth to Hothir, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:29 The two and twentieth to Giddalti, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:30 The three and twentieth to Mahazioth, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve:
I chronicles 25:31 The four and twentieth to Romamti-ezer, he, his sons, and his brethren, were twelve.
Mar 2019
This Bible Study was written by Scott Reis and is provided in order to be used as a private Bible Study Tool. Therefore, it may be copied in whole or in part and shared for private Bible Study; however, it may not be reproduced and published as an original work.
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