My extraordinary wife Brenda—an
early-morning riser, devout prayer warrior and student of Scripture—shared her takeaway
with me from this morning’s time with God. Because I am a student of worship,
she let me in on some gold nuggets about leadership and musical skill from both
her Bible reading and the Matthew Henry Commentary,
which she often consults during study.
Brenda was reading in 1 Chronicles
6 about David and how he chose his original “worship team.” Verses 31 and 32 reveal:
And these are they whom David set
over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had
rest. And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of
the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in
Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order (NIV).
There are several important things
to be gleaned from 1 Chronicles 5 and 6 for which modern worship leaders
and even potential worship team members would do well to ponder. First of all,
God chose David to coordinate worship (service of song) in the house of the
Lord. Second, David then carefully chose capable people who would help him serve
in this capacity.
“David was no doubt the chief person on the worship
team.”
The
importance of choosing biblically qualified leaders for worship must not be
lost on the modern church. David’s qualifications are renowned: he was a man
after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14); he was a gifted leader (1 Chron. 10:11-47);
he ministered skillfully before the Lord (1 Chron. 16:1); he was also an excellent
musician, and was a courageous warrior (1 Sam. 16:18). This profile of David is
exceptional, but a leader in any discipline must be outstanding among others
with similar skills. It is important to also note that scrutiny was given in
choosing musicians for the service of the temple. 1 Chronicles 5:6b-8 tells us:
Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman took
their orders directly from the king. There were two hundred eighty-eight of
these men, and all of them were skilled musicians. David assigned them
their duties by asking the Lord what he wanted. Everyone was
responsible for something, whether young or old, teacher or student” (CEV).
An important observation to make here is that David’s helpers
humbly received guidance from their leader—David was no doubt the chief person on
the worship team. He also assigned skilled assistants to help him organize and implement
worship.
“David gave responsibility and authority to each
person on the team.”
To complete the profile of a capable
worship leader and team, the passage in 1 Chronicles 5 tells us that David
chose skilled musicians from among
the Levites. Also, a poignant look into David’s leadership shows he was
sensitive to the Lord and inquired about specific services for which each servant
would be best suited. After giving careful consideration, David gave certain responsibilities and authority to each person on the team.
Matthew Henry (October 18, 1662 – June
22, 1714) conveyed his unique perspective on the process of choosing a worship
team. Although Henry lived over three hundred years ago—before the U.S. was
even a country—his commentary delivers a fresh and straightforward evaluation. There
was plenty of service to be done in the tabernacle of the house of God (1
Chron. 6:48), and, Henry continues:
…to all such services there were
Levites appointed…perhaps those that were not fit to be singers, that had
either no good voice or no good ear. As every one has received the gift, so let
him minister [1 Pet. 2:10]. Those that could not sing must not therefore be
laid aside as good for nothing; though they were not fit for that service,
there was other service they might be useful in. (Matthew Henry Complete Commentary
On the Whole Bible [Special Complete Edition], Kindle locations 72820-72824).
“A multigenerational approach to worship.”
Although the New Testament gives
us direction on how to choose ministry leaders (1 Tim. 3:1-13; 2 Tim. 2:1-13;
Titus 1:5-9; Acts 6:1-6—highlighting Commitment,
Conviction, Competency, and Character),
there is little specific direction for how to choose worship teams and leaders
aside from the example of David and the Tribe of Levi in the service of temple
and tabernacle worship. Here are the four directives gleaned from 1 Chronicles
5 & 6 to consider when choosing a worship team:
1.
Choose
a qualified, godly, and musically-skilled leader who is sensitive to the Holy
Spirit and to the needs of God’s people
2.
Carefully
select godly team members—instrumentalists, singers and tech people—who are
skilled and committed
3.
Assemble
a few standout leaders from among the worship team to assist the worship leader
4.
Pick
worship team members from all ages—young, old, and in between—for a multigenerational
approach to worship
