We enjoyed a Canada Day party at our home over the weekend. Hosting events like this is always a good opportunity to get some things done around the house, clean up, move equipment, make the lawn neat (though it is yellow from no rain, so not so pretty!). Everyone has a task to do, no one is allowed to sit around. How can God get the glory in menial tasks like mowing the lawn or moving heavy boards or mopping a floor? It just so happened the whole week before the party I had been reading in 1 Chronicles and the last few chapters were all about menial tasks. Tasks that make no sense to be included in the Bible. I've always wondered why they are included at all, but it is clear that this is how God gets the glory - in details that are small, in work that doesn't seem to matter.
1 Chronicles 23 begins with David assembling all the leaders, particularly the Levites. We assemble our family all the time. This is when the tasks are handed out. David assessed how old each one was and if they were over 30, they were given different assignments. We do that, too. If you are over a certain age you can do this, but can't do that. Some "have charge of the work of the house of the Lord", some are "gatekeepers", some "shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise". He made instruments! I think that is an interesting point to include as my husband has made instruments, too. We play a guitar that he made years ago. It goes on to explain how some are to "assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measure of quantity or size." God cares about flour and baking! Some of my kids are musical, some are too young to even know if they are. Some are definitely future gatekeepers of their families, some are definitely interested in baking, too interested in fact.
But the reminder of having a morning and evening worship time, even in the midst of taking care of the house of God, was emphasized again, "And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening.....regularly before the Lord. (23:30) It doesn't matter what task is being done, regular worship of God is required.
Chapter 24 is when he organizes the priests, "according to their appointed duties in their service". It's ok to give appointed duties to our children. This is how work gets done efficiently and effectively. Each priest is named. This means they matter. Names matter. Each of our children get called by name and a task is given to them. I'll make a list and put the names of each child beside the task.
Chapter 25 is all about the musicians. He describes one man, "Heman". He had 17 children. "They were all under the direction of their father in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. The number of them along with their brothers who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skillful, was 288. And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike." This is a cool passage as it talks about a musical family! Under the direction of their father. Some of the kids were good at singing, others at musical instruments. It even includes the idea that they were trained by teachers in their musical abilities! Some were "small", others were "great", so clearly some were younger, some were older, some were probably very early learners, some very talented for years. We're so privileged to have had some fantastic musical training from great piano teachers over the years. We've never had voice training, but have had opportunities to sing. My one son longed to learn guitar, but alas, lessons were a little out of reach financially so he opted for an internet teacher who has been fantastic! He is now very adept at guitar and has inspired his other brother to learn as well. We never thought of drumming, but nowadays the box drum has made it so that just about anyone can sit and play the box drum and sound good without lessons as well, so my other son is doing that. Put it all together and my husband, along with a couple of other church members, and four of our children are now on the church stage a couple of times a month and it is wonderful! The chapter in the Bible may has well have said, "King David organized the worship teams, got them their music, made sure they practiced and then put them on a monthly schedule." Reading that chapter is inspiring to see how important worship and music is to the Lord.
Chapter 26 is all about gatekeepers. This chapter doesn't seem to be very profound yet it is as each gatekeeper is described as sons "who were rulers in their fathers' houses, for they were men of great ability". Nowadays I consider gatekeepers being the men of the house, watching for anything that could try to come in to our homes that could potentially pollute them, that could be dangerous, that could tear our families apart. We need to be raising men of "great ability" and discernment, "able men" as the chapter describes them. They aren't just any men, but men "qualified for the service". My 9 year old son said yesterday how he hates being 9. He's too young to do anything important, but too old to be doing the little kid stuff. I explained to him how these are the training years. He immediately went on and said, "So I guess I have to learn things now so that when I'm old I'll be able to do more things and then when I learn those things I'll be able to do other things and then when I learn those things I'll be able to do other things.....?" "Yes! That's it! You don't get qualified right away! So being 9 is so important!" He got it. We must make our sons able and qualified. "Watch corresponded to watch," the Bible says. We must train them to never let up so that there is never a time when their families, their homes, their churches are not being guarded from the enemy.
Even the maintenance of the church is mentioned. God wanted His house to look good! He wanted it to have a maintained look. I had my son mow in areas that no one even walks the other day. Why? Because then our house looks lived in, maintained, kept. Once the grass grows tall, even in areas that don't matter, it starts to look like we are in a deserted "who cares what it looks like" type of home. If you let one thing get away on you then you stop caring about other areas and pretty soon, the house and property look awful. Every summer we try to clean up more and more areas of the farm so we don't look like that. It is hard work and no one enjoys it, but this verse tells me it is important!
Enough for now.....there's more to describe....but I will keep these ideas in my mind today knowing I don't need to feel bad when I give my children work. I'm helping to create qualified children who will ultimately be in the service of the Lord in some way in the future be it in their homes, their professions or even in ministry.
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