Bible Commentaries

Aaron—Eleazar—Unknown Workers—Religious Uses of Music

1 Chronicles 6:49-81. We ought now to be in good company seeing that we are in the lineage of priests. Every man's white robe will symbolize his holy character, and every man's official duties will indicate the nobler exercises of spiritual worship. Society has a right to draw inferences from the occupations of men. No surgeon should be inhuman because by profession he is a healer and restorer. No lawyer should be seditious, rebellious, dishonourable, because he is supposed to know the law and to have entered upon its exposition, because of his love of high study and the discipline of citizenship. If this is so in high professions, what shall be said of the priests of the living God? From them we look for whatsoever things are true, lovely, pure, honest, and of good report, and in so far as they fall short, they themselves must bear the responsibility, for they, and they only, are to blame for every lapse. But are we to look for absolute perfectness even in consecrated men? We may look for it, but certainly we shall not find it in any real sense. It is unjust to expect more from men than men can render. There must however be a steady determination to realise the ideal and to attain the divine. The apostle Paul did not count himself to have attained, but he continually pressed toward the 1 Chronicles 6:6 and 1 Chronicles 6:7. We know little more of Zadok than that he was appointed sole high priest by Solomon who deposed Abiathar ( 1 Kings 2:27, 1 Kings 2:35). Ahimaaz is chiefly known as a young man and a fleet runner, who rendered service to king David at the time of the revolt of Absalom. Johanan is utterly unknown. Yet all these men were either priests, or workers, or recognised persons in the social and official circles to which they belonged. So again and again we come upon the familiar lesson that there is a middle point between renown and contempt; there is a point of life-influence—thorough downright good work which never blossoms into the kind of conspicuousness which belongs to world-wide and enduring fame. Even amongst the disciples of Christ there were only three who really stood out so as to attract the attention of all men. At the last indeed, one did stand out, not in fame, but in infamy, a man whose name can never be pronounced without horror and disgust. It must ever be true that the great majority of men must work within narrow limits and be content with the eulogium of domestic recognition. At the last the whole matter of reputation will be adjusted and determined by the Judge of the whole earth. The first may be last, and the last may be first. The very fact that all our awards may be reversed should make us cautious in the distribution of primacies which concern themselves more with the coronation of genius than with the recognition and encouragement of simpler merits. We are not to hesitate to give honour to whom honour is due, but we should never be so far carried away with pomp and grandeur, however real, as to neglect the least of Christ's servants or the humblest ministrants who wait upon his altar.

In reading 1 Chronicles 6:19—"And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers"—we must remember that the word "families" does not mean single households but groups of households or clans. This is important as showing the beginning of an enlargement which is to continue until the whole world shall be regarded as constituting one family. Towards this consummation we can but proceed with painful slowness. The work of grace within us is long in subduing the idea that God is partial in his choices and blessings. The heart almost secretly cherishes the idea that walls of separation between men and men must in some degree continue for ever. It is hard for one nation to believe that other nations are as near to God as themselves. All this may not be admitted in theory, but an examination of the heart will lead to the conclusion that every man clings more or less to the notion that God is interested in his fortunes more than in the fortunes of other men. The spread of Christianity is important in a social as well as in a theological sense as tending to the instruction of men in mutual interpretation of motive and purpose. Christianity brings men together; never divides and antagonises men; it always points towards brotherhood, mutual confidence, reciprocal honour, and united action. All this is possible of Christianity simply because Christianity represents the second Adam, the one man who idealises and crowns humanity. Nothing is more noticeable in the progress of Christianity than the disillusioning of the apostolic mind as to God's partiality for the Jews. [See the case of Peter and Cornelius as representing the whole Biblical idea upon this question of humanity.] Christianity is opposed to all limitation, narrowness, bigotry, exclusiveness; its noble watchword is the world, the whole world, the whole world for Christ.

In the thirty-first verse we are introduced to what may be called the larger ministry.

"And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest." ( 1 Chronicles 6:31).

They were made to stand, according to a literal interpretation, by the sides [hands] of song as if to minister to the sacred music. They continue ministering, before the dwelling of the tent of meeting, with the music. The religious uses of music is a question which the Church has hardly yet considered. Possibly there will never be wanting those who look upon music as an alien, and regard every advance made by it with suspicion and condemnation. There are not wanting those who would describe thorough attention to music in the church as turning the church into a concert room. All such opposition however must end in nothing. It is now beginning to be recognised that music may be turned into a grand evangelical instrument, and the sneer about "singing the Gospel" is gradually losing the confidence of those who first ignorantly applauded. As a matter of observation and experience it is beyond all doubt that people will gather in great numbers to listen to music when no attraction of an ordinary kind will bring them to the sanctuary.

The wise religious guides of any age will watch the temper of the people, and will respond to it in a way which will involve nothing of degradation, but which will secure the attention which may be turned to the highest ends. On all such matters argument is simply needless. Obstinate bigotry is not to be put down by reasoning; it is simply left to be converted by events. Let the church be open night and day for music; let the music always be religiously rendered; let every singer make the words heard as well as the notes; and in the end it will be found that the music of the appeal has found an entrance for the truth of the doctrine. The service of song in the house of the Lord should be the most beautiful of all religious exercises. The heavenly ones are continually praising God in the upper sanctuary. We read nothing of preaching in heaven, but we do read of songs and harps, thanksgivings, and of praises louder than the sound of many waters. We are perfectly well aware that there are persons who would pervert the use of music and do injury to the very spirit of the Church, but we must not take our rule of procedure from them; but endeavour to displace them by a right adaptation of music; and to supersede them by pointing out and following a more excellent way.