David takes the sons of three of his musicians and establishes twenty-four orders of musicians for the service of the temple.  They will match the twenty-four courses of priests who do the service of the temple.

What Does It Say?

1. David separated the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun in order to ___________ with harps, with ____________, and with cymbals.
2. Jeduthun prophesied with a harp to give ________ and to ___________ the LORD.
3. Heman was the king’s _________ in the __________ of God.
4. All the children of Heman were under the hands of their father for ________ in the house of the LORD.
5. There were 288 men who were ___________ in the songs of the LORD.

What Does It Mean?

1. Carefully read the first few verses of this chapter.  How many purposes for the temple music can you name from this passage?
2. Notice the word “scholar” in verse eight.  Look at the passage.  Look it up in a dictionary.  What is the meaning of the word as used here?  In what different way do most people use the word today?
3. The twenty-four orders of musicians are led by the twenty-four sons of Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.  Asaph has four sons (v.2).  Jeduthan has six sons (v.3).  Heman has fourteen sons (v.4-5).  All of these sons are named in verses 2-4 except one of Jeduthun’s sons.  He is said to have six sons but only five are named in verse three.  What is the name of the sixth son?  (Compare the names in verses 9-31.)  Then tell why you think this name was not mentioned in verse three.  Warning: This may be harder than you think.  It makes a great mystery search.

What Does It Mean to Me?

1. The three main musicians were men who prophesied with harps (v.1, 3) according to the order of the king (v.2).  Heman was even called a seer (another name for prophet: 1Samuel 9:9
   See All...).  Twelve of the psalms were written by Asaph (Psalms 50, 73 through 83) and one by Heman (Psalm 88).  Why did God use musicians who were also prophets?  What lessons does this have for us today in our use of music in the church?
2. Heman is called king David’s seer, or prophet (v.5).  By using a concordance or Bible dictionary, find out the name of Heman’s famous grandfather.  Now, tell what we know about Heman’s father.  What do these facts teach us about God’s grace?  How could you help someone with this teaching?