Chapter 25

The musicians organized.  These also into 24 divisions by lot. 

2022 - This verse:

1 David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: [1Ch 25:1 ESV].  I never noticed that the musicians prophesied with their instruments.  Wonder how we are to take that?  Looked it up in BLB.  I don't know the tenses, nor the conjugations, so I have to assume this was past tense.  In the KJV, however, the phrase is "who should prophesy".  BLB says this single word is a noun, masculine common plural absolute.  Prophesy is plural, so prophesies are in view.  Prophesies with musical instruments.  I guess the simplest explanation is that they set their prophecies to music.  Surely the prophecies were verbal, but pronounced with accompaniment.  Singing might be a better way of putting it...but there's a word for sing, and it is not used here.  So shouldn't we understand this as words spoken with music in the background?  MSB has a lot to say about this.  Prophecy is not necessarily revelatory, but can also be a proclamation of the truth, the right.  It can exhort righteousness in the hearers.  Music - the instruments - can be seen as a vehicle for that proclamation.  So yes, this is about hymns, with theology and doctrine ingrained, and in an easily recalled format.  Just like our hymns to day.  And these hymns, in David's time, were set to music.

2023 - Note this verse:  7 The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the LORD, all who were skillful, was 288. [1Ch 25:7 ESV].  We will see in the next verses that there were in fact 24 groups of 12, or 288 charged with the duties of prophesying by lyre, harp, and cymbal.  The interesting part to me is that we again see the number 24 used in a significant way associated with worship.  Just as there were 24 priests, there are 24 choirs that sign praise to God.  I would, and I don't see how we should not, connect this 24 to the 24 elders around the throne of God in Revelation.