Nehemiah 12
As the Church, one of our rhythms is corporate singing. We gather each week and sing songs that remind us of God’s character. Together, we sing lyrics as a response to who God is and what he has done for us. When you really think about it, this practice is a bit strange. The only other instances where corporate singing happens in our culture are raves and concerts, and while these environments put on display the creativity and artistry that God gifted humans, they don’t usually lead us to give our attention to God above all else.
Yet, all throughout scripture, the people of God have consistently responded to God through singing. Singing together is one of the unique ways that God has invited us to experience him as a community. We see an example of this in our text for today. Let’s take a look at verses 27- 29:
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 The musicians also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem—from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.
We know from the book of Numbers that the Levites, one of the 12 tribes of Israel, were given the special calling to serve in the tabernacle. The Kohanim, a subset of the Levites descended from Aaron, served as priests, while the others held the responsibilities of guarding the temple and leading the singing.
As a response to what they had seen God do in their community, Ezra and Nehemiah saw fit to call up the Levites - the tabernacle worship leaders - to celebrate the moment with music and songs of thanksgiving.
David, in Psalm 150, writes a poem that calls Israel to praise God. Let’s read it:
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
David is calling Israel to praise God loudly. To get out not just the cymbals, but the “resounding cymbals,” or as the ESV puts it, the “loud crashing cymbals.” When we see God move, we shouldn’t let the moment pass without proclaiming it and praising him for it.
As David and the Levites demonstrate, there is something special about responding not just by talking about what God has done, but by singing about it. So next time you see God transform you or someone around you, would you consider singing about it? Call up your friends and have a worship night, just like Ezra and Nehemiah did. Or just sing to worship songs to a recording in your room. It doesn’t have to be a production to be worship.
Singing to God in thanksgiving, or in lament for that matter, shouldn’t be confined to the Sunday gathering. We don’t need the Levites to lead us in singing any more, because Jesus is the great Levite who intercedes for us and enables us to sing to the Father at any moment. May we be a people who sing often and loudly to our God who desires to hear our praise.
