1 Chronicles 25:8 - Meaning and Application

At the start of this chapter, twenty-four men are named as sons of those three great leaders, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Ethan was the third (1 Chronicles 6:44), but he may have died before this order was fully set in place, and Jeduthun took his place. Or Ethan and Jeduthun may have been two names for the same man.

Providence ordered it so that Asaph had four sons, Jeduthun had six, and Heman had fourteen, making twenty-four in all, as named in (1 Chronicles 25:2-4). All were fit for the work and were called to it. But the question was, in what order should they serve? That was decided by lot, to avoid rivalry and arguments over rank, a sin that easily troubles many people who are otherwise good.

The lot was cast fairly. They were divided into twenty-four groups, with twelve in each group, arranged in two rows, twelve groups in a row. Then they cast lots, one group against another, putting everyone on the same level, both the important and the lesser, the teacher and the student. They did not decide by age, by rank, or by how much training they had received in music schools. The matter was left to God (1 Chronicles 25:8). Before God, the great and the small stand alike, and he does not follow our rules about rank and precedence. See (Matthew 20:23).

God then decided as he chose, likely taking into account the worth of each person, which matters far more than age or birth order. If we compare the list here with the earlier names, we find that Josephus was Asaph’s second son, Gedaliah was Jeduthun’s oldest son, Zaccur was Asaph’s oldest, Izri was Jeduthun’s second, Nethaniah was Asaph’s third, Bukkiah was Heman’s oldest, Jesharelah was Asaph’s youngest, Jeshaiah was Jeduthun’s third, Mattaniah was Heman’s second, Shimei was Jeduthun’s youngest, Azareel was Heman’s third, Hashabiah was Jeduthun’s fourth, Shubael was Heman’s fourth, Mattithiah was Jeduthun’s fifth, Jeremoth was Heman’s fifth, Hananiah was Heman’s sixth, Joshbekashah was Heman’s eleventh, Hanani was Heman’s seventh, Mallothi was Heman’s twelfth, Eliathah was Heman’s eighth, Hothir was Heman’s thirteenth, Giddalti was Heman’s ninth, Mehazioth was Heman’s fourteenth, and Romamti-ezer was Heman’s tenth. See how God gave more to some and put the younger before the older.

Each of these men had a choir of twelve with him, called his sons and his brothers, because they treated them as sons and worked with them as brothers. Most likely, twelve people made up the music, some singing and others playing instruments. Let us learn to glorify God with one mind and one voice, for that is the best kind of harmony.