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“Though sporadic reforms mark the latter history of Judah, the people continually reverted to their former sins, forsaking the commandments and worshipping after the desires of their own hearts. In the contrast, we are shown the nature of pure worship against the backdrop of its corruption.

Even the wisdom of Solomon cannot add to God’s ordinances (2 Chron. 7: 1-22)
“The record of 2 Chronicles takes up the history of God’s people with the reign of Solomon, the son of David. The first nine chapters of this book record the events of Solomon’s reign, with particular attention given to his construction and dedication of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. Through David and Solomon, God revealed the particular details of His worship which would remain in place for the remainder of Israel’s history.

We have already noted that every detail of the worship of Israel was made known by direct revelation from God, and His Word was to be carefully followed. No place was given to human creativity in determining when, where, or how God was to approached by His people.

This is an important fact to be noted, since some insist that while the strict regulation of Old Testament temple worship was necessary because of the particular typological significance of the service, the New Testament church is no longer bound by such peculiarity and is therefore free to express creativity and innovation in the worship of God. The simple fact of the matter is that not a single example of such
alleged creativity in the elements of worship can be found in the New Testament Scriptures.

Where is all of the outworking of creativity produced by this greater enlightenment? Where are the choruses and the orchestras? Where are the dramatic presentations and performances of ‘special music’? Should we not expect, if the advocates of this greater license in the elements of worship are correct, to find the apostles even leading the way in the implementation of appropriate additions to the service of worship among the churches they founded? Yet we find not one example of such things. What is found, instead, is a simple spiritual worship, stripped of all of the outward and typological elements of the Old Testament ceremonies, yet still perfectly regulated by the revealed will of God with no allowance for human innovation which the apostles condemned as ‘will- worship.’

It is often implied in the arguments of those who advocate creativity in worship that believers under the New Covenant possess a superior wisdom and spirituality to that of their Old Testament counterparts, and are therefore equipped to determine what innovations are appropriate and what are not. Yet we may be sure that there is not a representative in all of the Church who rivals Solomon for wisdom.

Early in 2 Chronicles we are told how it was that Solomon came to possess wisdom and judgment that far exceeded any other man, and would be excelled only by Christ Himself. Solomon’s wisdom was a gift from God, bestowed upon him by divine grace. When God offered to grant him anything he desired, Solomon asked not for fame or wealth, but for wisdom in order to govern God people well. This was a humble request, and in response God gave him what he asked for, as well as what he didn't seek. Solomon thus learned the relationship between humility and wisdom: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’

The application of this lesson to worship is seen in the fact that Solomon, for all of his wisdom, did not presume to add anything to the worship of God that he had not received from his father David, and thus by divine inspiration. He did not presume, as many do today, that he was wise enough to determine how God should be approached. He knew that the first act of wisdom was to acknowledge his own ignorance of spiritual truth, and submit his heart to pursue obedience to God's Word. This is a lesson that needs to be understood today by those who presume that they are wise enough to determine for themselves what is or is not pleasing to God in His worship. Fear the Lord and do according to all that He has commanded for this is your wisdom.” (Comin, 135-137)

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“In the early chapters of 1 Chronicles a great deal of genealogical material is recorded. The purpose of these chapters is not merely to provide a family record for the descendants of Abraham, but to establish the flow of redemption in history from Adam through David, with a special emphasis upon the appointment of the sons of Aaron and the Levites to carry out the ministry of the Tabernacle. All was designed to point to Jesus Christ. As the Son of David He would be the Ruler of God's everlasting Kingdom. He would fulfill all that the ceremonies of Israel were designed to prefigure.

When the genealogy is complete, the inspired writer begins to recount Israel’s history with the defeat and death of Saul (chapter 10), noting particularly that the kingdom was taken away from Saul ‘because he did not keep the word of the Lord’ (verse 13). This is in reference to Saul’s presumption in offering burnt sacrifices contrary to God's command. Thus we are again reminded that God’s judgment -not man’s- is to direct the actions of His people, particularly with regard to matters of worship.

God is serious about the obedience of his people in their approach to him. (1 Chronicles 13)

After a brief summary of David's rise to power in Chapter 11 the author of Chronicles recounts the events surrounding the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. The botched first attempt to move the ark, culminating in the death of Uzzah, is recorded in chapter 13. The account is substantially the same as that found in 2 Samuel 6. Apparently, the holy Spirit considered this event worthy of repetition in
the sacred record, that we may learn how zealous God is for His people to approach Him with due regard to His appointed means.

Michael Bushnell notes, ‘no other example of Scripture shows more clearly the folly of ignoring God's own instructions as to how He is to be approached. Seen from a limited point of view Uzzah’s intentions were certainly ‘good’. But ‘will- worship,’ even when offered with the best of intentions, is still sacrilege. It is worth noting that the Philistines had not incurred such severe punishment for touching the ark. This shows that the Lord is especially zealous that His own people approach Him in a fitting manner. When the ark was later brought to Jerusalem, David was exceedingly careful to see that it was moved ‘as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.’ (1 Chronicles 15:15). David's charge to the Levites on that occasion ought to be burned on the hearts of all who seek to worship the Lord in an acceptable and fitting manner: ‘Because you didn't carry it at first, the Lord made an outburst on us for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.’ (1 Chronicles 15:13)” (Comin, 121-122)

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“Whenever new worship practices are introduced in Scripture God makes it explicitly clear that He, and not man, is the source of the new additions. As a prophet, King David received detailed plans from God concerning the pattern of the temple and its worship. The Bible emphasizes the fact that these things were revealed by divine inspiration. Nothing relating to the worship of God is ever the result of human imagination. The pattern revealed to David received no further alterations until the death of Jesus Christ. It was based upon the pattern of the ‘heavenly Tabernacle,’ and all of its intricate details were fulfilled in Him, thus putting an end to them. This is what the author of Hebrews means when he says that Jesus ‘has obtained a more excellent ministry.’ Gone are all of the physical elements, which were mere shadows of heavenly realities. In Christ, we worship in spirit and in truth… Let us do so with the fullness of joy.” (Comin, 132-133)

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“One final observation from the book of 2 Kings concerns the subtlety of the enemy in seeking to convince God's people that He is pleased with their will- worship. When the king of Assyria attacked Jerusalem under Hezekiah’s reign, he sent one of his officers called ‘Rabshakeh’, whose job was to wage a propaganda war against the city, filling the hearts of the people with doubt and undermining their confidence.

One particular statement deserves close attention. Look again at verse 22: ‘But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? In verse 22, the Rabshakeh suggested to the people that the Lord was angry with them because of Hezekiah’s reforms-that He actually preferred the worship of the high places and was offended by the ’narrow’ insistence on ‘the altar in Jerusalem.’

How clever is the enemy, who seeks to convince men that God delights in their innovations and would actually be offended with them if they removed them and returned to pure worship according to His commands! It is a common tactic of the devil to raise questions within us concerning matters of reformation. If he can cause us to confuse matters of faithfulness with legalism, then he can convince us that we offer less offense to God by continuing to treat His commandments lightly. May God open our eyes to his subtle devices, and give us courage to pursue comprehensive reform.” (Comin, 119-120)

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“It is beyond dispute that everything instituted by God in His worship is purposeful. We may ask, then, for what purpose did God institute the Levitical use of musical instruments under David? They were clearly not given to be used in the accompaniment of congregational singing, as pianos, guitars, and organs are used in many churches today. Their function was typical and symbolic, like the rest of the ceremonial service.
1 Chronicles 25: 1 tells us that the Levites were commanded to ‘prophecy’ with the instruments of David, which indicates that they served a prophetic role in the service of the temple. They foretold something that was yet to be fully revealed. G.I. Williamson writes: ‘the whole system of ceremonial worship served as a ‘shadow of heavenly things’ (Heb. 8:5). It was ‘a figure for the time then present’ (9:9), but a figure of something better in the future. In plain words, here the drama of the redemption was enacted symbolically… that is why sound effects, and a musical background are so important. It helps His Old Testament people (as children under age, Galatians 4) sense something more in these animal sacrifices than was actually there. As the sacrifice was offered, the emotions of God's people were stirred by the cacophony of music.

There were many elements of the Temple worship which foreshadowed not only the Person and work of Christ- who was to accomplish our salvation, but also the Person and work of the Holy Spirit- who was to apply Christ’s finished work to His people. Among these typical elements of the worship of the Old Testament Temple were…

1. The ceremonial washing with water
2. The anointing oil
3. The oil in the Golden Candlestick
4. The Feast of Pentecost (Firstfruits)
5. Instrumental music

If instrumental music was a typical element of Israel’s worship-an element that has passed away with the fulfillment of the type- the question again arises, ‘What specifically was the instrumental music of the Temple designed to foreshadow? Girardeau offers several possible answers to this important question…

1. It was typical of Christ in his Person and offices
2. It was typical of the use of instrumental music by the church in the New Testament dispensation
3. It was typical of the Holy Spirit in his Person and offices
4. It was typical of some effect produced by the grace of the Holy Spirit

There is no conceivable sense in which the instruments employed in the Temple can be seen as types of either the Person and offices of Christ or the Holy Spirit. Further, it could not have typified the use of instrumental music in the New Testament church, since that would involve the absurdity of a thing typifying itself. We are left, then, with the fourth option-that the instrumental music of the Temple was a type of some effect that would be produced by the grace of the Holy Spirit when He was poured out in His fullness on the New Covenant people of God- namely, the spiritual and triumphant joy that would result from the fullness of the Spirit being poured out by Christ.” (Comin, 129-130)

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“Here we come to the glorious era of reform in Judah under the reign of good king Hezekiah, who ‘did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.’ How was he different from those who preceded him? The reforms of Hezekiah were comprehensive. He destroyed the pagan idols. He removed the high places. He even broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people had turned it into an object of superstition.

The destruction of the brazen serpent shows just how far genuine reform truly is. The brazen serpent was originally made by God’s command. Yet it was never intended to be part of the ordinary worship of the Lord. The people, however-no doubt with good intentions- incorporated it into their worship and made it an object of superstition. Hezekiah saw this as a corruption of God’s worship, and destroyed the brazen serpent.

Were his actions extreme? Why not simply caution the people against the abuse of a traditional symbol? The answer is that Hezekiah realized that the serpent had become a snare, and he understood the subtle nature of idolatry. Better to dispense with a sacred relic, than leave it as a temptation for present and future generations. One wonders how Hezekiah would respond to the crosses found in most modern churches today!

Most importantly, Hezekiah understood that it was necessary to address the issues of spiritual decline among the people if there was to be any hope for the nation. He knew that worship is the foundational issue from which all else flows. If we begin in our worship of God with the presupposition that He is sovereign and is alone to be obeyed, then we will submit to His Word in all matters of faith and life. His commands will direct us in our public lives as well as in our worship. But if we approach the worship of God with the presupposition that we are sovereign and it is our prerogative to define how we will approach God in His own house, then that premise will corrupt our entire thinking and we will look to ourselves and our own wisdom rather than the proven Word of God in all our daily decisions. Oh for the spirit of Hezekiah today!” (Comin, 118-119)

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The singing of Psalms was introduced into the public worship of God's people at a set time by His command (1 Chronicles 16:1-8)

“When the ark of God finally rested in the Tabernacle that David had prepared for it, further appointments were made among Levites ‘to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel.’ We can be certain that these new functions were not created without divine authority. The same respect to God's appointed ordinances was to be held before the ark in its permanent resting place, as was required in its transportation

It is inconceivable that David, who had just learned the lesson of God's zeal for His worship to be conducted according to His appointed ordinances alone- a lesson that was underscored by the fearful outbreak of divine wrath against Uzzah for transgressing God's commands- would immediately take it upon himself to introduce new offices, and functions among the priesthood without a divine command to do so.

In addition, it becomes clear in this passage that the Lord was introducing through David various changes in the formal worship of His people. The author of The True Psalmody notes, ‘In the worship of the ancient Tabernacle, according to the appointment of Moses, the Israelites were directed to express their joy in God, by blowing with trumpets at the time of offering the sacrifices. But in connection with the offering of sacrifice, David introduced the singing of praise. By his direction the Levites were numbered and distributed into classes, that among other services connected with the worship of the temple, they might ‘stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening’ (1 Chronicles 23:30)…And that these regulations in the worship of God and in the service of His temple, were made, not by his own private authority, but by divine direction, we have sufficient evidence.’

Through David, who is identified as a divinely- inspired prophet, God was adding to the ordinances of His worship. In none of these did David act on his own initiative. He was merely carrying out the commands of the Lord. A brief survey of Israel’s history will bear this out…

From the time that the pattern for the Tabernacle was revealed to Moses, through the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites in the desert, and after their entrance into the Promised land, throughout the long period of the Judges, the reign of Saul, and part of David's reign, it is clear that there was no instrumental music in the services of the Tabernacle- God gave no command regarding them. It is not until David begins to make preparations for the Temple construction that we find the first mention of musical instruments being used in the services of worship.” (Comin, 124-125)

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“Jeroboam had set a standard by which all subsequent kings would be measured. Faithful kings were those who ‘walked in the ways of David.’ Unfaithful kings ‘walked in the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.’ The sins of Jeroboam were his actions pertaining to the worship of God, when he altered the time, place, manner, and offices of worship for pragmatic reasons, by his own authority and thus ‘caused Israel to sin.’

He presumed to change the elements of worship, introducing to the people two golden calves which he presented as visible representations of the ‘God who brought them out of Egypt,’ thus instituting a means of worshipping God which He had not appointed. The church falls into the same error today when it presumes to introduce means of worshipping God which He has not ordained.

He presumed to change the place of worship, from the central temple in Jerusalem to the two high places in Dan and Bethel, thus shifting the focus of Israel away from God's appointment to what seemed more practical and pleasing to the people. The church falls into the same error today when it forsakes the central focus of worship- which is upon the heavenly Tabernacle (of which the temple in Jerusalem was a copy and a type)-and encourages each local body to approach God in whatever way seems most pleasing and fulfilling to them.

He presumed to change the authority over worship, from the priests appointed by God to those of his own choosing, who would presumably carry out his innovations without challenge. The church falls into the same error today when it resumes to create offices and governments in the body which God has never appointed.

He presumed to change the time of worship, altering the observance of God's appointed feast day to a day and month devised in his own heart. The church falls into the same error today when it creates special days of man's own devising.

If it was a great sin for Jeroboam merely to alter the date and time for the observance of a feast which God had commanded His people to observe, how much more when the church creates special holy days without any warrant at all from God's Word? (Comin, 107-8)

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“The holy fear kindled in David's heart by the death of Uzzah eventually bore good fruit. The disaster moved David to consider the event and to search the Word to discover why they had failed. The king learned that God is jealous to be approached according to His appointed means, and that His wrath broke out because ‘we did not consult Him about the proper order’ (vs. 13). Thus David determined to move the ark with great care that every command of God was carefully obeyed. He gave strict instructions to the Levites according to the commands of Moses and carefully appointed singers and musicians from among the sons of Aaron to ‘raise the voice with a resounding cry.’ Later revelation tells us that these appointments were not arbitrary, but based upon the commandment of God. (2 Chronicles 29:25).

The happy result of David's carefulness is summed up in verse 26. There we are told that God, who broke out in wrath against Uzzah, now ‘helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant.’ All that was required for God's blessing was conformity to His Word. The fact that the Levites responded to God's ‘help’ by offering sacrifices indicates that they understood that their obedience did not merit God's favor, but was rather an outworking of His redemptive grace which centered in Christ’s substitutionary offering.

Another important observation here is that the strict obedience of Israel on this occasion did not quench their joy. It is often argued by opponents of the Regulative Principle of Worship that such carefulness in approaching God only according to His prescribed commands results in a joyless worship experience. Nothing could be further from the truth! The discovery of their previous sin, and the care taken as a result, only added to the exultation of David and Israel when the ark was ushered to the place that was prepared for it.

The idea that obedience kills the joy of God's people is one of Satan’s best means of encouraging rebellion. God's people should know better! It was Michal, the daughter of Saul and the wife of David, who despised the king in her heart for showing ‘too much exuberance’ in the celebration of God's gracious presence.” (Comin, 122-123)