Worship Leaders: Asaph, Heman & Ethan/Jeduthun
[By Stephen Rouse]
When you think of great worship leaders in Scripture, who comes to mind? You might think of David, the “sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam 23:1). But he wasn’t the only one working to lead God’s people in worship—among his assistants were three notable men from the tribe of Levi: Asaph, Heman, and Ethan (whose name would apparently be changed to Jeduthun—see 1 Chr 16:37,41). Listen to how they are described: “David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy. So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers Asaph the son of Berechiah, and… Ethan the son of Kushaiah” (1 Chr 15:16-17). These men were charged with an awesome responsibility—to lead the people of Israel in worship to the Creator of the universe!
What do we learn from these men? First, we can see their deep passion for the Lord by reading what they wrote in the Psalms. Asaph wrote 12 of the psalms: Psalm 50 and 73-83. In Psalm 73, we learn that even though Asaph at times doubted God’s goodness because of the prosperity of the wicked, he kept clinging to God: “Whom have I in heaven but you? / And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. / My flesh and my heart may fail, / but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26). Heman and Ethan are connected to one psalm each—Psalm 88 and 89. These are two of the darkest psalms in the entire book, and yet they both cry out to God in their moments of deep distress, trusting in His promises even when the situation seems impossible. We too may struggle with doubt or face times of complete darkness, but like these men, a strong passion for God and a steady trust in Him can see us through to the other side. The first key to worship is a deep, heartfelt passion for God—often a passion that has been tested and refined through dark times.
Secondly, we can see these men using their gifts to serve God and His people. These men had particular skill in the area of music: “The singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound bronze cymbals… Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it” (1 Chr 15:19,22). “…Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king. The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the LORD, all who were skillful, was 288” (1 Chr 25:6-7) Even though these men had understanding, training, and skill, they did not use their gifts to promote themselves. They did not lazily coast on their abilities. They instead focused on honoring God and serving others. We live in a culture that puts gifted people on a pedestal (especially those gifted in music and sports), and we have to resist the urge to let a “performance” mentality creep into the worship of God. All of God’s gifts are intended to be used to build others up (1 Cor 12:7; 14:26), not promote ourselves (1 Cor 12:21-26).
Thirdly, we learn that these men crafted worship that was thoughtful and engaging. They worked hard to create carefully planned worship that would point people to God Himself. One fascinating example is the service that David arranged for the arrival of the ark of God in 1 Chr 16:7-36. This “psalm service” is a thoughtful combination of Psalm 105:1-15 (1 Chr 16:8-22), Psalm 96:1-13a (1 Chr 16:23-33) and Psalm 106:47-48 (1 Chr 16:35,36). Worship must engage both the mind and the heart, and David’s thoughtful arrangement of passionate praise made provision for both. Worship is communication—both to God (as we sing to Him) and from God (as we sing words from Scripture to Him and each other). These men were communicating to God and at times God Himself was prophesying through their singing: “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” (1 Chr 25:1). Though our worship today is not prophecy, we ought to be singing God’s communication to us as we “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” (Col 3:16) Our worship must be thoughtful—not just a combination of our favorite songs or Scriptures, but carefully planned to bring glory to God and build up those paying attention.
If God could work through the heartfelt, careful work of men like Asaph, Heman and Ethan, then He can work through us today as we diligently seek to worship Him. May God grant us a pure heart to seek only His will for our worship, and may He ignite His love in our hearts to pour out worship that honors Him and builds up His people!
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.