1 Chronicles Chapter 6

1 Chronicles 6 — The Service of Song and the Thread of Mercy

Opening We have been noticing all week how even the “lists” in Chronicles preach: names become windows, and pedigrees become paths of God’s faithfulness (see the devotions from days 1–5). Today, 1 Chronicles 6 draws us into the household of Levi—priests, teachers, and singers. At first glance it is a long registry. Look again: it is a liturgy of memory, a map of worship, and a quiet prophecy of Christ.

A Choir of Memory: Why Levi? The chapter frames Israel’s worship by detailing the sons of Levi—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari—and their lines, the high-priestly line from Aaron down to the exile, and the appointment of singers by David. The Chronicler, writing after exile, wants a bruised people to know: “Your worship has a history. God kept the line. You can sing again.”

Note the sober marker in the priestly genealogy: “Jehozadak was deported when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by Nebuchadnezzar” (1 Chronicles 6:15, New International Version). The line did not end in Babylon; it went through Babylon. That is grace with a long memory.
The genealogy flows toward Heman, Asaph, and Ethan—the chief musicians (6:31–48). Worship is not an ornament to Israel’s life. It is the spine.

The Priesthood and the Long Thread of Mercy The chapter singles out Aaron’s sons for sacrificial ministry: “Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense… to make atonement for Israel” (1 Chronicles 6:49, New International Version). Here the Chronicler reminds us:

Atonement was at the center. Worship was not mainly about mood but mercy.
Holiness had shape: a people called to draw near through God’s appointed way.
Continuity mattered: the priestly line runs through names you know—Hilkiah (linked to the rediscovery of the Law), Seraiah (executed at the fall of Jerusalem), and Jehozadak, father of Joshua the high priest after the return (cf. 2 Kings 22; 25; Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 3).

Western readers may miss how radical this is: priests and Levites had no tribal territory. Their “portion” was the LORD himself (Numbers 18:20). Their scattered towns embedded worship, teaching, and justice across the land. God wove mercy into Israel’s daily geography.

Music as Ministry: The Service of Song A distinctive jewel of this chapter is David’s appointment of musicians:

“These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there. They ministered with music before the tabernacle…” (1 Chronicles 6:31–32, New International Version).

The Hebrew phrase behind “music” is avodat shir—literally “the service of song.” It appears only in Chronicles (see also 1 Chronicles 25:1). The Chronicler wants you to hear it as priestly work, not entertainment.

Heman (a Kohathite), Asaph (a Gershonite), and Ethan/Jeduthun (a Merarite) mirror the three Levitical clans. The music ministry is a living parable: all Levi participates; all God’s people are called into praise.
Many Psalms carry these names (Asaph: Psalms 50, 73–83; Heman: Psalm 88; Ethan: Psalm 89). Lament (Psalm 88) and doxology both belong in the sanctuary. Mature worship does not choose between them.
Early Christians heard this priestly “service” language and used leitourgia (Greek: “public service”) for the church’s worship (cf. Acts 13:2). Augustine spoke of rightly ordered love; Calvin stressed that public worship must be “done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded a modern church that congregational song is the Word sung back to God. The line is unbroken: ordered song shapes ordered souls.

Levites in the Land: Scattered to Teach The chapter closes by listing Levitical towns sprinkled among the tribes (6:54–81). This is not filler. It shows how God situated worship, teaching, and mercy courts across Israel.

Archaeological notes help us picture it:
- Gibeon (el-Jib) has jar-handle inscriptions reading gb’n from the 8th–7th centuries BC—physical reminders of a real town named in our text.
- Hebron (ancient civic center, with deep occupation layers) features in the priestly allotment.
- Anathoth (near today’s Anata), a Levitical town, is also Jeremiah’s hometown—a prophet from a priestly village.
- Shechem (Tell Balata), another key site, anchors the central hill country.

Levi’s scattered presence meant that teaching the Law, judging hard cases, caring for the poor, and guarding sanctuary life were not centralized luxuries. They were local ministries for ordinary days (cf. Deuteronomy 33:10).

Christ and the Better Priesthood Chronicles defends the Aaronic/Zadokite line. The New Testament does not discard this; it fulfills it. Hebrews reads the priestly story as a road that leads to Jesus.

Jesus is the high priest “in the order of Melchizedek,” not Levi (Hebrews 7), yet he completes what Levi could only begin (Hebrews 9–10). He is both priest and offering.
The church, in him, becomes “a holy priesthood” to “offer spiritual sacrifices” (1 Peter 2:5, 9). We do not replace Levi by imitation; we share Christ’s priesthood by union with him. But the pattern remains: ordered worship, faithful teaching, generous provision for ministers, and song that serves.

For Today: Joining the Service of Song

Recenter your week around the “service of song.” Ask: Is our worship shaped more by God’s holiness and mercy, or by our preferences? Plan to sing both Thanksgiving and Lament.
Pray for and support those who teach and lead worship. The Levitical cities remind us that the care of ministers is not charity but covenant (Numbers 18; 1 Corinthians 9:11–14; Galatians 6:6).
Receive your “scattered” calling. Most believers live far from pulpits and organs. That is by design. Your home and workplace are your Levitical town—places to carry God’s Word, justice, and song.
Remember exile does not end the line. Like yesterday’s note on loss and restoration, this chapter shows that God threads mercy through judgment. Begin again. Sing again. He has kept the line.

Cross-References for Prayer and Study - Levi’s calling and duties: Numbers 3–4; 18; Deuteronomy 10:8; 33:8–11 - David’s ordering of worship: 1 Chronicles 15–16; 25 - Levitical towns: Joshua 21; 1 Chronicles 6:54–81 - Asaph, Heman, Ethan in the Psalms: Psalms 50; 73–83; 88; 89 - Exile and priestly continuity: 2 Kings 22; 25:18–21; Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 3 - Priesthood fulfilled in Christ: Hebrews 7–10; 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:9–10 - Support for ministers/teachers: 1 Corinthians 9:7–14; Galatians 6:6

Notes on Words and Structure - “Service of song” (avodat shir, 1 Chronicles 6:31): a rare expression in the Old Testament, underscoring that music is real ministry. The New International Version renders “music,” but the Hebrew carries the weight of priestly service.

“To stand before the LORD” (common in this chapter’s ministry language): in Hebrew, the verb “stand” (amad) often signals formal service in God’s presence. Ministry is presence-based before it is performance-based.
Literary pattern: The Chronicler arranges the chapter to move from priestly line to musical line to Levitical cities—theology (atonement), doxology (song), and geography (scattered towns). Worship embraces truth, beauty, and place.

Historical Voices - Augustine: Worship is the schooling of desire—God orders our loves by ordering our praise. - Calvin: The Spirit loves “order” in public worship, not to quench zeal but to cultivate it. - Chrysostom: The priesthood of old prepared us to see Christ, who alone enters the true Holy of Holies—and brings us with him.

A Hymn to Sing - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (from the Liturgy of St. James). This ancient text holds together reverence, priestly imagery, and the presence of Christ—fitting the priestly and worship themes of 1 Chronicles 6.

Two Short Meditations on Key Verses - 1 Chronicles 6:31–32 (New International Version): “They ministered with music before the tabernacle…” Let your singing be ministry—offered to God, shaping the church, healing the heart.

1 Chronicles 6:49 (New International Version): “to make atonement for Israel.” All worship flows from atonement and returns to thanksgiving for it. Without the cross, music becomes noise. In Christ, even silence becomes praise.

Prayer Lord of the sanctuary and Lord of the streets, You kept the priestly line through exile and the song through sorrow. Set our worship in order—truth at the center, Christ as our high priest, and the service of song as our humble work before You. Scatter us as Levites into our neighborhoods to teach, to bless, to mend. Make our congregation a choir of mercy, our homes small sanctuaries of praise. Through Jesus, the better priest and perfect offering, Amen.

Narrated version of this devotional on 1 Chronicles Chapter 6