In 2 Chronicles 9 we find a very interesting pair of verses tucked away in near obscurity that have enormous implications for minstrels, as those that minister through music ("Minstrels are few and far between; musicians are a dime a dozen" - Aaron Lindsey):
"The men of Hiram and the men of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones. The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah." - 9:10-11
What we see here are two things that Solomon chose to use this wood for: steps and instruments. The steps were the physical path to the house of God and the house of the king - tangibly, plainly, and straight-forward. But the remarkable implications of the connection between the steps and the instruments are that they were created for the same purpose: a pathway. While the stairs were the physical pathway into the presence of God and of the king; the instruments provided a similar pathway for the spirit. As we can see, music can usher us into a very powerful place of communion with God (2 kings 3:15). What the stairs did physically, the instruments do - even today - spiritually. God is spirit, and is also known as the King.
What can prepare us for God's presence? Music can lead us to His throneroom. In can elevate our spirits to an incredible place. It can draw God down with it.
(The only way we can get there, of course, Jesus. I'm not disputing that at all. It's absolute)
When he was building his kingdom, he saw the importance of laying the foundations not only in the physical but in the spiritual.
More later...
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