The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening. 1 Chronicles 23:28-30 NIV
God gave the Levites very specific responsibilities as they served as overseers in the house of God. I find it very interesting that in the midst of the “tasks” God assigned, He included instructions to thank and praise Him every morning and every evening. I’m reminded of God’s call to all of us to do that. It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of serving the Lord and forget the importance of taking time regularly to just thank Him, to offer Him praise and to acknowledge how great He really is. Living with a grateful heart that is quick to offer praise to God is a universal calling.
Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”
As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 2 Chronicles 20:18-22 NIV
There is power in praise! The night before battle, Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground and all the people followed his example, as they too fell down in worship before the Lord. Then the Levites, the same group mentioned in our first scripture, stood up and praised God with a very loud voice. It’s never wise to wait until we are in the thick of the battle to call out to God; they were wise to call out to God the night before the battle began! When the time for battle came, notice who led the army and what weapon they carried. Wait, it doesn’t mention any weapon except the song of praise to the Lord. They focused their attention on the splendor of his holiness and offered him thanks as they faced the enemy. And what did God do as they began to sing and praise? He set ambushes against their enemy and the enemy was defeated!
So what if we spent more time giving thanks and praise to the Lord? Could it be that we, too, would see God fighting our battles and giving us victory?
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV