Although people often think of ‘prophecy’ as a prediction about future events, in the Bible it much more often specifies the thus-says-the-Lord declaration by an anointed proclaimer of the Word. This declaration might well be about the future; but often it is about the present, indicating what the hearer is supposed to do right now; and sometimes it is about the past, telling the hearers what God thinks about the events in days gone by that brought us to the present situation.

Moreover, we generally expect that Word to come to us as a prose oration: a sermon or declaration of some kind. But that is not always the case. Among all the lists of names in today’s reading, we find that David and his officers set apart musicians, “who should prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals” (I Chronicles 25:1). That tells us that the ministry of the word will also come to us through music leaders. They will sing the word of the Lord into people’s hearts in the midst of a time of worship.

These three families, then, the families of Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman, were all “trained in singing to the Lord” and “skillful” at their music (25:7). It is a long list of names – did you read them all? It is easy to skip over them, and yet the Chronicler, writing some four centuries after the event, took the time to remember and write down each one of them, so that we could remember them, too – and all the names on the list are male, each of them noted as “the son” of Asaph, Jeduthun, or Heman.

Yet the Chronicler also includes this fascinating detail regarding the family of Heman. After naming all fourteen sons, the text then notes that Heman had three daughters as well, though their names are not given. It then recounts that “they were all under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord” (25:6), which would appear to indicate that among all those male voices these three daughters were also singing. It is almost impossible to believe that in Old Testament times there could be three women serving the Lord on the worship team, “prophesying” – proclaiming the word of the Lord – with songs and instruments. But there it is in the text. Perhaps it was exceptional: yet like the four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9), the three daughters of Heman were also among the prophets.

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Teach us to sing your praises, O Lord, lifting up our voices to declare the wonder of your grace: so that both those who sing and those who hear can respond in faith and life.

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