Parenthetical Preparation of Praise

“Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses.., in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David. And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast… And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. And they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting… King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary,.. the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim… And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, and all the Levitical singers.., their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,

“’For he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever,’

“the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” 2 Chronicles 5:2-5a,6-7,11-14

The description of the ark of God’s presence being set in the Most Holy Place rouses readers to joyful tiptoe. The event was the primary message, yet the backdrop vital to grasping the full glory manifested. As within (grammatical) parentheses the consecrated leaders assembled to tune instruments and raise their voices of praise in unison, so the Lord enveloped His glad people in the cloud of His shekinah glory. He is worthy of and delighted by both preparation and praise!

To add a parenthesis is to set apart vital information that supports or explains the rest of a sentence. In our daily routine, a checklist may outline necessary steps to take, but there are always important things that must occur in order for the items to be accomplished. Tending to the big while neglecting the small leads to frustration, lack of cohesiveness, disharmony. We must make certain of our behind- the-scenes.

In all our doings and preparations for this and that, are we aware of needed parentheses? Are we in the practice of tucking away to tune ourselves to praise? To get right with others? When do we set our attention on an undivided heart for the Lord, seeking His help to bridle mind and affection for wholehearted devotion, so that all is done unto Him? (Psalm 86:11; Colossians 3:23-24)

“Joy to the world; the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
And heav’n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns,
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy.” ~Isaac Watts (1719)

Amen!