Skip to main content

Miriam v Kenaniah

             Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20-21)

Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it. (I Chronicles 15:22)

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28)

There are references to singing in Genesis but not attributed to any specific person. Laban’s rebuke of Jacob for absconding with his family included that Laban didn’t even have the chance to play the timbrel or sing and dance them off. In Exodus, Miriam was called a prophet, not a singer. She led the worship team at least once. Moses taught the Israelites at least one song, but their songs weren’t entertainment. In part, they were designed to help people remember.

Once Israel had a king, they developed a branch of the Levites dedicated to music, with Kenaniah as the leader. If nothing else, David needed someone to sing the songs he wrote.

Perhaps there were always the “Kenaniahs” around – people who could make a living through their art. But through Scripture, creatives didn’t seem to be a separate, special class of people. People sang. People made up songs. They invented things. They were like “mighty warriors” who might be “the least of the least.” Somewhere along the line, we lost our way. We bought into the idea that only the Kenaniahs (and their lines) or only the James Pattersons, Taylor Swifts, Magic Johnsons, and whatever superstar we might choose – only these can write stories, sing songs, be athletes, or whatever. If we can’t be a superstar, we can’t be creative. This idea kept me from writing for decades.

But creativity has never been only for the select few. We are made in the image of God, who is the Creator. In Joel, He promised that when His Spirit was poured out on people, they would dream dreams and see visions. And dreams and visions are – among other things – sources of inspiration for creativity. That doesn’t mean we’ll all be superstars. Your creativity may never reach beyond your kitchen or your church, but we can all be Miriams, who pick up a timbrel and sing – or whatever. It’s not limited to only Kenaniahs and the superstars anymore.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more