Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly® 

Life

A day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Like many psalms, this one has a dedication—“for the sons of Korah.” The ancestor for whom this musical family was named was a rebel leader who attempted to depose Moses and Aaron (see Numbers, chap. 16). Yet his descendants served in sacred roles in the Temple. 

During David’s time, the Korahites were known as poets and singers (see I Chronicles 6:31) as well as doorkeepers outside the Temple courts. Recurring mentions of this and other families of musicians hint at the importance of organized music, especially in worship and celebration.

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The Bible Lessons serve as weekly study guides as well as the sermon in every Christian Science Sunday church service. Learn more at BibleLesson.com

Resources quoted in this issue

Cit. 4: Laymon, Charles M. The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon, 1971; Mays, James L., Joseph Blenkinsopp, et al., eds. Harper’s Bible Commentary. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.

Cit 7: Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 2. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew, 1955. Revised and updated by Saint Andrew, 2001. Reprinted as The New Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 2. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001–04.

Cit. 8: Eiselen, Frederick Carl., Edwin Lewis, and David G. Downey, eds. The Abingdon Bible Commentary: New Testament. New York: Abingdon Press, 1929.

Cit. 9: Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice, Joseph S. Exell, and Edward Mark Deems, eds. The Pulpit Commentary. London, 1880–1909. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.

Cit. 13: Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament. 10 vols. Translated by James Martin. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1864–88. Reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.

Cit. 15: Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1996. Reprinted as Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2000. Also available at biblestudytools.com.

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