A Time For Singing

"And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest. And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order" (1 Chronicles 6:31-32)

David made part of the priestly worship singing? No surprise there, a very David-esque thing to do. And God seemed to be okay with it. In fact, the scriptures that Jesus quoted most often were from Isaiah and the Psalms.

But, when Solomon's temple was built, it appears that the 'service of song' stopped, and the men resumed the normal priesthood administrations of the Levite order. This can be compared to the latter-days and Joseph Smith, to whom God said that baptisms for the dead were okay to perform in rivers until the temple was built. With the temple, ordinances done in rivers was no continued.

From a mortal perspective it looks like God is inconsistent with His instructions. But really, it is just the divine trying to work with imperfect mortals. There is a time for rivers, and a time for temples, a time for singing, and a time for silence. One is not necessarily more right than another, God allows for our limitations and confines, and for our expression of rejoicing.

Maybe this is what God means when He says that His house is a "house of order" (D&C109:8)--that he puts people and priesthood into order, like filing away papers into a folder, organizing them. He can choose to order a different way for different times. This would explain why there are different orders of the priesthood.

Just remember, even though there are places and time of reverence, God also enjoys times of singing. Song can make prophets of us all.