365 Reflections

Every year ends when a new year begins. This blog has been the one consistent in my life for the last few years when it comes to personal devotions in the scriptures. I have most enjoyed how this work has kept me coming back to the books of the Bible to hear God speak and I pray that you have been blessed and guided to discover the God of the Universe through the Word He gave to the world.  I begin this last night of 2020 with a new book, 2 Chronicles. Remember the Chronicles are accounts of the Exiles returning to Israel from Babylonian captivity. They are learning who they are again and remembering Who made them who they are.  2 Chronicles 1:1 (ESV)  Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. We enter 2 Chronicles on the hopes of God's chosen king, the son of David. Solomon was specially selected from the sons of David. He was the 2nd child of Bathsheba (the first child died in judgment of David&#

1 Chronicles 29:17–18 (ESV) I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. I love this prayer. The people have given to the house of God in David's preparations for Solomon. Now David's prayer for the people is that they might always have a heart for the house of God, to give to it constantly remembering that in this house, something wonderful happens - people meet with the Lord.  "keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people" As I began my study of 1 Chronicles I was reminded that this book is about coming out of exile to find ourselves home again, where we belong, in the land of promise wi

David calls on the assembly of Israel to donate to the construction of the temple in 1 Chronicles 29. He will also lead the giving of the assembly and the people will rejoice in their contributions to God's house.  1 Chronicles 29:2–5 (ESV) So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble. 3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: 4 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house, 5 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the

The 28th chapter of 1 Chronicles illustrates David's final charge to his son Solomon on the precipice of building the Temple. Already the writer has been made clear in the book that David's life of war would lead to Solomon's life of peace. David who shed much blood would not be the one to build the temple. You could say through the shed blood of David, Solomon receives peace.  Now with preparations made, the words from David to Solomon are clear: there's a work to accomplish now and Solomon needs to commit! First, David makes it plain for Solomon. Solomon must understand he's been chosen to do this very thing.  1 Chronicles 28:6 (ESV)  He (God) said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. On the heels of that impressive reality, David bears down: 1 Chronicles 28:9–10 (ESV) “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a wil

The New Testament teaches us that God is a God of order. But where does that idea come from? The Old Testament. Especially in the book of 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles 27:1 (ESV) This is the number of the people of Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year, each division numbering 24,000: We learn from this chapter that order is important to David because as God's chosen king, the nation had to stand ready to defend itself and also prepare for the people a habitation to meet with God. 12 divisions of 24,000 soldiers took one month each to serve the king in this capacity.  The Bible is big on 12, 24, 7, and 3. These numbers run through the scriptures in heavy doses. It is no coincidence that these numbers are what govern our time. Consider that we eat three times a day (or regard three times of the day - morning,

There's a verse in 1 Chronicles 26 that James Boice, the great theologian, and pastor of the last Century shares about a Seminary dropout who ridiculed the Bible based on a verse within it. It sounds like a useless verse in a book that we say is inspired by God Himself.  What's the verse? 1 Chronicles 26:18 (ESV) And for the colonnade on the west there were four at the road and two at the colonnade . Boice points out that in older Bible translations, the Hebrew word, " Parbar " was simply used because translators were unfamiliar with its meaning.  1 Chronicles 26:18 (NKJV) As for the Parbar on the west, there were four on the highway and two at the Parbar . Modern translators use colonnade .  But here's the context of the verse in 1 Chronicles 26. Every ministry matters in the house of God. The chapter is spelling out the specific direction God has in mind for the maintenance men of the Temple, the janitors if you will. The verse comes after the chapter highlig

When David puts the worshippers in the Temple, we find some incredible insights into the theology of worship.  1 Chronicles 25:1 (ESV) David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: Now we have to see this event as pointing to Christ and revealing His work in the church to establish orderly worship and prophesy in the assembly. Notice that the SONS of Asaph were set apart by David and the chiefs. I believe the Lord does that to this day. He sets us apart for the service of worship. The rest of the chapter is filled with relatives serving together in the house for the administration of worship.  But there's more to the worship than singing. Verse 1 says they "prophesied" with the instruments. Let us consider that worship is a ministry of prophecy in the Old Testament. My mind goes back t

The idea that God is not interested in order and process in our worship experience ignores the record both of God's own commitment to order (see the universe and seasons) and the regular reference to order and divisions in the company of Israel's priests and musicians.  As David continues preparation for the Temple build Solomon will undertake after him in 1 Chronicles 24, we see order and division of labor come clearly into place. 1 Chronicles 24:1–4 (ESV) The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests. 3 With the help of Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, David organized them according to the appointed duties in their service. 4 Since more chief men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, they organized them under sixteen heads of fathers’ houses of

1 Chronicles 23:2–6 (ESV) David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. 4 “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.” 6 And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.  This passage comes right after David makes Solomon King in Israel.  1 Chronicles 23:1 (ESV) When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.   It’s incredible to think that upon the transfer of power for Israel David does not first take up the task of establishing a strong military. He has learned that hard lesson by God’s judgment at the time of the census. Nor does David seek to build storehouses of gold and silver