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 highlights the men's qualifications:
1 Chronicles 26:6–8 (ESV) Also to his son Shemaiah were sons born who were rulers in their fathers’ houses, for they were men of great ability. 7 The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad, whose brothers were able men, Elihu and Semachiah. 8 All these were of the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and brothers, able men qualified for the service; sixty-two of Obed-edom.
These qualifications for the men serving in the Temple are clear. They were greatly able and they were qualified for their particular assignment. And they didn't simply serve as maintenance men in the house of God, they loved it. They drew close to God through it. In fact, these men who served in these seemingly inconsequential positions would later pen one of the Bible's most beloved Psalms. In that Psalm, they boast of the beauty of God's temple.
Psalm 84 (ESV) TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE GITTITH. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH.
Psalm 84:1–2 (ESV) How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
And later stipulating their commitment and adoration clearly:
Psalm 84:10 (ESV) For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Now how do we know it was these men who wrote it? Because the first verse in 1 Chronicles 26 confirms who they were:
1 Chronicles 26:1 (ESV) As for the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.
What do we learn? We learn a few incredible things. First, every person in the house of God matters to the ministry of God. We also learn that if you take your assignment seriously in the house of God (the Church in the New Covenant), you develop more gifts that you'd expect (maintenance men become songwriters), and third, God's eyes are on the people we might ignore and He will use them.
So wherever you are in the Church, you matter to God and you are necessary to the work. Never despise where God has you. Someone is going to be blessed because of you.
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