Category: Chronicles

Posted on

Day 149 — I Kings 3 – 4; II Chronicles 1; Psalm 72

Solomon didn’t waste any time in getting into sin as king. Recall the brief passage in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 in which God gave His instructions for the future king. The consequences of Solomon’s actions led to another consequence, and then another, and ultimately had a big impact on the nation. Why wouldn’t God have reminded Solomon? It’s possible that He did, as He confronted David with his sin, and Saul, his. What does this teach you about God and how He deals with men? How do you relate that with His dealings with you?

Solomon didn’t get it all wrong, though. Psalm 72 reveals that he understood God’s heart for the leadership of His people, and apparently intended to lead them that way. According to the descriptions of his subjects’ lives under his rule in the early years of his reign, he started out leading that way, and the people benefited. However, that changed. His life reveals the inadequacy of good intentions when one is disobedient in other matters. A divided heart is not on God’s side.

It’s interesting also that the very things used to describe Solomon’s greatness as a national leader are the very things that God had said the king must not do. Could God have given Israel victory over any enemy without the numerous horses and chariots? Could He have established Solomon as a great ruler, and Israel as a world-class nation, without the many wives, key alliances, and wealth? He had demonstrated His ability to do those very things, and yet Solomon chose to put his trust in these other security measures and allow the power to corrupt him. If the one whom God loved in such a special way, to whom He gave great wisdom and many other blessings, could fail thus, what hope do any of us have to enjoy relationship with God? None at all, which I believe is part of the point of the long history of the Old Testament, the story of the world’s long wait for the promised Messiah. There can be no doubt that we have no hope for a relationship with God apart from His intervention on our behalf.

Posted on

Day 144 — I Chronicles 26 – 29, Psalm 127

The exhortation that the man after God’s own heart gives to his son on the occasion of his handing the throne over to him are significant for us. I suggest that you make a list of all that David advised Solomon. Is any of it appropriate for application to your own life?

Isn’t it interesting that giving offerings for the temple to be built was a joyous event, prompting the people to praise not themselves for being such generous givers, but to praise God? The description of that experience demonstrates what an act of worship giving should be. If you aren’t to the point where you can give generously to God with a willing and glad heart, don’t neglect to give, for that would be failing to worship in that way. Rather, work on the generous and willing and joyful parts!

Note what David prayed for the people and for Solomon in chapter 29. These are great ideas for how we can pray for others in general and our children in particular.

Posted on

Day 142 — I Chronicles 23- 25

Today’s reading isn’t interesting or edifying, is it? Once again, on such passages I ask why God would want this information preserved for us. Temple worship, and much of it practices that weren’t really required by the Law – what value can that have for us? The answer to that is that the man after God’s own heart will know a thing or two about worship, and so his ideas offer valuable instruction for us if we want to delight God with our worship.

That Chronicles would spend this much time on the assignments of the Temple staff, that the king himself would devote himself to these matters before construction on the Temple was even begun, reveals how important order in worship is. The detail on the music, which is never mentioned in the Law, tells me that worship was not meant, even in that day of God’s people being under the Law, to be about rules, but about joy and mutual delight.

The division of the available workers indicates what is important in worship. Note what the various assignments are, and what percentages of the workers are assignrd to each. What does that teach you about worship?

Are there other things you see in these chapters that I haven’t, that speak to you about your own worship practices?

Posted on

Day 140 — II Samuel 24, I Chronicles 21-22, & Psalm 30

When we read these two passages side by side, apparent discrepancies are highlighted. Let’s think through those briefly.

As to who incited David to take the census, there truly is no discrepancy if we recall how Satan accused Job before God, and received God’s permission to attack Job. Why would God let Satan incite Him against His people that way? In this case there apparently was a sin problem in Israel that God was ready to address, and the three options He gave David for punishment were ways He had warned them He would use if they did not follow Him. Satan’s accusations apparently worked into His plan for disciplining His people.

What was wrong with David’s taking a census of his people? Although it wasn’t evident to us, the sin in the matter was evident to Joab and apparently to other leaders over whom David’s superior position prevailed. Most importantly, it was evident to David. Bible scholars believe the objections and David’s confession point to an issue of pride in David’s heart, and his plan to rely on the strength of his military rather than on God for security. That the sin isn’t evident to us reinforces the reality that God is aware of the thoughts and intents of our hearts even when they are not evident to others.

The difference in the numbers counted in the census can be attributed to any number of factors. One is that accounting method they used back then (have I addressed that before?) that counted parts as wholes, making their accounting a lot less accurate than we make ours today. Their difference in rounding numbers, added to the possibility of the addition or omission of a single dot in copying the text in ancient times yielding different numbers in translation, added to the difference in reckoning who was Israel and who was Judah, explain the difference. Further, it seems to me that the numbers given are rather loose anyway, since Joab took it upon himself to fudge them by omitting two of the tribes. Which of these might be included in the numbers in I Chronicles?

From the incident on Araunah’s threshing floor, God finally indicated the place for a temple to be built to house the Ark of the Covenant. This would be the place in which the entire nation would gather to observe their required pilgrimage holy days, the place where God would place His name. Interestingly, it was the spot where Abraham had built an altar on which to sacrifice Isaac hundreds of years earlier. Now it was again a place where God showed mercy in accepting an alternate sacrifice. Why don’t you contemplate the significance of God’s choosing that site as the place in which He would be present among His people? What does that teach you about God?

Posted on

Day 130 — II Samuel 11 – 12; I Chronicles 20

How could the man after God’s own heart, the one who worshiped God with joy and gladness, composing songs about His steadfast love, do what David did? It was senseless! Committing adultery with a woman at whom he was peeping (the king, no less!), covering it up by having a heroic (Uriah was one of the mighty men mentioned earlier in these accounts, in case you missed it) and devoted servant killed, and in the process recklessly wasting the lives of other soldiers. Can you believe how low he stooped?! I Corinthians 10:11-12 warns us, “These things happened to them as examples, and are written down as warnings for us…. So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” But for the grace of God that could be any of us, and perhaps has been at least some of us. We need to take David’s example seriously and consider it our warning of what we ourselves are capable. That is doubtless why Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

So the man after God’s own heart blew it, right? How could he be a man after God’s own heart after such awful sin? God took the kingdom from Saul for much less; what awful thing do you suppose is going to happen to David? As Nathan said, God put away David’s sin and did not impose death, the punishment prescribed in the Law for the kind of sin David had committed. Incredibly, He set David up as the standard by which He later measured future kings regarding their dedication to Him. Was God unjust in not letting David have it? The answer is found in David’s simple confession, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Tomorrow we’ll read some psalms that tell more about David’s interaction with God regarding his confession and request for forgiveness. Although his simple confession may not sound abject enough to us to seem sincere, he obviously meant what he said, and his confession was obviously accepted by God, because the relationship seems to have been restored. Notice that when David and Bathsheba’s son died, David promptly worshiped God. He offered God lavish worship, having washed and anointed himself and gone to the house of the Lord to do so. The sacrifice required for such worship at such a time shows true and deep devotion.

II Samuel doesn’t cast David in a favorable light; isn’t it interesting that I Chronicles does? His humanness reminds us that man, as God-like as his heart may be, is still a sinner. David is a wonderful example to us in many good ways, but also in the bad: he reminds us of how helpless we are to save ourselves from our sin, and how desperately we need a Savior. He also serves as a foil for Jesus, shining a light on Jesus’ perfection by his own lack of perfection.

Posted on

Day 128 — II Samuel 10; I Chronicles 19; Psalm 20

The Ammonite king must have been a fool to incite David’s anger as he did. You may recall that the Law forbade the Israelites from trimming their beards in the manner of the pagans around them; they took that seriously, and no one shaved. More importantly, the men of nations around them grew beards that they styled elaborately. Beards were a treasured mark of manhood to these people. That is why the men were so humiliated by having their beards cut off. It was an unmistakable insult to the ones who did the insulting as well as the ones who were insulted.

But it seems like the situation was from God, for it led to a great defeat of the Syrians and Ammonites in David’s defense against the aggressors. May God use the setbacks in our lives as He did in His Old Testament people’s lives!

Posted on

Day 126 — II Samuel 8 – 9 & I Chronicles 18

These accounts reveal that the values of people in David’s day were much different than our values. Might made right in that day, and as victor, David did whatever he wanted to the peoples he defeated with God’s help. He took their land and their riches, or he occupied their land while allowing them to remain and exacted tribute from them, basically making them his slaves – just as any other king of his day would do. We can’t judge him by the standards of our day; he was behaving rightly according to the standards of his day.

He was obviously not perfect, however, as demonstrated in his treatment of the Moabites. Power corrupted even this hero of our faith. In this way He highlights God’s perfection and man’s need for a Savior.

The man after God’s own heart administered justice and equity to all his people. Think about what that reveals about what we can hope for in Heaven. He was also more than faithful to his promise to his dead friend. When man behaves in a way that reflects the character of God, he is handsome, don’t you think?

Posted on

Day 124 — II Samuel 7 & I Chronicles 17

Notice when David wanted to honor God by building a temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, the idea seemed like a no-brainer even to Nathan the prophet. However, God had other ideas for reasons that only God can comprehend. We need to be careful that we don’t fail to consult God about our own good ideas for honoring Him.

God wasn’t interested in the honor David wanted to give Him; He wanted to tell David of His plans to honor him. God knew what would honor and thrill David, and He was pleased to give it all to him. If that is the kind of person God is, why don’t we all have our heart’s desire from Him? One of the reasons might be revealed in what God said about the son of David who would rule in his place one day: “When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him…, but my steadfast love will not depart from him.” Sometimes God disciplines us when we need correction; but He always acts out of love for us. A loving parent doesn’t give his children whatever they want, because sometimes they want what is not good for them.

David was thrilled beyond words. Note his response: he asked God to fulfill the promises He had made. Because God had made those promises, he had the boldness to ask for the very things God had promised. Why did he need to do that, if God had promised them? One reason might be that he valued the promises so much that he didn’t want to miss out on them. Should we honor God’s promises by doing the same? We need to ask Him to do what He promised us He would do for His New Covenant people; claiming His promises.

Posted on

Day 121 — II Samuel 5:11-25; II Chronicles 13 – 16

The evidence that God had established David’s kingdom as He had promised was in King Hiram’s sending messengers and cedar trees to David. Hiram would have been prestigious among Mediterranean kings because he ruled over the nation that was the commercial leader of its day, as the U.S. is today. That he had riches enough to send some of those valued cedar trees to another king showed his status and wealth. Isn’t it interesting that David needs no introduction today, while Hiram does?

David’s taking more concubines was one of the typically king-like actions the Law forbid. We see consequences of that disobedience throughout the rest of David’s life. One consequence is seen in Michal’s despising him. Remember how much she had loved him?

The Philistines’ leaving their idols behind as they fled before the Israelites in battle was another significant indicator that God was with them and was solidly establishing David’s kingdom. Remember another battle when the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines?

David made the relocation of the Ark of the Covenant a celebration of celebrations: musicians to play music to add joy to the occasion, everyone in the nation assembled. This experience was the beginning of his instituting music as part of their worship services. Note that the music wasn’t commanded by God, but who would know better what would please God than the man after God’s own heart? As a musician he would know good musicians, and offered the best of them prestigious positions “expressly… to give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.” If we want to delight God in our worship, music needs to be part of it, and so does giving thanks to Him for His steadfast and enduring love.

Another interesting story in today’s reading is the process David followed to move the Ark of the Covenant from where it had been housed since it was recovered from the Philistines. He consulted with his army commanders and every leader, and all the assembly of Israel – but not God. This warrior consulted God about whether he should confront the enemy, and followed God’s direction to win great battles, but he failed to consult God about moving the Ark, and didn’t even follow the directions given to the first people who ever carried the Ark. Everyone agreed it was a good idea, and likely they felt good about doing this good thing – yet God was not consulted. God obviously had ideas of His own. Whose ideas matter the most? Do you suppose we do the same in our endeavors to serve and honor God? Do we think our ideas are so great that we don’t need to consult God as we make our plans? The consequence in David’s case was deadly; what kind of consequences do we suffer, do others suffer, because we fail to consult God or follow the directions He has already given us? “These things happened to them as examples and are written down as warnings for us….”

Posted on

Day 119 — II Samuel 5:1-10; I Chronicles 11 – 12

I wonder why the account of David’s mighty men is preserved in Scripture for us. What can you glean from these? If you have any ideas, please share them with me. Perhaps they are here to demonstrate to us what kind of leader David was, to sort of develop this character who was not only a giant of the Old Testament, but also one of the “Greats” of history. He inspired such loyalty from his men that three of them risked their lives to get a drink of water for him during a battle. However much he wanted the water, he did not want his men risking their lives for such a mission, and he showed that he meant what he said by pouring the water out rather than drinking it. He wasn’t demonstrating ungratefulness, but a great respect for their lives. He thus demonstrated that he was a leader who valued his subordinates as individuals and did not see himself as more important than them. He gave credit where credit was due by sharing the exploits of these men and identifying who were “the three” and who were part of “the thirty,” but note that Scripture does not give credit where credit wasn’t due. It was clear that some of these men were superior in might to others, and all received the recognition that they deserved.

This account also shows that David was not the kind of leader to recruit men out from under the king while he was not serving as king; these men came to him. He may have started out leading the rabble of society, but good men wanted to serve under him. Under God’s orchestration, the best of men came, in time, to serve under him.

By the time David was crowned king of all Israel, all of Israel were glad to accept him as their king. They acknowledged that this was God’s choice for their king, and they were wholehearted in their support for him. The result was that all of Israel was unified under David’s rule, and there was joy in the nation for it. There were no more reservations about David’s being the true king of Israel. This is an important fact to establish; David was neither a usurper of the throne, nor was he ever seen as a usurper.

The capturing of Jerusalem and establishment as Israel’s capital is another key event in this passage that we shouldn’t fail to note. David made his residence in the fortress within the city and called it the City of David.