1 Chronicles 12

The author of Chronicles was writing for the generation that was returning to the Promised Land after the Babylonian exile. He did not always present the history in chronological order. He had a prime interest in David, in the conquest of Jerusalem, and in the courageous men that surrounded the king.

After introducing those themes in 1 Chronicles 11, he considered an earlier time in David's story when the son of Jesse was fleeing from Saul. During that period in his life all kinds of men began to gather around David. Some of them were from the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe that Saul came from. Though Saul was their kinsman, they were eager to be associated with the David.

There were many others who came from other tribes who joined the young shepherd and warrior. These men had natural gifts and abilities that they used in service of the man who would become king. But these men would only be welcome if they were willing in their hearts to serve as David's friends. If they would commit to help David he pledged that his heart would be joined to them. If they came to him in deceit then he called upon God to correct them.

The spokesman for these men pledged in the most devoted way that they all belonged to David: “We are yours.” They spoke words of peace as a blessing to David and to all who were united with him. David's army was like “an army of God.” They were all eager to see the kingdom turned over from Saul to David because the Word of the Lord indicated that this must take place.

All of these thousands of warriors gathered together with great joy to make David king. They came with their relatives from all the tribes of Israel. God gave great unity to the people as they stood together in service to the Lord's anointed.

During the four hundred years between the reign of David and the exile of Israel and Judah there was much division among the tribes of God's people. When 1 and 2 Chronicles was compiled, the Chronicler recounted David's reign as a high point in the history of Israel to inspire the returning exiles to serve together in accord with the Word of God.

This call to courageous loyalty and joy is at least as relevant to the church today as it was in the sixth century BC when the Lord brought His captive people back to Jerusalem. In the days of men such as Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Zechariah, Ezra, and Nehemiah, it was not at all clear whether the Lord would immediately raise up a son of David to rule the people. Now we know the identity of the eternal Messiah and we have much revelation that aids us in understanding His call to us to overcome evil with the power of His love. We, of all people, can sing with joy the words of ancient warriors:

“We are yours, O (Son of) David,

and with you, O (Root) of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

and peace to your helpers!

For your God helps you.”

1 Chronicles 11

David was God's chosen man to be the king of Israel. The Chronicler did not focus on the part of David's story from 2 Samuel that showed us the challenges that David faced in consolidating his power after the death of Saul. The result communicated in 1 Chronicles 11 was one of overwhelming approval. “All Israel gathered together to David” and pledged allegiance to the king, not merely because they liked or admired him, but because God had chosen him according to the word of Samuel.

The king's premier triumph according to the Chronicler was the taking of the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was of great importance to those who were being called by God to rebuild that city in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. The exile was over. It was time to claim again what David had once won by the hand of God. The same God who had made David to be a victorious king could again empower a new king. That new king would rightly be supported by a holy and courageous people.

There were three mighty men around David serving alongside a larger group of thirty warriors. They were loyal to him and he was dedicated to God. They were not afraid to go beyond enemy lines to get water for David from his hometown of Bethlehem. David saw the cost of their courage and offered up their gift of water to God. These men were filled with a courageous Spirit, empowering them to accomplish great things for their hero. This same Spirit would be needed again among the returning exiles as the city of Jerusalem and the worship of God would be reestablished.

Even very great men among the thirty did not attain to the greatness of “the three.” Yet their names were prominently recorded among this great band of brothers. They had been brought together around one man, David, for God's purposes. The story of their valor could inspire people again as God was bringing His captive people back home.

Every era in the history of salvation requires the provision of a few good men. Their greatness is not based on where they were born or on the qualities that are easily noticed by others. They need the inner greatness of sincere faith and a courage that comes from the Holy Spirit. We have one Warrior above all the rest. He is the Captain of our salvation. He fought a battle that only He could win. He is establishing the City of God.

A way has been made for us to receive the gifts that we need from on high to fight the good fight of sacrificial love in our world today. It is time for all of God's people everywhere to gather together around our one King, Jesus, the Son of David. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. He is God's chosen Man forever, and we are His people. Whoever believes in Jesus, “as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38)

1 Chronicles 10

The first king of Israel was Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. Though he was a very significant man in the history of God's people, the Messiah King would eventually come from the tribe of Judah and from the line of David. Saul and his sons died at the hands of their enemies, the Philistines.

Saul's death was not glorious. It did not inspire courage among the fighting men of Israel. When they saw what had happened to Saul and his sons they fled for their lives.

Even the dead bodies of Saul and his sons were treated as objects of disrespect. The Philistines hung these important men up as trophies in the temple of their god. They wanted everyone to see that they were superior to Israel and that the god of the Philistines was greater than the Lord God Almighty.

At least one town in Israel could not let this attack against the Lord stand. The men of Jabesh-gilead came by night and removed the bodies of Saul and his sons, granting them a respectful burial in their town.

Saul died “for his breach of faith.” His failure was not merely a matter of relative military strength or poor economic policy. Saul did not hear the Word of God and obey it. When the Lord abandoned Saul, he sought spiritual guidance from someone who communicated with the dead rather than admitting that the Lord had plainly turned over the kingdom to David, the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah.

Saul did all that he could to resist the will of the Lord that David would be king. In the end, Saul and his sons were dead on Mount Gilboa, and God had turned over the kingdom to David.

Many centuries later, the Lord God, the Father of Glory, was not surprised when Jesus of Nazareth came into Jerusalem as the ultimate Son of David. Numerous rulers were against Him in the seats of religious and civil power. They did what they could to prevent Jesus from being known as the true authority over temple and country. Yet they could not stop the plan of God. Though others would have greatly desired to keep the body of Jesus in a borrowed grave, Jesus was able to take up His life again in His resurrection. It was the unstoppable plan of God that Jesus, the Resurrection Man, would be the eternal King of a new world full of blessing and life.

We honor the death of Jesus, not by building a beautiful monument to Him in His death, but by acknowledging Him in the power of His resurrection. When we worship Him, we honor One who is alive and who reigns in us and through us for the glory of His Name. Even when we remember His death, we do so as those who know that He is alive and that He is coming again. We want to hear His Word even now and obey Him.

A Fitting Plan

July 28, 2013 Evening:

Title: Made Perfect through Suffering

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 103 – Bless the Lord, O my soul …

Gospel Passage: Mark 11:7-10 – Hosanna to the Son of David

Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:10 “[10] For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.”

Sermon Point: Jesus, who suffered uniquely, is bringing many sons to glory through a fitting fellowship with the sufferings of the eternal Son of God.

[10] For it was fitting

The Lord has His ways. He does not act randomly. Coming to terms with His sovereignty is part of resting in Him. There is a lot of suffering in this world. Our consideration of that suffering requires our consideration of at least three points in the history of mankind: the fall of Adam, the cross of Christ, and the return of our Savior in glory.

There is something appropriate about the way that the Lord chose to save and perfect His people through His Son. Our seeing Jesus as real and His connection with us as real as a Suffering Servant of God will help us to embrace the fact that God is sovereign over all even though we have so many questions that may remain unanswered.

that he, for whom and by whom all things exist,

Let's start with God. Everything and everyone exist for God. And everything and everyone come into existence by God. What a mighty God we serve! Who can fathom His greatness? Who can understand the depth of the love of the Father? The glorious eternal Son of God became man, entering into this world of suffering. What love!

1. We do not exist for ourselves. We are not the center of everything. The God of love is.

in bringing many sons to glory,

It is the settled eternal intention of the Lord to bring many children into a realm that is so wonderful that it can only be called “glory.” Our time here on this earth, so infected with sin and death, is very brief. Heaven is home, the fulfillment of every good desire, and the absence of every stain that mars our present experience of joy.

2. God will accomplish His eternal plan. Our perfect home and family is coming here.

should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Jesus is the Founder of our salvation. He is the embodiment of eternal perfection, yet He is also a Man who had a pathway of life that traveled through suffering on the way to glory. God used the cross of Christ to bring His Son home, and to bring us with Him.

3. His sufferings secured eternal hope, the best help we could ever have in our suffering.

Application: In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we can see the pattern for us, and the power of salvation. Give in to the purpose of the Almighty. Romans 5:1-5 says,

[1] Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Do Not Forget Me, Lord - Verse 3

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 13)

1. Do not forget me, Lord!

Hide not Your face from me!

I trust in Your eternal Word.

You have been good to me.

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 11:1-6)

2: Near to Jerusalem –

What colt will Jesus ride?

The Lord has need, and it is done!

My God will soon provide.

Verse 3: (Based on Acts 24:24-27)

3: But I am still alone.

Days turn to months and years.

You, Lord, are true though all are false.

O cast away my fears!

Do Not Forget Me, Lord - Verse 2

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 13)

Do not forget me, Lord!

Hide not Your face from me!

I trust in Your eternal Word.

You have been good to me.

Verse 2: (Based on Mark 11:1-6)

Near to Jerusalem –

What colt will Jesus ride?

The Lord has need, and it is done!

My God will soon provide.

Do Not Forget Me Lord - Verse 1

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 13)

Do not forget me, Lord!

Hide not Your face from me!

I trust in Your eternal Word.

You have been good to me.

1 Chronicles 9

Israel and Judah were guilty of what the Chronicler calls a “breach of faith.” Faith is the proper disposition of the heart that hears the voice of God. It grieved the Lord when the people who were called by His Name would not hear and obey the Word of their God. This behavior had led to disaster for Israel and Judah. Now they were coming home again, and they needed to remember the Word of the Lord and obey.

Prominent among those who were returning into the land were the Levites who had charge over divine worship. With them were certain clans of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the descendants of the clans of Joseph who lived in Jerusalem. This was the new Israel in that generation.

The account in 1 Chronicles 9 draws our attention to the tasks that were of central importance to the divine plan for the city. First, there were priests and Levites devoted to worship in what would be the house of God. Second, there were specific leaders associated with the security of the city of Jerusalem and the temple. They would be gatekeepers in the rebuilt temple area and the holy city. These individuals did not apply for their jobs. They could trace their genealogies back to the days of David and Samuel, who had appointed certain people to these offices that were critical to good order in the community. Others had very specific functions regarding the details of worship, with authority over temple utensils, holy furnishings, special foods, spices used in divine service, and the special holy bread that was to be placed before the Lord. There were also temple singers and leaders who were in the house of God continually, on duty by shifts, day and night.

What is very clear from these priority details recorded in this chapter is that the rebuilt Jerusalem was to be first and foremost a place of worship. Every other good blessing that God intended for His people upon their return to Jerusalem would flow from their willingness to keep the faith on this most important matter: they existed to worship and serve the Lord, and to rejoice before Him in the city that He Himself had chosen.

Jerusalem was a city of holy assembly, which is also what the church throughout the world is today. Jesus is the Cornerstone not only of a temple, but of a new city. Despite all her faults, we love that city, and we count it to be a great privilege to serve God by our involvement in her welfare. The church is nothing if it is not a city of worship. She has leaders appointed within her to guard her purity and peace, and she bows before a King and a Husband who bought her with His own blood.

This new assembly will one day be perfected and the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. The worship of God through Jesus Christ will be the great pleasure of all of the renewed earth, and the last trace of sin and death will be removed forever. It is our privilege to know these important spiritual facts that escape the interest of millions. They imagine that this earth exists for their own wealth and fame. We know that the earth is the Lord's and that everything and everyone within it belongs to Him. It is our delight to know the King of the Kingdom who is also the Husband of His worshiping bride, the new Jerusalem. We hear His voice and follow Him.

1 Chronicles 8

In 1 Chronicles 8 and 9 we conclude the genealogical information that begins this book. Our focus in these chapters is on the tribe of Benjamin and on the family line of Saul. Saul was the first king of Israel. Certain details of his heritage and progeny are listed twice here in these two chapters. Despite being the first king of Israel, Saul was unable to pass on the throne to his son. The Messiah would not be from the tribe of Benjamin, but from the tribe of Judah and from the lineage of David.

When we begin the narrative section of this book in 1 Chronicles 10, we will start with the death of Saul and his sons and the beginning of the reign of David, the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah. The little tribe of Benjamin was important to the history of David and to the account of the return of the exiles to the Promised Land after their seventy years away from the Land was completed. Though there was a great conflict between Saul and David, David did not desire that conflict, and many within the tribe of Benjamin would seek a close religious association with God's purposes through the line of David reigning in the city of Jerusalem.

Certain military details regarding the tribe of Benjamin were included in 1 Chronicles 7. The names in 1 Chronicles 8 and 9 were different and included none of the large numbers of the thousands of fighting men from the days of David. The names of clans and leaders in Chapter 8 helped establish the connection of the returning people from the tribe of Benjamin with God's purposes in a restored Jerusalem. Verse 28 included this important historical note: “These lived in Jerusalem.”

Jerusalem was important to the purposes of God. Among many things that could be said about this city, it was there that Jesus would die for our sins. Before His death, the Son of David rode into that city as a humble king, receiving the praise of even the children. He wept for the city of Jerusalem, and the daughters of Jerusalem eventually wept for Him.

Yet Jesus' fullest passion was not for the Jerusalem that is below, but for the eternal Jerusalem above. The story of the Benjaminites who desired to be associated with David and with the Lord's city should inspire us to rejoice all the more in our great King and in His everlasting Kingdom. We are happy to see the kingdom of darkness defeated here below whenever we have the occasion to observe that, but we are even happier to know that our names are written above in the eternal city of God. We rejoice in our association with the Resurrection Man and the entire new world that He is bringing into being.

Blog Break

The next blog will appear on Tuesday, July 22, 2013, Lord willing.

Heal Me, Lord, By Your Grace - Verse 3

1:  (Based on Psalm 6)

Heal me, Lord, by your grace!

My soul is so distressed.

You Lord have heard my honest plea.

The Lord my prayer accepts.

2: (Based on Mark 10:35-45)

I want to be the best.

Can I be someone great?

Jesus, my Savior, lived to serve.

His wounds a ransom paid.

3: (Based on Acts 24:1-23)

Will I then be despised,

Hated, and cursed by men?

My Savior's love has made me free.

I am alive again.

Heal Me, Lord, By Your Grace - Verse 2

1: (Based on Psalm 6)

Heal me, Lord, by your grace!

My soul is so distressed.

You Lord have heard my honest plea.

The Lord my prayer accepts.

2: (Based on Mark 10:35-45)

I want to be the best.

Can I be someone great?

Jesus, my Savior, lived to serve.

His wounds a ransom paid.

Heal Me, Lord, By Your Grace - Verse 1

Verse 1: (Based on Psalm 6)

1: Heal me, Lord, by your grace!

My soul is so distressed.

You Lord have heard my honest plea.

The Lord my prayer accepts.

1 Chronicles 7

In the preceding chapters we have considered the genealogical records for Judah and Simeon, followed by the accounts for tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and finally the detailed lists of the clans in the tribe of Levi. In this seventh chapter the remainder of the tribes of Israel are briefly listed with a focus on their previous military strength. Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Ephraim, Asher, and half of the tribe of Manasseh are mentioned here. There is no record included for the tribes of Dan and Zebulun.

In the days of David thousands upon thousands of men from these tribes went out to war in the Name of the Lord God Almighty. They had been given a divine directive of conquest in the time of Joshua, and David led them forward in accord with that Word. In the days of the Chronicler the survivors from all the tribes now received permission from their captors to return to Jerusalem. The idea that they could one day have a strong military presence again under the authority of the Lord was something to hope and pray for. The historical records of these tribes reminded the people that they would need to be strong and courageous for the new task ahead.

In these sparse records we have notes of death and loss that reminded the returning exiles of the difficulties that the people of God had faced over the centuries. Nonetheless they had their great men who had served the Lord in their day. Now it was time for any who could be found from these tribes and clans to remember the call of God who had given Israel the land of Canaan. Their day to serve the Lord with integrity had come.

When we considered the tribe of Judah in the earlier chapters of this book, we were reminded of Israel's need for a Messiah King. When we heard about the tribe of Levi in chapter 6, we thought about the coming King who would also be a great High Priest over all of the Lord's people. In this seventh chapter we remember the thousands of Israelites from other tribes that were once organized by their clans to serve the Lord in battle and we wonder what this teaches us about the Messiah who would come.

The New Testament church has been called to a life of serious spiritual warfare. The challenges that we face are not less formidable than the Israelites of old. We are thankful that we have a Leader who is not only a King and a Priest. He is also our Captain in the fight that we face, a new Joshua, who brings us into a far better Promised Land. The weapons of our warfare are not the latest technological achievements that make armies impressive among the fighting forces of the world. We have the power of gospel truth and the Word of God, which is called in the Scriptures “a double-edged sword.” This sword of the Spirit comes from our Commander-in-Chief.

Jesus is coming again one day to judge the living and the dead. As long as we still have life and breath it is our privilege to offer ourselves to Him in the battle of love that we are fighting now. We live in a time of both great difficulty and considerable opportunity. We are called to be strong and of good courage, but we know for certain that our Lord will win the battle. He is the Captain of our salvation.

1 Chronicles 6

The Chronicler recorded many names connected to the important tribe of Levi. This tribe had been given a special role by God regarding the divinely-ordained worship of the people of Israel. The priests and temple workers all came from this one tribe. They did not have their own territory in the Promised Land, but were scattered throughout Israel in designated cities.

Just as it was of great importance to have a list of the descendants of David so that a new king in his line could eventually be established in the land, Israel also needed a record of the high priests which were descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. The account of Levi in 1 Chronicles began with a selective record of those who held this important religious office with special emphasis on the men who served at the time of the building of the temple and then centuries later during the exile to Babylon. From the descendants of this second man, Jehozadak, the next high priest would come.

The remainder of the chapter gave special attention to certain important functions of the tribe of Levi. The Levites were in charge of “... the service of song in the house of the Lord” according to David's instruction. There were men who led in this sacred duty when God blessed His people with His presence in the temple built by Solomon. The temple was now gone, but it would be rebuilt. Who would the Lord use to lead the people of God in the service of song when the great day of temple rededication came?

The Old Testament worship was not only about song. It was centered around the sacrificial system that the Lord had given to Israel. The Lord's system of worship consisted not only in the offering of animals as ceremonial substitutes for a guilty people, it also included the priestly duty of burning incense as an outward reminder of the sincere prayers of the God's faithful servants. Only the priests could offer up animal sacrifices or burn incense to the Lord. This was the divinely sanctioned way of making atonement for sin.

The final section of this chapter noted the cities and pasturelands that were provided to the three clans of Levi. This detail was significant to the future of a reestablished Israel. The people of the other tribes were to do their part to support the worship of the Lord. How were the Levites to live if the rest of the tribes would not provide for them? This tribe was to be at the center of the Lord's Old Covenant worship, and all of the other tribes were to give of their substance for this sacred service.

The details of Old Testament ceremonies had a rich significance that culminated in the coming of the Messiah. Today the privilege of drawing near to God in song, sacrifice, and supplication is not limited to the sons of Aaron. We have an eternal High Priest in Jesus Christ. His priesthood is different than the old Levitical way. The temporary and ceremonial has given way to the eternal and essential. In our direct connection with the One who is both Sacrifice and Priest we have become a priesthood of all believers. (Revelation 1:6) We do not bring animals to the Lord anymore, but instead we offer up our bodies as living sacrifices. (Romans 12:1) Anything that is permanent that was once restricted to the tribe of Levi is now the privilege of the entire body of Christ.

This is a massive change from the old order of worship and life that prepared the people of God for the coming of the Messiah. We have no desire to return to the former ways. The fulfillment has come. We are not going back to the temporary. We are stretching forward to the resurrection of the dead. Even now we already have bold access to the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Chronicles 5

Two and a half of the tribes of Israel asked the Lord through Moses for permission to settle on the side of the Jordan that was not originally in the the Promised Land itself. God allowed them to do that, but by the time the Chronicler was preparing the remnant of Israel to return after the exile, these tribes had lost very much. The Assyrians, who had decimated the northern tribes and destroyed their capital of Samaria in 722 BC, had at that time deported many from this region and had repopulated their towns with subjugated people from other nations.

The two and a half tribes who lived in the region known as Gilead were descended from Reuben, Gad, and one of the sons of Joseph, Manasseh. Reuben was Jacob's first-born. Yet Reuben went and “... lay with Bilhah his father's concubine,” as recorded in Genesis 35:22. This offense was mentioned at the end of Jacob's life as a matter of judgment against the tribe that bore Reuben's name. The story of that discipline was again recalled by the Chronicler. God still cared about those who came from Reuben, even though he had “... defiled his father's couch.” Reuben would not be prominent. Those who descended from Judah and from Joseph would have greater significance than Jacob's oldest son.

Hints of the genealogical information for the tribe of Gad and for the half-tribe of Manasseh were also given here. Could anything good be said about these tribes? They had achieved military victories many centuries earlier by crying out to God and trusting in His Name. That humility before God was worthy of emulation.

The two and a half tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had their distinct ancestors, but where were their descendants when it was time for Israel to return to the land? Since their destruction by the Assyrians all those in this region were together under the same judgment of God. The Lord had used the Assyrian king against them. They had “... broken faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the people of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.” Their destiny had been exile for many decades. Would there be any hope for their descendants now? Perhaps the existence of these accounts mentioning the names of their clans would provide a way for some of the scattered descendants of Jacob to find a legitimate place again among the returning exiles.

What would it be like for any of us if we had to prove our worth through some vague genealogical record? Most of us were not even counted among the descendants of Israel by birth. We were Gentiles, non-Jews, and strangers to the promises given to Jews. But now we look back at the promise that the Lord gave to our ancient father in the faith, Abraham, and we read that through him all the clans of the earth would be blessed.

The way this blessing has come to us is only through the Man who has fully proven Himself for our sake, not only through the right genealogy, but through the offering of a perfect life to God. In Him we have been counted as acceptable children of God.

It is good to think that there might have been a way for the tribes that had been deported by the Assyrians to find meaning again as a part of the returning people of God. But it is even better that all who call upon the Name of the Lord, even though we were never a part of Israel, can now be counted as part of the household of the Almighty.