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2 Chronicles 1 - 5:1

5/4/2012

         Since one of the main themes of 1 and 2 Chronicles is Yahweh’s glory in His just dominion, today we will look at Solomon’s request for wisdom: “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” (2 Chronicles 1:10).
         Notice that wisdom is much more than the accumulation of experiences. It is
the knowledge of Yahweh’s righteous dominion to such a degree that one can apply
its principles to daily life. Specifically, it is used to govern the people, places, resources and time that are under one’s authority. Wisdom’s importance shines forth from the fact that it directs us to exercise authority in agreement with Yahweh’s righteous dominion over all creation; when we demonstrate wisdom, we act in accordance with Yahweh’s righteousness. Therefore we must know Yahweh, fear Him and submit to Him before we can receive wisdom.
         We learn wisdom when we pay attention to Yahweh’s revelation of His righteous dominion and recognize its personal application with a submissive heart.
Since it is revealed instruction rather than personal discovery, there is much emphasis in the Bible on paying attention to Yahweh’s revelation and complete submission to His precepts. When we apply them over the course of our lives, we expect to find blessing and prosperity because we are acting in accordance with Yahweh’s righteousness and His desire to bless His people.
         In today’s reading, Solomon recognizes his need for wisdom to govern Israel, and Yahweh gives it to him in abundance. It is impressive in these first chapters of 2 Chronicles that Solomon applies wisdom first of all to the construction of the temple. That is, wisdom’s purpose goes beyond the desire to govern well – it
governs in order to direct others to worship Yahweh, the exalted and glorious God.

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1 Chronicles 27 - 29 and Psalm 132

5/3/2012

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         Among David’s plans for the construction of the temple, we find a declaration of praise that captures one of the reasons for its importance.
         “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever” (1 Chronicles 29:10). They will build the temple because Yahweh is worthy of praise and worship. The phrase: “Blessed are you, O LORD” does not mean that we can add something to Yahweh, that we can do Him a favor or give Him something He needs. It is a declaration in a loud voice, a clear announcement to all listeners that Yahweh is exalted and worthy of their attention. “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father” is a title that not only recognizes the historical fact of Yahweh’s covenant with the forefathers Abraham and Jacob but also underlines Yahweh’s faithfulness up to David’s generation, too. “Forever and ever” means that it looks toward the future and even to eternity past and present with the certainty that Yahweh’s faithfulness is never exhausted.
         “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty” (1 Chronicles 29:11). For several chapters the chronicler has
described the greatness of King David by telling us of his battles, his administration and organization, his wealth and the great number of people under his dominion. But Yahweh surpasses him in all of these characteristics and achievements. Yahweh Himself defines greatness because He is more than sufficient for Israel and for all creation. He not only declares what righteousness and justice are but also has the power to impose them and make all creation submit to them. The glory speaks of Yahweh’s beauty, the attraction mixed with fear that draws a believer to approach Him cautiously in the desire to know Him better. The victory expresses the decisive way in which He makes His enemies submit to His just decrees. His majesty describes that aspect of His glory which leaves believers open-mouthed in
wonder, almost without words to describe in awe His exceptional attributes. David’s reign described up to this point in 1 Chronicles has its greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty, but it is simply a reflection of Yahweh’s reign, the One who has all of these attributes in their most excellent form.
         “For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours” (1 Chronicles 29:11). David’s dominion extended over all of Judah and later, over all Israel for a total of 40 years; Yahweh’s dominion extends over all creation for all time. “Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11). Here David touches the theme of the whole Bible, Yahweh’s just dominion,
and he notes that Yahweh exercises that dominion with incomparable excellence. He gives an example of His just dominion when he says, “Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:12).
         He describes our appropriate response to His glory when he says, “And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13). And
while we praise His incomparable glory, we feel the shame of our own insignificance before Him: “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things have come from you, and of your own we have given you” (1 Chronicles 29:14). It is impossible for us to add to Yahweh’s glory; we only can reflect it or return what He in His benevolence has shared with us. “For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your
hand and is all your own” (1 Chronicles 29:15-16).
         Through these praises, David shows that even the preparation for the construction of the temple was an opportunity to worship the incomparable God whose eternal dominion and majesty he would try to reflect.

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1 Chronicles 23 - 26 and Psalm 150

5/2/2012

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         Today we continue our reading of David’s preparations for Solomon’s reign and the construction of the temple. Regarding the preparation of materials we read, “David provided materials in great quantity before his death” (1 Chronicles 22:5). Now we read about the organization of the Levites for the temple services.
         The organization of the Levites from Numbers 3 – 4 has to change because: “The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service” (1 Chronicles 23:25-26). But the same
organization by generation will continue for the responsibilities in their new setting.
         For example, the priestly ministry will continue in Aaron’s family: “Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the LORD and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever” (1 Chronicles 23:13). They are identified by the families of Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons, and divided into 24 groups that serve in turns (1 Chronicles 24:3-19). They will be organized under the high priest that comes from Zadok’s family for reasons that we saw in 1 Samuel 2:27-36; 3:11-14; 1 Kings 1:25-26, 38-39; 2:26-27.
         The other Levites serve under the authority of Aaron’s family, just as we read in the book of Numbers:“So the LORD said to Aaron… ‘With you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die’” (Numbers 18:1, 2-3). The temple will function the same way: “For their duty was to assist the sons of
Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening” (1 Chronicles 23:28-30). All that we studied in the book of Numbers about the Levites’ service as insulation between Yahweh’s holiness and the people’s sin pertains to the new temple as well.
         But the Levitical responsibilities are not limited to the offerings; they serve other functions, too. For example, in another instance of protection against Yahweh’s devastating holiness: “They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of
meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you”
(Numbers 18:4). Therefore they assign gatekeepers, so no one will enter to perform some task that doesn’t correspond to them and cause Yahweh’s wrath to break forth against the nation. We find their assignments in 1 Chronicles 26:1-19.
         For the first time in the historical narratives we examine praise of Yahweh through music, both in the temple and in the army, by both instrument and voice: “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” (1 Chronicles 25:1). They also serve in 24 groups by turn. This chapter
extends our vision of the tabernacle services, and following that, those of the
temple.
         Then there is another group of Levites that oversee the treasuries and dedicated gifts (1 Chronicles 26:20). Their responsibilities include the administration of resources for temple maintenance (1 Chronicles 26:26-27). The groups mentioned last are those Levites who judge in Israel itself and in the territory of the two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan (1 Chronicles 26:29-32).
         This brief review of Levitical ministry covers a lot. They fulfilled responsibilities with the sacrifices and offerings, in protecting the temple from contamination, in praising Yahweh by instruments and by voice, in the administration of the treasuries and oversight of villages. In their attention to
ministry explained in 1 Chronicles 23 – 26, the Levites tell us that Yahweh is holy and glorious, worthy of worship not only among the people but from generation to generation.

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1 Chronicles 21 - 22

5/1/2012

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         Why was it wrong to take a census of Israel?
         Remember what we read in Exodus 30: “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the LORD when you number them, that there be no plague among them when
you number them” (Exodus 30:12). “The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD’s offering to make atonement for your lives” (Exodus 30:15).
         In that reading we observed, “Apparently the taking of a census among the Israelites left them guilty after being counted. It may be that as they were counted, as they proudly declared where they were from or their family of origin, as they showed off their large families, as others eagerly calculated the number of possible soldiers to form a large army and proudly shared the final results, everyone was tempted to the sin of pride…leaving little or no glory for Yahweh, the One who gave them life, their families and military victory. Pharaoh was defeated because of pride; it’s better that the Israelites do not fall into the same sin… Nobody can boast; everyone has to pay the same amount in recognition that Yahweh gave them the life that allows them to be counted. That way their lives are rescued from the just punishment that pride deserves.”
         Now in 1 Chronicles 21, David orders a census of the people: “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number” (1 Chronicles 21:2). Even Joab can tell that this is a sin!
         First, notice that many more people die for this sin probably than for David’s sin with Bathsheba and Uriah and the divine judgment that it generated. Maybe the chronicler is right in describing only the sin of the census, highlighting it in all of David’s reign!
         Second, notice that this event pinpoints the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, the place where the just wrath of God would be calmed by His mercy. David is right to say, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel” (1 Chronicles 22:1). The temple would be built at this very place, a memorial to Yahweh’s grace in propitiating His just wrath against David’s pride, and at the same time a place where Israel could look for future manifestations of His grace that they will need daily.
         Third, the recognition of Yahweh’s grace in His stopping of the
destruction of Jerusalem encourages David to prepare the materials for the temple and instruct Solomon in its building. Just as the prophets Haggai and Zechariah will do in the generation that returns from the exile, David here says, “Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the LORD” (1 Chronicles 22:19). Though grace is not by works (Romans 11:6 and Ephesians 2:8-9, for
example), it motivates great works to announce it to many others and make it accessible to all listeners. Therefore King David, and also the chronicler, want their generations to fix their gaze on the place where Yahweh’s just wrath crosses with His mercy.

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2 Chronicles 1 - 5:1

1 Chronicles 27 - 29 and Psalm 132

1 Chronicles 23 - 26 and Psalm 150

1 Chronicles 21 - 22

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