Category: OTC

Read: 2 Chronicles 13-17

I woke up too early this morning to admit, but once again, I find the presence of God richly blesses the time when I simply stop to read his word and listen to the Holy Spirit. This morning took an unexpected turn from ancient kings to nearly forgotten hymns. I hope you spend time listening to what God has for you this morning. I’m sure it’s different for you than it is for me, but pause, read, reflect. Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to your soul, to your very soul this morning.

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Abijah

The civil war continues. At this point Abijah (southern kingdom) and 400,000 troops march against Jeroboam’s 800,000 men. Abijah speaks against Jeroboam, his self-proclaimed religion and righteousness. The highlight includes this conclusion:

God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.” 2 Chronicles 13:12

Jeroboam surround Abijah, but God routed Jeroboam’s army and there were 500,000 casualties that day. The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors. (2 Chronicles 13:18

Abijah grew in strength and power and married a bunch of wives and had lots of children…Solomon’s grandson.  Jeroboam is struck down and killed. His legacy will continue to infect the northern kingdom, Israel, for generations to come.

Asa

Chapter 14 begins with words we don’t see too often: Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. In one particular battle against the overwhelming power of the Cushites, Asa calls upon the Lord for help and again, God delivers those who are faithful to him.

Chapter 15 highlights Asa’s reforms and systematic removal of idols from the land at the prompting of a prophet, Azariah.

All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side. 2 Chronicles 15:15

It is significant to find rest on every side during a time when it was dangerous to travel abroad. These were difficult times.

Then, in the 36th year of Asa’s reign he makes a mistake. Think about it, for 35 years he did what was right and now, for some crazy reason, he fumbles. Chapter 16 tells us that Baasha, king of Israel (northern kingdom) mounted an attack against Asa. Here’s the huge mistake: Asa bribes Ben-Hadad king of Aram to withdraw his support from Baasha and effectively wins the battle without fighting, but here’s the deal, he didn’t call upon the Lord for direction or deliverance.

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 2 Chronicles 16:7

Asa had accumulated enough wealth to fix his problem without God’s help. As a result, the Arameans will continue to be a problem for the chosen people. These are not the words Asa wanted to hear, after all, he just won the battle and walked away with tons of plunder.

Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people. 2 Chronicles 16:10

Asa lived for five more years after fighting a disease in his feet that crippled him, but even then he did not ask the Lord for help. What happened to Asa? Did he think success was truly of his own making? Lord, may we always give you the honor and glory especially in good times. Don’t let us forget you are the fount from which all blessings flow, come thou fount of every blessing, bind my wandering heart to thee. This great hymn epitomizes Asa wandering heart. Sadly, it appears he didn’t recover his perspective and dies in his 41st year. He is honored for 35 of 40 good years, but what a tragedy. Thank you Lord for the reminder in this narrative.

Jehoshaphat

Chapter 17 highlights the good deeds of Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son and heir to the throne.

[Jehoshaphat] sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:4-6

His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord. These are the words I’d love to have on my tombstone, not because I wrote them, but because people around me would draw this conclusion by my actions, it is my sincere hope.

Sorry, Come Thou Fount is still playing in my head:

Here’s my heart
O take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above.

 

I’m sure the words don’t convey the sense of warmth I feel from the Holy Spirit right now. As I walked to the bookshelf and looked in three different hymnals to read the words of this old hymn, memories flood my mind with songs we no longer sing, lyrics that feed my soul, that fed my soul for years. A book next to the hymnals, Then Sings My Soul, includes stories behind 150 great hymns, the featured image on this post. The inscription indicates this was a gift from my brother and his wife, Bill and Kim, on Mother’s Day 2005, the handwriting is that of my mother. Thanks mom. Thanks Bill & Kim.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of music that reminds us of your goodness, of your great deeds. Thank you for the legacy of faithful parents and the church of yesteryear that has all but vanished, yet continues to convict me of your love and sovereignty, especially as I get older.

2 Chronicles 4-5

Typical lessons on Sunday use references from the New Testament. One of the benefits I find with studying the Old Testament is simply this: those who lived with Jesus knew these stories well. In many ways, their society was defined by the narratives of the people and places we tend to overlook as we focus our time on the Apostles. Yet the bulk of the Bible, in sheer page count, invites me to learn through the eyes of our ancestors. Knowing the back-story makes the current story complete.

Today we read chapters 4 & 5, much of which is also discussed in 1 Kings 7: Construction of the Temple and Palace. The detailed description was necessary because they couldn’t take a picture with their iPhones. Part of my conversation last night included a comment by my friend that lines and numbers drawn on a piece of paper don’t mean anything, but to me, for whatever reason, when I see blueprints of a building I actually see the building in my mind. Some of my amazingly gifted musician friends look at sheet music, complete orchestral scores, and hear the symphony.

Chapter 4 describes the furnishings to paint the picture for us, to invite us to that place and time when God was shaping his message of reconciliation. Beyond the artistry and craftsmanship required to build the objects of the temple, it’s interesting to note the primary artist was not an Israelite. Huram-Abi was commissioned through the King of Tyre to do the work:

“I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre…He will work with your skilled worker and with those of my lord, David your father.” 2 Chronicles 2:13-14

Solomon gets the credit because he is the architect, the executive producer, whatever top-level leadership position you prefer, but we know he didn’t actually do the work himself. So many unnamed people poured their lives into the construction of the temple over the course of seven years.

Chapter 5 briefly discusses bringing the ark to the temple with super long poles…make no mistake here, they were properly transporting the ark of the covenant.

These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place 2 Chronicles 5:9

This was a sacred and special beginning to the dedication festival that richly blessed the people. The work of many gave them focus and purpose, it defined them and set many on a path that led to a deep and devoted relationship with God. It’s what they needed then and there.

Musicians gathered to make lots of joyful noise, take a peak:

All the Levites who were musicians–Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives–stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by the trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 5:12-13

The sense I get is there was real and complete joy in the hearts of the musicians and the people were moved. I’ve been blessed to be a part of worship and production teams for many years, so this description causes me to reminisce a bit. Lives are changed when worship is authentic. The Spirit moves in people when we give it all to God. Yes, I push the faders up and make the music loud because my heart is filled with wonder as I imagine Jesus dancing with us — one day, one day.

Lord, help us to see the richness of the portraits painted in these ancient stories. May they create in us people of depth and help us to authentically call people to follow Jesus.

Read: 1 Chronicles 22-29

Today we read the unique account of preparations for building the temple, unique in that these details are only included here in 1 Chronicles, not in 2 Samuel. This is a quick read that includes details and lists of many who were called by name for this great work.

• Chapter 22 – Preparations for Solomon
• Chapter 23 – New duties for those previously tasked to carry the things of the temple
• Chapter 24 – Division of Priests, quite orderly
• Chapter 25 – Musicians — God loves music!
• Chapter 26 – Gatekeepers, treasurers and others
• Chapter 27 – Army divisions, Leaders of the tribes and the King’s overseers
• Chapter 28 – David’s plans for the temple
• Chapter 29 – The closing of 1 Chronicles and David’s death

Although David knows he is not allowed to build the temple himself, he makes extensive preparations to enable Solomon to create a magnificent temple, The Temple in Jerusalem.

“I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them. You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as those skilled in every kind of work in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.” 1 Chronicles 22:14-16

That is an incredible amount of raw materials! I am really amazed every time I read about vast amounts of iron and bronze. I remember many years ago watching the process of creating steel when my brother worked at US Steel in Birmingham or aluminum during a visit to Alcoa in Baton Rouge. Even in this modern world, it is a huge effort to create steel and aluminum. Gold mines with ground penetrating radar and sophisticated systems are employed to mine precious metals. Some 3,000 years ago this was not the case, but somehow the creative genius in the minds of people were able to find and mine enormous quantities of metals from rocks.

Chapters 23 through 27 provide very little narrative, mostly just lists of names, positions and duties. The significance should not be dismissed–these are real people that lived, had families, served and trusted God as part of the millions of people that made up the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. Individuals honored with their names included in the Bible. I don’t know them, but like walking through a cemetery and looking at gravestones, these are our ancestors.

Another observation is just this: the Israelites under David were very orderly. I don’t know about the neighboring countries or kingdoms, but having clear lines of authority and responsibility creates a solid structure that is formidable.

It’s also important to note that all are aligned to serve the Lord, to honor God by each doing their part. The sense I get from reading the details is this was a peaceful process. Many jobs were determined by casting lots and it appears that everyone agreed with the process and did their part, at least at this point! One enormous family, united and serving God. Crazy! Talk about your megachurch!

With all of that in place, Chapter 28 formally announces Solomon as David’s successor. The picture is perfect and a peaceful transition of power is set in motion–significant considering this was a time when kingdoms were overturned by insurrection quite often.

David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.” 1 Chronicles 28:20-21

I love this: “Be strong and courageous and do the work.” This is not a job for the faint of heart. I think we should make a small plaque for every senior minister’s desk with these words for their job requires all three elements: strength, courage and work. Not that this is limited to pastors, just that their job in particular is challenging because their direct report is none other than God himself. No pressure!

It is significant that we read this was all a cooperative effort, at least at this point:

Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 1 Chronicles 29:6

They willingly did the work. This was a seriously happy time in history, “The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.” (1 Chronicles 29:9). The story begins to change in 2 Chronicles, but lets enjoy the moment here, don’t get ahead of the story!

The unity displayed at this point in the history of Israel is one we long to see in our modern churches, mere drops in the sea compared to the size and expanse of Israel at this point. What would it look like if we as the church were this united, all giving the glory to God? The writer of Chronicles paints a wonderful portrait of Israel at its finest.

Solomon formally takes the throne and David dies a peaceful death.

He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. 1 Chronicles 29:28

And so we come to the end of 1st Chronicles, we witness an orderly and well kept union of people with well-defined responsibilities and people willingly serving the Lord. Like a glorious sunset with light dazzling the horizon and shooting colors across the sky while the music builds and then fades, we close the chapter on King David’s life. Nice. Peace. Done.

Read: 1 Chronicles 19-21

Much of this narrative was covered in earlier posts David and Bathsheba and David’s Kingdom Reestablished; The Census from 2 Samuel. However, it’s interesting that the writer of Chronicles, presumably Ezra, chooses not to elaborate on Bathsheba or Absalom (in particular), but David’s Census–not that we need to discuss twice! (see 2 Samuel 24). Instead, we focus on events and people with a special emphasis on God’s compassion and grace. Have no doubt, sin is dealt with harshly and facts are not altered to create a friendlier narrative. The author simply leaves those details to another writer and draws us to learn how God cares and guides his people.

Chapter 19 recounts the foolish new king of the Ammonites, Hanun. Shaving the friendly envoys and cutting off “their garments at the buttocks” (1 Chronicles 19:4) was not a good plan! (This was covered in the David and Bathsheba back in January.)

Chapter 20 begins just like 2 Samuel 11: “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war,…” but here we skip past the details of Bathsheba, Uriah and Nathan. Instead, we jump past that narrative and read about the super-heavy crown and plunder that resulted from victory at Rabbah (mostly due to Joab’s leadership).

Chapter 21: David’s Census

In 2 Samuel, this account is somewhat of an appendix to the narrative, provided at the very end. In Chronicles, this follows the chronological story of David’s rule (imagine that) which includes not only the horrible result of David’s sin, but the purchase of the land upon which the temple would be built later by Solomon.

The writer begins much differently here:

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 1 Chronicles 21:1

Compared to:

Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah. 2 Samuel 24:1

Interesting. Diving in the details a bit reveals some difference in opinion about the translation of the verses. What is clear and consistent is that God did not ask David to take the census — this was something of his own doing. Perhaps this is revealing his humanity, some thread of insecurity or pride. Maybe he was still thinking about Hanun’s ridiculous reaction to his friendly gesture and decided that he would fight with numbers rather than on the battlefield, i.e., my army is bigger than your army, so save yourself some trouble–perhaps. Another thought, following the Chronicles translation, is consistent with the story of Job where it appears that God uses Satan for his purposes in the larger scheme. I really don’t know.

What we do read about in both accounts is Joab is not pleased with the task that he is given, but he does it anyway. He is loyal, but not happy. It took Joab 9 months and 23 days (2 Samuel 24:8) to complete the task:

In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah. 1 Chronicles 21:5

That’s a huge number of fighting men! But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin, because the king’s command was repulsive to him (1 Chronicles 21:6) and Joab was, after all, a hard-headed warrior.

God was not pleased and his punishment was severe. He gave David three options, none of which were good, but the third option relied completely on God’s compassion, so he choose that one:

I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands. 1 Chronicles 21:13

Some 70,000 died as a result of the plague that fell on Israel and David was deeply upset with his careless actions:

Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people. 1 Chronicles 21:17

Not only does David boldly confess his sin, he cries out to God and reminds him that this is “your people” — not David’s.

Property Purchased from a Jebusite

The plagues stops and David is directed to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite (1 Chronicles 21:18). David’s history with the Jebusites goes back a few chapters. In my mind, the requirement to humble himself before God is doubled by having to make a deal with Araunah, a notable non-Israelite, but David is faithful and complies, he buys the property. Ultimately, this becomes the site upon which the temple will be built.

It’s interesting how God uses those outside of Israel as instruments for his purpose. Nothing is beyond God, he is not constrained by any borders we construct.

The weight of the mantle of leadership is heavy. It’s a burden that crushes many who try to carry it themselves. The narrative here reminds me that my own perspective is easily thrown off track when I leave God out of the equation, when I forget (or refuse) to ask God first. In the previous chapters we saw David asking God for approval before taking steps, here we see David begging God for mercy because of his transgression against the nation (not just a few individuals).

Lord, help us to ask you first and, most importantly, give us ears to hear your answer, not the version we want to hear, but what you actually have to say.