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JULY
16
1
Chronicles 22-23
1 Chronicles 22
This chapter adds some
interesting information and perspective to what we have read before. Before you
read what I’ve written below, read chapter 22 and see what questions or
observations you come up with. This is a very rich chapter, full of information
and it gives us David's words to Solomon.
Now from Ezra's perspective,
other than the fact that this gives the returnees some great historical
insight, I wonder what Ezra's purpose was for including this. The entire
chapter is devoted to David's preparation for building the temple. I wonder if
it was known among the people that for all of the good he had done, Solomon was
the first king to lead the nation into idolatry. It could be that the temple
had a kind of "strike" against it because of this. Since Solomon died
as a bitter, backslidden idolater, I'm wondering if Ezra wanted to correct the
notion that the temple was Solomon's idea. Having read 1 Kings and about
Solomon building the temple, we stand here viewing this with the same surprise
that Ezra's readers had. It was really David who did the greatest amount of
preparation for the temple. David couldn't build it, but David devoted the last
years of his life to amassing materials, making drawings, organizing labor,
enlisting the support of the political and religious leaders of Israel, and
then, carefully instructing Solomon on what to do. Ezra is showing them that
although David was not allowed to build the temple, he prepared the next
generation to do it. David, the king of promise, the "man after God's own
heart," was responsible for the temple.
What this gives us is some
interesting perspective on Solomon. Before David became sick and bedridden, he
spent hours with Solomon to pass on these instructions. We read of Solomon in 1
Kings, organizing for the building of the temple, not realizing that this
wasn't all Solomon; it was David.
This chapter also gives some
added perspective to Adonijah’s attempt to become king. According to this
chapter, after David knew where the temple would be built, he spent years
making it clear that Solomon would be his heir and that he would build the
temple. David commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon build the
temple. So then, Adonijah, Abiathar and Joab staging the coup in the first
chapter of 1 Kings was really a crass, intentional act of treason. They thought
that because David was a fading, tottering, old man, they could get away with
this. If not for God, via Nathan, Solomon would not only have been passed by,
but also would have been killed.
In the gap between 2 Samuel and
1 Kings, you don't have any of this information about David preparing for the
building of the temple. This is pretty cool.
Vs. 1-5 David realized that in
God telling David to build an altar on this threshing floor, God was showing
David where the temple should be. I believe that even prior to the census,
David was already planning for the temple and that he already knew Solomon
would build it. First Chronicles 18:8 happened years before this event and
mentions David amassing a large quantity of bronze which Solomon later used in
the temple.
Vs. 6-10 This is David's charge
to Solomon to build the temple. Notice that this is David before he was a
tottering old man who couldn't get warm. That, or God, gave David an amazing
second wind before he died.
Vs. 11-16 There are lots of
interesting things here. God told David that Solomon would build the temple.
Vs. 12-13 This is a charge for
Solomon to seek discretion or wisdom and for him to keep the law of the Lord. I
wonder if this is where Solomon got the idea to ask God for wisdom.
V. 14 According to the Bible
Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 612, we are talking about 3,750 TONS of gold
and 37,500 TONS of silver. You really wonder why Solomon felt the need to keep
collecting gold all his life. He seems to have been a man of excesses.
Vs. 17-19 This was David's
charge to the leaders of Israel to help Solomon. Interestingly, David commanded
them to seek the Lord.
1 Chronicles 23
V. 1 Between chapters 22 and 23
you have the fun and games of 1 Kings 1-2:9. Again, what Ezra is showing here
is that it was the godly king David who organized those who were to serve
Israel in the worship of God in the temple.
Vs. 2-6 This was the general
organizing of the Levites. David took as much interest in the organization of
worship, as he did in the building of the temple. David wasn't just a warrior
and musician; he was an organizing animal. Sometimes, very disorganized people
are very "together" in the area of their passion. In the last years
of David's life, he pursued his passion: loving and following God. The text
makes it look here that David did this organizing work after he made Solomon
king. If so, God did give him an amazing last surge of strength. My guess would
be that David already had much of this organization in place during the
preceding years. This is the David who validates the statement, “a man after
God’s own heart.”
Vs. 7-23 Here Ezra shows why the
genealogies of the Levites were so important. David reorganized the Levites
(except for the priests) for service in the temple according to their major
families.
Vs. 24-32 Originally, God didn't
number the Levites who were under thirty. In v. 26 David changed that because
there was no longer a need to move the tabernacle. The temple would be the
permanent home of the Lord, the ark and of the worship of Israel. He would
enlist the Levites, giving them new duties and raising the level of the daily
worship in the temple.
In one sense, Ezra was making
disciples. He was helping a new generation find the calling of their heritage.
I think he wanted this new nation to pursue God with the life passion of David.
David didn't just gather raw materials and draw up building plans; he was also
totally involved in wanting to see God honored by the worship of the people.
David was now seen as the planner, with God, of the temple.
As we work to make disciples,
who make disciples, I think it is good to focus on the passion of David and of Paul
pursuing God, but even more to focus on Jesus. His passion for the harvest and
intensity in following the Father is what we all need to keep our hearts
ignited, from generation to generation, as we work until our Lord returns.
Romans
3:9-31
This is one of those portions in
Romans where it is worth memorizing more verses than just Romans 3:23.
Vs. 9-10 Under sin
means under the power of sin. Paul will talk more about this in Romans 7; for
example, Romans 7:23, but I see in my
members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive
to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Sin is a spiritual sickness
responsible for the acts that we call "sin." The sin within us can
only be fully cured by the resurrection. That is why the resurrection is a
great hope for us, finally freeing us from this sickness.
Vs. 11-18 This seems hard, but it is the truth about sin. We
are totally ruined by it. In the OT, leprosy was the physical disease that
symbolized sin. It was incurable and it permeated all of the body and life.
Paul is showing some of his knowledge of Scripture,
particularly The Psalms, bringing together several different portions of the
OT. Apparently after he came to faith, everywhere he studied the Scripture, he
saw our helplessness.
Because it says that no one seeks after God, you hear some
people say that there are no "seekers." Since the Bible has commands
to seek God, it seems that there must be something we need to understand in
these verses. In Kings, for example, God did many things through Elijah and
Elisha; and He expected people to turn their hearts to Him, to seek Him. Most
didn't, but some did. God gave them something to initiate the seeking. Without
God's input there would be no seeking; but once God reveals Himself in some
way, then it becomes a possibility. We can either come to Him or ignore Him. I
think the words, no one seeks for God,
express that our depravity is so deep that without His help and grace and
kindness, throwing crumbs and boulders in front of us, we would never seek Him
because of the deep blindness of our hearts. If we sought anything naturally,
it would never be Him. This would hold true for all of these, including doing
good. I don’t think we understand how much work God does in the world to nudge the
hearts of all people. The only thing He can’t do is to make people come to Him
and love Him. Other than that, He can lead His children in kindness to someone
who needs it.
Vs. 19-20 In God's own words, no human being will be
justified by doing good, not even religious good. God considers everyone
accountable to Him because of the law. He has revealed himself in the Word, in
nature and in what is left of His image in us, written on our hearts. There is
enough to hold us responsible and to judge us, but nothing to save us. That
comes through Jesus.
Vs. 20-25 This is a great portion to memorize. The more you
go over it in your mind, the more you understand the flow and the truth of
these words. Propitiation means that
the payment Jesus made fully satisfied God's justice. His payment by blood, His
sacrifice, because He was man and God, had an infinite effect that would cover
every sin committed for all time, for those who by faith would receive Him as
their Savior.
Vs. 25-26 I've hinted to the drama going on to see if God is
really righteous. Since God had passed
over sins ages ago without a real payment for those sins, everyone was
wondering how God could righteously forgive sin. This was the mystery of Christ
and the incarnation. The principalities and powers were all holding their
breath, thinking God couldn't possibly cover sin without violating His own
sense of holiness and justice. He did it!!!
Vs. 27-31 How would you explain what Paul is saying here? It
seems that what Paul is saying is that there is no ground to think that because
a Jew is a Jew, he has a better position in terms of forgiveness and salvation.
Reliance on the law only gets you judged, not saved. Salvation is, and always
was, through faith. God shows no partiality. All men are saved by faith. But
this faith doesn't destroy the law; it proves the importance of the law.
As disciples knowing that salvation is through faith, the
pressure should be off of us. We are not the agents of faith. We are the
messengers of the Word. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to say
"it" well, that we could get the idea that salvation rests on us and
our explanation. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the
testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you
except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in
plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might not rest in the
wisdom of men but in the power of God. We just need to get the message out
there, and let the Father worry about who is ready to respond and be drawn
toward His Son.
Psalm
12
It says that this psalm is
written by David. Thinking back over David's life, when do you think he might
have encountered something this devastating that it would have prompted this
song?
Vs. 1-2 Because of v. 1, I
wonder if this was the death of Samuel. David was on the run, and would be for
the next 10 years. Saul was free to kill priests and do whatever was necessary
to instill fear in the people, in order to keep the crown.
Vs. 3-4 I think that the lying
and flattery was in Saul's government, promoting Saul and justifying hunting
David.
Vs. 5-6 Since this isn't talking
about God refining us, what is the point of what this verse says? It seems that
because God's Word is holy, it cannot fail. If the poor are oppressed, there
will definitely be action, somehow, sometime, against the oppressor. God's Word
can't fail.
Vs. 7-8 Can you imagine singing
this in a worship service? Maybe it had a catchy melody. Since it was used in
worship, what exactly is this psalm exalting and why would this be something
important to remember in worship?
Proverbs
19:13-14
It is hard to see the connection
in all of this, but I say "amen" to the last one. It's hard to know
where stuff comes from…a foolish child, a bitter wife, inherited wealth or
talent. Sometimes you can find a cause, but sometimes it seems like it's just
there. But you know for sure, that if you have a good wife, you have been
blessed by God. Amen!
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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