1 Chronicles 12

1 Chronicles 12 continues the description of David’s mighty men and the transition to the throne.  The mighty men were quite a group:

-       “They were bowmen

-       could shoot arrows

-       sling stones with either the right or the left hand;

-       mighty and experienced warriors

-       expert with shield and spear

-       faces were like the faces of lions

-       swift as gazelles

-       the least was a match for a hundred men

-       and the greatest for a thousand”

That is quite a list of traits for these guys.  They were not just great marksmen and warriors – they alsso were leaders.

We read throughout the description that they “were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army”.  David not only surrounded himself with great fighters, but also great leaders.  They knew how to lead, and maybe equally as importantly, to be led.  That is one of the traits of a great leader.  They can get in front and lead when the time calls for that, but when they are not in that role, they know how to be led.  These men came to David, scripture tells us “from day to day men came to David to help him”.  He didn’t have to go recruit.  They were drawn to his leadership and mission.

But wisely as men came, David knew he needed to make sure they were on the bus with him.  “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you”.  David certainly knew that trust was something that needed to be earned.  He had lived most of his life looking over his shoulder wondering who would be trying to kill him next.  So it’s no wonder that he wants to be sure that these men were all in as they came.

But they were, and assured him of such.  Why would they line up behind David – after all they were mighty men and leaders in their own right.  The scripture tells us this reason: “For your God helps you”.  They could see that David was walking with God and that God’s hand was upon him.  When we walk with Jesus and His hand is guiding us – people notice.  And people want to be aligned with a leader that God has control of and is using to do great and mighty things.  So the groundswell grew well beyond the mighty men, to hundreds of thousands – “All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel”.  They came to be part of the ceremony of making David king.  Hope was being restored.  Scripture tells us “there was joy in Israel”.  That had been missing for quite some time.  David is restoring the future and the hope!

1 Chronicles 11

1 Chronicles 11 gives us a picture of David’s people – the guys who helped him stay on course to become king when no one else was on the bandwagon.  We see again that God had said “You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel”.  David was selected, but it wasn’t an easy journey to the throne.  He needed help and there were a group of men who surrounded him and assisted on that journey.  We see here that “all the elders…..and David made a covenant”.  It wasn’t a subset – they all were there and “anointed David king…..according to the word of the Lord by Samuel”.  This day was no surprise.  Samuel has prophesied it many years previous, but now it happens.

David decides he is going to take back Jerusalem, although those living there have a different idea.  He motivates his men this way:  “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander”.  That was a pretty good offer.  Joab steps up and leads the way and became chief.  There was a group of men that were called “David’s mighty men”.  The number was a bit short of 40 listed in this chapter, and scripture records that they “gave him strong support in his kingdom”.  These guys were the enforcers.  They got things done.  Leaders need a strong set of people who are there to assist on the journey.  David had them, and they performed for many years.

It seems that David had loosely thirty mighty men, plus three in his inner circle.  The list actually is actually a bit more than 30 plus 3, and in this passage it doesn’t list the third of the three in his most trusted circle.  We find out about Shammah in the other place it is listed in 2 Samuel 23.  Scripture records Jashobeam, and Eleazar in this text as part of the three.  There are some variations between the lists, and the one here is longer and includes more names.  But the lesson is that David had a group of mighty men who were structured to get things done.  There was a core group of thirtyish, and then three in the inner circle.  Some were appointed chief, some commanders, but they were selected because of their skill and willingness to serve him.

The story of David’s desire to have a drink of water from the well at Bethlehem is recounted here.  The three went and brought back water for him, and you may recall from the other place we saw this story, that David poured it out.  We can learn a few things about David from these short verses (per Matthew Henry’s commentary)

1. As mighty as David himself was, he had weakness      and needed others to help
2. He longed for the water but denied himself that      desire and appetite to rule over his own spirit
3. He had devotion toward God and poured out the      water as a drink offering
4. He had tenderness toward his servants who risked      their very lives to satisfy his desires

David was surrounded by a loyal and very capable group of mighty men.  They were renowned and the thing legends are made of.  The stories of their lives, while not detailed, are impressive here.  They killed many, man and beast alike, as they served their king.

2 Samuel 5:1-10

2 Samuel 5:1-10 has the official transition of David to the throne.  “All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron”.  He had been doing some leading of certain parts of the people of God, but Saul had remained king and now is dead.  So the people come and say “we are your bone and flesh”.  They are ready for David to take the reigns.  “You shall be prince over Israel”.  The torch is officially passed and the elders are ready to make David King.  God had decreed it much earlier, and now the people are finally catching up.

So “King David made a covenant with them….they anointed David king”.  This is not some simple thing – it became a covenant relationship.  David accepting the role and responsibility that goes with being king, and the people receiving him in that role.  Covenant relationships are significant.  They are not just words – it is a permanent bond.  A covenant refers to two or more parties bound together.  Not for some period of time, but forever.  Covenants aren’t broken except through death.  It’s why God calls marriage a covenant relationship – it is to last forever.  We have lost the impact of a covenant.  We see relationships as temporary and disposable.  That is not what happens here between the elders, the people of Israel and their King David.

He takes the helm and reins for 40.5 years.  First at Hebron, and later in Jerusalem which he went and captured and took back.  David rebuilt that great city and “called it the city of David”.  It became his fortress and the center of his kingdom.  David certainly didn’t receive the kingdom on a silver platter.  From the time God anointed him king, until this time when the people finally get around to it, was a very difficult period.  He was constantly being chased by Saul who didn’t want to allow the transition.  He faced numerous enemies who wanted to wipe him out.  He had to sleep with his eyes open to be sure he wasn’t killed. It was a tough ride to get to this day.

But scripture tells us that “David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him”.  God enabled him to endure.  God gave him grace so he could survive.  David became more ready to really take the throne as he endured the challenges along the path.  And now, scripture tells us that David has become greater – but it isn’t of his own ability.  Greatness happens because God was with him.  David becomes who he is because God poured into him.  We need to keep that in mind as we see these larger than life people in scripture.  It isn’t them, it is God in them that makes them stand out.  And the same God that worked in and through David wants to do the same in you and me.  The only question is our willingness to let Him have control and be obedient as He leads.  We too can become great in God’s eyes.  We just have to choose to follow and obey!  

Psalm 104

Psalm 104 begins like this: “Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great”!  God is great.  And the psalmist goes on to list the qualifications for that statement.  Check out this very long list of ways that God is amazingly great:

-       “You are clothed with splendor and majesty

-       covering yourself with light

-       stretching out the heavens

-       He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters

-       he makes the clouds his chariot

-       he rides on the wings of the wind

-       he makes his messengers winds

-       his ministers a flaming fire

-       He set the earth on its foundations

-       You covered it with the deep as with a garment

-       You set a boundary that they may not pass

-       You make springs gush forth in the valleys

-       You cause the grass to grow

-       He made the moon to mark the seasons

-       You make darkness”

There is more detail in this chapter, but you get the drift.  God is the creator.  He is great and worthy of our praise.

 

And that is part of what we need to learn here.  God is on a very different level than we are.  Sometimes we tend to think that God is just like us, or maybe that we are just like Him. But that is not the case.  The psalmist says “O Lord, how manifold are your works”.  God is very different than we are as mere humans.  We are not on equal ground.  We are not even close to being in the same league.  God is worthy of our praise – not the other way around.  The psalmist says “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord”.

 

How are you praising God?  How do you sing and meditate on His glory and rejoice in His presence?  Is it part of your daily routine?  Is it how you relate to our Maker?  God is worthy of our praise.  We need to adore Him for what He has created and does in our lives.  It is a lifestyle we need to make ours.  We need to rejoice in the Lord.  “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works”.  God has a track record – a very long and broad and deep track record – and one that we need to recognize and be aware of.  We need to let those in our patch know that we are rejoicing in what God has done.

 

How do we connect with Him?  The psalmist tells us:

-       “When you give it to them, they gather it up

-       when you open your hand, they are filled with good things

-       When you hide your face, they are dismayed

-       when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust

-       When you send forth your Spirit, they are created”

Here is the simple truth.  God is the author of life.  He is the provider of breath.  He keeps us alive.  He opens His hand to give us good things.  God is the source of all.  We need to realize and respond.  That means we praise Him, we rejoice in His goodness, and we share His love with those in our patch!

Psalm 103

Psalm 103 is a very familiar hymn and the foundation for a great song based on the opening line.  “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name”!  Ever wonder if God is worthy of being praised.  Check out what the psalmist recalls for us about God:

-       “forget not all his benefits

-       forgives all your iniquity

-       heals all your diseases

-       redeems your life from the pit

-       crowns you with steadfast love and mercy

-       satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed

-       works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed

-       made known his ways

-       merciful and gracious

-       slow to anger

-       abounding in steadfast love

-       will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever

-       does not deal with us according to our sins

-       nor repay us according to our iniquities

-       great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him

-       remove our transgressions from us

-       shows compassion to those who fear him

-       knows our frame

-       remembers that we are dust

-       steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting

-       righteousness to children’s children

Wow.  That is quite a list of reasons why God is worthy of us blessing His holy name.

There are some real gems in this chapter we should dig deeper into.  Let’s start with “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love”.  Two words that describe God so well – mercy and grace.  Mercy is when He doesn’t give us what we deserve – which is punishment for our disobedience and sin.  We all fall short.  Every last one of us.  No one meets God’s requirements.  We are all sinners.  His mercy is what prevents Him from wiping us off the face of the earth when we sin.  Grace, on the other hand, is when we are given something we absolutely don’t deserve.  And for us, Grace = Jesus.  God has given us a gift that we cannot possibly pay for, only freely receive.  And that give of eternal life through Jesus is amazing and complete.

The psalmist goes on to help us understand just how amazing this mercy and grace really is.  Remember, we don’t deserve either of these gifts.  But God is not only giving them to us – they are unbelievably given.  “He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities….as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us”.  Did you catch this?  Let’s set the plate a bit.  God is perfect – holy and just.  We are not even close.  But He is willing to not punish us as we deserve, and in fact, give us grace which we absolutely can not earn and certainly don’t deserve.  As part of that, there is no repayment for our past.  We don’t have to get our life cleaned up.  And when God forgives our sin through Jesus – He really forgives and forgets – not like most humans who never truly let God.  God sets us free.  He don’t’ hold on to the past.  That is true grace.  That is God’s grace.

With such an offer from God, why is it that everyone is not on that bus?  Free mercy and grace for the receiving.  I think it is because many think they will get around to it tomorrow.  No need to take action today.  But the psalmist reminds us “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more”.  There aren’t many things we can absolutely count on – but this is one – you will die.  Your life will end.  And when it does you will stand before God and give account.  If you have not received His free mercy and grace, it will not go well.  Life is limited.  Our time is finite.  Eternity however lasts forever.  Not just a while – forever.  And we need to make sure that we have eternity in order.  We need to deal with mercy and grace – receive God’s gifts through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ – while we have that opportunity.  Because when we are dead, it is too late.  The train will have already left the station so to say.  This is a beautiful reminder in Psalm 103 of God’s love.  His name is worthy of praise because He offers us so much – and it is free indeed.  But it only matters if we are willing to receive His free gifts.  Have you?  Thinking about it won’t count.  Knowing it in your head won’t matter.  It is a heart event.  It is about a relationship with the gift – Jesus Christ.  Don’t miss this gift.  When you are gone it will be too late! 

Psalm 102

Psalm 102 has the psalmist crying out to God.  The writer is distressed and really seeking God’s face:

-       “Hear my prayer

-       let my cry come to you

-       Do not hide your face from me

-       Incline your ear to me

-       answer me speedily in the day when I call”

There is a sense of desperation in these words.  The psalmist is distraught and alone.  He feels isolated and in need ot touch from the Father.

 

So what is the root of this distress?  Why does the writer feel this way?  Check out the description of what is happening:

-       “my days pass away like smoke

-       my bones burn like a furnace

-       My heart is struck down like grass and has withered

-       I forget to eat my bread

-       my bones cling to my flesh

-       I am like a desert owl of the wilderness

-       I lie awake

-       I am like a lonely sparrow

-       my enemies taunt me

-       those who deride me use my name for a curse

-       I eat ashes like bread

-       mingle tears with my drink

-       you have taken me up and thrown me down

-       My days are like an evening shadow

-       I wither away like grass”

Get the picture?  Things are tough and the writer feels alone. Things are not going well and he has the details to prove it.

 

So we have the request to God for His help, and the detailed list of issues and circumstances that have the psalmist down in the dumps.  And then the word that is powerful and awesome comes: “but”.  There is a response.  God is able, and the psalmist records how:

-       “But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever

-       you are remembered throughout all generations

-       You will arise and have pity

-       your servants hold her stones dear

-       Nations will fear the name of the Lord

-       all the kings of the earth will fear your glory

-       the Lord builds up Zion

-       he appears in his glory

-       he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer”

There is much confidence in God and His ability to respond.  The psalmist not only knows God can, he knows God will.

 

Check out how that looks: “Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord”.  There is no question of if God is able or if God will respond.  The writer wants to record what God will do before it ever happens:

-       “he looked down from his holy height

-       to hear the groans of the prisoners

-       to set free those who were doomed to die

-       that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord

-       when peoples gather together…. to worship the Lord

-       you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment

-       You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away

-       you are the same, and your years have no end

-       The children of your servants shall dwell secure

-       their offspring shall be established before you”

The passage shows us the plea, the circumstances, Gods ability, and then God’s response.  He is able, more than able.  He will take action.  We just need to humbly reach out and ask for His assistance!

1 Chronicles 10

1 Chronicles 10 quickly changes from a discussion of genealogy to that of the life of the king.  Saul was still the leader of the Israelites, and they were under attack from the Philistines.  Things weren’t going well “and the men of Israel fled”.  It was a massacre of huge proportion.  “The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons”.  They continued to chase the Israelites and could smell victory.  And they dealt with Saul’s sons and “struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul”.

Saul could see the writing on the wall.  He would soon be captured and his worst nightmare would be that he would not be killed but rather tortured.  So he asks his armor bearer to “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it”.  After all, he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his days as a prisoner of war.  But the armor bearer is afraid of Saul and “feared greatly” and refused, so “Saul took his own sword and fell upon it”.  He was determined to put an end to his life as not to be captured.  The armor bearer saw what Saul had done and follows suit as he didn’t want to be captured either.  So “Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together”.  Rough day for the Israelites and the house of Saul.

So why did this happen?  Why did God allow the Philistines, who were godless enemies of the people of Israel, to ransack His chosen people?  The Bible makes it very clear: “Saul died for his breach of faith….He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord”.  Want to boil it down to a word?  It would be obedience.  Saul died because he failed to listen and obey what God told him to do.  He moved from following God to putting self on the throne and making the decisions about what he wanted rather than what God expected from him.  Saul replaced God as the One who was in charge.  And God doesn’t share that spot at all.  He alone is God.  He alone is worthy to be Lord.

Scripture gives us a little more insight into the problem.  Saul “also consulted a medium, seeking guidance”.  He didn’t turn to God for direction, but followed the ways of man to find out what to do.  God alone wants to be the source of what we do and where we go.  He alone is Lord.  And Saul lost his way.  “He did not seek guidance from the Lord”.  Are you guilty of the same?  Do you follow your own directions, or get guidance from others rather than God.  Who is your GPS – God positioning system?  I’m not insinuating that God will kill us if we fail to walk with Him in faith and follow His guidance.  But I do believe it is His desire and expectation.  For Saul, it was a requirement, and failure to obey cost him dearly.  “Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse”.  He lost all he had because he lost sight of the One who truly owns it all.  We must keep our eyes on the Father.  He alone is in control and worthy of our praise. 

1 Chronicles 9

1 Chronicles 9 takes us away from the long genealogical lists and now into the work that some of the people of Israel were charged with.  We are reminded that “Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith”.  Sometimes people wonder if God really is paying attention and cares about how we live.  Our faith and walk with Him matter.  We will pay a price if we do not keep our faith walk in line.  God is watching and wants us to be in right relationship with Him. It is not optional.

This chapter talks about the “mighty men for the work of the service of the house of God”.  People from a number of tribes are returning to Jerusalem from their various places of captivity and now working together to restore the city.  We are given the lists of “gatekeepers….keepers of the entrance…..chief officers”.  This is the who’s who of people that were assigned specific tasks around the tent of meeting.  And there were a lot of them required – it was a 24/7 job and there were lots of details to be cared for.

Scripture tells us there were 1760 mighty men serving in the house of God, 212 of them were “chosen as gatekeepers”.  Those folks were places in “their office of trust” following the model that was earlier created by David and Samuel.  These people lived and breathed their work.  They were mostly living right there in Jerusalem, but some had to dwell in villages outside and travel to their post because the city was not yet ready to handle all the people.  They were “on duty day and night” and had a significant role to fulfill in the life of the city.

What did they do beyond guarding the gate?  There were other tasks that were part of their responsibilities:

-       “in charge of the gates….as guards

-       entrusted to be over the chambers and the treasures of the house of God

-       duty of watching

-       charge of opening it every morning

-       charge of the utensils of service

-       appointed over the furniture

-       over all the holy utensils

-       over the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the incense, and the spices

-       prepared the mixing of the spices

-       making the flat cakes

-       charge of the showbread

-       singers”

The list is long and varied, and each group was assigned specific tasks, but they were taking care of vital roles in enabling worship to happen safely in the city of Jerusalem.  Each knew their charge and spent their time doing their job day and night.  It was their passion and job to make sure that God was continually praised and that those who came to worship would be assisted whenever they came.

1 Chronicles 8

1 Chronicles 8 contains the listing of the tribe of Benjamin.  It is a pretty long and uneventful list.  And unfortunately, nothing really jumps out as terribly noteworthy.  It is interesting that as we wrap up the list of genealogies, a couple of tribes are not even mentioned.  And the writer here, while writing through the inspiration of God, doesn’t feel compelled to try and make it perfect and complete by man’s standards.  He wrote as God’s Spirit moved and didn’t get caught up in anything else.

There is one line in this chapter that jumped out at me: “these were the heads of fathers’ houses, according to their generations, chief men”.  There are some men that are called out as leaders.  They are heads – chief men.  In every generation leaders come to the top.  Sometimes that leadership is based on genetics – the family someone is born into.  We see that often in those ruling in some countries or other political positions.
But leadership is often something that we have to earn.  The definition of being a leader in and of itself means that we have to create that role for our life.  A leader is one who has someone following.  You can’t be a leader if you look behind and no one is coming along.  So while these men were likely born into this position in their family, they were recognized as leaders “according to their generations”.  That is a second part of being a leader – that someone recognizes it.  Obviously the guys on this list were acknowledged as such.

We all need to pay attention to the role that God has called us to fulfill.  God has a plan – and for the home – men need to realize that there is a responsibility to lead their spouse and kids and lead them well.  We are to be the chief men – not to lord over our families – but to lead and love them God’s way.  Are you leading God’s way?  Are you really stepping up to be the leader God has called you to be?  Is anyone following?

1 Chronicles 7

1 Chronicles 7 continues to give us insight into the geneology of the tribes of Israel.  This chapter deals with the tribe of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim and Asher.  Long lists of names that give us historical perspective. The tribe of Issachar “were units of the army for war”.  When you total up the numbers listed, it was a large fighting machine.  It appears there were 145,000 “mighty warriors” in this tribe.  They are noted elsewhere in scripture as a tribe that was filled with valiant men and they were fit for war.

We see that the tribe of Benjamin is mentioned next, barely 60K men, and then comes the tribe of Manasseh.  We learned about the first half of that tribe a few chapters back, as they were split in where they lived.  This tribe had a problem of mingling with other nations when it came to their taking of wives, and we see that in verse 14.  Lessons learned from God as the tribes don’t pay attention to God’s instruction on marriage.

The tribe of Ephraim was killed off by the men of Gath who came down to raid their livestock.  Ephraim “mourned many days….because disaster had befallen his house”.   You may recall that Jacob had foretold that Ephraim would become a multitude of nations and grow beyond measure.  But this seems to be a big bump in that road.  He did add another son in his old age – Beriah – who would be part of rebuilding this tribe to achieve God’s promise.

Asher is the final tribe noted here.  Much smaller with only 26K listed.  But while they were not as numerous, they are called out as “heads of fathers’ houses, approved, mighty warriors, chiefs of the princes”.  Perhaps they were not only warriors, but leaders and chiefs that had skills that were different than the rest.  Their ability to fight may have been based on wisdom, not just might, and on leadership rather than strength.