Journal Through the Bible: Week 91 Friday

source

I Chronicles chapter 24

After breaking down the different family lines of the Levites the author provided the specific Levitical line of Aaron. Since Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu died when they offered sinfully, the lines of Eleazar and Ithamar were left for executing the priestly duties. We are told how David further divided the duties among the families of these two men. Eleazar, through whom the high priestly line descended, had a larger family than did Ithamar. 24 lots were drawn from among these priests for the various services that only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were appointed by God to do. Then the rest of their near relations, those descended from Kohath and Merari, were divided accordingly by lots.

One note of interest is that Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, descended from Abijah. This means that his family served in the eighth lot. (Compare 24:10 to Luke 1:5.) John never served as a priest like his father did, but he served God directly - and by God's authority - by preparing the way of the Lord. He did this by preaching the gospel of repentance and faith and by baptizing those who comprise the first church. Zachariah and John the Baptist provided the link between the Temple sacrifices of offering the blood of bulls, goats, and lambs, and the sacrifice of The Lamb which those animal sacrifices pictured.

Does God issue any commands?
God did not speak, but David was clearly following God's commands found in the Pentateuch concerning the service of the Levites and the priests when he assigned their duties.

Does God make any promises?
God did not speak.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?
The job of the priests was to offer the sacrifices and lead the worship. The animal sacrifices all pictured the coming Messiah, the Lamb of God who would be slain for the sins of the world. Meticulous details were given and kept here in the Chronicles for the Levites returning from captivity. Everything was also recorded and kept in order for the coming of the Christ, even down to the names of the families that took turns ministering in the Temple service.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?
Everyone had their assigned responsibilities when it came to service to God. Surely in the time of the eternal future each person will receive their assignment in God's economy. God always does things decently and in order. It is only when sin interferes that responsibilities become difficult or impossible. There will be no sin to contend with so the jobs truly will be enjoyable and light. Perhaps that is another aspect of Jesus' saying that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He also told all who are weary to come to Him because He will give us rest. When we are assigned our responsibilities they will not be wearisome or hard for us but will be enjoyable and completed out of hearts full of thanksgiving to the God that provided Himself as our sacrifice!

Journal Through the Bible: Week 91 Thursday

source

I Chronicles chapter 23

This chapter describes the division of the Levites for service in the tabernacle and then the Temple that David commissioned Solomon to build. David divided them by whether they descended from Gershon, Kohath, or Merari, the three sons of Levi. It reads partially as a genealogy. Moses evidently had several grandchildren that had progeny that later served for the family of Kohath.

Does God issue any commands?
None are given in this chapter but the commands concerning the offerings, shewbread, and things baked or fried are referenced. David made sure that each job had a Levite appointed to complete it.

Does God make any promises?
None are given.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?
Everything was being done to keep the commands of God concerning the care of the tabernacle and the giving of offerings and sacrifices. Just as David did everything in his power to make sure God's commands were followed Jesus came to do the will of the Father by fulfilling the law.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?
David was preparing a place for the continual worship of God. Jesus went to prepare a place for us and will come again and receive us unto Himself so that where He is we may be also. Since Jesus continually worships the Father, that is where we will be also.

Journal Through the Bible: Week 91 Wednesday

source

I Chronicles chapter 22

Even though God had told David that he would not be the one to build Him a house but that his son would, David set to work preparing building materials in abundance so that they would be ready for his son to build God a house of worship. Then he gave his son instructions for building that house.

Does God issue any commands?

• David told Solomon of God's commands. God had instructed that David not build the house of worship because he was a man of war but instructed that his son, Solomon (even the name was taken from shalom, peace), be the one to build the Temple because he would be a man of peace.

Does God make any promises?

• God promised that Solomon could build the Temple with the things that David had prepared for it.
• David told Solomon of God's promise of an everlasting covenant.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• The whole Old Testament is about God getting everything ready for the Messiah, Jesus, the Son Who came to prepare a place for us so that we could forever worship the Father in the beauty of holiness. Jesus Himself told His disciples in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for us and then would come again to receive us unto Himself so that where He is we will be there also. He also said in that chapter that He and His Father are one and that anyone who saw Jesus saw the Father revealed in Him.
• It can be said that God is a God of war because He was forced to wage battle against sin in order to purchase His creation once more. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. This relationship between the Warrior King and the Prince of Peace is pictured by David and Solomon.
• Just as David instructed his beloved son in building a place where God and man would meet, Jesus said that He had kept all of His Father's commands for building a place where God and man must meet. 
• Solomon had access to all of his father's riches and provisions. Jesus had access to all of His Father's riches and provisions. And because of Jesus, all who repent of their sin and trust in Him as their savior also have access to the Father's riches and provisions.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• The splendor and glory of all the provisions that David set aside to build a magnificent Temple surely point out what a spectacular place the mansions of Heaven must be!

Journal Through the Bible: Week 91 Tuesday

source

I Chronicles chapter 21

In the last post I mentioned that even though the chapter did not say so the events recorded there transpired at the time of the David and Bathsheba affair. We can know this by comparing chapter 20 with its counterpart in II Samuel.

This chapter doesn't pull any punches though. It tells us that David sinfully numbered Israel which then brought judgment upon the whole nation.

The writer of this chronicle, compiling his edition in the post-exile years for the citizens returning from 70 years of captivity, evidently had access to the notes that Joab made and gave to David concerning this census because the tallies between this chapter and that of its counterpart in II Samuel seem to be consistently off by approximately the same number. Verse 6 of this chapter mentions that Joab refused to count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin but since their inclusion could raise the totals as found in II Samuel it seems reasonable to conclude that David sent someone to finish the task by counting those two tribes. That would account for their inclusion in II Samuel which was written prior to the exile and their absence in I Chronicles which was written after. Levi and Benjamin would have been 2 tribes represented in the southern kingdom of Judah that the descendants of David ruled until they went into exile in Babylon. Judah was the other one, as the name of the country itself suggests. Thus some of the returning exiles would have been descendants of the two tribes, Levi and Benjamin.

The tribes counted by Joab, with the exception of Judah, were later captured by Assyria and were therefore not as well represented when the diaspora ended. These are sometimes called the "Lost Tribes of Israel" but we know they were not totally "lost" because even at the time of Jesus' birth the aged woman, Anna, that had been waiting in the Temple for many years for God to reveal to her the promised Messiah was said to be from the tribe of Asshur which was a tribe of that northern kingdom. Remember that the Assyrian empire ended when they were conquered by the Babylonians, the Medes, and the Persians. Those Jews that had survived the cruel Assyrians were then absorbed into those empires as their brethren from the nation of Judah had been.

Notice also that the original tabernacle and the altar for burnt offerings were still in existence and being used at Gibeon at the time of this judgment. David could not go there to offer sacrifices because of the angel that held the sword.

Does God issue any commands?

• Through Joab God warned David not to persist with his plan to number Israel.
• Through the prophet Gad God told David to make a choice of three punishments offered. (David decided it was better to fall into the hands of God than the hands of men.)
• The angel of the LORD commanded Gad to tell David to set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (Notice that the angel was visible to everyone present.)
• The LORD commanded the angel to put away his sword.

Does God make any promises?

• It is implied that if David offered the required sacrifices at Ornan's threshing floor God would accept the offering and stop the plague that was sweeping through the land. This seems to be confirmed by the fact that God provided the fire for the sacrifice from Heaven.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• When David sinned innocent people died. When humanity sinned the innocent Jesus died.
• The sacrifices of burnt offerings and peace offerings made by David at Ornan's threshing floor pictured the sacrificial atonement made by the blood of Jesus Christ.
• At the time of the sacrifice God told the angel to put away the sword of death. Once Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our sin the sword of death hanging over our heads was put away. Death lost its sting! The grave was defeated!

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• We learn from the events at Ornan's threshing floor that the angels are used as instruments of judgment whenever God commands. In the book of Revelation we are told that the angels of God will be given power to bring death at times of judgment by using many forms of pestilence.