DOING RIGHT WHEN THOSE AROUND YOU ARE DOING WRONG

PROCLAMATION

“And Abijah rested with his ancestors … Asa his son succeeded him as king … Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of The Lord his God.”  2 Chronicles 14:1-2 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
When Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, the northern tribes, and he did evil in the eyes of The Lord. (1 Kings 15:25-26)  Baasha killed Nadab and became king of Israel (1 Kings 15:27-28) and he also did evil in the eyes of The Lord following in the sinful ways of Jeroboam worshiping idols. (1 Kings 15:33-34)  Asa king of Judah, the southern tribes, was the only king during this period who did what was good and right, and he followed the ways of The Lord.

APPLICATION

It is very hard to do the right thing and follow The Word of God when all of the people around you are doing that which is wrong.  Standing alone and doing right is difficult when the crowd is doing that which is wrong.  Today we are bombarded with influences which encourage us to sin and to turn away from the teachings of The Word of God.  There are many negative worldly influences including political leaders, movie stars, television personalities, co-workers, and friends that can exert a lot of peer pressure on us to behave in an ungodly manner.  We need to read and study The Word of God, to stay “prayed up,” and to associate with and encourage believers who are also struggling to do the right thing in the face of pressure to do that which is wrong.  The Lord God did not say that it would be easy, but He said that He would be with us and never leave us. (1 Kings 8:57 and Hebrews 13:5)

LITTLE JUDAH DEFEATS MUCH LARGER ISRAEL

PROCLAMATION

“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 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
King Rehoboam, son of Solomon and king of the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, prepared to go to war with the northern kingdom of Israel to regain that territory.  The word of The Lord came to him through Shemaiah the man of God, saying do not fight your fellow Israelites.  He listened and obeyed the word of God and turned back from marching against Jeroboam. (2 Chronicles 11:1-4)  Afterwards, Rehoboam fortified Jerusalem and the surrounding towns. (2 Chronicles 11:5-12)  The priests and the Levites supported him because Jeroboam had rejected them and appointed his priests to worship the idols he had made. (2 Chronicles 11:13-17)  Then, for some unknown reason, Rehoboam and the people of Judah abandoned the law of The Lord and He allowed them to be attacked and captured by Shishak king of Egypt. (2 Chronicles 12:1-5)  When Rehoboam died his son Abijah succeeded him as king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 12:16)  There was continued friction between the northern and the southern kingdoms.  The army of Jeroboam was much larger than the army of Abijah. (2 Chronicles 13:1-3)  As they prepared for battle, Abijah stood on a hill and called out to Jeroboam and told him that The Lord God was on his side and that he was fighting against The God of their ancestors. (2 Chronicles 13:4-12)  Jeroboam ignored him and sent his troops out to attack Judah from the front and from the rear.  When Abijah saw this, he and the people of Judah cried out to The Lord God and He routed Jeroboam’s army. (2 Chronicles 13:13-20)

APPLICATION
When we are on The Lord’s side and He is with us, it does not matter how big our enemy is because He will fight our battles and grant us the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  Remember that little David slew the giant Goliath with the help of The Lord. (1 Samuel 17:48-51)  Today, most of our battles are not with people but against principalities, and powers in high places, and spiritual wickedness. (Ephesians 6:12)  We need God’s help.  We must put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand up against the evil that we face. (Ephesians 6:10-11 and 14-18)

A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF

PROCLAMATION

“So the king did not listen to the people … all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them … So the Israelites went home.  But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.”  2 Chronicles 10:15-17 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
King Solomon reigned over Jerusalem for forty years.  When he died, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. (2 Chronicles 9:30-31)  Rehoboam consulted the elders of Israel and rejected their advice.  He decided to follow the advice of the young men that he grew up with.  This eventually caused him to lose the support of the people (2 Chronicles 10:16) and led to the division of Israel with only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin supporting Rehoboam.  (2 Chronicles 10:17 and 11:1)  These events were also recorded in the twelfth chapter of The Bible Book of First Kings.

APPLICATION

All too often the young ignore, reject, and do not follow the advice of their elders.  They feel that they know better and that their elders are “old fashioned”, uninformed, and out of touch with reality.  If they listen to any advice it is usually that which comes from their friends and peers.  Rejecting good advice usually results in bad outcomes and rifts can develop within families.  A house divided against itself cannot stand. (Mark 3:25)  Only after they mess up and get into trouble do the young realize that their elders, their father and mother, really knew what was right. (Proverbs 5:12-14 and 30:17)  Listen to the advice of your elders for with age and experience comes some wisdom.

BLESSED BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS

BLESSED BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS 

PROCLAMATION

“When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built … she was overwhelmed.  She said to the king, “The report I heard … I did not believe … but … not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told to me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.”  2 Chronicles 9:3-6 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After he built the temple for the arc of God, and built his palace, King Solomon rebuilt the villages around his kingdom. (2 Chronicles 8:2-6)  The word spread to the surrounding kingdoms regarding Solomon’s wisdom and wealth, and the queen of Sheba heard it. (2 Chronicles 9:1)  When she heard it, she travelled to Jerusalem to see for herself and to test Solomon.  She was very impressed, because his wealth and his wisdom far exceeded her expectations.  (2 Chronicles 9:1-6)  These events are reported in the tenth chapter of The Bible Book of First Kings.  After she left, Solomon made a very large ornate throne which was more impressive than any other throne in any other kingdom.  He was extremely wealthy, and his wealth grew greater each year. (2 Chronicles 9:13-28)

APPLICATION

We may not have King Solomon’s wealth or his wisdom, but as believers we are abundantly blessed.  Jesus, The Christ said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)  This applies not only a physical life, but a spiritual life and an eternal life.  Additionally, we can have an abundance of grace, spiritual blessings, joy, and happiness.  We are already blessed in more ways than we can count, and this abundance is on top of that.  People will not believe how blessed we are.  And, if our prayer requests are for things that will give God glory, then they will be granted (John 15:7-8) and we will be even more abundantly blessed.  

GOD'S CONDITIONAL PROMISES TO BELIEVERS

PROCLAMATION

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sins and will heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The third and fourth chapters of Second Chronicles gives the details regarding the structure and adornments of the temple of God which Solomon built.  The fifth chapter describes the arc of the covenant and its position within the temple.  The sixth chapter records the blessings which King Solomon pronounced upon the people of Israel.  The seventh chapter presents his prayer of dedication for the temple and God’s answer to his prayer. (2 Chronicles 3:1 to 7:22)  This is a more detailed account of the information which is presented in the sixth, the eighth, and the ninth chapter of The Bible Book of First Kings.  When The Lord God appeared to Solomon, He told him that if the people would humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, that He would forgive their sins.  He also said that He would hear all of the prayers that were offered up in the temple (2 Chronicles 7:13-15)  Then He told Solomon what he had to do in order to receive his conditional blessings, and the price that would be paid for not doing it. (2 Chronicles 7:17-22)

APPLICATION
We receive a lot of blessing from The Lord God, many more than we can count, and all of them are more than we deserve.  However, we still ask Him for things, and we want Him to bless us with what we want.  The problem is that we don’t want to do the things which He has asked us to do.  There are some blessings which are conditional blessings.  These blessings will only be received when we fulfill the specified condition which is required of us.  They can be referred to as “If … then …” blessings.  There are several conditional blessings presented in The Bible.  Here, The Lord God said, “If My people … shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven ...” (2 Chronicles 7:14)  We have been blessed and God has more blessings in store for us if we will just do as He says.  

SOLOMON GAVE ORDERS TO BUILD THE TEMPLE

PROCLAMATION

“Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the name of The Lord and a royal palace for himself.”  2 Chronicles 2:1 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

It was during the fourth year of his reign as king, that Solomon began to build the temple of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:1)  This temple, which King David wanted to build, (2 Samuel 7:2 and 7:12-13) that King Solomon built was to be the resting place for the arc of the covenant of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:19)  The temple was built in relative quiet and silence, as if working on it was a religious exercise, there was no hammering, sawing, or chiseling done at the site of the temple. (1 Kings 6:7)  The entire inner sanctuary was overlaid with gold. (1 Kings 6:19-22)  It took them seven years to complete building the temple. (1 Kings 6:38)  Solomon used 153,600 foreigners to build the temple, 70,000 carpenters, 80,000 stone cutters, and 3,600 foremen to oversee them and keep them working. (2 Chronicles 2:17-18)  The building of the temple is also recorded in The Bible Book of First Kings. (1 Kings 5:1-18 and 6:1-38)

APPLICATION

The temple which King Solomon had built was not intended to be a house for The Lord God to live in.  The Holy Spirit of God is omni-present, He is everywhere all at the same time.  The body of each believer is a temple of God and The Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us. (John 14:17 and 1 Corinthians 3:16)  We did not build our temple, God did when He formed us in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13-16)  However, we are responsible for the upkeep and care of our bodies and we should be very careful regarding how we treat God’s temple.  When we abuse our body, we are destroying God’s temple.

SOLOMON ASKS FOR WISDOM

PROCLAMATION

“Now, Lord God, let Your promise to my father David be confirmed, for You have made me king … Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people …”  2 Chronicles 1:9-10 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
After Solomon became king over all of Israel, The Lord God appeared to him that night and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  Solomon answered Him and said, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people …” (2 Chronicles 1:9-10)  His request pleased The Lord God and He told him that He would give him what he asked for and much more.  Thus, Solomon became the wisest man ever, in addition to becoming wealthy and honorable. (1 Kings 3:11-13 and 2 Chronicles 1:11-12)  The events in this chapter are repeats of the events presented in chapter three of The Bible Book of First Kings.

APPLICATION

The way that we speak to God today is through prayer.  However, we should be very careful with respect to the things that we pray for and ask The Lord God to give to us.  He hears and answers the prayers of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:8 and 15:29)  The sincere prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. (James 5:16)  Jesus, The Christ, said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)  He told His disciples that everyone who asks will receive, (Luke 11:10) we just need to make sure that what we ask for will give God glory.  We will not receive that which is asked for with the wrong motives. (James 4:3)  We should not ask for anything bad to befall a child of God and we should not be selfish with our prayer requests.   Remember, Job was blessed with twice as much as he had only after he prayed for his friends. (Job 42:10)  There is power in prayer.

DETAILED PREPARATIONS BEFORE TRANSITION

PROCLAMATION

“When David was old and full of years, he … gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.”  1 Chronicles 23:1-2 (NIV)

“David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem …”  1 Chronicles 28:1 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Chapters twenty-three through twenty-nine of The Bible Book of First Chronicles records the details of the preparation which King David made to get his affairs, his house, the temple, the army, and all of Israel in order before he died.  In preparation for his death, before he made his son Solomon king of Israel, David organized the Levites and separated them into divisions and assigned each division duties and responsibilities within the temple. (1 Chronicles 23:6-32)  Then he divided the descendants of Aaron into divisions.  There were so many of them that they had to draw lots to see which ones would serve in the temple. (1 Chronicles 24:1-31)  David also set apart the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying and music. (1 Chronicles 25:1-31)  Then he made divisions within the sons of Kore who he assigned to be the gatekeepers. (1 Chronicles 26:1-19)  David then charged the remaining Levites with the responsibilities of the treasuries and other officer positions within and outside of the temple. (1 Chronicles 26:20-32)  In the twenty-seventh chapter of First Chronicles, David organizes the army into divisions and assigns commanders. (1 Chronicles 27:1-24)  He also organized the overseers of the royal storehouse. (1 Chronicles 27:25-34)  In chapter twenty-eight of First Chronicles, King David assembled all of the leaders of Israel, the elders, the heads of the tribes, the officers and the officials, the commanders, the overseers of the temple and the palace, and the warriors and his fighting men for his final message to the people. (1 Chronicles 28:1)

APPLICATION

David went to great lengths to get his affairs in order before his transition from labor to reward.  However, most of us do very little preparation, if we prepare at all.  All too often there is no will, revocable living trust, insurance policy, or burial plan to explain our wishes to those that we leave behind.  Our families don’t know what we want, and our church knows even less.  We have taken care of our soul by our belief in Christ Jesus, but we have done very little to point our family towards Christ and their salvation.  Don’t put off until tomorrow what we should do today, for tomorrow is not promised to us.  “Let’s get right church and let’s go home.”  I know, everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.  We need to face the fact that dying is a part of living, and each of us has an appointment with death.  So, let us make preparations for our transition from labor to reward and make things easier for those that we leave behind.

ROLES WITHIN THE CHURCH

PROCLAMATION

“The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number was thirty-eight thousand.  David said, ‘Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of The Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.  Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise The Lord with musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.’ ”  1 Chronicles 23:3-5 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

In his old age before he died, David installed his son Solomon as king over Israel. (1 Chronicles 23:1)  The anointing of Solomon as king over Israel is also recorded in The Bible Book of First Kings. (1 Kings 1:32-39)  Then he gathered together all of the leaders of Israel, and the priests, and all the Levites, and he assigned the Levites their roles. (1 Chronicles 23:2-5)  As part of the preparation for his death, David not only gathered together the materials for building the temple of God, (1 Chronicles 22:2-5) he also gathered together the people who were to perform certain roles within the temple. (1 Chronicles 23:2-5)

APPLICATION

Every believer is a part of the church and as such has a role and responsibility within the church.  There is work for each of us to do within the body of Christ as part of the kingdom building efforts here on earth.  Based upon our different abilities and talents, we have different parts to fulfill within the church.  The Lord God has something special for each one of us to do within the church.

WE SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS BEFORE OUR DEATH

PROCLAMATION

“David said, ‘My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for The Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations.  Therefore I will make preparations for it.’  So David made extensive preparations before his death.”  1 Chronicles 22:5 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the prophet Nathan told King David that The Lord God said that he would not build a house for Him but that his son Solomon would build it, (1 Chronicles 17:1-14) David began to prepare for the building of the temple. (1 Chronicles 22:1-5)  Then he charged Solomon to build a house for The Lord. (1 Chronicles 22:6-16)  Afterwards David ordered all of the leaders of Israel to help Solomon build the temple. (1 Chronicles 22:17-19)   

APPLICATION

Most of us will never build a temple for The Lord, but we are all going to die, and we should make preparations for our death.  This includes more than buying our gravesite and casket.  It is also more than making out our last will and testament to make our final wishes known to our heirs.  In addition to getting our affairs in order and getting right with The Lord, we need to talk to, teach, and instruct our family members regarding their salvation and their work for The Lord.  “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)  And, whatever we do or teach, we should do it to the best of our ability. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)  We should not wait to do this until we think that we are about to die.  Since we do not know the day or the hour when we will be called from labor to reward, or when Christ will return, (Matthew 25:13) we need to start this preparation now.  Let’s get ready now so that we will be ready whenever that time comes.

WE SIN BY NOT TRUSTING IN THE LORD GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.”  1 Chronicles 21:1 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
King David’s sins with Bathsheba and with regards to her husband Uriah are not recorded here in First Chronicles, but his sin in numbering the people of Israel is recorded.  David told Joab and his commanders to go and count all of Israel and report back to him. (1 Chronicles 21:1-2)  Joab questioned David but as king he overruled him and so Joab left and did as he was told to do. (1 Chronicles 21:3-6)  The Lord God was displeased with David’s action and He punished Israel because of it.  He gave David the choice of one of three punishment which He would inflict upon Israel.  David chose to throw himself and Israel at the mercy of The Lord. (1 Chronicles 21:7-17)  These events are also recorded in The Bible Book of Second Samuel. (2 Samuel 24:1-17)  It didn’t matter whether or not there were one thousand or one hundred thousand fighting men in Israel, his trust should have been in The Lord and not in his army.

APPLICATION

Our knowledge and understanding of the events of this world are limited and incomplete.  Only The Lord God knows everything about everything.  We are taught to rely on The Lord God and not to trust our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)  It does not matter who or how many are against us if The Lord God is with us, (Romans 8:31) because with Him we have the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  We just need to trust in The Lord God and let Him direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-7)

WHEN WE ARE NOT WHERE WE SHOULD BE

PROCLAMATION

“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. … but David remained in Jerusalem. …”  1 Chronicles 20:1 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

This was the time of year when the kings of the various countries led their armies into battle.  This time King David chose not to lead his army into battle.  He chose to remain in Jerusalem and let Joab lead the army.  Although it is not recorded here in First Chronicles, it is recorded in The Bible Book of Second Samuel that this is the time when David sinned by sleeping with Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite. (2 Samuel 11:1-5)  First Chronicles records the history of the Israelites but it is written from a different perspective and does not focus on David’s sin.  It does note that at this time King David was not with his army where he should have been.

APPLICATION

It is often noted that bad things happen to us when we are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  When we are not where we are supposed to be, we frequently get into trouble.  It is easier for the devil to tempt us to sin when we are in the wrong place, with the wrong crowd, or with the wrong person.  We should carry our Bible with us wherever we go, or have The Bible app on our cell phone, so that when we have some “down time” we can read God’s Holy Word.  We are less likely to sin if we spend more time reading and studying The Bible.  We should also pray before we go anywhere or hang out with our friends.  We are less likely to be in the wrong place if we follow God’s guidance and direction.

GOOD INTENTIONS CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD

PROCLAMATION

“The Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, ‘Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy?  Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?’  So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.”  1 Chronicles 19:3-4 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, died, his son Hanun succeeded him.  King David heard that Nahash had died he wanted to show kindness to his son because Nahash had been kind to him. (1 Chronicles 19:1-2)   So King David sent a delegation to Hanun to express his sympathy regarding his father’s death.  But King Hanun listened to the commanders of his army and treated King David’s envoy as if they were spies.  He humiliated them, shaved off half of their hair and beards, and then sent them away naked from the waist down. (1 Chronicles 19:3-4)  Then he formed an allegiance with the Syrians, with the Maakahites, and with the Tobites to prepare for war because he felt that he had offended David. (1 Chronicles 19:6-7)  These events are also recorded in the tenth chapter of The Bible Book of Second Samuel.  

APPLICATION

Our good intentions and our efforts to be kind to someone can be misunderstood.  Sometimes something as simple as a smile, or a kind word, or a random act of kindness can be completely misunderstood.  Even when we clearly state our intentions, our words may not be accepted or believed.  That may be caused by the person’s own suspicions, lack of trust, or paranoia and not by anything that we have done or said.  The misunderstanding may also be the result of some misinformation or bad advice received from others.  Their personal opinions are not a problem for us unless they choose to take actions against us because of them.  Then we need to pray and ask The Lord God for protection, guidance, and directions.  If we are left to our own devices, we will probably make an emotional response and commit a sin. (Proverbs 3:5-6)  This should also teach us to be very careful whom we listen to and take advice from.

DO THAT WHICH IS JUST AND RIGHT

PROCLAMATION

“David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.”  1 Chronicles 18:14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
The eighteenth chapter of Chronicles is almost a verbatim repeat of the eighth chapter of The Bible Book of Second Samuel. (2 Samuel 8:1-18)  After David had the ark of God brought to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:1) and the prophet Nathan had told him that he would not be the one to build a house for God, (1 Chronicles 17:1-14) The Lord God was with him and He allowed him to defeat all of his enemies. (1 Chronicles 18:1-13)  The Lord God gave David the victory wherever he went. (1 Chronicles 18:13)  As the king of Israel David did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord and that which was right for the people of Israel.

APPLICATION

We say that we love The Lord but all to often our actions are not consistent with our words.  The best way for us to show that we love The Lord is to live our lives by His Holy Word.  When we live by His Holy Word, we not only “talk the talk” but we also “walk the walk.”  We need to remember that to most of the people in the world, our actions speak louder than our words.

THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE IS DOING AND WILL DO

PROCLAMATION

“And as if this were not enough in Your sight, my God, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant.  You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.”  1 Chronicles 17:17 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

This seventeenth chapter of First Chronicles is almost a verbatim repeat of the seventh chapter of The Book of Second Samuel. (2 Samuel 7:1-29)  King David was venting to the prophet Nathan that he was living in a cedar lined palace while the ark of the covenant was in a tent. (1 Chronicles 17:1)  Initially Nathan told him to do whatever he had in mind because God was with him. (1 Chronicles 17:2)  Later that night The Lord God spoke to Nathan and told him to tell David that he would not build Him a house, but his son would, and that He would establish his kingdom forever. (1 Chronicles 17:3-14)  When Nathan told David what thus saith The Lord, David prayed. (1 Chronicles 17:16-27)  During this prayer he basically thanked God for what He had done for him and his people, and for what He was going to do.

APPLICATION

We are all special in the eyes of The Lord.  We were all uniquely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and each of us is precious in His sight. (Psalms 116:15)  We may not have been blessed with all that David received but we have all been abundantly blessed.  He has brought us from a mighty long way and kept us through a host of storms, trials, and tribulations.  He is blessing us right now, and no man can imagine what things He has in store for us in the future. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

BLESS THE PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of The Lord.”  1 Chronicles 16:2 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When the Israelites brought the ark of God to Jerusalem, they placed it in the place that David had prepared for it inside the tent. (1 Chronicles 16:1)  David gave thanks unto The Lord and worshiped Him with burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.  Then King David blessed the people in the name of The Lord.  This is a repeat of the events which is recorded earlier in The Bible Book of Second Samuel. (2 Samuel 6:17-18)  Afterwards he gave the people something to eat and then he appointed the Levites to various roles to minister before the ark of God.  The majority of the chapter records the roles he assigned to the various individuals. (1 Chronicles 16:4-43)

APPLICATION

As followers of Christ we are to tell people about Him and show them the way to Him.  We are to live our lives in such a way that they can see Christ in us, see our good works, and give God glory. (Matthew 5:16)  We are to bless the people.  We can pray that God will bless them and help them.  We can also be a blessing to them as we help them.  This is more than just giving them money.  People have many other needs that we can help them with.  As we bless others, we will also be blessed. (Proverbs 11:25) 

NOT EVERYONE WILL SHARE IN OUR JOY

PROCLAMATION

“As the ark of the covenant of The Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window.  And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.”  1 Chronicles 15:29 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After David had completed building the palace for himself, he prepared place for the ark of God.  Unlike the first time when he did it his way, this time when he went to retrieve the ark of God, he followed the instructions which The Lord God had given him regarding transporting it. (1 Chronicles 15:1-2 and 12-15)  This fifteenth chapter of First Chronicles is a repeat of the events presented in The Bible Book of Second Samuel but in a different perspective and with more details provided. (2 Samuel 6:12-18)  As the Israelites entered the city, King David was rejoicing, dancing and singing, as they brought the ark of God from Obed-Edom to Jerusalem.  However, his first wife Michal, who was watching the events from a distance, did not share in his joy.  In fact, she despised him because of it.

APPLICATION

When The Lord God blesses us and allows good things to happen to us, one would expect that our family and friends would be happy for us.  However, not everyone wants to share in our joy.  In fact, if the truth be told, some of our family members and “so-called friends” are not happy for us, and some of them even hate us for it.  Our blessings and good fortune can cause envy, jealousy, and resentment in others.  Some people may become “back stabbers” if our good fortune is not also a blessing for them.  We should be very careful with whom we share the specifics of our good fortune.

THE LORD GOD WILL MAKE OUR ENEMIES FEAR US

PROCLAMATION

“So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and The Lord made all the nations fear him.”  1 Chronicles 14:17 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
After David had amassed a great army and had established himself as the king over all of Israel, (1 Chronicles 12:22-38) he began to build himself a palace. (1 Chronicles 14:1-2)  When the Philistines heard that David was king, they marched against Israel, but they were defeated. (1 Chronicles 14:8-12)  After losing that battle, the Philistines regrouped, and they attacked Israel again.  David’s army again struck down the Philistine army. (1 Chronicles 14:13-16)  David went to The Lord before each of these battles.  He followed the plan which The Lord had revealed to him both times and he was victorious.  This is a repeat of the events recorded in The Bible Book of Second Samuel. (2 Samuel 5:17-25)  By winning these two battles David’s fame spread throughout the land and The Lord caused all the surrounding nations feared him.
 
APPLICATION

If we obey The Word of God and follow His plan, we will be victorious. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  He will fight our battles for us, (2 Chronicles 32:8) and He will cause our enemies to fear us.  If God is for us, no one can stand against us. (Romans 8:31)  We just need to make sure that we are on The Lord’s side before we claim that He is with us.  Not everyone who claims to be a Man of God is actually one.  There are many false prophets among us. (Matthew 7:15 and 24:11)  That is why we need to read and study The Word of God so that we can rightly divide the truth and discern false prophets.  That way we know that we are following and obeying The True and Living God, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

BLESSED BY THE PRESENCE OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and The Lord blessed his household and everything he had.”  1 Chronicles 13:14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
The ark of God was captured by the Philistines after a battle in which they defeated and slaughtered the Israelites. (1 Samuel 4:10-11)  After a series of bad things happening, negative occurrences, devastation, afflictions, and deaths among their people, (1 Samuel 5:1-12) the Philistines returned the ark of God to Israel. (1 Samuel 6:1-21)  The ark of God remained in the house of Abinadab in Kiriath Jearim for twenty years. (1 Samuel 7:1-2)  The thirteenth chapter of First Chronicles repeats the record of King David’s first attempt to take the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem and provides a different perspective on those events. (1 Samuel 6:1-11 and 1 Chronicles 13:1-14)  The ark of God did not make it to Jerusalem, it ended up in the home of Obed-Edom. (1 Chronicles 13:12-14)

APPLICATION

There are those who say that they don’t invite The Lord God into their home because they don’t want to offend Him by the things that go on inside of their home.  It is as if we forget that The Lord God is everywhere all at the same time.  When we accept Jesus, The Christ, as our personal savior we immediately receive the indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God and all of the blessing which go along with that.  The Lord God wants to be with us, but He will not force Himself upon us.  He allows us to exercise our free will.  We must choose to let Him into our life.  He will stand at the door to our heart and knock, and He will not come in until we open the door to our heart and invite Him in. (Revelation 3:20)  However, once we receive Him, we are blessed and blessed with a more abundant life. (John 10:10)

BE A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY OF THE LORD

PROCLAMATION

“Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”  1 Chronicles 12:22  (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When David marched on Jerusalem and captured it, (1 Chronicles 11:4-5) he had an army of men with him.  The twelfth chapter of First Chronicle identifies the men who were the leaders of the warriors that joined him and helped him in battle. (1 Chronicles 12:1-40)  There were over 300,000 fighting men in David’s army. (1 Chronicles 12:23-37)  These men all joined David to help him take the kingdom away from Saul and make David the king over all of Israel. (1 Chronicles 12:38)

APPLICATION

Everyone cannot join the army and fight for their country, but every believer has joined the army of God and we are all on the battlefield for our Lord.  Each of us has a job to do which fits our different set of skills.  There is no place in this army for cowards, God did not give us the spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)  We must be willing to march into hell and fight for a heavenly cause.  We just need to make sure that we put on the whole armor of God and be prepared to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)  We must stand up for that which is right and stand against that which is wrong.  We must do that which is good and right in the eyes of The Lord.  The battle is already won, and we have been given the victory through Jesus, The Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

THE LORD GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES

PROCLAMATION

“… While Saul was king … God said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’ ”  1 Chronicles 11:2 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
The Book of First Chronicles repeats the history of the southern kingdom, Judah, from a different perspective than was presented in First and Second Samuel, and in First and Second Kings.  The eleventh chapter of First Chronicles presents the beginning of the reign of David as king of Israel. (1 Chronicles 11:1-3)  It then presents David’s conquest of Jerusalem and how he converted it into the City of David. (1 Chronicles 11:4-9)  Chapter eleven ends with a description of David’s mighty men, his chiefs and mighty warriors. (1 Chronicles 11:10-47)  The Lord God promised the prophet Samuel that David, the son of Jesse, would be king over Israel. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)  It was sometime later when that promise was fulfilled.  David was first anointed king over Judah (2 Samuel 2:4) and later as king over all of Israel. (2 Samuel 5:3)

APPLICATION

The Lord God keeps all of His promises.  The Bible is full of God’s promises.  Some of them have already been fulfilled, while others have yet to come to fruition, but all of them will be kept. (Matthew 5:18 and Luke 16:17)  For those of us who are impatiently awaiting the fulfillment of His promises, we need to remember that all things will be done in His time frame and to Him a day is like one thousand of our years. (2 Peter 3:8)  Everything will happen in due season.  We just need to learn to wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14 and Psalm 37:34)

DISOBEDIENCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED FOR LONG

PROCLAMATION

“Saul died because he was unfaithful to The Lord; he did not keep the word of The Lord and he even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of The Lord.  So The Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”  1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The tenth chapter of The Bible Book of First Chronicles is an account of the death of King Saul.  Chronicles recounts the history of the southern kingdom, Judah, but it is written from a different perspective and with a different emphasis than that which is recorded in the Bible Books of First and Second Samuel, and First and Second Kings.  The genealogy of Saul is recorded in a previous chapter. (1 Chronicles 8:33)  This chapter is all about Saul.  Here the reign of Saul is not addressed; only the events around his death are recorded. (1 Chronicles 10:1-14)  The tenth chapter ends with the reason for the death of King Saul.

APPLICATION

All of us have sinned (Romans 3:23) and Jesus, The Christ, paid the price for all of our sins. (John 1:29 and 1 John 2:2)  However, our willful disobedience to God’s Holy Word will not go unpunished. (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)  As believers we will not lose our salvation, but we will be punished.  All we can do is pray, confess, ask to be forgiven, and then ask The Lord God to have mercy on us.

THE EARTHLY GENEALOGY OF CHRIST

PROCLAMATION

“… David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.  These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel.”  1 Chronicles 3:4-5 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The earthly genealogy of Jesus, The Christ, is best outlined in the gospel according to Matthew. (Matthew 1:1-17)  The first nine chapters of First Chronicles presents the genealogies of the men among God’s chosen people as mentioned in the early Books of The Bible.  The first chapter of Chronicles records the names of the men in the first eight chapters of the Book of Genesis.  It begins with Adam and ends with the sons of Esau, the son of Isaac, son of Abraham.   The second chapter begins with the genealogy of Jacob (Israel) and ends with David.  The third chapter records the family of David including his sons which were not mentioned in the Books of Samuel or Kings.  King David had six sons born to him in Hebron, (1 Chronicles 3:1-4) plus four sons by Bathsheba, (1 Chronicles 3:5) and nine more sons not counting the sons by his concubines. (1 Chronicles 3:6-9)  Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, The Christ, traced her ancestry through Nathan.  This is why He is referred to as “The Son of David”. (Matthew 1:1 and 21:9, and Romans 1:3)  The fourth chapter presents the posterity of Judah through Caleb and Shelah and the tribe of Simeon.  The fifth chapter presents the men of the tribe of Reuben, and the sixth chapter presented the tribe of Levi.  The seventh chapter presents the genealogies of the tribes of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher during the period of Assyrian captivity.  The eighth chapter records the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin with an emphasis on the heads of families including the lineages of Saul and Jonathan.   The ninth chapter has an emphasis on the tribe of Levi and their roles in the church.

APPLICATION

The genealogy of mankind today goes back to Noah and the great flood.  Most of us cannot trace our ancestry back past our great grandparents, much less back to Noah.  However, we are all linked to the first Adam and are sinners as he was. (Romans 3:23)  Those of us who believe have been saved by the grace of God through Christ Jesus. (John 3:16 and Romans 3:24-25)  As believers, our past may be unclear and sinful, but our future is clearly linked to eternal life with our Heavenly Father. (Matthew 25:46, John 10:28, Roman 6:23, Titus 3:7, and 1 John 5:13)