1 & 2 Chronicles – Page 11

1 Chronicles 29:10-20 – Prayer of Praise

Read 1 Chronicles 29:10-20

Everything belongs to God. “Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.” I love how David acknowledges God’s majesty in his prayer of praise. The richness of our own prayer life magnifies when we focus on God’s mighty power.

King David sets a great example for the assembly by praying to the LORD like this. David’s praise of God’s goodness flows right into his gratitude for all that God has done and will continue to do. David speaks of our lives as being here for only a moment. In God’s timing, that is most certainly true. Our lives are but a blip on God’s timeline, and yet he loves us so much.

1 Chronicles 29:1-9 – What Abundance!

Read 1 Chronicles 29:1-9

I couldn’t get over the abundance of wealth spoken of in this passage. I suppose I don’t always picture the Bible times as wealthy times because of cinematic depictions showing open air markets and adobe hut-like homes. But there were also palaces and places of great beauty. Much like present day Haiti where you find the extremes of poverty and wealth.

David’s kingdom and the surrounding areas had clearly been blessed with an abundance of precious stones and metals. From the sounds of it, generosity was also prevalent. That was my big take-away. The people gave willingly and joyfully.

1 Chronicles 28:1-21 – David’s Instructions

Read 1 Chronicles 28:1-21

David was certainly displaying transparent leadership at this moment. He made sure everyone was there for his big speech. The “LORD’s assembly” it was called. Much of what David said was for Solomon’s benefit. As the next king, Solomon was charged by God with building the temple David had only dreamed of. By being transparent with Solomon and the rest of the leaders, David was also setting up accountability for Solomon’s reign. By having the kingdom’s leaders present, they would be informed and ready for what would happen next. Brilliant!

Why is being transparent a good idea for those in leadership? Such actions alleviate any question about what is going to happen and who does what. This transparency is a great example of “direct leadership” when clear instructions are given. People respond when being led in a direct manner.

1 Chronicles 27:1-34 – Leadership

Read 1 Chronicles 27:1-34

David’s organizational skills were admirable. All of the men listed in this passage were leaders with great purpose. When we read lists like this, it’s helpful to remember these were actual people who lived lives during this time period. We’re given only a glimpse of the impact they made in David’s kingdom.

What were some of your observations? Did you also marvel at how concise the military assignments were made. Your tour of duty was only a month long, and the rest of the time your division was at rest or preparing for the next assignment. It was hard for me to imagine an army of 288,000 soldiers. But then I looked up the size of the United States army and that number is greater than 450,000 for Army active duty, not to mention the other branches of the military.

1 Chronicles 26:1-32 – Crucial but Not Flashy

Read 1 Chronicles 26:1-32

David’s spree of making assignments continues. These jobs of the Levites are not as glamorous but certainly critically important to the royal administration and care of the temple. Again, David uses sacred lots to make sure the assignments are blessed and fair.

What continues to astound me is the number of helpers it takes to care for the kingdom and future temple of the Lord. Were thousands of people really needed? David was intentional to make sure he had Gatekeepers to guard the entrances to the city of Jerusalem, Treasurers to keep track of all the gifts and offerings, and Officials and Judges to handle matters relating to God and the kingdom for multiple areas or zones.