Chronicles – Page 9 – Be Still…

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 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 24:1-31 – What Priests Do

Read 1 Chronicles 24:1-31

David continues to make an impact for future generations by instituting more details regarding worship and who does what. I remember the days in ministry when we would create job descriptions for each of our positions. That’s exactly what David is doing here, but he’s taking it a step further. David is identifying the players who will be the first to follow these precepts.

Have you ever been part of a ministry team at your church? Then you can appreciate David’s mission. He is taking away any question about expectations. A ministry team will always be more efficient if the goals and intentions are clear. It appears David remains strong and confident despite the fact his reign is coming to an end. He is bound and determined to set Solomon up for success.

1 Chronicles 22:1-19 – The Temple

Read 1 Chronicles 22:1-19

Turns out the threshing floor location David purchased for his sacrifice in our last reading will become the eventual building site for the temple. Isn’t it great to see how God works behind the scenes to make things happen? God can and will use our mistakes, brokenness, and sinful decisions for good, turning them into something beautiful.

With this chapter, we are beginning the wind down of David’s reign as he prepares his successor, son Solomon. The material in this closing section of 1 Chronicles is unique to this book. We don’t have any parallel story lines from other Biblical passages. Today we see how David aids Solomon for what God will be doing in his life. Isn’t that what any good father would do, prepare their child for the future?

1 Chronicles 21:18-30 – Build an Altar

Read 1 Chronicles 21:18-30

In this reading, we learn more about Araunah the Jebusite and the angel of death that was standing by his threshing floor. You may recall in our last reading how at the last minute the Lord called off the angel’s mission of destroying Jerusalem. But the angel remained ready, with his sword drawn, bringing fear to David and Araunah.

For some reason, the angel gave David’s seer, Gad the message to build an altar right there on Araunah’s threshing floor. David was very quick to be obedient. It appears Araunah was also anxious to give the king whatever he asked for. David didn’t want to take advantage of Araunah’s generosity, so payment was made.