1 Chronicles: Jesus the Royal Priest
Chp. 1-10 The men God chooses
Chp. 11-29 Man, the temple of God
In 2nd Kings, Jeremiah traced the history of the monarchs of both Israel and Judah for 286 years. In the first 17 chapters, we looked at the 19 kings and 9 dynasties of the northern 10 tribes ending in their captivity to the Assyrians 136 years before Judah’s. Then
In chapters 18-25 we looked back to the same historical timeline only our view was the 20 kings (all descendents of David) up to their captivity to Babylon. Along the way, we see the fourfold process of the fall of a nation and as well as all human failure:
- Loses its vision of God
- Loses its morale life
- Loses its conscience life
- Loses what set it apart
The story in 1 Chronicles was written on Judah’s return from captivity to encourage the people to rebuild the house of God, most likely by Ezra. The last paragraph in 2nd Chronicles is repeated almost verbatim in the 1st paragraph of Ezra. Although Chronicles was compiled at the return of Judah from the Babylonian captivity it covers a very specific period as well as subject.
In both the first and second Chronicles the ten northern tribes of Israel are barely mentioned as the focus is almost exclusively on Judah. The reason for this is that Judah though far from perfect still maintained the worship of God at least outwardly where as the 10 northern tribes chose at the start to worship Idols. 1st Chronicles also specifically chooses to spend most of its time looking at David’s reign, and the purpose of this is to show that he was God’s instrument to direct His people to the worship of the Lord.
Chp. 1-10 The men God chooses
Again remember that both 1st and 2nd Chronicles were written to returning captives to encourage them to place the Lord at the center of their lives. So in the first 9 chapters, Ezra weaves through the genealogical history from Adam to the time of David.
Reading through these nine chapters can cause some to think that they are reading a phone book which I suppose is enjoyable only to the degree that you eventually find the person or persons you are looking for.
There was an old Scottish preacher who upon reading one of the many genealogies in the Bible read for awhile then paused and looked at the congregation and said “And they kept on begetting one another all the way down this page and over to the next page”. Now we know that according to 2 Tim. 3:16
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” But Paul also wrote in 1 Tim. 1:4 not to “give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.” So what is it in these first 9 chapters of 1st Chronicles that is “profitable” and not just an “endless genealogy”? These genealogies reveal a few things:
- God’s selection is consistent with His plan: Look at 1:1 and you will see that God’s path went through “Seth” neither Cain nor Able. This will be repeated by looking at Enoch through Noah and Abraham and Isaac and so on as Ezra traces God’s working on hearts that placed Him at the center of the thrones of their hearts. Yes, Ishmael and Esau are mentioned but their tale is brief and dead ends when compared to those that put God on the throne.
- The principle of God’s Choice is based upon His foreknowledge of man’s choice. God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart and based upon character works His plan through those who have chosen Him. These folks are not what you and I would choose They are as Paul would describe in 1 Cor. 1:26 “Not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” Paul did not say “ANY” he said “MANY”. From our perspective such a crooked path to His goal makes no sense but God’s path is straight and had He chosen upon our understanding defeat would be as certain as victory is with Him.
For thousands of years, Ezra records God’s working in human hearts weaving a tapestry of grace a royal road around every obstacle in human hearts. Paul would write in 1 Tim. 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness”. There are choices in these 9 chapters God’s and man’s and as you march down these pages of names the years that made up these lives will only be fully realized when we know as we are known. Always interesting to see who God chose and uses as well as the ones that He doesn’t. Another fascinating aspect of this genealogy is that each of the tribes and even those in the 9th chapter returned from the Babylonian captivity. Now what this tells me is that God always has someone that He can work through even in the most ungodly situations and places. 2 Chron. 16:9 reminds us that the “eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
Saul is barely mentioned as we are told in 1 Chron. 10:13-14 “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” Yet in 1 Chron. 4:9-10 we are introduced to this fellow and based upon these two verses they wrote a whole book about him called the “Prayer of Jabez”.
Here we read that “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.” In the sea of names, God’s word spotlights this man named “Pain” who became a blessing despite his circumstances. Oh to God we would allow the “pains” of this life to produce the fruit that it did in old Jabez.
Chp. 11-29 Man, the temple of God
The rest of these chapters are dedicated to David’s reign as king and again Ezra is rather selective in what he compiles. There is no mention of his personal failures and only in the 21st chapter are we told of the error he made in numbering the people. Ezra paints a picture of David as a man who at the center of his life was a passion for the temple. Why the temple? Well it reveals that at the center of David’s heart, his passion was to worship God. Yes, he was a warrior and King but first and foremost he was a worshipper and his whole life was dedicated to leading God’s people to be worshippers as well.
In the 11th chapter, we are told of his humble upbringing as a shepherd of his father’s flock and God would raise this boy up to be the shepherd of His flock. Then also in chapter 11, we see David taking the capital city of the Jebusites and making it the capital. This fortified city had been at the center of the nation for hundreds of years yet in was possessed by the enemy.
Ah, but David took it for his King and made what was once a fortress for the enemy a house of praise for the true King of Kings. We are also told of David’s mighty men who had come to him while he was held up in the cave of Adullam. These men we are told in 1 Samuel were all the “Stressed out, Bummed out and Put out” in the kingdom but being around David transformed them into “Mighty Men”.
David’s passion for the Lord became their passion for the Lord and that is how God works as He transforms our hearts which changes the hearts around us towards the Lord. This led to David’s influence over a nation that was trained by David and was guided by Him who guided him.
The 13th chapter brings to what Ezra saw as the passion of David’s life the Ark and the temple it will dominate the next 4 chapters as David recovers the Ark and desires to build a temple so that it would be forever near him and at the center of the nation. Ah but to this God says that what he wants is what He already has in the heart of the king and therefore he will build out of David a people who will place Him on the throne of their hearts.
Listen to God’s words to David in chapter 1 Chron. 17: In verse 7 God reminds him of His work saying, “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.” Then in verses 13-14, God says to him, “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.”
Friend, have you heard God say those words to you yet, because He longs for you to know that you are His child. In the 16th verse to the 27th verse is David’s response which is best summed up in verses 16-18 “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O Lord God. What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant.”
Chapter 18-20 reveal David’s victories which show us that God’s plan for us is to make us a victorious believer. As Paul would write in Romans 8:37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” The 21st chapter is the one recorded downfall where we read that “Satan stood up against Israel, and moved upon David to number Israel”.
David wanted what we all tend to fall into; he wanted to gauge his strength, to bask in his success. Numbers are neither an indication nor a substitution for the guidance of God, dear ones. Through His Word, God shows us that what he wants is people’s heart not just their bodies filling up chairs. This sin of David leads to 3 choices and David chooses to trust God, not man, and accepts full responsibility.
To withhold the full amount of judgment David is called to make a sacrifice to the Lord but where to do it seeing there is no temple. So the Lord speaks to the prophet Gad about the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite who offers it to David for free. And well has David learned the true meaning of worship in the 21:24 David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”
In the 22nd chapter, David begins to gather the materials to build the temple even though he has already been told that he would not be the one to build it, it would fall to Solomon. Listen to what David says to the nation in 22:19 “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”
David also sets the order for the future worship in the temple in chapters 23 -26 by setting everything from the greeters to the worship leaders ready for the day when it would be ready. Saint’s, all of this continues to speak to David’s passion, what he wanted more than anything else in his life was to be around God.
So what’s the master passion of your life? In the 28th chapter we see David appointing Solomon to reign after him his words in 28:9-10 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”
Finally, in verses 10-15 we read of David’s final prayer and this observation in verse 16 “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.” Solomon is anointed, David dies and Ezra closes with these things as an admonition to remind them that Great hearts for the Lord make for a great nation.
- Campbell Morgan makes this observation: “When a nation has lost its moral standard it has lost the strength of character; it has lost its conception of social relationships. It is useless to talk of a new social order unless at its very basis is the conviction and consciousness of the throne of God and the government of God. The man who worships is the true patriot, whether he is a king, a statesman, or a commoner. The man, who loves his nation and serves it, is the man who serves God.”