Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this Thursday.
As you and I think back in our lives, I have no doubt we’ve all received very significant challenges from adults who cared about us. They wanted the best for us, but they knew it would be a difficult challenge for us to stay faithful to the path laid out before us.
Join me again as we step into a huge throng of Israel’s appointed leaders who’ve gathered in Jerusalem about 975bc, at the invitation of King David, for what is becoming a very significant, ‘defining moment’ for King David and his royal family’; for the nation of Israel and the middle east of that day; and even for the whole world. The story is found in 1 Chronicles 28.
Look, King David has stood to his feet, rising up off the throne which had been positioned on a platform, high enough for all in this huge throng to both see and hear David. Now David turned to Solomon, his son standing to his right. David had just identified this son Solomon as God’s selection to be the next king over Israel. In this selection God is establishing, with this speech, a God appointed Monarchy in Israel! “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek HIM, He will be found by you; but if you forsake HIM, God will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD God has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” (1 Chronicles 28:9, 10)
With these words King David is making very clear the criteria by which God will make His selection, in each succeeding generation, of who will be King, by God’s choice, among all the sons of Solomon and succeeding Kings in the royal monarchy line of King David.
In some ways this was what God did when He selected Joshua to succeed Moses. Although Joshua was not a biological son of Moses, Moses had mentored and trained Joshua for several decades, in discerning the voice of God and then following God’s guidance, as he then led the people in following God. Do we notice, my friends, God would be looking in every generation for that son of the king who would: “acknowledge the God of your father and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.”
That was the criteria God had used when He selected young David from among the 8 sons of Jesse, to be the future king. It was David’s heart and his pursuit of knowing God, serving God wholeheartedly, and keeping his mind and heart pure before God, that qualified David to be King of Israel.
This calls for some self-reflection, doesn’t it my friends? As God looks at your heart and mine, what does God see? Would we qualify for God to trust us with some significant Kingdom of God assignment? Are we followers of God wholeheartedly? What happens in our hearts when we consider that God knows and evaluates all our motives which are behind every thought, every choice, every action?
Look, King David is handing his son Prince Solomon a scroll and speaking to him. Here’s what the record says: “Then King David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the Temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. David gave Solomon the plans of all that the Spirit of the LORD had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the LORD and the surrounding rooms… David gave Solomon instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the Temple of the LORD, as well as all the articles to be used in its service…” (1 Chronicles 28:11-18)
Do you know what this reminds me of, my friends? It is exactly what Moses did when he came down from Mount Sinai and called together those Holy Spirit selected and anointed craftsmen and women, and Moses explained to them the detailed plans God had given to Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle and all the worship artifacts inside the “Tent of Meeting”. (Exodus 35-37)
This answers an important question, both regarding the Tabernacle and the Temple: Who drew up the architectural plans for the building and the specific design plans for the Ark of the Covenant, and the Table of Shewbread, and the Golden Lampstands, and the Altar of Incense, and all the other materials used for worship of Holy, Almighty God? Of course, the answer is: God Himself!!!
In fact, King David said: “All this I have received in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and He gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.” (1 Chronicles 28:19) Oh I love that powerful statement. It assures me that for the Jewish people their unique worship of Almighty God is fully detailed by God and the understanding of what each element is and the significance of every aspect of worship of God was clear to those who received it from God and should have been clearly passed down from generation to generation.
Finally, King David gave this very specific challenge to his son Prince Solomon: “Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the Temple of the LORD is completed. The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the Temple of God and every willing man, skilled in any craft, will help you in all this work…” (1 Chronicles 28:20,21)
Now what do you suppose Prince Solomon was feeling in his heart as he held the scrolls his father King David had just handed to Solomon? These scrolls contain the detailed plans for the Temple of God which David had received by inspiration from the Holy Spirit of God! What value, what price would you place on those scrolls? Millions of dollars? Billions of dollars? They are unique! Only one copy in all the world existed in that ‘defining moment’!
Now look and listen, King David is turning to address the huge throng of leaders. With David’s hand on Solomon’s shoulder, David proclaims in a loud voice for all to hear: “My son Solomon, is the one whom God has chosen. He is young and inexperienced. This task is very great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God…” (1 Chronicles 29:1)
Look at Solomon… are those tears I see running down his cheeks? Is his lower lip quivering, is that perspiration whetting his forehead? The weight of the sacredness of this ‘defining moment’ seems to be falling upon Prince Solomon like the weight of the entire world upon his shoulders. At that moment were there any more sacred scrolls, anywhere in the world, except perhaps the scrolls written by Moses, Joshua, Samuel and King David? Those scrolls we now have in our Bible as the books of Genesis – 1 Samuel and some of David’s Psalms.
Now again we must pause for reflection! Look out over this vast throng of Israelite leaders. What have they witnessed in this national ‘defining moment’? Look at David and Solomon and other highest-ranking officials on the platform with them. Oh, this remarkable event is not yet finished! We’ll come back here tomorrow to witness what happened next.
For today, are you awed by the majesty of God and His invitation to you and me to live our lives in relationship with Him as His people, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ our Savior and God’s call to us now to live as His representatives in this world?
You know I love to give you a worship song to help us reflect and here’s a great one I found for today:
Today’s Scripture: 1 Chronicles 28:9-29:1.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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