Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Regardless of the country or city in which you live, I’m sure you’ve noticed the complexity of the government responsible for the leadership and management of your city or country. Have you ever thought about what it was like for King David to try and set up the first leadership, governmental structure for the nation of Israel? David had not gone to government leadership training school, and unlike Moses, David had never spent any time in a well-structured government system like Egypt.
What would you have done if you had been given the responsibility by God to organize a leadership structure for an entire nation of several million people, perhaps even larger than the population of Israel today, scattered over a vast area much larger than modern day Israel?
Yesterday we saw in 1 Chronicles 22 that King David made a high priority, in his older years, to gather a work force and vast amounts of materials needed for the construction of the first great Temple for the God of Israel. In the chapters which follow, the author of 1 Chronicles gives us amazing insight into how King David also developed a leadership system for the nation of Israel, so that when his son Solmon would take over after David’s death, there would be a well-functioning leadership structure, with easily identifiable men, leading the nation of Israel in a God honoring way.
Because America is so highly visible and influential in the world and because America right now is in the election process of redefining the leadership structure for the next several years, let’s take a few moments today to learn some lessons from what King David did. We presume David sought God’s guidance building upon the unique TRIBAL identity of the people of Israel.
As you know the entire nation of Israel was arranged by God both biologically and geographically. A true Israelite person knew their family pedigree and they could trace their personal, heritage ancestry all the way back to one of Jacob’s 12 sons. As Joshua led the Israelites into the Land of God’s Promise, they did not simply scatter to live wherever they wanted. Oh no, Joshua very carefully, as led by God Himself, divided up the Land of Promise (Joshua 14-19) giving to each of those 12 tribes a particular section of the land, including land EAST of the Jordan river for the 2.5 tribes who had requested permission from Moses to NOT cross over the Jordan river with the other 9.5 tribes. (Numbers 32 & Joshua 13)
By the time of King David’s leadership from the year 1010bc to about 970bc, about 400 years had passed since Joshua had divided the Land of God’s Promise. 400 years is a long time and the approximately 1.5 million people who came into this land with Joshua had multiplied into a very large nation of Israel, certainly far too many people, spread out across a land far too large, for one person to manage and lead alone.
I find it so interesting King David did not begin by defining a military leadership structure nor an economic leadership plan but rather David began with a spiritual organizational structure! While David was gathering all the people and materials needed for the great Temple project, 1 Chronicles 23 describes David’s design for the organization and role of the Levites in Israel after a Temple was constructed. Then next came the role and organization of the Priests in 1 Chronicles 24 and the “Singers” or worship leaders in 1 Chronicles 25. Now does that seem odd to you when organizing the bureaucracy of an entire nation of people? Why would David prioritize Levites, Priests and Singers ahead of a military structure or economic system?
David knew the people of Israel were first and foremost “a people of God”, that God had chosen from all the nations on earth to be God’s people! (Exodus 19:3-6) While the people had begged Samuel for a human king and Saul had been their first king, and now David was their second king, David understood Israel was fundamentally still a people of God and they needed a spiritual leadership structure to be central to their identity and function as a nation!
Oh my, how much different things would be in my country and probably yours if the spiritual leadership were united and had an important role of influence in the nation. David knew that as God had laid out the daily life guidelines for Israel it was very important that they come to one central place for their major worship festivals which defined them as a unique people, for it was IN their worship of the God of Israel that their hearts would be united as “one people, under God, indivisible, with justice and liberty for all.” Does that phrase sound familiar to you?
In Deuteronomy 12, as Moses was giving his farewell messages to the Israelites before his death and their entrance into God’s Land of Promise, Moses repeatedly warned the Israelites to NOT worship Almighty God in the decadent, immoral worship ways of the Egyptians and other peoples around them. God had said: “You must not worship the LORD your God in their wicked ways. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put His Name there for His dwelling.” (Deut. 12:4,5)
That place was Jerusalem and specifically the top of Mount Moriah where Abraham had taken Isaac, (Gen. 22) and the Temple of worship would be constructed there, under the leadership of King Solomon, using the skilled workforce David had assembled, and the vast supply of materials David was gathering for the Temple. God had instructed Moses to tell the people to gather at this great place of worship three times every year. (Deuteronomy 16)
“Three times a year all the men must appear before the LORD your God at the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Feast of Tabernacles. Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.” (Deut. 16:16,17) God knew that as Israelites from all over their vast nation would travel to Jerusalem three times per year for week long festivals, the meaning of their Festival and their focus on Almighty God, would unite them as a people of God.
After King David’s organization of the spiritual leadership and celebrations for Israel, then in 1 Chronicles 26 David focused on organizing the security of Jerusalem and the Temple area with Gatekeepers. Even today if you visit Jerusalem, 3000 years later, you can easily see the significance of the walls and gates in the security of this great, international city. And finally, David established a military structure for Israel in 1 Chronicles 27 representing all the tribes of Israel.
The conclusion of that 27th chapter has 10 verses describing King David’s assignments for agriculture and management of the flocks and herds. And finally, my friends, I’m struck with these last few kingly assignments: “Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel took care of the kings sons. Ahithophel was the king’s counselor; Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend. Joab was the commander of the royal army.” (1 Chronicles 27:32-34) Now, isn’t that fascinating?
Five special men: Two counselors; an overseer of the king’s sons; a military commander; and a friend; all five men very close confidants of King David, each playing a vital role in his well-being and his ability to effectively lead the nation of Israel, God’s people.
It causes me to pause and look closely at those men who are closest to me. I invite you to do the same. Who are those close confidants? How do they help us be the men or women God has designed us to be, fulfilling our God given role of influence in this world?
30 years ago, this song was sung by thousands of men in huge worship gatherings filling stadiums all around America. Let this song stir our hearts again, as it did 3 decades ago, and as we consider what type of men and women, we are in a world that desperately needs Godly people of influence!
Today’s Scripture: 1 Chronicles 23-27.
Choose below to read or listen.
1 Chronicles 23-27 1 Chronicles 23
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1 Chronicles 24 1 Chronicles 25
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1 Chronicles 26 1 Chronicles 27
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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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