1 Chronicles 16:1

1 Chronicles 16:1 says, So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.  The Ark of the Covenant was at last returned to Jerusalem and set in the middle of the tent that David had made for it.  We know that David wanted to build a temple to God, but God didn't allow him too, but he did build a place for the Ark.  We may not be allowed by God to build a big, ornate church building, but that shouldn't stop us from having a place gather to worship God.  Verse two adds, And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.  After offering burnt and peace offerings, we are told that David blessed the people in the name of the Lord.  I think it would be more accurately stated that he called on God to bless the people.  We really don't bless people, but God does, sometimes through us.  Verse three continues, And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.  David gave everyone, both men and women, a loaf of bread, a good piece of meat, and a flagon of wine, which was about two pints.  He was concerned with their physical needs and not just their spiritual ones.  We should be concerned with the spiritual needs of people, and this should be our first concern, but we should also be concerned with their physical needs, especially after they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Of course, this doesn't mean we aren't to be concerned with the physical needs of lost people.  Verse four states, And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:  Certain of the Levites were appointed by David, we would assume by God's direction, to minister before the Ark and to keep a record of what was happening there, and to also thank and praise God.  As Christians, we need take care of the things of God under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, and we should at least make a note of what He is doing so we can share it with others.  Verse five adds, Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;  Verse six continues, Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.  We are then given the names of some of the Levites who were charged with playing music before the Ark and the instruments that they played.  I will state once more that music and musical instruments were always a part of the worship of God, and there is no reason for us to exclude them now. 

1 Chronicles 15:23

1 Chronicles 15:23 says, And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.  Two men were said to be doorkeepers of the Ark.  We as followers of Christ could be said to be the doorkeepers of the gospel, because if we don't share it, it is not going to be heard.  Still, Jesus is the only doorkeeper to salvation, because only He can grant it, but we are responsible for pointing people to Him.  Verse twenty-four adds, And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.  Then, we have several priests who were said to be the trumpet blowers before the Ark, and two more who were also doorkeepers of the Ark.  We need to be doing all that we can to call attention to the gospel, by whatever method we have available, and blowing trumpets as these priests did would certainly have called attention to the Ark.  Verse twenty-five continues, So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obededom with joy.  David and all the elders went to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the house of Obededom where it had been housed since their first failed attempt to return it.  We don't need to keep the gospel hidden away just because we may have failed in our first attempt to share it, as long as we are acting under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, even if we suffer for doing so. What we cannot afford to do is present some form of the gospel that isn't the true gospel, or like those who had earlier attempted to transport the Ark without following God's guidance, we may find ourselves spiritually defeated.  Verse twenty-six states, And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.  We are told that God helped the Levites that carried the Ark, and He will help us today if we faithfully proclaim the gospel.  They offered sacrifices to God, and so should we today, and the first sacrifice that we must offer is the sacrifice of ourselves to Him.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.  David and the Levites who carried the Ark were clothed in fine clothes and David is said to have had an ephod of linen on.  I don't believe we necessarily have to dress our best in order to worship God, but it does seem that we have almost reached the point where those who do dress in their finest are looked down on, and this should never be the case.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.  We are told that all of Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant, even though only a few were actually carrying it.  As Christians, we are all responsible for sharing the gospel even if not all of us are called to be preachers and teachers.  We cannot leave the spreading of the gospel to just those who are called to be preachers and teachers, but we all have the command to share the gospel.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal, the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.  When the Ark entered Jerusalem, Michal, David's wife, looked out and saw him dancing and she despised him.  This tells us that she wasn't with him when he went to bring the Ark back and that she wasn't caught up in the spirit of celebration.  There will be people today, even Christians or those who call themselves Christians at least, who will look down on other Christians because of the way they celebrate in worship, but this should never be the case.

1 Chronicles 15:16

1 Chronicles 15:16 says, And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.  David had the Levites appoint those who could play instruments and sing to do so and lift up their voices in joy.  We still need to sing praises and make music to show our joy to God today.  Verse seventeen says, So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;  Verse eighteen continues, And with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, the porters.  We are given the names of those appointed to play and sing praises, some referred to as brethren of the second degree.  Matthew Henry says this refers to playing the lesser notes of music, not that the people were of lesser degree than the first.  We need everyone working together in worship services today, and some will hold what could be referred to as a higher role, but that doesn't mean that they are superior to other Christians spiritually.  Verse nineteen states, So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of brass;  We are given the breakdown of the many instruments that were played and who played them.  Once more, those who oppose playing any instrument or even certain instruments in worship service today need to look back to when worship services were first beginning and see all the instruments that were used in worship then.  It would seem to be about all that there were available.  Verse twenty adds, And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries on Alamoth;  Verse twenty-one continues, And Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith to excel.  This is a continuation of the names of those who played the various instruments.  Verse twenty-two concludes, And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song: he instructed about the song, because he was skilful.  Chenaniah, the chief of the Levites, was to lead the singing, because he was skilled at it.  If we are skilled, or blessed with the talent of singing, and leading others in singing, we need to use our talents to bring joy to God and His people. 

1 Chronicles 15:1

1 Chronicles 15:1 says, And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent.  David began to build houses for himself in the city of Jerusalem.  He also prepared a tent for the Ark of the Covenant.  I believe that we should be more concerned with the things of God than we are with our own comfort.  Verse two adds, Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever.  David then said none but the Levites should carry the Ark, since God had chosen them to do so.  We today should do what God calls us to do individually, but we should also all carry the gospel into the world as followers of Christ.  We are all a part of the priesthood of believers.  Verse three continues, And David gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord unto his place, which he had prepared for it.  David gathered all of Israel when the Ark was brought to the place he had built for it.  We should always have a place for God's commandments in our heart and we should always make sure that we have prepared a place for them in our everyday life.  Verse four states, And David assembled the children of Aaron, and the Levites:  David then began to assemble the priests, both those who were descendants of Aaron and those who were Levites.  We need to all work together today to share God's gospel with the world.  Verse five adds, Of the sons of Kohath; Uriel the chief, and his brethren an hundred and twenty:  We then have a listing of the various ones assembled and the number in each house or family group in this verse and the next five.  Verse six continues, Of the sons of Merari; Asaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred and twenty:  Verse seven says, Of the sons of Gershom; Joel the chief and his brethren an hundred and thirty:  Verse eight adds, Of the sons of Elizaphan; Shemaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred:  Verse nine continues, Of the sons of Hebron; Eliel the chief, and his brethren fourscore:  Verse ten concludes, Of the sons of Uzziel; Amminadab the chief, and his brethren an hundred and twelve.  There were differing numbers in the families, but they were all to work together as priests, just as we must today as individual Christians and also as local groups of believers when we assemble to worship God and carry out His mission.  Verse eleven states, And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,  David called certain of the priests and Levites to him.  Verse twelve adds, And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.  He told them as the chief of the Levites that they were to sanctify themselves, as well as their brethern, so the could go and bring the ark to the place David had prepared for it.  We really can't sanctify others, though we might have a service calling for the sanctification of all those there, but individually we must always sanctify ourselves by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and committing to following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  I believe we should especially do this when we gather to worship and serve God.  Verse thirteen continues, For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.  David said that they had not done this when they first started to bring the Ark to its place, and God had punished them for it.  We should never attempt to do things for God without first purifying ourselves by confessing our sins and dedicating ourselves to following God's will.  If we don't do this, we will likely find ourselves defeated.  Verse fourteen says, So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.  The priests and Levites did as David told them to do and sanctified, or set themselves apart for doing what God wanted them to do.  We must do the same as Christians today, no matter what we are doing.  Verse fifteen adds, And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord.  They carried the Ark on their shoulders, as God through Moses had commanded them to do.  We cannot change God's law because we think we have a better way of doing things, but as followers of Christ, we must always be dedicated to following His commandments.

1 Chronicles 14:8

1 Chronicles 14:8 says, And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David. And David heard of it, and went out against them.  When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of all Israel, they went to war with him.  Unlike Saul, who David ran from to keep from having to kill him, David went to meet the Philistines.  We may avoid confrontation with other Christians if confronting them would somehow bring harm to God's kingdom, but we should never avoid standing up against sin and evil.  Verse nine adds, And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.  The Philistines spread out across the valley of Rephaim.  The enemies of God may set themselves up in positions of power in the world today, but if so, we should never be afraid of them.  Verse ten continues, And David enquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand.  David did not just go to battle against them relying on his own strength, but asked God if he should go against them, and God told him to go and that He would deliver him.  We should never go against the forces of evil without first seeking God's guidance in the situation, and if He says go, we should go, because He has already secured the everlasting victory.  Verse eleven states, So they came up to Baalperazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters: therefore they called the name of that place Baalperazim.  The Philistines were defeated, and David gave God the credit.  We should always give God the credit for our victories today and not glorify ourselves.  Verse twelve adds, And when they had left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.  The Philistines left their gods there, since they were powerless manmade things.  David had them burned in a fire.  No one can destroy our God, and if we are in a battle, we should never abandon Him, because He will never abandon us.  Verse thirteen continues, And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley.  The Philistines may have been defeated once, but they didn't give up.  They came back to fight once more.  Just because we win a battle against the enemies of God one day doesn't mean that they are defeated forever.  Thay won't happen until Jesus Christ returns.  Verse fourteen says, Therefore David enquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.  David didn't just rely on what God had told him and his victory the first time but inquired of Him again about going into battle with the Philistines.  This time, God told David to not go against them in the valley, but to turn away from them and then meet them at the mulberry trees.  We should never assume that God's answer in one situation will be the same for all situations, even if things went well the first time, but we must always seek His will in each situation.  Verse fifteen adds, And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.  David was told when he heard the sound of the wind going in the tops of the mulberry trees, then he was to go into battle, because God was going before him.  We need to always wait until God tells us to go, and we can be certain that when He does that He is going before us, whether we have some sign of this or not.  Verse sixteen continues, David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer.  David did as God commanded him and he was successful in defeating the Philistines once more.  If we are doing what God commands us to do, we are always going to be successful spiritually as long as we to rely on Him.  Verse seventeen concludes, And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.  David's fame grew, but it was because God had put the fear of him in all the nations.  We really shouldn't look for our fame to grow as Christians, but we should look to bring glory to God instead, since He is responsible for our victories.

1 Chronicles 14:1

1 Chronicles 14:1 says, Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him an house.  Hiram, the King of Tyre, sent messengers to David along with timbers of cedar and masons and carpenters to help David build himself a house.  David had a vast kingdom and Hiram a smaller one, but David needed Hiram's help.  I guess he could have tried to take these things from Hiram, but it was so much better that Hiram offered them freely.  Just because we as Christians may be more powerful than someone doesn't mean that we can just take what they have if we need it, nor does it mean that we may not need their help.  Verse two adds, And David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.  David did not give himself credit for his being king but gave the credit to God.  We also need to give God the credit for whatever success we have in the world today.  Verse three continues, And David took more wives at Jerusalem: and David begat more sons and daughters.  David gave God credit for his success, but then he began to break God's law by having more than one wife.  We should never give God credit for our success in life and then turn around and break his commandments.  David had sons and daughters with these wives.  These next four verses tell us the names of these children.  Verse four states, Now these are the names of his children which he had in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon,  Verse five adds, And Ibhar, and Elishua, and Elpalet,  Verse six continues, And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,  Verse seven concludes, And Elishama, and Beeliada, and Eliphalet.  Matthew Henry says that these children added to David's strength, and that it was an honor to have so many children, which is true.  Still, this happened outside of God's plan for marriage and family.  We also see that Solomon was one of these children, so God blessed him even if his birth was outside of God's will.  Our birth does not determine whether God can use us or not, but our rebirth through putting our faith in Jesus Christ does.

1 Chronicles 13:6

1 Chronicles 13:6 says, And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the Lord, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.  David and all the people went to Kirjathjearim to return the Ark.  It would seem everyone was involved, which showed how important this was to them.  We as followers of Christ all need to be involved in the carrying of the gospel into the world.  This should be a priority to us.  Verse seven adds, And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.  They. like the Philistines, carried the Ark in a new cart that was driven by Uzza and Ahio.  The Philistines had put the Ark in a new cart and then just let go without anyone attempting to drive it, because that had not worked.  Matthew Henry says that David and the Israelites, and especially the priests, should have known the proper way to transport the ark.  We should not attempt to make God's ordinances fit our way of enacting them but must make our lives fit under the authority of His ordinances.  Verse eight continues, David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.  The people were celebrating with many kinds of musical instruments and singing, playing and singing with all their might.  If anyone says that there should not be music in church today or that it should be limited to one or two instruments, they need to look back at worship in the Bible, where many different musical instruments were used in worship.  Verse nine states, And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.  When they got to the threshing floor at Chidon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzza put his hand on the Ark to steady it.  Touching the Ark for any reason was against God's law concerning it.  We cannot go against God's laws without consequences, even if we say we are doing so to help support them.  Verse ten adds, And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.  We are told that God's anger was kindled against Uzza because he had touched the Ark, which was forbidden by God and Uzza died.  If we refuse to accept God's gift of salvation, we will one day face His judgment and be sent away to everlasting punishment.  Verse eleven continues, And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzza: wherefore that place is called Perezuzza to this day.  David was displeased with God and called the place Perezuzza.  We should never become displeased with God, but sometimes when He rebukes us for attempting to do things against His will, we get mad at Him and try to prove He is wrong.  Verse twelve says, And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?  David became afraid of God and questioned how he could bring the Ark home without getting killed.  Of course, if he had talked to God about this and followed His laws concerning the Ark, he would have had no reason to be afraid.  As long as we obey God's laws under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we never have a reason to fear God.  If we attempt to do things our own way in disobedience to His word, we do have a reason to fear how He will react to us.  Verse thirteen adds, So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.  David did not bring the Ark to his own house, which here is said to be in the city of David, which is Jerusalem, so he must not have thought about bringing the Ark to its rightful place until he had been king for a few years but placed it in the house of Obededom the Gittite.  If we are to be saved, we must bring the truth of the gospel into our life.  Having it in someone else's house because we are afraid of its requirements will never save us.  Verse fourteen continues, And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.  The Ark remained there for three months, and God blessed Obededom and all that he had.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and have the Holy Spirit guiding us, we are always going to be spiritually blessed.