1 Chronicles 16:23

1 Chronicles 16:23 says, Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.  This verse through verse thirty-three is the whole of Psalms 96, starting in verse two, with just a little variation.  The people of Israel, and all the earth were called on to sing praises to God.  They were also told to shew his salvation every day.  We need to song praises to God and show his salvation plan to the world every day.  Verse twenty-four adds, Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.  Just like the people of Israel, we need to declare the glory of God to the lost world and proclaim His great works to them, starting with what Jesus Christ did on the cross to bring salvation to everyone.  All we have to do is accept this free gift in order to claim our salvation.  Verse twenty-five continues, For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.  This will never change.  God is great, and there is no other god that can offer us forgiveness and everlasting life without sin, death, or pain.  Verse twenty-six states, For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.  All other gods are idols made by man, but God is the God Who created everything, including mankind.  It should be easy to choose which to put our faith in, but it so easy that many people miss salvation because they think they have to be responsible for it by works or deeds.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.  We will always find glory, honor, strength, and gladness when we are in the presence of God and living by faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Since we find glary and strength in God's presence, and as followers of Christ we are always in His presence since we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we should return to him our glory and strength.  We should never think that we are successful by our own strength and abilities, but we should always give God the glory for anything that we accomplish in life.  Verse twenty-nine says, Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  The people of Israel were called on to give God the glory that he deserves and bring their offerings to Him, and so must we.  They were also called on to worship Him in the beauty of His holiness, and however we worship today, it must be done recognizing the holiness of God and bringing honor and glory to Him.  Verse thirty adds, Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.  They were told that the heavens and the earth, or all of His creation, were to acknowledge that He reigns.  Though we will never reach that point with mankind, the rest of the universe will always attest to the fact that God reigns.  Verse thirty-two continues, Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.  David said that the seas and the fields were to rejoice along with all that is within them.  Verse thirty-three concludes, Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.  He then said that when God comes in judgment that even the trees will sing out His presence.  When Jesus Christ returns to claim His church, all of His creation will acknowledge His glory.

1 Chronicles 16:7

1 Chronicles 16:7 says, Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.  Then we are told that David delivered a psalm to Asaph to deliver unto the people, and I am going to break it into sections, though it is all the presented at the same time.  As Matthew Henry says this first part, through verse twenty-two, is taken from Psalms 105, though it is not the whole Psalm.  Verse eight says, Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.  Like the people were called on to do then, we as Christians need to call on God in all that we do and make his name known among the lost people of the world.  Verse nine continues, Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.  Once more, they were called on to sing songs to Him and to tell people of all His glorious works, and so must we today.  Verse ten states, Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.  They were to glory in the Lord and the hearts of those who sought Him were to rejoice.  I believe that too often we as followers of Christ act as though being His follower is more of a burden than a reason to rejoice.  Verse eleven adds, Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.  We, like the Israelites then, should seek God's will continually, and we have even more of a reason to do so.  We know that everlasting salvation has been granted to us through the death burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ being an accomplished fact.  They were simply looking ahead in hope oof it happening.  Verse twelve continues, Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;  We should remember the marvelous work of salvation that He has done in our lives even if we have nothing else to remember.  Of course, we should be able to share many works that He has done in our lives.  Verse thirteen says, O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.  They were the chosen ones of God, not because they were better than anyone else by their own merit, but simply because God chose them to work through to redeem mankind.  We as Christians are God's people because of His grace and mercy and not because we are better than anyone else by our own merit.  Verse fourteen adds, He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.  He is still the Lord our God if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, but His judgments are true for everyone, even if they haven't or don't believe them.  Verse fifteen continues, Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations;  Like the Israelites then, we are always to be mindful of God's covenants, and we are a part of those thousand generations His word is said to apply to.  His word will never stop being the truth.  Verse sixteen states, Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac;  God's redemption plan has never changed.  His word has been true since His promise to Abraham and Isaac, when they entered into a covenant relationship with Him looking forward to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Verse seventeen adds, And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,  God confirmed His law to be an everlasting covenant.  We, like the people of Israel in David's day, simply have to accept that covenant relationship that God offers us through accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse eighteen continues, Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;  God gave the people of Israel the land of Canaan as their inheritance, and He gives us heaven as our everlasting spiritual inheritance.  They didn't earn it, and neither can we.  Verse nineteen says, When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.  God said He gave them the land of Caanan when they were few in numbers and strangers to the land.  We will be strangers to God's kingdom until we put our faith in Jesus Christ, and we are powerless to find salvation by our own abilities.  Verse twenty adds, And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;  When the people of Isarel disobeyed God, they were often captured and taken away to other lands.  I don't believe we will ever lose our heavenly home as Christians, but we may place ourselves under the power of sin if we fail to be obedient to God's word.  Verse twenty-one adds, He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,  God was more powerful than any king then and he still is more powerful than any earthly ruler today.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.  God warned other rulers and even just other people to not harm His people.  That same prohibition remains today, but that doesn't mean that we will never be harmed because of our faith.  It only means that we will always be under God's protection spiritually.

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.