1 Chronicles 17:1

1 Chronicles 17:1 says, Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.  While David was sitting in his house, he called Nathan the prophet to ask him a question.  We aren't told why David didn't just ask God, but it may be that he just wanted a second opinion.  The question was why David lived in a house built of cedars, but the Ark of the Covenant was in a tent.  At least David was concerned enough about this to have Nathan help him find the answer.  Verse two adds, Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.  Without consulting God, Nathan told David to do whatever was in his heart, so David's attempt to get clarification  might not have been  a good thing.  If we are seeking clarification about something we are questioning today in our spiritual life, we need to first ask God to help us understand what he wants.  If we then ask a fellow Christian for help in understanding it, we need to make sure that they are seeking God's will in the situation, and not just telling us what they think we want to hear.  Verse three states, And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,  Nathan may not have sought God's advice, but God gave it to him that night anyway.  If we are open to hearing God's advice in life, He is always going to let us know the truth in any situation, even if we may have already said something different, and we need to heed His advice.  Verse four adds, Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:  Nathan had told David to what he wanted to do, which was build a house for the Ark, but God told him to go tell David not to.  I would think this would have been hard for Nathan to hear, and sometimes God's word to us is hard to hear.  Verse five continues, For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.  God told Nathan to tell David that He had never lived in one tent, but went from tent to tent, from one tabernacle to another, ever since He had called Israel to be His chosen people.  We cannot confine God to a particular building or country today, because He lives in the heart of individual believer.  Verse six says, Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars?  God asked in all that time of walking with Israel had He ever asked the judges, who had been in charge until the people demanded a king, why they hadn't built Him a building.  We need to make sure if we are building a house of worship today that we are doing so by God's direction.  Verse seven adds, Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel:  God told Nathan that He had taken David from being a simple shepherd to being the ruler of Israel.  David was successful because of God and not because he was a great man by his own abilities and he needed to look to God for guidance is the implication.  We will never be great in God's eyes by our own merit, because we are all sinners, who can only be great in His Kingdom because of His calling us to salvation and service and our accepting His call.  Verse eight continues, And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth.  Nathan was to remind God that He had been with him every step of the way and He was the One Who had brought David victory.  As followers of Christ today, the Holy Spirit is with us every step we take, and any victory we achieve is through God's power.  Verse nine states, Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,  God said He would establish a place for the people of Israel and they would no longer be moved by the children of wickedness.  I believe that the place He prepared for them is their heavenly home, since they were often moved out of the land God had given them here on earth.  I personally don't believe that we should ever give a physical application to the spiritual truth of God.  Nothing on this earth is permanent, but only our relationship with God is.  Verse ten adds, And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the Lord will build thee an house.  God reminded them that He had given them judges and said that He would build them a house.  Again, I believe that the house that God referred to is the heart of each individual and not a physical building.  As magnificent as the temple Solomon built was, it is gone, and the dwelling place that God said He would build will never be destroyed, or so I believe.  Verse eleven continues, And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.  David was then told that after he was dead, God would raise up one of his sons to be king, and that son would be used to establish God's kingdom.  David was not going to complete the work of building the nation of Israel, God's kingdom, and we will never do so today, so we must raise our children to believe in God so He can continue His work through them.  Verse twelve states, He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.  God said David's son would build him a house, and through him He would establish his throne forever. We could see this as referring to Solomon, but I believe that it refers to a later descendant of David's, Jesus Christ.  God had said he would establish His kingdom forever through David's descendants, and Solomon did not live forever, but Jesus Christ does.  Verse thirteen adds, 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 that was before thee:  Again, we could apply this to Solomon, but Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who establishes an everlasting kingdom, and it will never be taken from Him as it was from all who came before Him, whether by military defeat or death.  Verse fourteen continues, But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.  This did not happen with Solomon, but with Jesus Christ.  Verse fifteen says, According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.  Nathan told David all that God had revealed to him, and we must tell people the truth that God has revealed to us as Christians, and that is that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Verse sixteen adds, And David the king came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?  David sat before God and asked who he was that God would bring him to this point.  He humbly acknowledged his own unworthiness before God, and so must we.  Our plans must be guided by God and done for His glory if they are to be of any lasting value. Verse seventeen continues, And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God.  This was a reference to Jesus, who would come from the house of David. Because of the coming Messiah, David could be viewed as a man of high degree, and not because of his own worthiness. Our unworthiness is of little concern to God, because through faith in Jesus Christ, we have value. 

1 Chronicles 16:34

1 Chronicles 16:34 says, O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.  The following three verses are taken from Psalms 136:1 and various other Psalms.  This is still a continuation of the psalm that David was singing that had started in verse seven.  We have songs that we sing over and over in church, and then sometimes we add new ones.  As long as they glorify God, either one is good.  Verse thirty-five adds, And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.  David said that they called God the God of their salvation, and if He is to be our God today, He must still be, because unless we accept His gift of salvation, He can never be our God.  He asked God to gather them together and deliver them from the heathen, or those who didn't believe in God, and we must ask the same of Him today as long as we are in this world.  Then, he asked that God do this so that God could be glorified, and that should be our reason for serving Him today.  Verse thirty-six continues, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.  David asked that the God of Israel be blessed forever and ever, and He is and always will be, whether we accept Him or not.  Verse thirty-seven states, So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required:  David left priests before the Ark of the Covenant to minister to, or take care of, it every day.  We as part of the priesthood of believers need to take care of the things of God every day.  Verse thirty-eight adds, And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:  Then, we are told the names of some of these priests and what their duties were.  We all have our called place of service to God.  Verse thirty-nine continues, And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon,  Then, we are given the names of others who had a different purpose in the service of God.  Verse forty concludes, To offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel;  These men were to offer the burnt offerings continually, from morning until evening, in accordance with what was written in the law of the Lord as He had commanded Israel.  We are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice continually before God in accordance with His written His word, the Bible.  Verse forty-one says, And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever;  We are then told the names of some others who were chosen to give thanks to God because His mercy endured forever.  If we feel we have nothing else to be thankful, we should always be thankful for God's mercy in sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from the penalty of our sins.  Verse forty-two adds, And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.  We are then told who the ones were who blew the trumpet and played the cymbals to make music to God.  If we are gathered to worship God, I believe that music is always a part of the worship service, but it should always be played to glorify God and not us.  Verse forty-three continues, And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.  After everything concerning the Ark was in order, the rest of the people returned to their houses, and it said David returned to bless his house, or to ask God's blessing on it.  As Christians, we should dedicate our homes to God and ask His blessings on them.

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.