1 Chronicles 25:1

1 Chronicles 25:1 says, Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was: Now, we are told the names of the people who would be in charge of the music, who were the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Matthew Henry points out that these three grew up in the time of Samuel, when singing praises was also considered prophesying.   As I have stated many times, music was an important part of the worship of God, and it still is I believe, but it must be done to glorify God and point people to Him.   We must also be willing to put in the effort to make the music the best it can be.  Verse two adds, Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king.  The sons of Asaph were said to prophesy under the order of the king, but we cannot set people aside for ministry today unless they are called by God.  Matthew Henry says David was acting as a prophet here, and not just as the king.  We need leaders in the world today who are acting under the leadership of God and not just by the power the world gives them.  Verse three continues, Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the Lord.  The sons of Jeduthun were said to prophesy with the harp.  Our music in worship services should always point people to God.  Verse four states, Of Heman: the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamtiezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth:  Verse five adds, All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.  These sons of Heman were said to be seers in the word of God who blew the horns in worship and praise.  Matthew Henry also points out that Asaph, Heman and Jeduthan must have taught their children to be obedient to God, and so must we try to do today.  Verse six continues, All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.  All these sons were under the guidance of their fathers in the worshiping with music.   We need to be organized in our musical worship to God today, and everything needs to be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, Who will call and equip those who are involved.  Verse seven concludes, So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the Lord, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.  There were a total of two-hundred and eighty-eight people involved in the music service to God, so there are many whose names we do not know.  We need to be involved in the musical worship service in the church today even if no one ever knows of our involvement.  Though some are called to a particular role in the music service, I believe that we are all called to sing praises to God.

1 Chronicles 24:20

1 Chronicles 24:20 says, And the rest of the sons of Levi were these: Of the sons of Amram; Shubael: of the sons of Shubael; Jehdeiah.  This verse and the next several verses list the sons of Levi, who were priests who managed the everyday affairs of the church.  Verse twenty-one adds, Concerning Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, the first was Isshiah.  Verse twenty-two continues, Of the Izharites; Shelomoth: of the sons of Shelomoth; Jahath.  Verse twenty-three states, And the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.  Verse twenty-four adds, Of the sons of Uzziel; Michah: of the sons of Michah; Shamir.  Verse twenty-five continues, The brother of Michah was Isshiah: of the sons of Isshiah; Zechariah. Verse twenty-six says, The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi: the sons of Jaaziah; Beno.  Verse twenty-seven adds, The sons of Merari by Jaaziah; Beno, and Shoham, and Zaccur, and Ibri.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Of Mahli came Eleazar, who had no sons.  Verse twenty-nine states, Concerning Kish: the son of Kish was Jerahmeel.  Verse thirty adds, The sons also of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites after the house of their fathers.  Verse thirty-one continues, These likewise cast lots over against their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, even the principal fathers over against their younger brethren.  The sons or descendants of Levi also cast lots to determine where they would serve under the sons of Aaron and in the presence of David and Zadok and Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priests and Levites.  This was all done to allow God to do the choosing and not earthly status, such as age or birth order to determine where one served.  We are to serve where God calls us today.

1 Chronicles 24:1

1 Chronicles 24:1 says, Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  We now are giving the list of Aaron's descendants, beginning with his four sons.  Verse two adds, But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office.  Two of Aaron's sons died before he did, without having any children, and from the order they were listed, it would have been the oldest and second oldest, Nadab and Abihu.  That left Eleazar and Ithamar, and I would assume that the rights of the eldest son would have passed to Eleazar.  It is never the natural order for children to die before their parents do, but even though Aaron was priest of God, it happened.  Just because we are Christians doesn't mean that our children are guaranteed long lives.  Verse three continues, And David distributed them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in their service.  One of each of the sons of Eleazar and Ithamar were called to serve as priests also.  The division was not in overall purpose but in their role of service in unity of doing God's work.  We have different callings, but we should all be united in doing God's work.  Verse four states, And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.  There were twice as many chief men who were descendants of Eleazar than there were of the descendants of Ithamar.  Just because we are born to the same parents as Christians, it doesn't mean that we will be blessed with the same number of children, nor does it assure us that they will become Christians themselves, but we must share the gospel with them and pray that they will.  Verse five adds, Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.  The work was divided by lots, which were used at that time to determine God's will.  Today, the work of the church is determined by the calling of the Holy Spirit in the life of each individual follower of Christ.  Verse six continues, And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and before the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites: one principal household being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.  One of the scribes wrote the names of those called and gave it to the king and princes.  We need to have our name written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that is the only one that really matters. Verse seven says, Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,  The next several verses simply list the order in which the lots fell but doesn't specify a particular task that the person was called for.  Verse eight adds, The third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,  Verse nine continues, The fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,  Verse ten states, The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,  Verse eleven adds, The ninth to Jeshuah, the tenth to Shecaniah,  Verse twelve continues, The eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,  Verse thirteen says, The thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,  Verse fourteen adds, The fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,  Verse fifteen continues, The seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Aphses,  Verse sixteen states, The nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel,  Verse seventeen adds, The one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to Gamul,  Verse eighteen continues, The three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth to Maaziah.  Verse nineteen concludes, These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the Lord, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.  This was the order of their service determined by God and overseen by Eleazar.  God still has an order of service for His people today, and we need to be content to do whatever He calls us to do.

1 Chronicles 23:24

1 Chronicles 23:24 says, These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward.  The tribe of Levi had been identified and they did the work of service in the house of God.  We need to be named among the followers of Christ to be saved and we need to do His work in the world.  Verse twenty-five adds, For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:  David stated that God had given the people of Israel rest so that they could live in Jerusalem forever.  Still, Jerusalem was not and is not the permanent home of God's people, but heaven is.  Our forever spiritual home will never be this earth, but it is a heavenly home.  Verse twenty-six continues, And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.  David said that the Levites were no longer going to carry the tabernacle of the Lord, because a temple, a permanent dwelling place, was going to be built for Him.  We as followers of Christ on the other hand are called on to carry the word of God everywhere and not to try and confine it to a particular place or building.  Verse twenty-seven states, For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:  The Levites over thirty had been numbered, but David changed that to those over twenty.  We must assume that God had led him to do this.  We don't need to set a minimum age at which people can start to serve God but must rely on His calling of them.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;  This implies that the age was lowered because the amount of work to be done was to increase.  I do know that the number of people needing to hear the gospel today has increased, so the number of those sharing it needs to increase as well.  Verse twenty-nine continues, Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;  This is a list of part of the duties that the Levites were to do, and it was to be done to support the Aaronic priests.  There are many things that need doing in the church today that the members need to do so that the preacher can be free to prepare to deliver God's word to the congregation.  Verse thirty says, And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even:  This verse and the next two just continue to list some of their duties.  Verse thirty-one adds, And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:  Verse thirty-two continues, And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the Lord.  As stated earlier, they were to be responsible for the everyday duties in the Temple.  They were to be ready to serve the sons of Aaron, but this did not make them inferior, but only called to a different service.  As Christians, we are not inferior to preachers today, but are called to support them in doing God's work and not to be subservient to them, nor are they to believe themselves to be superior to us.  We all need to follow God's calling in life, no matter how great or small it may seem to the world, and we are to do so under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and for God's glory. 

1 Chronicles 23:7

1 Chronicles 23:7 says, Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei. The next several verses tell us the names of the descendants of these three sons of Levi.  First, we have the descendants of Gershon, starting with his sons Laadan and Shimei and following on from there.  I will simply list these verses, unless there is something specific said about some of the descendants.  Verse eight adds, The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.  First, we are given the names of Laadan's three sons, then of Shimei's sons.  Verse nine states, The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.  Though three here are listed as the sons of Shimei, we are told that they were the chiefs of the fathers of Laadan.  Verse ten adds, And the sons of Shimei were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.  Matthew Henry says the three mentioned in the last verse as being sons of Shimei were likely a different Shimei who was a descendant of Laadan. Verse eleven continues, And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father's house.  Jahath was said to be the chief, with Zizah, or Zina being his second, and the sons of Jeush and Beriah being combined, since they didn't have many sons.  Verse twelve states, The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.  Kohath, a second son of Levi, had four sons.  Verse thirteen adds, The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.  Moses and Aaron were his descendants, and they are included just like the other descendants, and not listed as somehow being greater.  They were only made greater by following God's calling and not by the fact of their birth.  We are told that Aaron was called to sanctify the most holy things, but this was by God's calling and not Aaron's superiority to anyone else, just as we are never called because we are morally superior to others by our own nature. Verse fourteen continues, Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.  We are told that the sons of Moses were named in the tribe of Levi, and the next few verses list them.  Verse fifteen says, The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer.  Verse sixteen adds, Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.  Verse seventeen continues, And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.  Eliezer had only one son, but his son Rehabiah had many.  If we only reach one person with the gospel, we may never know how many they will reach.  Verse eighteen states, Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief.  Verse nineteen adds, Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. Verse twenty continues, Of the sons of Uzziel; Micah the first and Jesiah the second.  Verse twenty-one states, The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.  Eleazar died without having any sons, and his brethren, the sons of Kish took them in.  We need to be willing to help those who are without help in the world today, and women in that day had little ability to care for themselves.  Verse twenty-three continues, The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.  

1 Chronicles 23:1

1 Chronicles 23:1 says, So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.  David was old and close to the end of his life when he made Solomon king over Israel.  We need to serve God where he has called us to serve, but we also need to realize that there is coming a day when we will be too old to serve any longer, so we need to be getting our replacement ready, even if we don't know for sure who that will be.  Verse two adds, And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.  When David was naming Solomon as his successor, he gathered all the other princes, or those who possibly could have claimed power, and the Levites, the religious leaders of Israel.  If we are naming a successor in the church today, we need to have everyone in agreement about the successor.  Of course, we first need to make sure this is the person God has chosen.  Verse three continues, Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.  There were thirty-eight thousand Levite who were thirty years old and older.  These would have been the ones actively serving.  Verse four states, Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges:  Twenty-four thousand of them were assigned the task of building or assisting in the building of the temple, and an another six thousand were to remain as officers and judges over the people.  Even though the building of the temple was to be a priority, the other duties of the Levites were not to be dismissed.  We should never get so caught working on buildings so much that we forget the other needs of the people in the church.  Verse five adds, Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.  The other eight thousand Levites were set aside for other work, with four thousand who serving as porters and four thousand that serving by praising God with instruments that David had made for that purpose.  Matthew Henry says the playing of the instruments was a newly created office in the service to God.  As the world changes, we may find the need for people to serve in areas that didn't exist in the past, such as putting worship services out on social media to reach more people.  Though David assigned people to this new position, I have to believe he did it by God's leadership and that God equipped them to serve.  Verse six continues, And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.  David divided the rest among the families of the sons of Levite, Gershon, Kohath and Merari.  We may come from different families, but as followers of Christ we all become a part of the priesthood of believers, and we are all called to a purpose in God's kingdom.  

1 Chronicles 22:6

1 Chronicles 22:6 says, And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God:  David told Solomon that he had intended to build a house for God.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we should tell our children that we intend to do all that we can to advance God's kingdom, under the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse eight adds, But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.  David said God had told him he would not be allowed to build Him a house, since David had shed so much blood in war.  David may have been justified in most of this, but God did not choose to allow Him to build the house of God, or temple.  We may have decided to do some particular thing for God without first consulting Him and find that He tells us no.  We must always work under God's guidance. Verse ten continues, Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.  David then revealed to Solomon that God had told him that he was going to give David's son, Solomon himself, a time of peace and quietness when he became king in David's place.  God then later sent another descendant of David, Jesus Christ, to bring us everlasting peace with Himself, and also to bring us spiritual peace in the world today.  Verse ten states, He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.  David said that Solomon would build the temple and that God would be his Father and Solomon would be God's son, and He would establish his throne over the kingdom of Israel forever.  Though Solomon did build a temple, I believe that this was also a reference to Jesus Christ, Who is God's only begotten Son, and through Him God's kingdom is established forever.  Verse eleven adds, Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee.  David asked that God be with Solomon as he built the house of God. We need to pray that God will be with us today as we build His kingdom by sharing the gospel.  We need to pray that we will be able to lead our children to Him as well.  Verse twelve continues, Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God.  As David asked for Solomon, we need to pray that we will act under the wisdom of God.  We may have all the wisdom of the world, but it is the wisdom of God that really matters.  Verse thirteen says, Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.  David said that Solomon would prosper if he fulfilled the laws God had given to Moses and told him to be of courage and not be dismayed.  Though we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, if we want to be successful in our spiritual journey, we still must obey God's laws, and if we do, no matter what happens, we should be of good courage and not be dismayed.  Verse fourteen adds, Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.  David told Solomon that even in his days of destress, while he was fighting wars with many people, that he had still amassed all that Solomon would need to build the temple.  Even as we are at war with the world today, we have already amassed everything we need to make our bodies a temple to the Holy Spirit if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse fifteen continues, Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work.  David also told Solomon that he had all the workmen needed to build the temple.  We as Christians today have the gospel to share, and we are not individually alone in doing this.  God has called those necessary to do all that is needed to build His kingdom, and we all have our particular calling.  Verse sixteen states, Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee.  David told Solomon that he also had all the gold, silver and brass that he would need, so Solomon needed to arise and start building.  God has supplied us with all we need to be building His kingdom, so we need to arise and start building.  We cannot allow the bad conditions in the world to stop us from working to help build the kingdom of God.  Verse seventeen adds, David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,  David commanded all the princes of Israel to support Solomon in the building of the temple, and God expects all of His people to work together to support the work of building His kingdom today.  Verse eighteen continues, Is not the Lord your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the Lord, and before his people.  David reminded Solomon that God was with him and had subdued all his enemies, and God is with us today as Christians, and He has spiritually subdued all our enemies, even death itself.  Verse nineteen concludes, Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.  Like David told Solomon we need to set our heart on God and do the work He has called us to do.  He will equip us to do so as long as we live by faith in Jesus Christ.