real presence

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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real presence

2 Chronicles 6:1-42

2 Chronicles 6:1 Then Solomon said: Yahveh said he would dwell in total darkness,
2 Chronicles 6:2 but I have built an exalted temple for you, a place for your residence forever.
2 Chronicles 6:3 Then the king turned and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing.
2 Chronicles 6:4 He said: Blessed be Yahveh God of Israel! He spoke directly to my father David, and he has fulfilled the promise by his power. He said,
2 Chronicles 6:5 “Since the day I brought my people Israel out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city to build a temple in among any of the tribes of Israel, so that my name would be there, and I have not chosen a man to be ruler over my people Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:6 But I have chosen Jerusalem so that my name will be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.”
2 Chronicles 6:7 My father David had his heart set on building a temple for the name of Yahveh, the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:8 However, Yahveh said to my father David, “Since it was your desire to build a temple for my name, you have done well to have this desire.
2 Chronicles 6:9 Yet, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own offspring, will build the temple for my name.”
2 Chronicles 6:10 So Yahveh has fulfilled what he promised. I have taken the place of my father David and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahveh promised. I have built the temple for the name of Yahveh, the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:11 I have put the ark there, where Yahveh’s covenant is that he made with the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 6:12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahveh in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands.
2 Chronicles 6:13 For Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high and put it in the court. He stood on it, knelt in front of the entire congregation of Israel, and spread out his hands toward the sky.
2 Chronicles 6:14 He said: Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in the sky or on the land, who keeps his gracious covenant with your servants who walk before you with all their heart.
2 Chronicles 6:15 You have kept what you promised to your servant, my father David. You spoke directly to him, and you fulfilled your promise by your power, as it is today.
2 Chronicles 6:16 Therefore, Yahveh God of Israel, keep what you promised to your servant, my father David: “You will never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons guard their way to walk in my Law as you have walked before me.”
2 Chronicles 6:17 Now, Yahveh God of Israel, please confirm what you promised to your servant David.
2 Chronicles 6:18 But will God indeed live on the land with humans? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this temple I have built.
2 Chronicles 6:19 Listen to your servant’s prayer and his petition, Lord my God, so that you may hear the cry and the prayer that your servant prays before you,
2 Chronicles 6:20 so that your eyes watch over this temple day and night, toward the place where you said you would put your name; and so that you may hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.
2 Chronicles 6:21 Hear the petitions of your servant and your people Israel, which they pray toward this place. May you hear in your dwelling place in heaven. May you hear and forgive.
2 Chronicles 6:22 If a man sins against his neighbor and is forced to take an oath and he comes to take an oath before your altar in this temple,
2 Chronicles 6:23 may you hear in heaven and act. May you judge your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing what he has done on his own head and providing justice for the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
2 Chronicles 6:24 If your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and praise your name, and they pray and plead for mercy before you in this temple,
2 Chronicles 6:25 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel. May you restore them to the land you gave them and their ancestors.
2 Chronicles 6:26 When the skies are shut and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and praise your name, and they turn from their sins because you are afflicting them,
2 Chronicles 6:27 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, so that you may teach them the good way they should walk in. May you send rain on your land that you gave your people for an inheritance.
2 Chronicles 6:28 When there is famine in the land, when there is pestilence, when there is blight or mildew, locust, or grasshopper, when their enemies besiege them in the land and its cities, when there is any plague or illness,
2 Chronicles 6:29 every prayer or petition that any person or that all your people Israel may have — they each know their own affliction and suffering — as they spread out their hands toward this temple,
2 Chronicles 6:30 may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and may you forgive and give to everyone according to all their ways, since you know each heart, for you alone know the human heart,
2 Chronicles 6:31 so that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days they live on the land you gave our ancestors.
2 Chronicles 6:32 Even for the foreigner who is not of your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your strong hand and outstretched arm: when he comes and prays toward this temple,
2 Chronicles 6:33 may you hear in heaven in your dwelling place and do all the foreigner asks you. Then all the peoples of the land will know your name, to fear you as your people Israel do and know that this temple I have built bears your name.
2 Chronicles 6:34 When your people go out to fight against their enemies, wherever you send them, and they pray to you in the direction of this city you have chosen and the temple that I have built for your name,
2 Chronicles 6:35 may you hear their prayer and petition in heaven and uphold their cause.
2 Chronicles 6:36 When they sin against you — for there is no one who does not sin — and you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, and their captors deport them to a distant or nearby country,
2 Chronicles 6:37 and when they come to their senses in the land where they were deported and repent and petition you in their captors’ land, saying: “We have sinned and done wrong; we have been wicked,”
2 Chronicles 6:38 and when they return to you with all their mind and all their heart in the land of their captivity where they were taken captive, and when they pray in the direction of their land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and toward the temple I have built for your name,
2 Chronicles 6:39 may you hear their prayer and petitions in heaven, your dwelling place, and uphold their cause. May you forgive your people who sinned against you.
2 Chronicles 6:40 Now, my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
2 Chronicles 6:41 Now therefore: Arise, Yahveh God, come to your resting place, you and your powerful ark. May your priests, Yahveh God, be clothed with salvation, and may your faithful people rejoice in goodness.
2 Chronicles 6:42 Yahveh God, do not reject your anointed one; remember the promises to your servant David.

In essence, Solomon is calling on Yahveh to be faithful to his promises to Israel – and his threatening when the nation rebels. His prayer highlights the real presence of God in the land, a presence that will be felt – and is available to resident and foreigner alike. Solomon is asking for the religious traditions of his people to always have a basis in the reality of a true relationship with Yahveh. In dedicating the temple, he dedicates himself and his people to living out that reality. It will not always mean blessing. It must sometimes entail judgment.

Yahveh, we dedicate ourselves to a real relationship with you, and we understand that it will not always result in blessing. Judge us we need it, but stay with us!

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present and accounted for

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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present and accounted for

2 Chronicles 5:1-14

2 Chronicles 5:1 So all the work Solomon did for Yahveh’s temple was completed. Then Solomon brought the consecrated things of his father David — the silver, the gold, and all the utensils — and put them in the treasuries of God’s temple.
2 Chronicles 5:2 At that time Solomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel — all the tribal heads, the ancestral chiefs of the Israelites — in order to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the city of David, that is, Zion.
2 Chronicles 5:3 So all the men of Israel were assembled in the king’s presence at the festival; this was in the seventh month.
2 Chronicles 5:4 All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites picked up the ark.
2 Chronicles 5:5 They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and the holy utensils that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
2 Chronicles 5:6 King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel who had gathered around him were in front of the ark sacrificing sheep, goats, and cattle that could not be counted or numbered because there were so many.
2 Chronicles 5:7 The priests brought the ark of Yahveh’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.
2 Chronicles 5:8 And the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim formed a cover above the ark and its poles.
2 Chronicles 5:9 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside; they are still there today.
2 Chronicles 5:10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put in it at Horeb, where the Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.
2 Chronicles 5:11 Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions. When the priests came out of the holy place,
2 Chronicles 5:12 the Levitical singers dressed in fine linen and carrying cymbals, harps, and lyres were standing east of the altar, and with them were 120 priests blowing trumpets. The Levitical singers were descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun and their sons and relatives.
2 Chronicles 5:13 The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the Lord: For he is good; his faithful love endures forever. The temple, Yahveh’s temple, was filled with a cloud.
2 Chronicles 5:14 And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, because the glory of the Lord filled God’s temple.

present and accounted for

There are times when everybody has to be present, because something significant is happening. The glorious entrance of the ark into the newly built temple was such a time. You get that impression as you read this chapter. It was a time for all the men… all the elders …all the priests… It was all hands on deck. Perhaps God wants to do something significant in our lives and in his church today. Will we be too busy with our own things to come together as a body to recognize his movement among us?

LORD, do something great, and keep us awake and unified so we do not miss it.

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the glory that was

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the glory that was

2 Chronicles 4:1-22

2 Chronicles 4:1 He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
2 Chronicles 4:2 He made the cast metal basin, ten cubits from brim to brim, perfectly round. It was five cubits high and thirty cubits in circumference.
2 Chronicles 4:3 The likeness of oxen was below it, completely encircling it, ten every ten cubits, completely surrounding the basin. The oxen were cast in two rows when the basin was cast.
2 Chronicles 4:4 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The basin was on top of them, and all their hindquarters were toward the center.
2 Chronicles 4:5 The basin was three inches thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or a lily blossom. It could hold 3,000 baths.
2 Chronicles 4:6 He made ten basins for washing and he put five on the right and five on the left. The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the basin was used by the priests for washing.
2 Chronicles 4:7 He made the ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and put them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.
2 Chronicles 4:8 He made ten tables and placed them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left. He also made a hundred gold bowls.
2 Chronicles 4:9 He made the courtyard of the priests and the large court, and doors for the court. He overlaid the doors with bronze.
2 Chronicles 4:10 He put the basin on the right side, toward the southeast.
2 Chronicles 4:11 Then Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work that he was doing for King Solomon in God’s temple:
2 Chronicles 4:12 two pillars; the bowls and the capitals on top of the two pillars; the two gratings for covering both bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars;
2 Chronicles 4:13 the four hundred pomegranates for the two gratings (two rows of pomegranates for each grating covering both capitals’ bowls on top of the pillars).
2 Chronicles 4:14 He also made the water carts and the basins on the water carts.
2 Chronicles 4:15 The one basin and the twelve oxen underneath it,
2 Chronicles 4:16 the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all their utensils — Huram-abi made them for King Solomon for Yahveh’s temple. All these were made of polished bronze.
2 Chronicles 4:17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah.
2 Chronicles 4:18 Solomon made all these utensils in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.
2 Chronicles 4:19 Solomon also made all the equipment in God’s temple: the gold altar; the tables on which to put the Bread of the Presence;
2 Chronicles 4:20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn in front of the inner sanctuary according to specifications;
2 Chronicles 4:21 the flowers, lamps, and gold tongs– of purest gold;
2 Chronicles 4:22 the wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, ladles, and firepans — of purest gold; the entryway to the temple, its inner doors to the most holy place, and the doors of the temple sanctuary — of gold.

the glory that was

Reading these descriptions of the temple is like watching the special features of an epic movie. You can’t really appreciate the “how we made it” if you did not see the movie itself. The readers who first read this description were in a similar situation. They probably never beheld the magnificence of the temple. They certainly never saw it in Solomon’s days. Why does the scripture writer “bore” us with all these details? The Holy Spirit is reminding them of the glory that was, and hinting of a future glory that will be even greater.

LORD, give us a glimpse of our future glory, and remind us how you have manifested your glory in our past.

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the most holy place

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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the most holy place

2 Chronicles 3:1-17

2 Chronicles 3:1 Solomon began to build Yahveh’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 Chronicles 3:2 He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
2 Chronicles 3:3 These are Solomon’s foundations for building God’s temple: The length in cubits, according to the old standard was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.
2 Chronicles 3:4 The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits wide; its height was twenty cubits ; he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold.
2 Chronicles 3:5 The larger room he paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains.
2 Chronicles 3:6 He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim.
2 Chronicles 3:7 He overlaid the temple — the beams, the thresholds, its walls, and doors — with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.
2 Chronicles 3:8 Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents of fine gold.
2 Chronicles 3:9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.
2 Chronicles 3:10 He made two cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold.
2 Chronicles 3:11 The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was twenty cubits: the wing of one was five cubits, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub.
2 Chronicles 3:12 The wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was five cubits, reaching the wing of the other cherub.
2 Chronicles 3:13 The wingspan of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.
2 Chronicles 3:14 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn, and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.
2 Chronicles 3:15 In front of the temple he made two pillars, each thirty-five cubits high. The capital on top of each was five cubits high.
2 Chronicles 3:16 He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.
2 Chronicles 3:17 Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.

the most holy place

Some of the things described in this chapter would have been evident for every Israelite visiting the temple area: the massive size of the temple area, the intricately detailed workmanship. But some of the items would never be seen by the general public. Only in the historical records and in the imagination would these beautiful things be appreciated. The cost and beauty of these gifts were made to be appreciated by an audience of one.

You and I can have a Most Holy Place in our lives. We can spend precious time alone with the LORD, not for any other reason but to adore him. No one else need know about these times. They are for an audience of one.

LORD, thank you for making our private lives eternally significant.

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joint venture

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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joint venture

2 Chronicles 2:1-18

2 Chronicles 2:1 Solomon decided to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself,
2 Chronicles 2:2 so he assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 as supervisors over them.
2 Chronicles 2:3 Then Solomon sent word to King Hiram of Tyre: Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in.
2 Chronicles 2:4 Now I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for displaying the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously, and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening, the Sabbaths and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently.
2 Chronicles 2:5 The temple I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods.
2 Chronicles 2:6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him? Who am I then that I should build a temple for him except as a place to burn incense before him?
2 Chronicles 2:7 Therefore, send me an artisan skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with the artisans with me in Judah and Jerusalem, appointed by my father David.
2 Chronicles 2:8 Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants
2 Chronicles 2:9 to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wondrous.
2 Chronicles 2:10 I will give your servants, the woodcutters who cut the trees, one hundred thousand bushels of wheat flour, one hundred thousand bushels of barley, one hundred ten thousand gallons of wine, and one hundred ten thousand gallons of oil.
2 Chronicles 2:11 King Hiram of Tyre wrote a letter and sent it to Solomon: Because the Lord loves his people, he set you over them as king.
2 Chronicles 2:12 Hiram also said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the land! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.
2 Chronicles 2:13 I have now sent Huram-abi, a skillful man who has understanding.
2 Chronicles 2:14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and execute any design that may be given to him. I have sent him to be with your artisans and the artisans of my lord, your father David.
2 Chronicles 2:15 Now, let my lord send the wheat, barley, oil, and wine to his servants as promised.
2 Chronicles 2:16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 2:17 Solomon took a census of all the resident alien men in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had conducted, and the total was 153,600.
2 Chronicles 2:18 Solomon assigned 70,000 porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors to make the people work.

joint venture

Solomon continued the policy of his father by enlisting the help of Hiram, king of Tyre. David had purchased raw material for the temple, and Solomon procured more of the same, and also skilled craftsmen. It is a wise leader who knows not only how to delegate to his own team, but also knows when to call in the experts from outside the organization. One might think that God would provide all Solomon needed for the temple within the confines of Israel itself, but he did not. Perhaps the LORD used this joint venture as a means of cementing the peace between the two nations. Perhaps also the church of today can learn a lesson from this. Not every one of our service or benevolence projects have to be stamped with the “Christians only” seal of approval.

LORD, give us wisdom to know when we can cooperate with those outside your kingdom in order to accomplish the work of your kingdom.

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grant me wisdom

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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grant me wisdom

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

2 Chronicles 1:1 Solomon, son of David, strengthened his hold on his kingdom. The Lord his God was with him and highly exalted him.
2 Chronicles 1:2 Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel — the family heads.
2 Chronicles 1:3 Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place in Gibeon because God’s tent of meeting, which Yahveh’s servant Moses had made in the wilderness, was there.
2 Chronicles 1:4 Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had set up for it because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem,
2 Chronicles 1:5 but he put the bronze altar, which Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, in front of Yahveh’s tabernacle. Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.
2 Chronicles 1:6 Solomon offered sacrifices there in Yahveh’s presence on the bronze altar at the tent of meeting; he offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
2 Chronicles 1:7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him: “Ask. What should I give you?”
2 Chronicles 1:8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great and faithful love to my father David, and you have made me king in his place.
2 Chronicles 1:9 Lord God, let your promise to my father David now come true. Because you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the land.
2 Chronicles 1:10 Now grant me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people, for who can judge this great people of yours?”
2 Chronicles 1:11 God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you have not requested riches, wealth, or glory, or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even requested long life, but you have requested for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may judge my people over whom I have made you king,
2 Chronicles 1:12 wisdom and knowledge are given to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and glory, unlike what was given to the kings who were before you or will be given to those after you.”
2 Chronicles 1:13 So Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place in Gibeon in front of the tent of meeting, and he reigned over Israel.
2 Chronicles 1:14 Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 1:15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.
2 Chronicles 1:16 Solomon’s horses came from Egypt and Kue. The king’s traders would get them from Kue at the going price.
2 Chronicles 1:17 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for fifteen pounds of silver and a horse for nearly four pounds. In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.

grant me wisdom

The Bible contains many examples of Solomon’s wisdom, but the most important lesson anyone can learn about wisdom is what Solomon demonstrates here. James 1:5 instructs believers that they should ask for wisdom, and that is what Solomon did. The other blessings came to Solomon because he had the good sense to ask for good sense.

LORD, give us wisdom. May our choices honor you.

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lives full of honor

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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lives full of honor

1 Chronicles 29:22-30

1 Chronicles 29:22 They ate and drank with great joy in Yahveh’s presence that day. Then, for a second time, they made David’s son Solomon king; they anointed him as Yahveh’s ruler, and Zadok as the priest.
1 Chronicles 29:23 Solomon sat on Yahveh’s throne as king in place of his father David. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.
1 Chronicles 29:24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and all of King David’s sons as well, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.
1 Chronicles 29:25 Yahveh highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been bestowed on any king over Israel before him.
1 Chronicles 29:26 David, son of Jesse, was king over all Israel.
1 Chronicles 29:27 His reign over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.
1 Chronicles 29:28 He died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon became king in his place.
1 Chronicles 29:29 As for the words of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, note that they are written in the Words of the Seer Samuel, the Words of the Prophet Nathan, and the Words of the Seer Gad,
1 Chronicles 29:30 along with all his reign, his might, and the incidents that affected him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the surrounding lands.

lives full of honor

After a 40 year reign, David dies “at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor (28). Most of us would settle for either one of those legacies. Which is the most important? Without honor, a long life is a sentence, and wealth becomes another master to enslave. With honor, long life is prolonged joy, and riches become the means to helping others.

LORD, give us lives full of honor.

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He is free to bless

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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He is free to bless

1 Chronicles 29:1-21

1 Chronicles 29:1 Then King David said to all the assembly, “My son Solomon — God has chosen him alone — is young and inexperienced. The task is great because the building will not be built for a human but for Yahveh God.
1 Chronicles 29:2 So to the best of my ability I’ve made provision for the house of my God: gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx, stones for mounting, antimony, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and a great quantity of marble.
1 Chronicles 29:3 Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I’ve provided for the holy house:
1 Chronicles 29:4 100 tons of gold (gold of Ophir) and 250 tons of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings,
1 Chronicles 29:5 the gold for the gold work and the silver for the silver, for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to Yahveh today?”
1 Chronicles 29:6 Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.
1 Chronicles 29:7 For the service of God’s house they gave 185 tons of gold and 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 4,000 tons of iron.
1 Chronicles 29:8 Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of Yahveh’s house under the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.
1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced because of their leaders’ willingness to give, for they had given to Yahveh wholeheartedly. King David also rejoiced greatly.
1 Chronicles 29:10 Then David blessed Yahveh in the sight of all the assembly. David said, may you be blessed, Yahveh God of our father Israel, from the last age to the next age.
1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on the land belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all.
1 Chronicles 29:12 Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all.
1 Chronicles 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your own hand.
1 Chronicles 29:15 For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on the land are like a shadow, without hope.
1 Chronicles 29:16 Lord our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand; everything belongs to you.
1 Chronicles 29:17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and that you are pleased with what is right. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to you.
1 Chronicles 29:18 Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of your people, and confirm their hearts toward you.
1 Chronicles 29:19 Give my son Solomon an undivided heart to keep and to carry out all your commands, your decrees, and your statutes, and to build the building for which I have made provision.
1 Chronicles 29:20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Blessed be Yahveh your God.” So, the whole assembly praised Yahveh God of their ancestors. They knelt low and paid homage to Yahveh and the king.
1 Chronicles 29:21 The following day they offered sacrifices to Yahveh and burnt offerings to the Lord: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

He is free to bless

Freewill giving toward the temple construction was a privilege. Seeing how much had been given, both the king and the people burst forth in praise. It was a testimony of the power and presence of the LORD among all the tribes. Bear in mind that it had not been too many years since the nation of Israel was a ragtag group of oppressed and vulnerable peoples. God had not only restored their unity through the monarchy, he had also given them untold wealth. This is not a guarantee that every follower of God will become wealthy. It is a reminder that the one who decides our fate is free to bless us extravagantly. There are no restrictions to his generosity. Because that was true of the LORD, it could be true of the Israelites.

LORD, help us to get our eyes off of our present lack and remember your eternal abundance.

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Who makes the choices?

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Ian Turnell on Pexels.com

Who makes the choices?

1 Chronicles 28:1-21

1 Chronicles 28:1 David gathered all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials, the fighting men, and all the best soldiers.
1 Chronicles 28:2 King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of Yahveh’s covenant and as a footstool for our God. I had prepared to build,
1 Chronicles 28:3 but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’
1 Chronicles 28:4 “Yet Yahveh God of Israel chose me out of all my father’s family to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah, my father’s family, and my father’s sons, he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.
1 Chronicles 28:5 And out of all my sons — because Yahveh has given me many sons — he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of Yahveh’s kingdom over Israel.
1 Chronicles 28:6 He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who is to build my house and my courts, because I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
1 Chronicles 28:7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he perseveres in keeping my commands and my ordinances as he is doing today.’
1 Chronicles 28:8 “So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and follow all the commands of Yahveh your God so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever.
1 Chronicles 28:9 “As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, because Yahveh searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.
1 Chronicles 28:10 Realize that Yahveh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”
1 Chronicles 28:11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple and its buildings, treasuries, upstairs rooms, inner rooms, and a room for the mercy seat.
1 Chronicles 28:12 The plans contained everything that was in his breath for the courts of Yahveh’s house, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of God’s house, and the treasuries for what is dedicated.
1 Chronicles 28:13 Also included were plans for the divisions of the priests and the Levites; all the work of service in Yahveh’s house; all the articles of service of Yahveh’s house;
1 Chronicles 28:14 the weight of gold for all the articles for every kind of service; the weight of all the silver articles for every kind of service;
1 Chronicles 28:15 the weight of the gold lampstands and their gold lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the service of each lampstand;
1 Chronicles 28:16 the weight of gold for each table for the rows of the Bread of the Presence and the silver for the silver tables;
1 Chronicles 28:17 the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling basins, and pitchers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl;
1 Chronicles 28:18 the weight of refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread out their wings and cover the ark of Yahveh’s covenant.
1 Chronicles 28:19 David concluded, “By Yahveh’s hand on me, he enabled me to understand everything in writing, all the details of the plan.”
1 Chronicles 28:20 David told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for Yahveh God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or abandon you until all the work for the service of Yahveh’s house is finished.
1 Chronicles 28:21 Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of God’s house. Every willing person of any skill will be at your disposal for the work, and the leaders and all the people are at your every command.”

Who makes the choices?

These are not the actions and words of a sovereign king, passing on his dominion to his son. They are the words of a servant, a steward of God’s household. David had it in his heart to build. God said no. God chose Solomon to build his temple. David’s charge to all the people is to seek out God’s commands and obey them (8). These are not the words of a totalitarian despot. David’s throne was “the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel” (5). The LORD made the choices. Who makes the choices for you?

LORD, we surrender our sovereignty to you. You make the choices, and we will carry them out.

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delegation

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

delegation

1 Chronicles 27:1-34

1 Chronicles 27:1 This is the list of the Israelites, the family heads, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter with the divisions on rotated military duty each month throughout the year. There were 24,000 in each division:
1 Chronicles 27:2 Jashobeam, son of Zabdiel, was in charge of the first division for the first month; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:3 He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army commanders for the first month.
1 Chronicles 27:4 Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the leader; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:5 The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of the priest Jehoiada; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:6 This Benaiah was a mighty man among the Thirty and over the Thirty, and his son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.
1 Chronicles 27:7 The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:8 The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:9 The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:10 The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite from the descendants of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:11 The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:12 The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjaminite; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:13 The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:14 The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite from the descendants of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:15 The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel’s family; 24,000 were in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:16 The following were in charge of the tribes of Israel: For the Reubenites, Eliezer son of Zichri was the chief official; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah son of Maacah;
1 Chronicles 27:17 for the Levites, Hashabiah son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok;
1 Chronicles 27:18 for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri son of Michael;
1 Chronicles 27:19 for Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jerimoth son of Azriel;
1 Chronicles 27:20 for the Ephraimites, Hoshea son of Azaziah; for half the tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah;
1 Chronicles 27:21 for half the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel son of Abner;
1 Chronicles 27:22 for Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham. Those were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
1 Chronicles 27:23 David didn’t count the men aged twenty or under, for Yahveh had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.
1 Chronicles 27:24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn’t complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census, and the number was not entered in the Historical Record of King David.
1 Chronicles 27:25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses.
1 Chronicles 27:26 Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of those who worked in the fields tilling the soil.
1 Chronicles 27:27 Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars.
1 Chronicles 27:28 Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the Judean foothills. Joash oversaw the stores of olive oil.
1 Chronicles 27:29 Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds that grazed in Sharon, while Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.
1 Chronicles 27:30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.
1 Chronicles 27:31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these were officials in charge of King David’s property.
1 Chronicles 27:32 David’s uncle Jonathan was a counselor; he was a man of understanding and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hachmoni attended the king’s sons.
1 Chronicles 27:33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.
1 Chronicles 27:34 After Ahithophel came Jehoiada son of Benaiah, then Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.

delegation

In addition to providing for the temple that his son would build, David also appointed military and civilian leadership for Solomon’s administration. Once the LORD had secured David’s position as king, David took advantage of the honor showed him by the Israelites to establish a solidified leadership for the people. It was wise for him to do so. This set Solomon free to pursue other matters, and lessened the chance that he would lose the respect of the people. Part of Solomon’s revered wisdom was that he knew when not to involve himself in matters that others were responsible for. He was free to say ‘no’ to some things.

LORD, give us discernment to know what our responsibility is and what problems belong to others.

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