David organises and sets apart the leaders for the tribes and the administration of all the practical elements for running his kingdom.
1 Chronicles 27: Military Divisions
1 This is the number of the people of Israel, the heads of fathers' houses, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year, each division numbering 24,000:
2 Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division in the first month; in his division were 24,000.
3 He was a descendant of Perez and was chief of all the commanders. He served for the first month.
4 Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division of the second month; in his division were 24,000.
5 The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the chief priest; in his division were 24,000.
6 This is the Benaiah who was a mighty man of the thirty and in command of the thirty; Ammizabad his son was in charge of his division.
7 Asahel the brother of Joab was fourth, for the fourth month, and his son Zebadiah after him; in his division were 24,000.
8 The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth the Izrahite; in his division were 24,000.
9 Sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira, the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were 24,000.
10 Seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000.
11 Eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites; in his division were 24,000.
12 Ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer of Anathoth, a Benjaminite; in his division were 24,000.
13 Tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai of Netophah, of the Zerahites; in his division were 24,000.
14 Eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah of Pirathon, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000.
15 Twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were 24,000.
Leaders of Tribes
16 Over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri was chief officer; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah;
17 for Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok;
18 for Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael;
19 for Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel;
20 for the Ephraimites, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; for the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah;
21 for the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner;
22 for Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the LORD had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven.
24 Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but did not finish. Yet wrath came upon Israel for this, and the number was not entered in the chronicles of King David.
25 Over the king's treasuries was Azmaveth the son of Adiel; and over the treasuries in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah;
26 and over those who did the work of the field for tilling the soil was Ezri the son of Chelub;
27 and over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite; and over the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite.
28 Over the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah was Baal-hanan the Gederite; and over the stores of oil was Joash.
29 Over the herds that pastured in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite; over the herds in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai.
30 Over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite; and over the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite. Over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite.
31 All these were stewards of King David's property.
32 Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counsellor, being a man of understanding and a scribe. He and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni attended the king's sons.
33 Ahithophel was the king's counsellor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend.
34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. Joab was commander of the king's army.
1 Chronicles 28: David's Charge to Israel
1 David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors.
2 Then King David rose to his feet and said: "Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building.
3 But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.'
4 Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me from all my father's house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father's house, and among my father's sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.
5 And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.
6 He said to me, 'It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.'
8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.
David's Charge to Solomon
9 "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
10 Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it."
11 Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat;
12 and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts;
13 for the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the LORD; for all the vessels for the service in the house of the LORD,
14 the weight of gold for all golden vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service,
15 the weight of the golden lampstands and their lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand and its lamps, the weight of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand in the service,
16 the weight of gold for each table for the showbread, the silver for the silver tables,
17 and pure gold for the forks, the basins and the cups; for the golden bowls and the weight of each; for the silver bowls and the weight of each;
18 for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
19 "All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the LORD, all the work to be done according to the plan."
20 Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.
21 And behold the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work will be every willing man who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your command."
Things to think about…
1. In 1Chr 27:1-15 we continue to see the order that David managed to administrate included not just the spiritual service of the priests and those chosen to serve in the singing and praise, but also those in military service. Years ago my family were reminded again of what happens when there is poor administration when it comes to military tactics and response. When we visited the War Memorial in Canberra the tour guide gave us a detailed explanation of the poor military leadership that was given by the English Generals as they led the Australians to be slaughtered at Gallipoli. The guide even said that modern American officers are taken to Gallipoli and have the campaign used as part of their training as to how NOT to lead a military strategy. King David knew that a kingdom divided and poorly equipped and defended, will fall. In this passage, every month a military leader, someone very capable, see 1Ch 27:5-7, led a division of 24, 000 to be used in the king’s service. It is not a surprise that many of these names are also listed in David’s mighty men in 2 Sam 23 and 1 Chr 11. As Christians, we of course are in the King’s service. We are also in a battle, as Eph 6 tells us. Let’s continue to grow in our knowledge of both our Saviour and our enemy. We know who has won the war, but the battles must still be won for Christ. What spiritual battle are you facing at the moment? Make your plans and God guide your steps.
2. 1Chr 27:16-22 lists out the leaders of the tribes of Israel at the time of David’s rule. You will notice that 12 tribes are listed plus Aaron. The tribe of Gad is missing probably because the tribe of Gad on the other side of the Jordan had 2 larger tribes Reuben and half tribe of Manasseh were south and north of Gad and they may have shared the leaders of the other tribes in their territory. Manasseh being a full tribe but half on the eastern side and half on the western side of the Jordan River, hence referred to as a half tribe depending on the territory being referred to. Manasseh in this list has a leader listed for each half tribe, 1Chr 27:20, 21.
3. 1Chr 27:25-31 confirms that David was also a very practical leader and as such had control over all the food, livestock and other supplies that were required to run an army and a country. Each tribe had a leader and someone was given specific tasks to manage. Some examples are the vineyards, the olive and sycamore trees, the sheep herds, the camels and donkeys. These things don’t seem very spiritual, but the Holy Spirit has them listed here because they were an essential part of the successful administration of David’s kingdom. This of course is also essential not only in our personal lives, but also as a church. When we meet together it is important to recognise the gifting of others and encourage them in the use of their gifts. What has the Lord called you to administrate and be in charge of? Are you being faithful in your service? It is interesting that the Apostle Paul lists as a gift from the Holy Spirit, “the gift of helps”, 1Cor 12:28. Which basically means those who have a heart to “lend a hand”. Churches stand or fall by these people.
4. David in 1Chr 28:1-8 acknowledges again that he is not to build the Lord’s temple. This task is given to his son Solomon. The text says that if Solomon obeys the commands of the Lord that he will have a kingdom forever, vs 8 and that the children of Israel will inherit the land forever, vs 9. We know Solomon turned his heart away from following the Lord and that the Davidic kingdom did not remain. As such the Israelis were many years without the land. Pray that they embrace David’s greater Son, Yeshua and inherit the land in Christ as promised.
5. Solomon not David would be given the privilege of building the Lord’s house because David was a man of war who had shed blood. Those who are given the charge to build the Lord’s house must be men of peace, 1Chr 28:3. Jesus of course is described as ‘the Prince of Peace’ and he says blessed are the peace makers. May there be many peace makers in our midst.
6. We see in 1Chr 28:9-21 that all the articles of gold that were used in the service of the temple had to have a specific weight of gold and a design that was given by God to David. This is similar to the situation with the tabernacle and the dimensions and design that was given to Moses by the Lord. We need to make sure that we build the church according to the revealed plan of the Lord. Jesus says He will build His church. As such we follow the building plans given by the Lord. Let’s continue to seek the Lord’s face as He helps us complete what He has put on our hearts for CBC!
7. David charges Solomon in the same way the Lord charged Joshua when he entered the land of Canaan to be “strong and courageous, Do not be afraid”, 1Chr 28:20, cf Josh 1:8. These are also the same words Moses gave to Israel before entering the land, Deut 31:6. In Christ we are not given a spirit of fear but of power, love and self control, 2Tim 1:7. And that nothing can separate us from the love of God ion Christ, Rom 8:39. Amen.
Vision Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. The poor people of Devonport, Tasmania and the parents of the 6 children who have lost their lives in a tragic jumping castle accident. Words fail to describe this horrible event. 3 children are in a critical condition in hospital. Please pray for Christ’s peace to rest over this grieving community.
2. People would join us and hear about the forgiveness of Christ over Christmas.
3. Christmas season – joy and unity promoted in Christ.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Witness over the Christmas season.
6. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Visitors on Sunday. Pray they are encouraged in the church.
2. Appreciation to all involved in ministry. Joy in our service. Thankyou for your service.
3. Word of God being blessed at CBC.
Announcements
1. Christmas Day service – Sat 25th Dec – 9:00am
2. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
