The Ark is brought back, but not everyone is rejoicing. The Lord’s presence influences people one of two ways. Take a look.
1 Chronicles 15: The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
1 David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
2 Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister to him forever.
3 And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.
4 And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:
5 of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 of his brothers;
6 of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, with 220 of his brothers;
7 of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, with 130 of his brothers;
8 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, with 200 of his brothers;
9 of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, with 80 of his brothers;
10 of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, with 112 of his brothers.
11 Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,
12 and said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.
13 Because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule."
14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.
15 And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.
16 David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
17 So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;
18 and with them their brothers of the second order, Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.
19 The singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound bronze cymbals;
20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth;
21 but Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith.
22 Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.
23 Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.
24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, should blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.
25 So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with rejoicing.
26 And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
27 David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers. And David wore a linen ephod.
28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.
29 And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and rejoicing, and she despised him in her heart.
1 Chronicles 16: The Ark Placed in a Tent
1 And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD
3 and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.
4 Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.
5 Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals,
6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers.
David's Song of Thanks
8 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
14 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob, as an everlasting covenant to Israel,
18 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance."
19 When you were few in number, and of little account, and sojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!"
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.
28 Ascribe to the LORD, O clans of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness;
30 tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
35 Say also: "Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.
36 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!" Then all the people said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD.
Worship Before the Ark
37 So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required,
38 and also Obed-edom and his sixty-eight brothers, while Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers.
39 And he left Zadok the priest and his brothers the priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon
40 to offer burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, to do all that is written in the Law of the LORD that he commanded Israel.
41 With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.
42 Heman and Jeduthun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were appointed to the gate.
43 Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.
Things to think about…
1. David has matured in his faith by this point. He has seen the Lord bless the house of Odeb-edom where the ark remained for three months. He now brings the ark back to Jerusalem (the City of David). This time however he does it according to the law of Moses, 1Chr 15:1, 13-15. Last time he didn’t do this which ended in tragedy, especially for Uzzah. We cannot presume to worship the Lord any way we want. We must respect His law and His presence. David orders the priests to consecrate themselves and order the singers and musicians as was required by the law. Can you think of ways we can honour the Lord more as we gather for corporate worship? Praise God for our Worship Leaders and musicians.
2. Obed-edom is mentioned a number of times in these two chapters. He is a gate keeper of the ark and a chief musician who plays the lyre and sings, 1Chr 16:5,24,38. This man has been personally blessed by having the ark at his place for the past three months. He is clearly a man of grace who wants to share the Lord’s blessing with others. Those of us who know the Lord are not to keep the blessing to ourselves, but are to share it with others. This should begin with those who are considered part of the household of faith and then extend outwardly into the community. Can you think of how we might share the Lord’s blessing with those who desperately need to see it?
3. Rather than strike down a Levite this time it says “God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD,” 1 Chr 15:26. We don’t know what help the Lord provided but it evidenced enough for the Levites to sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams. 2 Sam 6:13 tells us that this occurred after the priests only moved 6 steps. We know when the Lord is clearly blessing us, because there is a sense within us but also evidence which all can see.
4. Not everyone is happy though…we see David’s wife (Saul’s daughter) Michal, despising David in her heart. We know she was not blessed with children, but this was not her greatest problem. Her heart was not rejoicing in the presence (the ark) of the Lord. Do you know someone who should be rejoicing because they say they are Christian, yet they don’t seem to be enjoying Him too much. Encourage them today, get beside them or pray for them and ask the Lord to reveal His glory and grace so they may know true freedom and joy in His presence.
5. In 1Chr 16 we see the ark is placed in David’s tent and the people are blessed with raisin cakes, bread and meat, no-one missed out, “distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins”, vs 3. As David has been blessed by the Lord he in turn blesses others. This is reflective of Jesus distributing with the loaves and fishes, all were fed and no-one missed out. This would have come at a great personal cost to David, but his heart is rejoicing and he wants to bless others. What gift has the Lord given you to bless others with? If you are using that gift, my prayer is that you are being encouraged and that the joy of the Lord is your strength as you serve Him with your gift.
6. Look at Oded-Edom, 1Chr 16:38. The ark was at His place, but now he just wants to be where the ark is. Heaven is only made ‘Heaven’ because the Lord’s presence is there. Odeb-Edom and his brothers as well as Heman and Jeduthun were chosen and ‘expressly named to give thanks to the Lord’. These men experienced heaven even while they were on earth. May that be our desire, to have His presence ‘on earth as it is in heaven’, Amen!
7. David sings a psalm here which is actually a blend of 2 psalms. 1Chr 16:1-15 is also found in Psalm 105:1-15. 1Chr 16:16-33 is also quoted in Psalm 96. The rest of the verses in 1Chr 16:34-36 are found in other Psalms eg Ps 100, 118, 136. The word of the Lord is worthy to be repeated.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “Adam to Abraham” - from 1 Chr 1:1-27.
1. This genealogy lists the men from Adam – the first man to Abraham. If the timelines that are listed in Genesis are taken literally we get an earth that is about 6000 years old. Do you believe this, why, why not?
2. Understanding our true history and identity is important. Jay gave some examples on Sunday of adopted children wanting to know their parents and a Jewish mother and son being united after the war. But is there a deeper meaning for the need of all humanity to know about their history. Discuss with respect to the creation/evolution debate.
3. Jesus came from this line of Abraham. We celebrate His birth this time of year. Discuss the importance of truth with respect to Christ’s life and message
4. Pray for safety and rest over the holiday period. Pray for people to be able to see families as borders re-open.
Prayer Points
1. People would join us over Christmas.
2. Christmas season – joy and unity promoted in Christ.
3. Growth in our Cell groups, kids and youth ministries in 2022
4. Pray for testimonies that people will be giving. Please consider when you would like to give yours.
5. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
6. Witness over the Christmas season.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Visitors on Sunday. Pray they are encouraged ion 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.
4. Men’s fishing trip blessed by fantastic weather and fellowship.
Announcements
1. Morning tea – Pre - Christmas get together next Sunday.
2. Christmas Day service – Sat 25th Dec – 9:00am
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
