2 Chronicles 7

2Ch 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Here are the conditions, humble yourself. God's grace is endless and He is looking to pour it all out on us, nevertheless, we must humble ourselves. We can sin. We can make a dumb mistake. We can mess up. Humble yourself. The fact is, God's people should already be seeking His face. They should already be praying day and night to the Lord. They should definately be humbling themselves before God and man. If we do this, our rightful duty, He promises to heal our land.

Israel would mess up bad at times. They would fall into idolatry. This would lead them to child sacrifices, aduletry, harlotry, blasphemy, and all sorts of evil. God was not asking them to fix everything. God was not asking for a great work. He was simply asking for Israel to seek His face, and He would forgive their sins. God is the Great Restorer and even those we know whom we feel could never be restored, God is able to do a miraculous work. There is one crucial element, man, in their freewill, must turn away from the evil. God does the work, man simply has to rest in Him.

Maybe you feel you need heeling. Maybe you simply need and want to draw closer to God (as we all do). Follow the instructions above. It does not matter whether you have the most solid walk of faith or are taking your baby steps, the above applies to all. Humble yourelf, pray, seek His face and be forgiven of your sin and be healed.

2Ch 6:37-39 yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness'; (38) and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name: (39) then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

Solomon becomes a prophet in this chapter. First he mentions being defeated before an enemy (v. 24). Of course we know that Israel was to be defeated multiple times for their sin. Next we see a drought and no rain (v.26). This will take place during the time of Elijah. There will be no rain in Israel for years. Next we see Solomon's prayer concerning pestilence and a plague of locusts (v. 28). Joel records this for us. Finally we see when Israel is taken captive (v.38), recorded in multiple books for us particularly Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel. All of these things Solomon mentions would be events in the history of Israel. All of these things had the same remedy.

Solomon mentions that the Lord will forgive when Israel repents. They were to turn from their sin, look towards the place of His glory, the temple, and pray. Daniel prayed three times a day, and always faced Jerusalem when he prayed. We are told he kept that window of the house open when praying.

I hope none of you fall into temptation this week, but should you repent and pray. Look unto the Lord. Get right with God. He is not slow to forgive, but often times we are slow to go to Him for forgiveness. Solomon realized that the temple of God would be a place of communion with God. He also realized that communion with God requires a clean heart. Now the Lord dwells in our hearts. Like the temple, our hearts are a place of communion with Jesus. Yet, are we keeping it clean?

2 Chronicles 5

2Ch 5:13-14 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, (14) so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Solomon had just spent years building the temple. Finally, it was finished. They only had to put in a few furnishings, last of which, was the ark of the covenant. After the ark is properly placed, the levites walk out and start to sing a song. They sang and sang, proclaiming, "For He is good. For His mercy endures forever."

The next thing that happened is truly encouraging to all of our lives. Solomon built a temple and prepared a temple, and when it was ready, the Lord filled it with His glory. "1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" We are the new temple of God. He wants to create His glory, through us. He wants the world to see His power, through us. Have we, like Solomon, been preparing His temple?

There is nothing like praising God and knowing that He has entered into a place, especially your heart. For many of you, you have expirienced this. It is a supernatural awareness that God is in your presence, and you are in His. I believe it is important for us to live with this awareness. How then do we do that? We praise God. The priests sang as one, "You are good. Your mercy endures forever."

2 Chronicles 4

(2Ch 4:2) Then he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

(2Ch 4:5) It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained three thousand baths.

Everything in the temple was tremendous. If we could go back in time and see what Solomon created it would truly take our breath away. I still get the creeps when I stare at the huge statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln memorial, or even walking into the National Cathedral.. Imagine walking into a place where everything is a picture of heaven.

Today we look at the Sea of Bronze. This was a huge bronze bowl, which the priests would bathe in. The bowl was 7 1/2 feet tall (cubit = 18 inches). The circumfrance measured 45 feet. It could hold 3000 bathes, which each bath contains 6 gallons so thats 18,000 gallons of water! Needless to say, this thing was big, and interesting enough, the water was to be circulating creating a fountain effect.

I love the idea of bathing before we enter to see the Lord. 1 Corinthians tells us:

1Co 11:27-31 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (29) For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (30) For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (31) For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

We are to examine ourselves. We are to prepare our hearts. We are entering into the Lord's presence!!! Where are our hearts, mind, and strength when doing so. The priests had only one choice, and that was to bathe. Taking a bath certainly has a lasting effect on your day. Take a bath in the Word, that you might enter into His presence to praise.

2 Chronicles 3

2Ch 3:1 Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

In this chapter we have Solomon building up the temple. This chapter makes it sound like everything happened at once but keep in mind that this would be a lengthy process. The thing that cought my ear about this chapter is where the temple is built. The above verse tells us, the temple is built on "Mount Moriah." Where else do we see this place?

(Gen 22:2) Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Tommy taught on this verse just last Sunday night. Interesting picture we have for us. This was the place where God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. It would be the place where Solomon would build the temple. Finally, this was the very mountain where Jesus would die and rise again. The picture is vivid. We have the flesh, living by faith. We have the law, being built upon this very mountain. Finally, we have God in flesh, living to overcome the previous two. Certainly Abraham's faith was not a bad thing nor was the law, but they could not save us from our sins. Only Jesus' blood could save us from ourselves. It was as if to say, the sacrifice of another man will not work nor your good deeds, only Jesus.

So Solomon built the temple of sacrifice upon Moriah. Yet we know, the greatest sacrifice would not be done until Jesus died in this place.

2 Chonicles 2

2Ch 2:6 But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?

I enjoy listening to children’s worship. It is usually very simple and very peppy. The words are usually Bible verses. If they are not, the words are very simple concepts about God which I feel I need to be reminded of. How many of you can think of a children’s worship song describing how big our God is?

Solomon realizes that he is not doing God a great favor by building him this temple. It is not as if God is a homeless man up until this point. Isa 66:1 “Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?” Realizing this concept, Solomon realizes that they are not going to house the Lord. Instead they were merely building a place for burnt sacrifice, which produces that sweet aroma unto the Lord. Interesting that the word, sweet aroma literally translates, “scent of rest.” Truly they were building that place of rest for their Lord.

I love the picture here. God is so big yet He calls Israel to create the place of rest for Him. Later, Jesus tells us that he has gone to prepare a place for us! He says that it has many mansions! Israel was called to make a place of rest for the Lord, but Jesus has made a place of rest for His bride, the church. It is going to be huge! It contains mansions. Truly our God is great and glorious, powerful and awesome. Even greater still, the fact that He loves us so much as to prepare a place for us. So bride of Christ, saints, prepare your hearts for Jesus. He has already been preparing a much grander place for you.

2 Chronicles 1

On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask! What shall I give you?" And Solomon said to God: "You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?" Then God said to Solomon: "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like."

(2Ch 1:7-12)

This is a story that we all know well. You have probably heard several messages taught about it, and have had countless Sunday school lessons that talked about it. We all know the basic truth connected with this story… True wisdom comes from God and is ours for the asking.

Rather than give you another spin on this passage, I want to ask you a question that I would like you to really think about… If it was just you and God, and He asked you this question… and you knew that NOBODY would ever know about the encounter, what would you ask Him for? Not your Sunday school answer, but being honest with yourself, what is it that you really desire above all else, when no one is watching? This was no public “I better give the right answer” kind of settings; this was at night, in the dark, all alone. What’s in your heart? What about you, at night, in the dark, all alone? What do you want more than anything else? This is what is so amazing about Solomon’s answer… he didn’t give it when he was in the spotlight, he gave it when it counted most… when it was just him and the Lord.

See, it’s easy to be a “Christian” in front of the public eye, but does your faith flourish most in your private life, or is that where it becomes clear it is fake? Be honest with yourself… this question can reveal a lot about who you really are and what you really serve.

1 Chronicles 29

Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.

(1Ch 29:26-28)

What an ending to an incredible life. David himself would have never expected his days to turn out looking like this, for the Lord did EXCEEDINGLY beyond anything David could have ever imagined. Think back to David during the reign of Saul. Running through the wilderness, living in caves, afraid for his life… So many times he thought he would die out their, questioning just WHAT Samuel had been thinking when he anointed him as king. There was time spent in enemy territory, acting like a crazy man; time spent pretending to FIGHT ISRAEL! There was the incident at Ziklag, when his mighty men turned on him and wanted to stone him… Yet the Lord took all of that and gave beauty for ashes, replacing his mourning with JOY!

In the end he died at a good old age, full of days, riches and honor. The Lord had blessed David’s life beyond measure. What a reminder that the Lord knows so much more about us and what He is doing in and through us than we do. The Lord knew the end from the beginning, but David didn’t. What about you? Maybe you’re in the wilderness thinking your life is going to end up being worthless… trust the Lord. He knows what He is doing, if you keep your eyes on Him you will come through the fire refined and shining like PURE GOLD.

1 Chronicles 28

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

(1Ch 28:9)

A Father speaking to a son can be a wonderful thing to eavesdrop on… and here we get a little dose of divine eavesdropping! David’s exhortation to his son Solomon is simple; know the Lord, and serve the Lord. It is the details of HOW David tells Solomon to serve the Lord that caught my attention today, and so that is what we will focus on.

2 things: David says serve the Lord with a LOYAL HEART and a WILLING MIND. I really like that. The heart and the mind, the emotion and the intellect are involved in our service to the Lord, and the demands on each are different.

Let’s start with the heart. David tells Solomon that as far as his heart is concerned, the most important thing is service to the Lord is LOYALTY. The word translated Loyalty here literally means a complete or undivided heart. Our emotions can pull our hearts all over the place; we can love the Lord one minute and be pulled in another direction altogether the next. David tells us that it is the completely undivided heart, the LOYAL heart that will produce real service to the Lord. The loyal heart results in service that is unaffected by our present circumstances; in good and in bad, for richer or pourer… It's ABSOLUTE COMMITMENT. In our world today, loyalty is a rare thing; some people even say that “everyone has a price”. With the Lord, loyalty is everything. He is always loyal, forever faithful… He deserves the same from us.

The mind... David says that the characteristic most important to service concerning the mind is WILLINGNESS. The word translated WILLING literally means “to take pleasure in”. David says the most important thing concerning our thoughts about serving Him is that we would TAKE PLEASURE IN IT. That we would DELIGHT in doing the work of the Lord, not seeing it as a burden, but as a JOY. We may love some types of service, but recoil at the thought of others… they are just too much, or going too far! When our focus is on the wonderful Lord we are serving, and not the potential difficulties of the work, then that service can be a joy rather than a drag. What we need is a willingness to work, because we LOVE THE LORD.

So, with LOYAL HEARTS and WILLING MIND let’s joyfully serve our king today!

1 Chronicles 27

Here we see the breakdown of how Israel’s army was to work. Each family was to play a part, each tribe had a role, and everyone was involved. Today in the church, we forget that God still wants things to be the same. Being a Christian, contrary to popular belief, was never meant to be a spectator sport. We are all supposed to do the work of the ministry. We are all meant to be involved in the MISSION of the church!

In many churches today though, it is a small percentage of people that are doing the majority of the work… this tells me that a lot of people probably AREN’T REALLY AWARE OF WHAT THEIR PART IS SUPPOSED TO BE! Do you feel like you don’t know what your role in the body is? Do you feel like you know what it is that God has called you to do? If you don’t then the place to start is the mission of the church. We exist to make disciples… As Christians we are to be Disciples of Christ that are MAKING Disciples of Christ. We do this by following Jesus, and USING the gifts that He has given us. How do we know what our gifts are? Start serving. As we begin to serve the Lord, we will begin to learn exactly WHAT our gifts are; we will see where God is using us and where it just really isn’t happening. See, we all have a part, so no one is exempt!

I think we often just play “spectator” because we don’t feel like we are good at whatever we are observing, or maybe we know someone who is better. We forget the simple fact that God is not looking for ABILITY, He is looking for AVAILABILITY. We see in this chapter and the others that everybody has a part to play… so what is your part?

1 Chronicles 26

Gatekeeper. It might sound like a boring, unfulfilling job. It may be the kind of job that you wanted to quit. Maybe it’s the kind of job that makes you jealous of your little Jewish friend Ahab, whose family is in the shepherding business. At least he gets to enjoy the outdoors, rather than standing around, keeping gates. Gates don’t move, they don’t run… it would be better to be a sheep-keeper.

When I look at this from the human perspective this is what it seems like to me, a bummer of a job, kind of like being a mall security guard. But the Bible gives a different perspective… listen to what the Psalmist said.

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

(Psa 84:10)

According to the Psalmist, the privilege of being a child of God, no matter what your job may be, FAR OUTWAYS anything the world can offer. In the tents of wickedness you can’t find what even the DOORWAY to God’s house offers. The psalmist says that ONE DAY in God’s courts is better than a thousand days anywhere else! That’s almost 3 years! Imagine, he says he would trade 3 years of living ANYWHERE ELSE for just a day in the courts of the LORD! Oh, that we would think that way! We forget how privileged we are, and we become like the complaining gatekeeper… wishing he could be anything else. We forget so quickly that we have the GREATEST THING OF ALL, and we get jealous of MEANINGLESS TRINKETS. It would be like getting an incredible treasure chest full of jewels and then throwing a fit because your mom wouldn’t buy you a plastic ring from one of those grocery store toy machines.

Remember, to be any part of God’s kingdom at all completely blows anything this world has to offer OUT OF THE WATER.

1 Chronicles 25

Could you imagine a time when what you did for a living was based on the family you were born into? As Christians, we don’t live like this at all! In our genealogy today we saw the decedents of Asaph… men and women who were to be MUSICIANS. Today, anyone who is called by God to sing can sing. It is no longer about your history, or your pedigree, not even so much about your natural talents… today in God’s kingdom it is all about giftings and callings. Maybe you feel called to do something that no one in your family’s history has ever done. Maybe you come from a family that has ALWAYS lived in NOVA and now you want to BE A MISSIONARY. Guess what; there is nothing wrong with that! If I go any further back than my dad, there is NO history of Bible Teachers in my family. Yet, that is what God called my dad to do, and I believe it is what he has called me to do.

In God’s kingdom there is FREEDOM. No classes, no exclusivity, instead there is a wide open world of possibility. The question is simply, “what does God want to do with me”? Don’t limit the Lord; instead, begin to ask what He might want to do with you, for with God, all things are possible.

1 Chronicles 24

In this chapter we have yet ANOTHER genealogy. Honestly, how many of you kind of groaned when you hit this one? Maybe just a little groan?? This one is all about the sons of Aaron, who we know were the priests. Not just Levites, these were the priests who did the major duties, the sacrifices, the interceding. They were spiritual leaders. Crazy huh, the men who would lead the nation spiritually would be chosen based on what family they were born into. It doesn’t work this way any more. Today, you could be born into the nastiest family in the world, say one with huge ties to the mafia or something. The moment you give your life to Jesus it all changes. WHO YOU ARE CHANGES. You see, we no longer have an AARONIC priesthood, but we operate under the priesthood of JESUS. When we become Christian’s we immediately become sons and daughters of God, and with that, we become a part of THE PRIESTHOOD.

In the kingdom of God, every believer is a PRIEST. There is no longer a hierarchy based on birth or anything else, we are all priests because we are all children of God. So, how are you doing? Are you living up to your calling as a priest? Are you interceding for those around you? Are you accurately representing Jesus to the world? Think about the following verses…

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

(1Pe 2:9-17)

1 Chronicles 23

1Ch 23:5 four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with musical instruments, "which I made," said David, "for giving praise."

In this chapter we rad of the various assignments of the Levis. They were the priests. They were the gatekeepers. They were the judges. Finally, there was a part of them set aside to give perpetual praise to God. Imagine walking down the street or in the mall, and there would always be a band around just playing worship songs to the Lord.

We are told that Heaven is going to be one massive worship service. We are going to be praising God. After that, we are going to praise God some more. And we are never going to get tired of it!! Why? Because we will be beholding the power of the Lord and while beholding it, we are going to always be falling more and more in love with Him.

What does this mean to us today? Praise God. Love Him. Rejoice always! A joyful heart is good medicine but a broken spirit dries up the bones. When you are feeling down or depressed, praise God and allow Him to do a work in you!

1 Chronicles 22

1Ch 22:10 He shall build a 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 forever.'

Through out the Old Testament we find the Lord telling Israel, "And you shall be my people and I shall be your God." It is always given to Israel as whole, describing the special relationship they were to have with God. I love this verse because it shows us a few things.

1) God is not just looking to be incharge of a country. He is all powerful. He is can do whatever He wants. Instead, He is looking for a relationship. He is going to give love, and He wants to receive love.

2) God is personal. He wanted to be involved in Solomon's life. He called Solomon His son, and He himself claimed to be His Father. Jesus seeks the same with us. He wants to know us personally. When He gives us commands, He does not do it to draw the church, as an organazation, closer to Him. When He calls He seeks to draw you personally to Him. The more people drawing closer and closer to God, the more we become one body. The church is not an organization but it is a group of people all focused on one head, and that head is Jesus.

Jesus loves us personally. He calls us persoanlly, and He wants to know us personally.

1 Chronicles 21

1Ch 21:24 Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing."

David messed up. Like we discussed in youth group last night, David put his eyes on the things of the world and he immediately became afraid of what he might lose. He decided to count out Israel to see just how strong he really was. His reliance was on the things of this world and so God punished David.

Fast forward a couple days and we have Jerusalem being destroyed. There was no army attacking. There was no rebellion like last time. Instead the angel of the Lord stood between heaven and earth, over Jerusalem, with sword in hand. David is commanded to build an altar. David goes out to build one.

He picks a location owned by a man named Ornan. Ornan offers David his field and David responds saying, “I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offering with that which costs me nothing.”

Have you ever made an offering to the Lord? Offerings are exactly what it sounds like. It is to offer, something that belongs to you, to the Lord. Offerings involve sacrifice. We live in a culture where we are very busy. It is very easy to give Jesus our free time, or whatever is left of it. Could you honestly say that you are giving Jesus an offering, which is costing you something?

I know I use to try to plan to read my Bible as part of my school day. Sometimes when I am at work, since I work on a computer all day, when the processor is running and I cannot do anything else, I think, “I should sneak in a devo so I don’t have to do one later.” Oh Hector… This is a tremendous reminder for me, that if it did not cost me anything, I would not be serving or loving any of you.

Gang, give to Jesus that which costs you. Give Him everything. Do not try to cut corners with your relationship with him. Like any other type of relationship, if one person is doing all the sacrificing, than the other person becomes saddened. God wants to spend time with you, not free time, not extra time, but your time. It is going to cost you something, but I guarantee, it will be worth it.

1 Chronicles 20

1Ch 20:1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the armed forces and ravaged the country of the people of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab defeated Rabbah and overthrew it.

This verse may sound a bit familiar. Maybe you read it and it left an eerie feeling with you. The reason can be found in 2 Samuel 11. This is during the time David had his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. What is good to know is that, while David was in sin, the rest of the world was still spinning. Joab was still conquering. Israel was still expanding. God was still doing a work.

God’s intensions are always to restore people. The Chronicler writes this part of the story just as if David had never sinned. Now I am not saying we are to hide our sin. Absolutely not! Instead, God chooses to erase it. For many people in Israel, life just continued. While David was frantically trying to cover his sin, the other guys were in battle.

If you are struggling with a sin, do not think it is the end of the world. Instead, humble yourself, admit your fault, and let God restore you. You will not deserve all that He ends up giving you, but that is okay. To be humbled by the Lord, and to humble yourself before the Lord, is far better than to try to put up a perfect image. Imagine if David’s sin was never found out. He may have never returned to the battle field again! Instead, he would have been living a lie, so he could walk where he did not belong. God’s restoration comes after you have been humbled. Afterwards, you are once again a tool for God to use.

1 Chronicles 19

1Ch 19:12-13 Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. (13) Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

Ever been through something really intense with someone? You may have been really close before, but now, all of a sudden, you are even closer. This is when you know you have a real friendship and not just a good times friend. Joab and his brother Abishai are going out to battle. All of a sudden, they are surrounded. They have the Syrians on one end of the battle field. Syria was the up and coming empire. They were probably the most powerful civilization on the earth, at the time. They also have anther army, the people of Ammon on one end. The verses before tell us how large Ammon’s army was. Joab realized that this may be their last battle. As a warrior and commander of Israel’s army he essentially tells his brother, “Unless God’s will is for us to win, we are going to be defeated.”

Joab and Abishai were left with three things. They had, (1) their Lord God. They had (2) their faith in their Lord God. Finally, they had (3) each other. Often times God will take Christians two a place where all they have is Him and each other. He does that we might draw closer to Him. He gives us each other that we might point each other toward Him, especially when one of us appears to be being defeated. Gang, if you find yourself more and more being out of the company of other Christians WATCH OUT!!!

Have you ever seen a movie where, there is a group of people and one guy separates from the group? You know because that one guy separated that something bad is going to happen to him. It is the same way in our walk. Ultimately, Jesus is our strong tower. Often times, when we cease to spend time with other believers it is a sign that we have ceased to spend time with Jesus.

If you are going through a battle this week, find a buddy. Have them pray for you. Pray for them. Tells them, if they need help, you will be there for them and if you need help, you will call for them. Most importantly, point each other toward Jesus.

1 Chronicles 18

1Ch 18:1-3 After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. (2) Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David's servants, and brought tribute. (3) And David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates.

David was a warrior. This was his occupation. He grew up as a simple shepherd. He never had that much action as a kid. His only training was wild beasts. Yet when it came time to go to battle, David knew exactly what he was doing. We are all born with some sort of natural talent. Whether we practice or not, we are good at it. David was a natural warrior.

Let us examine some natural warriors throughout history. Ghengis Khan, great warrior. He took over China. Died falling off his horse. Julius Caesar was a warrior. Julius claimed that “He came, he saw, he conquered.” Julius was stabbed in the back…and the front…and everywhere else. Napoleon is one of the greatest military leaders in history. He was exiled to an island. He came back, took over, was redefeated and reexiled. Then he died.

David died not in battle, but “in a good old age” (1 Chronicles 29:28). Why was David spared? After all, Jesus tells us, “Mat 26:52 But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

David was spared because he did not rely on his natural talent instead he allowed God to use it. Read verse 6, “So the Lord preserved David.” All of you have incredible natural talents the Lord has given you. Some of you can make people laugh while others can play music while others are athletic. Hand your gifts over to Jesus. Allow Him to have complete control of your life. If you hold on to your gifts and rely on them, one day you will find they will fail you. Jesus never fails us!

1 Chronicles 17

And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever." ' " According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

(1Ch 17:11-15)

This passage highlights for us what is known as the DAVIDIC COVENANT, a covenant central to our belief about the future of the nation of Israel, and what God has planned for His people the Jews. This is one of the most important covenants in scripture, and it is key in our understanding of God’s plan of redemption.

It was not Solomon that was the ULTIMATE fulfillment of this prophecy… it was Jesus! He is from the line of David, the SON that would eventually sit on the throne FOREVER! He came to earth, and did not take an earthly throne, but was cut off. There is coming a day when He will return and will reign and rule FOREVER. When we refer to Jesus as the Son of David, we are referring to His position as the rightful heir to the throne, the KING of the people of God.

For many of the Jews today, they don’t recognize Jesus as their king at all… in some ways Jesus is a king without a crown, a leader that has still not been recognized by His people. But, there is coming a day when the WHOLE NATION will be saved in an instant, and Jesus will enter in through the city gates to rightfully take the throne that is His.

For us, as believer’s, we can know Him as king TODAY. He can take residency and rule from the throne that is in our hearts. If we allow him that place, if we allow Him to fill that role in our lives, it will radically change our future experience. For those of us who are believers on THIS side of eternity, we have the promise that we will REIGN AND RULE with Christ in His future kingdom!

1 Chronicles 16

Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!

(1Ch 16:28-29)

This Psalm of celebration that David sings has one of my favorite phrases in all of the poetic writings of the Bible. It is a simple short phrase, but so rich in meaning, to me it is the very essence of how we ought to relate to the Lord. David says, “Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” I love it! So simple, so profound… it has much to say to us today.

We start with the meaning of the word WORSHIP. Webster, in his 1828 dictionary, said worship is “extravagant love and extreme submission”. Extravagant and extreme; it goes beyond the norm; it extends beyond what is expected. It enters into a realm that most would consider waste, over the top, beyond what is acceptable. It might be termed as HOLY OBSESSION. Real worship is ALL CONSUMING. So we see here that we are to love the Lord extravagantly, and submit to him in an extreme way.

We do this in the “beauty of holiness”. What is the BEAUTY OF HOLINESS? It is a term used first and foremost to describe the holy of holies, the place where the presence of God dwells. But for us, it speaks not only of how beautiful it is to dwell in the Lord’s presence, but the state we should be in as worshipers. We can’t worship God and be living in the ugliness of sin. We can’t worship God and be living in the false appearances of this world. No, worship takes place in the BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. The place where we are fully consecrated to God, and connected to Him… the place of ABIDING RELATIONSHIP.

So… Worship God. Let your love and commitment to Him be EXTREME. Enjoy the BEAUTY of holiness; His holiness, and the effects it has on your life… I guarantee you will find nothing more beautiful!

1 Chronicles 15

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. Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever." And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.

(1Ch 15:1-3)

So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.

(1Ch 15:25-28)

I LOVE our God so much. He is full of MERCY and GRACE; He is always looking to forgive, and to give us the SECOND CHANCE. Not just the second chance, but the third, fourth, on and on, as long as it takes. Here we see David with a SECOND CHANCE in regards to the ark. This time it isn’t the WORLD that has told him what to do, but it is the WORD OF GOD.

What a difference this makes! No longer is this an event that is interrupted by anger, sorrow, and fear… now it is fully and completely an event of JOY from beginning to end. When we live according to God’s Word, it often means more work. It means not cutting corners, it means difficulty, and it means leaving the wide easy road for a difficult one that is straight and narrow. It means not going around difficulties, but meeting them head on. Sometimes these facts are enough to cause people to say, “I’m not going to do things the Lord’s way, it’s just too hard.” Sadly, they don’t realize the difference that is made in the end. You see, the trade off for the difficulty, for the challenge and work it can be to do things God’s way, is the GREAT JOY WE SEE HERE. We can’t expect to experience God’s joy in our lives if we are living for ourselves.

On David’s first attempt at bringing in the ark, we saw him lose his joy, and walk away angry, scared, and confused. If we do things our way or the world’s way, that will always be the result in the end. But if we listen to the Lord, if we take the straight and narrow road and follow Him, even if everyone else goes another route, we will be FILLED WITH JOY UNSPEAKABLE. Follow the Lord; Experience life at its FULLEST.

1 Chronicles 14

And David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" The LORD said to him, "Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand."

(1Ch 14:10)

Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley. Therefore David inquired again of God, and God said to him, "You shall not go up after them; circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.

(1Ch 14:13-14)

Here we see David set a perfect example for us, one that SHOULD have been a part of Saul’s life, but NEVER was. You see, Saul would just go and DO, and if he considered the Lord at all, it was only to assume that the Lord was working with him. It is almost as if Saul just thought that since he had been anointed by God, God HAD to honor what he did. This isn’t how it works. God is not OBLIGATED to do ANYTHING FOR US. We are to seek Him in ALL THINGS, even when we THINK WE KNOW what He is going to do.

Here we see David, and the Philistines are getting ready to do battle with him. So, David goes to the Lord and says, “What should I do?” The Lord responds by telling David, “Go out and fight them.” David fights them and wins because the Lord is with them. Shortly after, the Philistines gather again, and want to go for round 2. Now, many of us would assume at this point, “I should just do the same thing again”… but this is NOT what David does. Instead, David goes to the Lord and says; “what should I do this time?” And wouldn’t you know, the Lord tells him to do something totally different! This time, the Lord tells him to come around the rear for a sneak attack.

We may never face the Philistines, but we will find ourselves in many battles. We fight battles with the World, the Flesh, and the Devil EVERY DAY. What we need to do is be SURE that we seek the Lord and find out how HE wants us to fight. Do we stand, do we retreat, or do we charge forward? We need to be seeking the Lord, for the BATTLE BELONGS TO HIM.

1 Chronicles 13

David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God to me?"

(1Ch 13:12)

Why was David afraid of God? What was the cause of David’s change in attitude? One minute we see him full of joy, excited about what God was doing, the next we find him angry and afraid… What happened? The physical action that brought about this change was the death of a man named Uzza. David had been transporting the ark, attempting to restore it to the place it belonged… at the very center of Jewish life. The ark was a symbol of the presence of God, and so David was seeking to put the Lord back at the very center of Jewish life. This was honorable and wonderful desire… we can be assured that what David was doing was the WILL OF GOD.

So what went wrong? It wasn’t WHAT David was doing, but the WAY David was doing it. His intentions were right, but intentions aren’t everything. We need to do the Lord’s work, but we also need to be sure we are doing it the Lord’s way. God had a specific way the ark was to be carried, no one was to touch it, the priests were to carry it… the whole thing was to be a sanctified and holy endeavor. Instead of doing this the way that God had prescribed in His word, David did it the way the Philistines had done in the recent past.

In essence, David was learning about the things of God from the WORLD rather than the WORD. The world has a weird way of twisting and distorting who God is and how He works. They don’t understand Him because they don’t KNOW HIM. The WORD however is God’s declaration of who He is and it is was written specifically for us. We cannot properly understand God if we don’t listen to what He says!

So, if you find yourself confused and afraid by the things God does… then maybe it is time you turned away from the world and started looking to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 12

For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, b like an army of God.

(1Ch 12:22)

And continuing with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

(Act 2:46-47)

Do you see the connection in these 2 verses? Both talk about a day by day increase in the kingdom of God. The verse from our chapter today tells us that “day by day” men where joining up with the army of Israel to help David as he took control of the kingdom. We are told that it became “like an army of God”. It wasn’t the army of David, or even just the army of Israel… it was the army of God. Do you remember that song we used to sing when we were kids; “I’m in the Lord’s Army”? You see, when we become a part of the church, we become a part of God’s kingdom, and we are enlisted in God’s Army. We don’t fight other people though, for our battle is SPIRITUAL in nature. We do battle through prayer, in the heavenly places.

What I want us to notice though is that in each of these verses, the Lord was causing the army to grow. The question I want t ask is “Why”? Why did God cause these groups to grow… what can we do if we want to see God’s kingdom grow today?

Acts tells us this… “They were continuing steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and in fellowship and in the breaking of the loaves, and in prayers.” 1 Chronicles says… “All these were men of war, keeping rank, they came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over Israel. And also all the rest of Israel was of one heart to make David king.” Fellowship with God and with one another, unity in heart, a desire to see the Lord work, a holy sense of expectation… These people were tight with God, tight with one another, and excited to see what God would do in their midst. What about us? Do we fit in here? Are we close to the Lord, close to one another, excited to see what God might do? If not, YOU can make a difference. How??? By putting the Lord first, by loving others second, and by thinking of yourself last. Selfishness will stop ALL of these things from happening, but a selfless, God seeking, others serving attitude will transform you and those around you. Let’s allow our hearts to be unified in the Lord, and stand back and watch what He does in our midst.

1 Chronicles 11

And David became greater and greater, for Jehovah of Hosts was with him. And these were the chief of the mighty men whom David had, making themselves strong with him in his kingdom, with all Israel to make him king, according to the Word of Jehovah concerning Israel.

(1Ch 11:9-10)

Here we see David, and are told that the Lord was WITH HIM. As a result, he just kept growing… his influence was spreading, his power was building; the Lord was prospering David. As David grew into this position of leadership, we see him surrounded by MIGHTY MEN. These men are honorable, loyal men who had proved themselves and their loyalty to god, the king, and their country on the battle field. The word translated as MIGHTY MEN literally means that they were manly, strong, vigorous, brave, and mighty. Let’s look at these attribute one by one.

MANLY – Not in the John Wayne cowboy kind of way, but in the REAL WAY. To be manly is to be dignified, to not be a boy or a child anymore, but to take on the responsibilities of manhood. Paul said when he became a man he put away childish things. So we see here that the men God used and surrounded David with were MANLY. They had left behind childishness and they were behaving like men.

STRONG – possessing power and endurance, not just strength to attack but strength to stand. These men possessed the strength necessary to withstand the attacks of the enemy, to remain firm, steadfast, and immovable. As believer’s we become strong by building our lives on the rock of God’s Word… then no matter what comes our way, we can stand firm. God doesn’t want people who have a lot of flash and special abilities; he wants people who will STAND FIRM.

VIGOROUS – Literally means full of strength and active force… not lazy, but FULL OF LIFE. God doesn’t want the men and women He is using to be lazy, sitting around doing nothing… He wants us to be full of life… HIS LIFE!

BRAVE – This word means to be full of courage, to possess boldness, and to be unafraid of danger. The man or woman that is truly brave is a person who is aware that God is on their side. We can be men and women who are unafraid if we are men and women FULL OF FAITH.

MIGHTY – It means to possess great strength and great command.

The Lord is looking for us to be spiritual mighty men and women… to be brave, strong, and vigorous. If we want those attributes to be a part of who we are, then we need to be men and women that are developing a relationship with the Lord. David, the mightiest man of the bunch, was growing in strength and power not on his own, but because God was with him.

1 Chronicles 10

1Ch 10:13-14 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. (14) But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

We have seen this story before. For anyone who would like further insight into this you can refer back to the devotions for 1 Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1. I want to ask a question in hope that it will spark some conversation. Above it mentions why Saul died. He was unfaithful. He sought a medium for guidance rather than the Lord. Therefore the Philistines did not kill Saul, but God did. Here is my question. Why did Jonathan die?

If you do not know anything about Jonathan he was Saul’s son. He was a master bowman, a warrior, but most of all, he loved the Lord God. Because of his love for God, he loved God’s anointed, David. He did not mind giving up his place as king, or his life, for the new anointed king of Israel. He was the one whom, with his armor bearer, took on a whole Philistine army! He figured, if God said they would win, they would win. What a faithful man of God. Why did he die?

I could right down some reasons but that would mean you guys would not answer. Why did Jonathan die. How come, when one guy follows the Lord, and another guy messes up, sometimes both reap the repercussion? For instance, how come both the drunk driver and the safe victim end up in the hospital? If someone were to come up to you on the street, how would you answer their question?

1 Chronicles 9

1Ch 9:33 These are the singers, heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night.

In the closing verses of chapter 9 we read of the multiple ministries of the Levite Priests. Some were serving vessels, which I assume would be like the waiters. Others were in charge of the furnishings, kind of like the maintenance crew. Others were in charge of the precious items such as oil, wine, and fine flour. Others were the bakers and chefs. Finally, there was a last group, reserved to sing day and night to the Lord.

I love this concept. When one was to enter the courtyard of the temple, they would here singing unto the Lord. It was constant. I think of 1 Thessalonians 5:16 where we are commanded, “Rejoice always.” This was the picture of that verse. Heaven will be the completion of it.

When John entered the court of the Lord he saw four beasts. He records this: Rev 4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"

Those who are in love with the Lord will show it. Those who are in love with the Lord will sing praises through song and through life. I become sad when I find myself embarrassed to bring up the Bible. Sometimes I find it awkward to bring it up in front of other Christians! I find that when I draw close to the Lord, I cannot help but sing His praises. Therefore, if you and I are looking to be Christians that rejoice always, we must be constantly drawing closer to Jesus. Do not focus on trying to rejoice, just let it be a response of your time with Him. Sing when you rise, and sing when you fall asleep. Rejoice in the Lord day and night.