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I hope your weekend — especially your Lord’s Day — was a good one. I hope your spirit was lifted and your were given the courage and direction for the week ahead.

Our reading today looks at the official dedication and occupation of the Temple that Solomon built. Once again, much of this material is similar to what we’ve already read and commented on in 1 Kings, so I’ll be commenting on some lesser details today, which I think are nevertheless interesting and useful. For example…

Missing — (5:10) Despite the fact that the ark had by the end of Israel’s wilderness sojourn contained three important items (the stone tablets, a golden pot of Manna, and Aaron’s miraculously budding rod — Heb. 9:4), somewhere along the line of the ark’s travels (Shiloh, the Philistines, Beth-Shemesh, Kiriath-jearim, Obed-Edom) two of the three items went missing. They purpose was to remind Israel of a couple of important principles: 1) the LORD provided and provides, and 2) don’t rebel against God’s order. One wonders if there was any correlation between their loss and Israel’s later forgetfulness of who their Provider was (manifested in the paganism of the 8th and 9th century BC) and what God’s order was (witness the strange priesthood of the northern kingdom of Israel).

And do we also forget? Have the times that God has provided for us gotten lost in the mists of minor memories? Have we concluded that prosperity is all up to us — our skills, education, and professional networks? Have the clear roles that God has given gotten misplaced in the tides of trends, time, and transition? Have we forgotten who the head of the family is, what place and rights parents have, and what place children hold (How is the “new family” model working out for your marriage and family?)? Have we forgotten the organization of the church with its elders and deacons and preachers and teachers (as opposed to a pyramidal hierarchy of bishops, arch-bishops, cardinals, etc.)?

Will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? — (6:18) I sometimes wonder if we sufficiently appreciate the awesome privilege of God in our midst in worship. Or the incarnation of the Son of God, Immanuel, Jesus. Or more profound yet, Deity living in us in the Holy Spirit! Solomon was greatly impressed with just the idea of God inhabiting the Temple: “But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.” 2 Chronicles 6:18, NAS95. Will it truly become mundane, commonplace, and ordinary to us? For the God who demanded that men take off their sandals, because they were standing on holy ground, shall we get comfortable and casual? Paul said, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11, NAS95.

Have a great week. See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Notice the two pillars in front

Well, if you’re reading this post, I guess you didn’t “make the cut” for the rapture that according to some folks, who apparently didn’t quite understand Matt 24:36 very well, God was supposed to precede the end of the world happening sometime in October of this year. I read on Facebook that someone planned on putting out some clothes on the sidewalk to resemble someone who’d been “raptured”. Cute. But back to the Bible reading action. 🙂

Because so much of the content these three chapters have already been read and commented on as we read through 1 Kings, I thought I’d truncate my remarks to the two pillars that solomon put in front of the Temple.

It was a common architectural feature to put pillars in front of Temples in the ancient world. They appear to not be pillars that supported anything, rather they stood as memorials. In this respect Solomon’s Temple wasn’t different. But Solomon was interested in more than just another architectural frippery; he named them Jachin and Boaz. These names weren’t terribly uncommon in everyday Israelite life; in fact, Solomon’s great-great-grandfather’s name was Boaz; but names in Israel (as in a lot of places in the world) had meanings.

Jachin meant”Let this [Temple] stand forever”. It’s basic meaning was/is “firm” and was Solomon’s hope that what he was building and the purpose for which he was building it would indeed stand firm forever!

Boaz meant “strength and endurance” (Keil and Delitzsch quoting Kimchi on 1 Kings 7:21). It was Solomon’s desire that this Temple have enduring strength for its purpose.

The Temple of the Lord today is the church.

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22, NAS95.

It is doubtlessly Jesus’ desire that such (metaphorical) pillars still stand before His Temple (please note that I didn’t say “church buildings”, Jesus real Temple, the church, the saved — “Let this [Temple] stand forever” and “Strength and endurance”. It fits right in with Jesus’ famous statement about the church, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18, NAS95 — “Let this [Temple] stand forever” and “Strength and endurance”. That happens when the church remains faithful to the New Testament pattern: teachings, worship, morality, daily discipleship, love for one another, etc.

But you know, Paul calls us individually Temple of God, of the Holy Spirit — “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19, NAS95. Doubtlessly, the Lord would like us to have the metaphorical pillars in front of us — “Let this [Temple] stand forever” and “Strength and endurance”. What would this mean in your life? Where is your foundation weak that might cause your temple to totter? Are you operating on spiritual “fumes” in regard to strength and endurance? Prayer is important. Reading the word is important, talking to an elder or trusted brother or sister is important. The pillars are reminders of Jesus’ desire for us; let them remind us and prompt us to action.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

How’d you like all those tongue-twisting names in our reading today? Yeah, I know more lists of names. Why? The same reason for the genealogies — setting history in a context of family. But there’s something more here than just a list of names.

Organization — OK, for those of you who know me, you’ll know that organization (at least the traditional sort — ha) is not my strongest suit. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate it or know its value! And I think that this may be a slightly-below-the-radar application of these lists of names: Solomon’s great and glorious kingdom, especially among those serving the LORD, was highly organized. Each name (and in some cases their family) had a job to accomplish for the service of the Temple. All were necessary, all served their proper function, and all contributed to the glory of the Temple and the only true and living LORD it served.

Lesson? You have a place, an important place, to serve in the Lord’s temple, the church. We’re a temple? Yep: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22, NAS95. And who are the priests (Levites?)?  “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5, NAS95. There’s no loafing in service of God’s temple, is there?!

Another lesson? The value of organization, like we’re reading here, is that all the “bases get covered”. When everyone’s doing their part, no gaps are left, nothing falls through the cracks, nothing is left undone. But when “priests” are not doing their jobs things do fall through the cracks, not everything gets covered; or if it gets covered, it doesn’t get covered well, because someone’s having to do two jobs. Winging it doesn’t generally work well in industry, in the office, in the family, or in the church — “laissez-faire” tends to lead to lazy-ness (yes, I hyphenated laziness for effect). To help build the kingdom, organization will be necessary and we ought to be careful about bucking it too much.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Howdy, howdy! Great to see you back again.

Today’s reading is focused around the end of David’s reign in Israel. As you’ve probably noticed there has been no mention of some of David’s seamier episodes, but the theme of Chronicles is to demonstrate how prosperity and blessings come from faith in and obedience to the LORD.

True Sacrifice — After David’s disastrous census — amazingly enough even shallow Joab sees something wrong with it (21:3) — God decides to make the census meaningless through plague on Israel. David is devastated at what his foolishness has wrought and he earnestly seeks God’s mercy for the nation. Gad the prophet, on command from the LORD, tells David to build an altar on the hill north of Jerusalem, the threshing floor of Ornan (or Araunah). When David hurriedly approaches Ornan to obtain the area in question for offering sacrifice to God, Ornan offers to give David outright the threshing floor, oxen (for sacrifice), and threshing sled (for wood fuel). David refuses to take it as a gift on the principle that he should not make a “burnt offering which costs me nothing.” So, he buys it, makes the offering, and spares Israel any further plague.

In Romans 12:1 we’re told to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. Does this principle of David’s above apply here, too? And is your living sacrifice costing you anything? Popularity? Time? Effort? Money? Are you yielding to God’s will, when you’d rather be doing your own? Are you keeping your mouth shut, when you’d rather open it? Are you opening you mouth, when you’d rather keep it shut? Are you doing things you’d rather avoid? Are you avoiding things you’d rather do? Are you persevering, when yielding to the world would be much easier? Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote what is considered in Christendom to be a Christian classic during WWII entitled the Cost of Discipleship. In this book he warned against “cheap discipleship”.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Willing to fulfill his role — I think I would have been pretty disappointed to have received the news that I couldn’t build a Temple to the Lord. It wasn’t like David didn’t have enough wealth to do a good job; he seems to have collected a lot of building material in preparation for Solomon’s effort. It wasn’t like David didn’t have the right heart; he was the man after God’s own heart. It just wasn’t David’s job; he had shed too much blood in the his engaging the battles of the LORD. But to David’s great credit, he takes the news pretty well, and submits to passing the baton to Solomon. He collects materials, finds the son who will succeed him on the throne and finish the work, and commissions that son with great advice:

“”Now, my son, the LORD be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the LORD your God just as He has spoken concerning you. “Only the LORD give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. “Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.” 1 Chronicles 22:11-13, NAS95.

True humility is rare. Willingness to submit to a role God wants you to play in his grand scheme is rare. David and Jonathan both seemed to have shared this great characteristic. Would that all of God’s people — men and women, married and single, elders and folks in the pew, husbands and wives, parents and children — had such attitudes. Selfish ambition is never pretty, never helpful, never uniting — never.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Hi, and welcome back to our study. It’s a difficult routine for busy people to make a part of life. It says something about your priorities, that you want to make God first. May God bless your efforts.

There are, of course, a lot of repeated items in these chapters, but there is a beautiful psalm in chapter 16, some of which ended up in Psalm 105:1-15. Naturally, there’s much to much here to look at this beautiful psalm in detail, but let’s look at one of the jewels in the treasure box.

Before we dive in, however, let me clarify what’s being done in the larger context. Yesterday I mentioned that David was seeking to restore the true religion of Israel by bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem. The Tabernacle was to be part of that restoration ultimately as 2 Sam. 15:24,25,32 tells us at the time of David’s retreat from Jerusalem. But at this point and in chapter 17 it is clear that the ark was residing in a tent set up specially by David for the ark and that the Tabernacle was remaining (at least for the moment) in Gibeon. Just wanted to clarify.

Anyway, back to the psalm — I’m a big fan of 16:9, 10, because it is, I firmly believe, critically important to “sing praises to Him, speak of all His wonders, glory in His holy name, and let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.” When we live with this world in our eye and in our minds, we can become discouraged; but when we raise our eyes to the things above — the LORD’s power, His glory, His wonders, His glory — our hearts are made glad and encouraged to continue to follow! I’m constantly amazed at so-called religious folks who want to try to tear down or explain away the wonders of the LORD and try to convince us all that it should make no difference to our faith. How can such “faith” really rely on the LORD? How can it endure? How can — or even why should it — be moral or faithful or committed? Without God’s wonders and intervention in the world’s history, Christianity is just as useless as the rest of the world’s philosophy and religions. With them, however, Christianity is the not only superior, it is in a class all by itself — “truth”. With them we have the confidence to step into the fray everyday (didn’t really mean to rhyme it, but there it is).

And this is the reason for the reiteration of the great story of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (and in the longer version of this psalm in Psa. 105, the Exodus and wanderings). Have you ever wondered why this story gets repeated so often? Because they needed to remember and we can never tell the stories enough. It’s part of singing “praises to Him, speak of all His wonders”.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Well, of course, today’s reading — like much of what we’ll be reading in the books of the Chronicles — will be territory that you have only recently read in the books of the Kings. So, lest I repeat myself, I’ll be looking for teachings or principles among some of the details of the narrative, which may be more of “the road less traveled”.

For example, as the Scripture tells us about men from Dan who came to join David, it notes of them that “These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army; he who was least was equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand” (1 Chron. 12:14, NASB95). It had to have been great to have a few of those guys on your side! It always is.

Some folks just seem to be great assets wherever they go. They leave leaders wishing, “May their tribe increase!” They’re the get’er done folks, the “what else can I do?” guys — the folks you want and need on your team, in the church. They don’t have to be coaxed or bribed to do something; no quid pro quo is necessary. They see what needs to be done, they’ve the motivation to do it, and then look for something else that needs to be done. Whether it’s on the battlefield or on the missionfield, they’re worth their weight in gold — the least is worth 100 and the greatest is worth 1000. How many are you worth?

“And let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 1 Chronicles 13:3, NAS95. The ark of God was to be housed in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. It’s lid, upon which sat two bowing angels, was known as the Mercy Seat, and it was considered to be the very throne of God on earth. It was where the blood of Atonement was to be brought once per year.  It had been carried into battle before with the Philistines in the days of Samuel, as if it were some sort of sure-fire guarantee of battle success. But because Israel did not stand right with God, instead of being a guarantor of success, it was captured in the Philistine’s defeat of Israel. The ark of God was ultimately returned by the Philistines to Beth-Shemesh, but finally “landed” in Kiriath-Jearim, where it stayed the whole time of Saul’s reign as king — “we did not see it in the days of Saul.” For years, then, the central object which symbolized God presence had been separate from the Tabernacle and its proper Holy of Holies. Didn’t anyone miss it? Didn’t anyone say, “How will we do the Day of Atonement without the Mercy Seat?” So, it is greatly to David’s credit that he was seeking to restore the patterned worship of God, by bringing back the ark of God (it seems to be implied at 2 Sam. 15:24,25,32 — the priest Zadok was keeping it, David mentions coming back to the habitation of God, and God is worshipped there) together with the Tabernacle, where it appears to have been set up on the Mount of Olives (2 Sam. 15:32).

And it encourages us to seek restoration of God’s way today. Are there ways in which “we did not seek [the ark of God] in the days of Saul”, too? There are too many examples we’ve already read about partial restorations. There are a number of examples in church history itself of partial restorations. What God is truly pleased by is complete restoration. We ought to keep our eyes and hearts always open to the truth.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

I hope your weekend is going well. Sundays are my favorite day and I hope your Sunday, so far, has been uplifting and an opportunity to re-center and re-focus your heart, mind, attitude, and spirit. Today’s reading contains a little more genealogy, but also begins the narrative part of the book with the story of the demise of Saul and the rise of David. Now the essence of this story has already been covered, so I’ll forego reiterate, but part of this narrative includes little snippets about the heroes of David’s army — which is new stuff.

Now, we could look at the individual heroes of David’s kingdom and their amazing military accomplishments, but I’d like to take us down a more holistic path and look at what makes up heroes — with the hopefully obvious application that we all be heroes of Christ’s New Testament kingdom. Not that we would ever be seeking medals or special recognition; heroes are seldom doing what they do for the lime-light. They do what they do, because they have great love of their country, a deep love for the people they heroically serve, and/or felt a deep sense of duty to do what was right.

It takes courage — Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the will to do what must be done in spite of the fear. Soldiers become foolhardy and are usually killed in action without any fear at all. We shouldn’t be ashamed of fear of fearful things; it’s natural and useful. But too often we take the counsel of our fears (to semi-quote Andrew Jackson), and we become over-cautious and go into retreat from the things that we’ve been called into battle to deal with. These mighty men of David’s were men of courage and became heroes. As Christians we are called to courage in spite of our fears — courage to speak up, courage to stand up, courage step up and step out on faith.

It takes faith in the LORD — Speaking of faith, heroes of David’s mighty men also knew that the LORD was on their side. Now, let’s be honest, everyone wants to think that God is on their side, but whose side is God always going to be on? David’s men knew that they LORD was going to be on their side because they were doing the LORD’s will, they were being obedient (in contrast to Saul’s army). The LORD will never send His people into battle and fail to support them in their obedience — then or now. To be heroes of Jesus’ kingdom let us be willing to step out obediently in faith wherever that might lead, knowing that they LORD will never let us down in doing what He has commanded we should do.

It takes loyalty to the king — The story of the three mighty men who risked their lives to bring David a cup of water from the well of Bethlehem bespeaks of a deep loyalty to their king. They loved David and nothing was too much for their anointed king. Such loyalty keeps heroes in the battle, when everyone else in their right mind should be running. Loyalty compels extraordinary bravery and extraordinary deeds. It was such loyalty that caused the men of Jabesh-gilead to risk their lives to retrieve the body of Saul from the walls of Beth-Shean, so that they could bury his body with dignity. Christian heroism in Jesus’ kingdom also includes fierce loyalty to the one who bled and died on our account to take away our sins. What has your loyalty brought you to do?

It takes strength — The things that must be done, must be borne, must be endured will often take great strength and heroes are known for strength and endurance. Physical, military heroes train and challenge themselves. So also with spiritual heroes. The read the Scriptures to know the sword well, They practice self-control and endurance even in small or trivial matters, so that they can exercise it well in matters of greater significance. They grunt and strain and work hard at being “the last man standing”.

It takes doing the unpleasant — Warfare is not pleasant; in fact it is often described as Hell. David’s heroes doubtlessly had more than a little blood and guts on their sword and clothing at the end of a campaign. Sleeping in a battle camp isn’t like sleeping at home with momma. And Christian heroism is earned by stepping up to do the unpleasant — washing feet, serving the undeserving, forgiving the sinner, loving the unlovely, turning the other cheek, standing with the LORD rather than a friend, foregoing popularity, swimming upstream, and telling ourselves “No” when we’d really like to say “Yes”.

The Kingdom still needs its heroes, its mighty men (and women); will you be one in your home, at your work, in your school, in your neighborhood, in your congregation? Be a hero, because you have great love for Jesus and His kingdom, a deep love for the church and community you heroically serve, and feel a deep sense of duty to do what is right.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.