1 Chronicles 17:1-27

We often complain about not knowing what to get someone for a birthday or Christmas present.  We want to honor that person but cannot think of anything within our price range that the person would want or need.  David want demonstrate his gratitude towards God.  I can almost hear him thinking: “what do you get for a God who has everything.”  David finds himself in a position where he feels the desire in his heart to give a house to the Lord.  He feels uncomfortable with the fact that he lives in a beautiful palace while the ark of the Lord is being housed in a tent.  David’s desire is to bless the Lord, but we find David once again being blessed by the Lord.  We serve a God who does not need anything.  We should never feel like we are making some sacrifice when serve the Lord or attempt to do something “for Him.”  The reality is that it is a privilege to serve Him and we always end up getting more than we give.

DAVID TRIES TO BUILD A HOUSE FOR GOD AND ENDS UP HAVING HIS HOUSE BLESSED BY GOD: In David’s mind it is simply not acceptable for the ark to be in a tent while he lives in such a comfortable home.  He decides to build temple and shares his vision with Nathan the prophet of the Lord.  Nathan blesses the plan and encourages David to move forward, but then God speaks to Nathan.  God tells Nathan that He has never asked for or needed a house and then proceeds to tell Nathan that he is to tell David about His plans for the future.  God reveals to David that his son will be the one to build the temple; which was an indication from God that David’s family would reign for longer than Saul’s.  This in and of itself was a blessing.  However, God was just getting started.  God goes on to promise David that his descendant would always have the right to reign in Israel: that his house, kingdom and throne would be established forever.  In essence, God was promising that the Messiah who would save and rule over the people would come through the house of David.  Christ is clearly the fulfillment of this promise and one day we will see Him come as King and He will reign forever and we will be honored to reign with Him.  We need to be careful to not think that we are providing something to the Lord; He alone is providential.  We are the recipient of His grace, not the other way around.

DAVID STOPS TRYING TO WORK FOR GOD AND STARTS TO PROMOTE THE WORSHIP OF GOD: When David hears the Word of the Lord through Nathan, he is simply flabbergasted at God’s grace.  David recalls his own humble beginnings and then looks at what God has already done and then on top of that, he hears the promise of what God is planning to do.  This is more than David can comprehend so he does the only thing that he can think of doing: he praises the Lord.  David recognizes that it is not his place to do anything for the Lord but that it is simply his job to praise the Lord for all that He has done.  We are merely instruments in His hands.  God graciously uses us to accomplish His will on the earth, but we must never forget that it is He who is at work in us and not us that is at work for Him.  God gave David the honor of being used to kill giants, play instruments, conquer nations and even be able to praise Him.  The very breath we use to praise the Lord is in itself a gift from the Lord.  We are greatly blessed by God and it should be our natural response to simply praise and worship Him for all that He has done for us, in us and through us.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more