Day 147 – 1 Chronicles 26-29, Psalm 127

Talking Points

• For the smooth functioning of the temple and the affairs of the nation, gatekeepers, treasurers, magistrates, teachers, army officers, overseers, and scribes are appointed. Their duties are clearly defined. It is interesting to see they are described as men of valor, valiant men, men with strength, men with insight, and men of outstanding capabilities. It is a revelation of the truth that God blesses hard work and the work that blesses God is that which is done with a standard of excellence.
• David tells the people that God will bless their obedience to follow Him. It will produce happiness and prosperity for generations to come.
• David instructs Solomon to follow God with his “whole heart and a willing mind” (1 Chronicles 28:9). Partial commitment is not commitment. Partial obedience is not obedience. Divided loyalties aren’t loyalties at all. This truth stands for us today. Solomon will wrestle with the lures of the world. In the same way, many times, we try to operate with divided loyalties.
• A truth worth restating: any person who seeks God will find Him.

Thoughts

Once again, we read of the death of one of God’s leaders. Maybe no other life recorded in Scripture so illustrates the condition of man. David could be found zealously committed to God, then at other times, he sadly rebells against Him. He witnessed great God-honoring victories brought on by his faith, and he fell into terrible defeats, ushered in by his sin. He honored God’s Word, and he violated it. David is held up as a reminder of the glory days of Israel, yet you cannot read his account and remain unmoved by what could have been.

So, how do we remember David? As the brave giant killer, the king God counted as having His own heart, or as the adulterous, murderer of a righteous man?

The answer is: we remember him as both. First Chronicles ends by saying David “died in a ripe old age, full of days” (1 Chronicles 29:28). The language represents a life that had grown, matured, and endured — finally reaching the fruit that God had intended. I think of David and wonder if anyone was ever as excited to meet his Savior as David was. For sure, no person needed the forgiveness and redemption of that Savior as much as David did. Unless you are counting us. “You are that man” (2 Samuel 12:7).