Category Archives: 1 Chronicles
Every One Who Calls Upon The Name Of The Lord Will Be Saved.
1 Chronicles 2:1-55
More names – lots of them! It’s great to have a name! You have a name. You’re not just a nameless person of unknown identity. It’s even greater to have the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, given to us for our salvation. In His Name, we have God`s promise of salvation – ‘every one who calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved’(Romans 10:13). God calls us to have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. God does not speak to us of salvation without calling us to have faith in Christ. He does not say, ‘Everyone will be saved’. That’s what we might like to hear, but it’s not what God has said. This is what His Word says to us, ‘every one who calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved.’ Call upon the Name of the Lord. Let Him fulfil His promise: ‘The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe’(Proverbs 18:10).
How Much Do You Really Want To Be Blessed By The Lord?
1 Chronicles 3:1-4:23
God answers prayer – ‘Jabez called upon the God of Israel, “Oh that You would bless me…”. And God granted his request’(4:10). Behind the name, ‘Israel’, there are many other names, many faces, many people, many prayers rising up to the God of Israel, many believers calling upon the Name of the Lord, looking to Him for His blessing. The story of ‘Israel’ is a story of ‘disobedience’ and ‘mercy’(Romans 11:25-32). This is the story of our life. We have been disobedient to God. He has been merciful to us. How are we to receive the blessing of God? Pray to God for His mercy: ‘Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner’(Luke 18:13). Come to Him with this earnest prayer: ‘Oh that You would bless me…’. How much does the blessing of God matter to you? How much do you really want to be blessed by the Lord? Make it the most important thing: ‘Oh that You would bless me…’.
The Lord`s Way Is Better Than The World’s Way.
1 Chronicles 4:24-5:26
God wants to lead us in the way of victory (5:22). We dare not take His victory for granted if we are not willing to walk in the pathway of discipleship. As well as the promise of victory, there is also the warning against disobedience. If we are disobedient, we will be defeated (5:25-26). God doesn’t want us to be disobedient and defeated. He wants us to be obedient and victorious. With the promise of victory – ‘From victory to victory His army He shall lead’- comes the call to discipleship - ‘Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the Cross!’(Church Hymnary, 481). God is calling us to be faithful. He is warning us – ‘Do not love the world…If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him’. The Lord`s way is better than the world’s way – ‘Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind’(1 John 2:15; Romans 12:2).
‘Let Us Fix Our Eyes On Jesus.’
1 Chronicles 8:1-40
How sad it is to find the name of Baal, the god worshipped by the Canaanites, appearing in this list of those who professed to be the people of God! The name ‘Esh-Baal’(33) means ‘man of Baal’ or ‘man of shame’. It is a ‘shameful thing’ that those who are called to be the people of God should lose sight of their high calling and become servants of Baal. The name ‘Merib-Baal’(34) highlights the sadness of those who lose their way in life. Originally meaning ‘opponent of Baal’, this name came to mean ‘loved by Baal’or ‘my lord is Baal’. God’s Word warns us against the danger of becoming a ‘double-minded man’(James 1:8). Trying to live with one eye on the Lord and the other eye on the world is a sure recipe for disaster. Satan will be be quick to welcome us if we take our eyes off Jesus. ‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus’(Hebrews 12:2).
God Loves Every One Of Us.
1 Chronicles 6:1-60
The names tell a story – the story of what God is doing among His people. They speak of the faithfulness of God. He loves every one of these people. He loves every one of us. We forget the names. God doesn’t. Everyone is important to Him. We rejoice in ‘the great love of God’. We rejoice in Christ ‘who came to this earth to redeem every one’. In the many names, forgotten by us yet remembered by God, we hear the message, ‘God is love’. Among the many names, we read of those who ‘ministered with song’. We read of ‘the service of song in the house of the Lord’. God is calling us to worship Him: ‘Sing aloud, loud, loud! Sing aloud, loud, loud! God is good! God is truth! God is beauty! Praise Him!’(31-32; Church Hymnary, 415-416).
There’s A Work For Jesus None But You Can Do.
1 Chronicles 9:1-44
In verse 13, we read of ‘very able men for the work of the service of the house of God’. Some have been called by God to preach His Gospel and teach His Word. All of us have been called to serve the Lord. It may not be preaching and teaching. It will be something you can do for Him. In this chapter, we read of some who were ‘chosen to be gatekeepers’, some who were ‘assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary…’, some who were ‘entrusted with the responsibility for baking…’and others who were ‘singers’or ‘musicians’ (22, 29, 31,33). There’s something for everybody: ‘There`s a work for Jesus ready at your hand, `Tis a task the Master just for you has planned. Haste to do His bidding, yield Him service true; There`s a work for Jesus none but you can do’(Redemption Hymnal, 570).
The Lord Is ‘Our Refuge And Strength, A Very Present Help In Trouble.’
1 Chronicles 6:61-7:40
Is there no end of names? – The more names we read, the more we wonder at the amazing scope of God’s love: ‘God so loved the world…’(John 3:16). We read of ‘the cities of refuge’(67-70). We take refuge in the Lord. He is ‘our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble’(Psalm 46:1). We have Christ as our Saviour: ‘Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need’(Hebrews 4:16). When ‘evil’ threatens to overwhelm us (23), we must come to God with this confidence: ‘the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin’. We must ask God to strengthen our faith in Christ: ‘This is the victory that overcomes the world. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?’(1 John 1:7; 4:4-5).
Praise God For What He Has Done In The Past. Pray For More Of His Blessing In The Future.
1 Chronicles 10:1-11:19
Saul’s life can be summed up in one word – ‘unfaithfulness’: ‘he was unfaithful to the Lord’. This is a warning: Don`t become like Saul who ‘did not keep the command of the Lord… and did not seek guidance from the Lord’(10:13-14). David was quite different from Saul. He became king ‘according to the Word of the Lord’. He grew in strength because ‘the Lord of hosts was with him’(11:3,9). David was helped greatly by his ‘mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel’(11:10). These things were ‘written for our instruction’ (Romans 15:4). Praise God for what He has done in the past – ‘Blessed be the Lord for ever!’(Psalm 89:52). Pray for more of His blessing in the future – ‘O that some one would give me to drink from the well of Bethlehem’(11:17; Revelation 22:17; John 7:37-39).
As We Work For God, Let Us Never Forget To Thank Him And Praise Him.
1 Chronicles 22:2-23:32
We need visionaries. We need managers. We need workers. David was a visionary. He had the original idea of building the Temple. Solomon was a manager. Under his leadership, the vision became a reality. David was important – but he was only involved in the ‘preparation’ for the building of the Temple (22:5). Solomon was important – ‘He shall build a House for My Name’(22:9-10) – but he couldn’t do everything. The people were important. They were the workers. Without the workers, the work remains undone. Each of us must play our part. We must ‘do the work for the service of the House of the Lord’(23:24). In this work, there is something we must never forget – ‘thanking and praising the Lord’(23:30). David, Solomon, the people – they were all important. More important is the Lord. We need Him.
We’re Only Sinners Who’ve Been Saved By The Grace Of God.
1 Chronicles 24:1-25:31
The work of God was to be done ‘as the Lord God of Israel had commanded’ (24:19). The Lord is our Commander-in-Chief. No-one else can take His place. Never imagine you’re ‘the king of the castle’. We’re only sinners who’ve been saved by the grace of God. We’re ‘the dirty wee rascals’-’all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’(Isaiah 64:6). That’s what we are in ourselves – nothing more than ‘dirty wee rascals’. The Lord has done something wonderful for us. He has given us new clothes – ‘the clothes of salvation’(Isaiah 61:10). Let’s never ‘get too big for our boots’. There’s only one ‘King of the Castle’. Let us ‘exalt Him’- ‘You, O Lord are exalted for ever’(25:5; Psalm 92:8). ‘The Lord reigns…’. Let’s be content to be ‘Castle Kids’- ‘children of the living God’(Psalm 93:1; Romans 9:26).
Take Every Thought Captive To Obey Christ.
1 Chronicles 11:20-12:7
Here, we read of ‘the mighty men of the armies’(26), ‘the mighty men who helped him in war’(1). What are we to learn from this list of names? We must look on from here to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 where we learn some vitally important lessons regarding spiritual warfare. We learn what our war is not and what our weapons are not: ‘we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly’. We learn where our strength comes from and what it is to be used for: ‘the weapons of our warfare… have divine power to destroy strongholds’. We learn about the goal of our warfare: ‘We… take every thought captive to obey Christ’, pressing on toward an ‘obedience’ which ‘is complete’. Make this your prayer, “Lord, help me to be ‘valiant…, a doer of good deeds’(22).
Let Us ‘Dedicate Ourselves To The Lord Today.’
1 Chronicles 28:1-29:5
Some servants of the Lord complete their ministry without seeing their vision becoming a reality. This is what happened to David. He had the initial idea – ‘I had my heart set on building the Temple…’. He had begun thinking about how the Temple could be built – ‘I made preparations for building’. It was not to be – ‘God said to me, “You may not build a House for My Name”’. This was not, however, God’s last Word to David. There was also a Word of hope – ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build My House’(28:2-3,6). Solomon was ‘young and inexperienced’. He was taking on a huge task. He needed God’s Word of encouragement – ‘…the Lord God is with you…’. He needed the support of the people – ‘all the people will be wholly at your command’. Let us ‘dedicate ourselves to the Lord today’(28:20-29:1,5).
Give Joyfully, Generously And Wholeheartedly.
1 Chronicles 29:6-30
The Temple of the Lord did not come easily. It had to be built. This involved God’s people in much sacrificial giving. This was a great challenge. The Lord’s people rose to the challenge. They gave to the Lord- joyfully, generously and wholeheartedly (9). This giving was an expression of their worship. They were saying to the Lord, ‘Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty’(10). Worshipping the Lord like this transforms our giving. It is no longer a legalistic burden – “Why do I have to give so much?” It becomes our joyful privilege. Our giving becomes thanksgiving. We thank the Lord for all that He has done for us. Let us give ‘with great gladness’- ‘Our God, we thank You… Everything comes from You. We give only what has come from Your hands’(22, 13-14).
