Let the worship go up from us to the Lord, and may the blessing come down to us from him (Travelling Through God’s Word: 1 and 2 Chronicles).

1 and 2 Chronicles Towards the end of 1 Chronicles, we read about the people of Israel, worshipping the Lord: Then David said to all the assembly, "Bless the Lord your God." And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord. "If my people, …

Responding to God’s Word (11): What a friend we have in Jesus.

Look to the Lord and his strength (1 Chronicles 16:11). Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you (2 Chronicles 14:11). There are times when we feel strong, times when it feels like we're taking everything in our stride. There are times, when it feels like everything seems to be too much for us. When things are going …

Praying Through God’s Word: 1 Chronicles

1:1-54 Sometimes, Lord, we read, in your Word, things that make us wonder, "What's this all about?" What are You saying to us in the parts of the Bible that don't jump out at us? We ask, "Do we really need to read a long list of names?" You say to us, "All of these …

1 Chronicles

1 CHRONICLES 1:1-54 –  What are we to make of this long list of names? – A waste of space? Are we wasting our time looking for God’s Word here? No! God has a very important message for us! Do you ever feel insignificant – just one among so many? Here`s God’s Word for you …

God’s purpose – for all nations and all generations

1 Chronicles 12:23-14:17; Romans 15:14-33; Psalm 90:1-10 God’s purpose concerns all the nations – “The Lord made all the nations fear David” (1 Chronicles 14:17). Paul was “a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles” (Romans 15:16). God’s purpose concerns all generations – “Lord, You have been our dwelling-place throughout all generations” (Psalm 90:1). From …

Satan Spells Trouble.

“Satan stood up against Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1). This is ominous. Satan spells trouble - trouble for God’s people. Later on, we read of God’s judgment upon Israel (1 Chronicles 21:14). Beyond God’s judgment, there is God’s mercy (1 Chronicles 21:15). In 1 Chronicles 21:30-22:1, we read about the fear of the Lord - “David …

Wholehearted Devotion

“And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep Your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided” (1 Chronicles 29:19).  We don’t begin with what’s on the outside – building the temple. We begin with what’s on the inside – “wholehearted devotion.” The …

The Lord brought about a great victory.

1 Chronicles 11:1-12:22; Romans 14:19-15:13; Psalm 89:46-52 1 Chronicles 11 speaks of “David’s mighty men” (1 Chronicles 11:11). The focus is not, however, on either David or the “mighty men.” It is on the Lord – “The Lord brought about a great victory” (1 Chronicles 11:14). In their warfare, “the Spirit” brings this message – …

Victory comes from the Lord.

The defeat of the Philistines was God’s doing: “God has gone ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army” (1 Chronicles 14:15). Along with this victory over the Philistines, there was the bringing to Jerusalem of “the ark of the Lord’s promise.” This was an occasion of joyful worship (1 Chronicles 15:28). In worship, there …

When our hard times seem to go on and on

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord! ... Seek the Lord and His strength" (1 Chronicles 16:8,11). In our journey of faith, we face many testing and trying times. There are times when we feel like our strength is almost gone. What are we to do when our hard times just seem to go on and …

How do we grow strong in the Lord?

1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; Proverbs 19:3-12 “The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went” (1 Chronicles 18:6,13). “He will keep you strong to the end ... “ (1 Corinthians 1:8). How do we grow strong in the Lord? How do we walk with Him in the way of victory? - We are strong in …

The commonplace and the deeper experience of worship

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36; Romans 16:1-27; Psalm 90:11-17 In a book full of so many names, David’s psalm of thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 16) stands out. It is a high-point in the midst of the commonplace. The commonplace is not insignificant in God’s purpose. It is the backcloth against which God gives to us His special high-points. In …

Which is most important to us – “building our own house” or “building the House of the Lord”?

Which is most important to us: “building our own house” or “building the House of the Lord” (1 Kings 3:1-3)? How often, Lord, do we think about the things that matter most to You? Are we too busy thinking about the things that matter most to ourselves? These are not questions to be ‘brushed under …

It is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

1 Chronicles 26:20-27:34; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21; Proverbs 19:13-22 The people of Israel had to do battle against their enemies. We also must wage war for God. Paul describes the hardships involved in true discipleship (1 Corinthians 4:9-12). In all of this, our intention must be to do the will of the Lord – “Many are …

Sometimes, God’s “No” means “Not now. Later”.

1 CHRONICLES 16:37-17:27 -  Sometimes, God’s “No” means “Not now. Later”. David wanted to build a Temple for the Lord. God said, “No” – ‘You shall not build Me a  House to dwell in’ (1-4). This was not God’s last Word on the matter – ‘one of your own sons… shall build a House for …

When Bad Things Are Happening To Us

"Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice" (1 Chronicles 16:10). Real joy doesn't come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord. It comes to us when we seek Him. The joy of the Lord doesn't depend on good things happening to us. There may be very bad things happening to us, but, still, …

Our hope is not in man. It is in the Lord.

1 Chronicles 19:1-22:1; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5; Psalm 91:1-8 David - “Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men” (1 Chronicles 20:13). Paul - “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God …

What God Has Done, What God Will Do

We look back, and we ‘give thanks to the Lord’, remembering ‘the wonderful works that He has done’ (1 Chronicles 16:8,12). We look forward, committing our future to the Lord in prayer, looking to Him to fulfil the promise He gives to those who call upon Him in heartfelt prayer: ‘If My people who are …

The Name of the Lord – the Name of our Salvation

1 Chronicles 2:18-4:8; Romans 10:5-11:10; Proverbs 18:7-16 More names! It’s great to have a name – and not to be a nameless person of unknown identity. It’s even greater to have the Name of the Lord given to us for our salvation. “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans …

Help us, Lord, to offer our whole life to You – not just the ‘religious’ part of it.

1 Chronicles 26:1-27:34 Lord, You're calling us to serve You. We're to serve You in the world. Before we can serve You in the world, there must be this: "ministering in the House of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 26:12). Part of our worship involves the dedication of "gifts for the maintenance of the House of …

Thank You, Lord, for giving us our own name – and the Name of Jesus.

1 Chronicles 2:1-55  Thank You, Lord, for giving us our own name. It makes us feel special - "I'm me. I'm not somebody else." We thank You, even more, for giving us the Name of Jesus. His Name is the Name of our salvation. Among all the many names of people, from all over the …

Some servants of the Lord complete their ministry without seeing their vision becoming a reality.

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 …

The Lord is our Commander-in-Chief.

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 …

Keep reminding Satan of Christ’s victory.

1 Chronicles 21:1-22:1 -  ‘Satan stood up against Israel…’ (21:1). ‘Satan’ is ‘the devil’ (Revelation 12:7). He is a powerful enemy. We must not underestimate him. In the service of the Lord, we face strong opposition. It is not merely human  – ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood’. It is much more powerful …

God so loved the world.

1 Chronicles 7:1-9:1a; Romans 13:1-14; Psalm 89:38-45 Is there no end of names? As we read so many names, we wonder at the amazing scope of the Lord’s love: “God so loved the world … “ (John 3:16). When we consider the universal scope of the Lord’s great love, we are strengthened in our obedience to His …

We will not be blessed by the Lord if we do not honour Him in our hearts.

1 CHRONICLES 14:1-15:15 -  David recognized that it was ‘the Lord’ who ‘had established him king over Israel’ (14:1). David sought  to honour the Lord in everything. We see this in his battles with the Philistines – (a) He  ‘inquired of God’ (10,14); (b) He ‘did as God commanded him’ (16,10-11); (c) He gave all …

Praise God for what He has done in the past, and 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 …

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 …

The names tell a story.

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 …

How much do we 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 …

Do you ever feel insignificant – just one among so many?

1 CHRONICLES 1:1-54 -  What are we to make of this long list of names? – A waste of space? Are we wasting our time looking for God’s Word here? No! God has a very important message for us! Do you ever feel insignificant – just one among so many? Here`s God’s Word for you …

The love of God goes on and on.

1 Chronicles 6:1-81; Romans 11:33-12:21; Psalm 89:30-37 The names tell a story – the story of the historical development of the Lord’s purpose with His people. The many names, stretching over a vast expanse of time, highlight the greatness of God and the great work He is doing among His people. They draw out from us …

King Saul – physically strong, spiritually weak

1 Chronicles 9:1b-10:14; Romans 14:1-18; Proverbs 18:17-19:2 1 Chronicles 10 tells of the death of Saul: “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord …” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). Romans 14 speaks of the strong and the weak. Physically, Saul was strong.  Spiritually, he was weak. Maintaining our spiritual strength, our relationship with God, is to be …

God gives us His own Name – sons of the living God.

1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17; Romans 9:22-10:4; Psalm 89:14-18 So many names! We have names. We are called by name. God calls us His people, “sons of the living God” (Romans 9:25-26). He gives us His own Name. We are in Christ. We “rejoice In His Name all day long” (Psalm 89:1 6). From my One Year Bible

No boasting in ourselves – only boasting in the Lord!

1 Chronicles 28:1-29:30; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Psalm 93:1-5 Our “boasting is not good” (1 Corinthians 5:6). It is better for us to boast in the Lord - “Praise be to You, O Lord .... Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power ... Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious …

Praise, Preaching and Prayer

1 Chronicles 22:2-23:32; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; Psalm 91:9-16 The Temple was to be “built for the Name of the Lord”, “to praise the Lord” (1 Chronicles 22:19; 23:5). In the context of such worship - “thanking and praising the Lord” (1 Chronicles 23:30), the Word of God would be spoken “not in words taught by …

The real work is done by the Lord.

1 Chronicles 24:1-26:19; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23; Psalm 92:1-15 Every believer has a part in the work of God. This comes through in the lists of names in 1 Chronicles 24-26. This is also taught in 1 Corinthians 3:6 which goes on to emphasize that the real work is not done by men but by the …

Make me a channel of Your peace.

Kings and queens, prime ministers and presidents - what are we to say about them? Some say, "This one's good - and that one's not so good." Others say, "No! It's the other way round." No -one seems to be agree about what makes a good king, a good queen, a good prime minister, a …

Teamwork

The work of God is to be carried out by many people, working together as a team - God’s team. The importance of teamwork must be recognized if God’s work is to be moved forward in God’s way. Reading over the many names and numbers in 1 Chronicles 23-27, we are reminded of Paul’s words …

The dedication of our lives to the Lord

David called God’s people to worship. They were ‘to raise sounds of joy’, praising the Lord with ‘loud music’. David did not leave it to others. He gave the lead. Along with all the others, he was there, ‘dancing and making merry’. He was a true spiritual leader. He ‘blessed the people in the Name …

The Lord reigns – forever.

"His throne will be established forever" (1 Chronicles 17:14). A king or queen can have a short reign or a long reign. Only God can have a "forever" reign. Here's something we should never forget - it's the Lord who's on the throne that really matters, the only throne that is established forever.

Sin, Shame And Sadness

“So Saul died because of his unfaithfulness to the Lord. He did not obey the Word of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 10:13). Here, we read of Saul’s sin, shame and sadness. This was more than a personal thing. It had a profound effect on the whole nation. God looked at the effect Saul was having …

The Lord’s Work Needs More Than Human Enthusiasm.

The Lord’s work requires the generous and wholehearted support of God’s people (1 Chronicles 29:9). It needs more than human enthusiasm. We need the presence of the Lord. This is what the Lord promises to us: “The Lord God, my God, will be with you. He will not abandon you before all the work on …

Sometimes, Lord, Your ‘No’ means ‘Not now – later.’

1 Chronicles 16:37-17:27  Sometimes, Lord, Your "No" - "You shall not build Me a House to dwell in" (1 Chronicles 17:1-4) - means "Not now - later" - "one of your sons ... shall build a House for Me" (1 Chronicles 17:11-12). What are we to say about the 'delay'? We call it a delay. …

The Peace Of God – From The God Of Peace

The name, “Solomon” means “peace” - “in his time I will give Israel peace and quiet” (1 Chronicles 22:9). The peace came from the Lord. It came from the presence of the Lord with Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:18). When we think of all that the Lord has done for us and all that He has …

Peace comes from the Lord.

1 Chronicles The name, “Solomon” means “peace” - “in his time I will give Israel peace and quiet” (1 Chronicles 22:9). The peace came from the Lord. It came from the presence of the Lord with Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:18). When we think of all that the Lord has done for us and all that …

“Ask… Seek… Knock…”

Luke 11:1-13 "Ask ... seek ... knock ... " (Luke 11:9) - Jesus is calling us to pray. " ... how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13) God answers prayer. The Holy Spirit is God's answer. God is good. God is love. This …

The Lord knows each one of us, by name.

Learning from 1 Chronicles In 1 Chronicles 1 - 9, there are lots of names. Each one of us is known, by name, to the Lord. This is a very precious truth. It is summed up, for us, in the wonderful words of love, spoken by the Good Shepherd, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. …

Where does true greatness come from?

"Solomon, son of David, established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great" (2 Chronicles 1:1).  Before we read about Solomon's greatness, we read this about him: "the Lord his God was with him." Solomon's greatness did not come from himself. It was given to him by the Lord. …

The restoration of God to His proper place among His people

David becomes king (1 Chronicles 11:3). David is helped by his supporters. He has more than the help of other people. His help comes from the Lord (1 Chronicles 12:18). The work, done by David, was, first and foremost, the work of God - the restoration of God to His proper place among His people …

The best name is the Name of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 4:9-5:26; Romans 11:11-32; Psalm 89:19-29 When we speak of “Israel”, as Paul does in Romans 22, we must not think of a nameless and faceless crowd of people. Behind the word “Israel”, there are many names and many faces to whom the Lord shows His mercy (Romans 11:31-32). The best name is the Name of …

The Eternal God, The Eternal Kingdom

“I will place him in My royal House forever, and his throne will be established forever” (1 Chronicles 17:14). This is a word of prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, the King of kings. It is a prophecy, which highlights the eternal purpose of God - the eternal Kingdom of the eternal God. “You made the people …

Without the Lord, there can be no salvation and no victory.

As we read of David and his many exploits, we must remember that this is part of the great story of the mighty works of the Lord. To God’s people, there is the command, “Be strong.” From God’s people, there is the commitment: “Let’s prove ourselves strong for our people and the cities of our …

1 Chronicles

1 CHRONICLES 1:1-54 -  What are we to make of this long list of names? – A waste of space? Are we wasting our time looking for God’s Word here? No! God has a very important message for us! Do you ever feel insignificant – just one among so many? Here`s God’s Word for you …