Teaching Notes

TH1053: I CHRONICLES

As we move into I Chronicles chapter 13, David is now king over all of Israel. He has captured the city of Jebus from the Jebusites and now Jebus becomes the city of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. And now David wants to make Jerusalem not only the political center of the nation, but also the religious center of the nation. He will accomplish this by bringing the ark back from Kirjath Jearim, where it has been for some 20 years.

This small box, made of acacia wood and covered with gold, represented the presence of God. But to Israel it had become a good luck charm. Thus, when the Philistines gathered together for war against Israel, their only hope was to bring the ark, their good luck charm, into battle with them. And when the Philistines found out what was going on they were exhorted to fight with all their might against Israel and their God.

And the Philistines were victorious in this battle, capturing the ark and bringing it to Ashdod, and placing the ark in the temple of Dagon, a half man and half fish god of the Philistines. In doing so the Philistines were saying that the God of Israel must bow before the god Dagon. But the next morning they came into the temple and found Dagon flat on his face, bowing before the God of Israel. So they stood their god up and again the next day Dagon was flat on his face and this time his head and hands were broken off.

God also struck the people of Ashdod with tumors and sent in plagues of rats upon their city. So they sent the ark to Gath, who sent it to Ekron, and the people of Ekron cried outsaying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!" (I Samuel 5:10).

And so they called for the priests to see what could be done with this problem and they told them to do the following. Take two cows that have just calved and tie them to the cart and place the ark on the cart. If they go to their young, then all these things that have happened to you are just bad luck, it is just a coincidence. If they bring this cart with the ark to Israel, then it is of God and thus it is out of our hands and these judgments will stop.

Well we know that the cows carry the cart with the ark to Beth Shemesh, and when the people of Beth Shemesh saw the ark returning, they made a great sacrifice and had a huge celebration for the ark had been in the hands of the Philistines for 7 months. But some of the people got over zealous and looked inside the ark, and God struck and killed 50,070 men. And so the people of Beth Shemesh did not want the ark with them any longer and called for the people of Kirjath Jearim to come and take the ark from them, which they did. Now after some 20 years of residing there, David wants to bring the ark back and place it in the heart of the land, back in the heart of the people, for the ark represented the presence of God.

The ark, if you remember, was not important to king Saul, for he was not a man of worship. But David was a man of worship and he realized that the ark needed to be the focus of the nation, the Lord needed to be the priority in their lives.

I CHRONICLES 13

VERSES 1-5

1. David calls for a great celebration in bringing the ark back and encourages all to join in this time of great joy. His mistake was that he did not inquire of the Lord in how this should be done.

VERSES 6-11

1. David and all the people go to Kirjath Jearim, to take the ark, and they place it upon a new cart to carry it back to Jerusalem. As the oxen get to Nachon's threshing floor, the cart hits a rock and the ark begins to tilt. Uzza did what needed to be done, he placed his hand upon the ark to steady it so that it would not fall off the cart. But as soon as he touched the ark, he was struck dead.

2. This really put an end to the celebration, to say the least. And David becomes angry with God, because of what God had done. In fact he names this area "Perez Uzza" which means "outbreak against Uzza." And in the Hebrew it is even harsher, for it speaks of an attack of an enemy upon a person. David's anger has lead to a wrong conclusion about God. David, instead of looking inward to check his own heart, is looking outward and blaming God for what has happened.

VERSES 12-14

1. David is not only angry with God but he is also fearful of God. This is not a referential fear of God that David has, but he is terrified of God. You see, because of this incident his whole concept of God was shattered. That is why when we don't understand situations in our own life, that we don't blame God, but check our heart and fall back on His character, who He is, and you can only do that if you know Him.

2. We also see David ask the question "How can I bring the ark of God to Me?" And you will notice that God does not answer that question. Why? Because God has already instructed David and the nation in how the ark of God was to be carried in His word. In Exodus chapter 25 God said that the ark was to have 4 rings, one in each corner. And when it was time for the tabernacle to move, the Kohathites (Numbers 4:15) were to go into the holy of holies backwards, laying a covering over the ark, not even looking upon it. Then two poles would be placed in the rings, and then the ark was to be carried upon the shoulders of the Kohathites. You see, the ark represented the presence of God, and you did not touch or approach God anyway you wanted. God was not to be man handled. Today many do what David did. They want to approach God according to their terms, their ways, and God will not accept that. You see, it is only through Jesus Christ that we can go to the Father. As Paul told Timothy in I Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

3. David should have known that God does not act like this for no reason at all, and if he would have gone to the trouble of seeking his answer in the word of God he would have seen that he was wrong, and not God. Because of David's anger and fear of God, he leaves the ark in the house of Obed-Edom for 3 months and during those 3 months, Obed-Edom and his household are blessed. You see, a proper attitude towards the things of God bring blessings into our life. On the other end, a cavalier spirit, doing it your way instead of God's, will bring divine judgment, as David experienced.

I CHRONICLES 14

VERSES 1-2

1. During this period of time David is engaged in a construction project, working on his palace. And David hires Hiram, king of Tyre to do the work. David and Hiram had become good friends but Hiram was not a believer. But the work that Hiram's people did was beautiful, using the ceadar trees from Lebanon for the work. He hired the best to do the work, even though they were not believers. A good lesson for us, for through a relationship like this, you don't know what doors God may open for you to minister to this person.

2. Yes God established David as king way back when he was only 12 years old or so, as the prophet Samuel anointed David with oil. And now that promise has become a reality in the life of David for God had established it.

VERSES 3-7

1. David continues to multiply wives unto himself, who bore his children, and because of God's silence here, some have wrongly concluded that God was endorsing this kind of behavior. And as I said, that is totally wrong. God said way back in Deuteronomy 17:17 that they were not to multiply wives unto themselves and again in Genesis it was one man to one woman, Adam and Eve. God is only reporting what has happened not condoning it. If a newspaper reports on a bank robbery, it is not endorsing stealing, but just reporting the facts. That is what God is doing here.

VERSES 8-12

1. The Philistines were not exactly pleased with the defection of David, for he was suppose to be on their side at one time and now he is king over Israel, king over their enemy. So they gather for war against David and Israel, and the first thing that David does is he inquires of the Lord in what he should do. And God gives him the battle plan and the victory. And the gods of the Philistines, the ones they brought into battle with them, were burned by David and his men.

VERSES 13-17

1. Again the Philistines go against Israel, and I want you to notice that David once again inquires of the Lord in what he should do. And God gives to them a different battle plan this time and once again David and the nation of Israel are victorious over the Philistines. David asked specific questions of the Lord, and if we are unsure what to do, we too need to be specific when we pray and ask for direction from God. David's fame is now spreading throughout the land, and not because of his might, but because God was lifting this man up.

I CHRONICLES 15

VERSES 1-2

1. David's building projects, his palace is now completed. And I think that David was at one time planning on placing the ark in this building, but after this incident with Uzza, he makes a tent for the ark to rest in. The tabernacle, that portable worship structure that Moses set up in the wilderness, was now in Gibeon, and offerings were being made to the Lord there.

2. David now recognizes how the ark was to be carried, but how did he come to that conclusion? By reading the Word of God. David had 3 months to mediate on what had happened the first time, and now he wants to do it right, according to God's standards, and not mans. How important that is for all of us, to make sure our actions line up with the Word of God. If that is our desire and we are seeking God for guidance, we will be blessed. David was not going to make the same mistake twice and so he calls for the Levites to transport the ark according to what God had commanded.

VERSES 3-11

1. David is gathering the various families of Levites together to assist in bringing the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom, where it has been for 3 months now.

VERSES 12-13

1. David made no excuses for their failure, he knew it was wrong and it was because they did not consult the Lord, the Word of God in the transporting of the ark, and God judged them for that. They tried to carry the ark the way the world did, the way the Philistines did, on a cart. And as good as their intentions were, God did not honor it. You must do things according to the ways of God. And the reality is this, the cart was nothing more than boards and big wheels. And what do we do today in the church? We call board meetings and hire big wheels to come in and have some kind of big campaign to help make the church grow. That is just what the world does. God is asking us to go before Him and seek His council for our church and not to make some big plan and then ask God to bless it.

VERSES 14-24

1. Notice once again how important worship was in bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. We were created to worship God, and as I have said before, a heart that can't worship God is a heart that is distant from God. It is when you are walking next to Him that you can't help but worship Him and thank Him for all that He has done in your life. It is as John said in Revelation 4:11, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

VERSES 25-29

1. As they were bringing up the ark, every 6 paces they would stop and offer animal sacrifices to the Lord. And as they passed by the house of David, his first wife, Michal, saw David dancing and worshipping the Lord like the common people, and she despised him in her heart. Michal was Saul's daughter, and Saul gave her to David as his wife. But when David fled for his life from Saul, he left behind Michal, and her father Saul gave her to Palti, as his wife. And Palti truly loved her with all his heart, I don't think David did. And when David became king he requested to have his wife back, and her husband Palti was weeping after her. But he was told to go back home, which he did. And now Michal, like her father Saul, shows no joy, no interest in worshipping God. And because of that she was barren. And how true that is of those that don't worship God, spiritually they are barren.

I CHRONICLES 16

VERSE 1

1. Again, this tent was set outside his palace and the tabernacle was in Gibeon.

VERSES 2-3

1. There is such joy in David's heart in what God has done and he wants to share those blessings with those around him. So David does this by giving the people bread and meat and raisins.

VERSE 4

1. Notice what the priests were to do. They were to commemorate or remember what God has done. The things He has done in their life they were to recall. What does that do in a persons heart? It causes them to be thankful or to thank God for what He has done, just as the priests were to do. And what happens as you remember and thank God for what he has done in your life? You can't help but praise Him! In the New Testament we are called priests and thus it is our responsibility to minister before the Lord and remember what He has done, to be thankful for what He has done, and then to praise Him.

VERSES 5-6

1. These were the musicians that were involved in the worship of God. And if you remember that in the house of the Lord they had worship people ministering day and night.

VERSE 7

1. David wrote at least 75 of the Psalms and the majority of this Psalm comes from Psalm 105 and Psalm 96.

I CHRONICLES 16:8-22 PSALM 105:1-15

I CHRONICLES 16:23-33 PSALM 96:1b-13a

I CHRONICLES 16:34-36 PSALM 106:1b-c, 47, 48

VERSE 8

1. Notice that it is not just thanking God for what He has done but sharing with others the things that God has done in your life. Be a witness of what God is doing in your life to others, share with them what God has done for you.

VERSES 9-10

1. When you see the word "LORD" in all capitals it signifies the name of God, YAHWEH OR JEHOVAH. When you see "Lord" with a capitol "L" and lower case "ord" it signifies His title as lord or master. Now there is something of importance here, for the name of God is not a noun, like our names, but it is a verb. It is an action word and thus His name Yahweh means "the becoming one." You see, God will become to you whatever you need Him to be in your life. Like JEHOVAH - JIREH, or "God will provide." JEHOVAH - ROPHE, "God heals." JEHOVAH - NISSI, "God, my banner." JEHOVAH - M 'KADDESH, "God who sanctifies." JEHOVAH - SHALOM, "God is peace." JEHOVAH - TSIDKENU, "the Lord our righteousness." JEHOVAH - ROHI, "God my shepherd." JEHOVAH - SHAMMAH, "God is there." And JEHOVAH - YESHUA, "the Lord has become our salvation." We as Christians are to make known His name, and that doesn't mean shouting out Jesus to everyone. It does mean that we are to proclaim His character, all that He is, to those around us, that is what it means to proclaim His name!

VERSES 11-18

1. Notice that God gave Israel the land of Canaan as an inheritance. And no matter what the PLO says or any other group of people that feel the land is theirs, the land has been given to the Jews by God and if they don't like it, they need to talk to God about it. All the land is the Lord's as Psalm 24:1-2 says. We read, "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters."

VERSES 19-22

1. Not only has God given Israel the land but God has protected them. We are witnesses of that fact for we have seen the Jews wander without a homeland for almost 2,000 years and yet they not only have returned to the land, kept their Hebrew language, but they have also maintained their identity as a people. No other nation has done that, been wandering without a homeland for that long and still kept their national identity. But God did this with His people, Israel.

VERSES 23-28

1. When it speaks that we are to give God glory and strength, he is speaking of our strength in serving Him.

VERSES 29-31

1. All the earth will bow down before Him in the millennial kingdom and will shout aloud "The LORD reigns." For He truly will not only reign in our hearts but upon the earth.

VERSES 32-36

1. The people have nothing to say except - "Let it be" - let the Lord reign upon the earth - AMEN!

VERSES 37-42

1. Again, the tabernacle that traveled in the wilderness with Moses and the children of Israel is now in Gibeon.

VERSE 43

1. After all this celebration, rejoicing in the Lord, David goes home to bless his family and he is met at the door by his wife "kill joy" or Michal. How many times are we just on a spiritual high, excited in what the Lord is doing, praising the Lord, and we run into someone who just deflates us and sucks the life from us. They have nothing good to say and only gloom and doom. And it is easy to get our focus off the Lord, where our joy is, and be brought down by people like this. Some just have a hard time seeing others blessed by God and thus refuse to be excited in what God is doing in their life. They won't rejoice in that. Some are just negative about everything. And as I said before, that kind of attitude leads to spiritual bareness. We should rejoice in what God is doing, not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of others. Paul said this in his first letter to the Corinthians. He said in I Corinthians 12:26-27, "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."