Adventure 20-22, I Chronicles: A house in order

Having just read the previous books, there is perhaps a tendency to think we have heard all the stories before. In a way that is true - we have read most of the stories already, but the different emphasis here gives us further insights and is here for our learning. In addition, there are other small stories and extra details we haven't seen in the previous books.

There is a beauty of order in this book. Aptly named, of course, as 'chronicles' does imply a sense of order. The record of the genealogies, the mighty men, the gifts for the temple, and David setting his house in order before he died.

The book starts with the genealogies, which are important for 2 main reasons. First they are an important part of history - showing connections and proving lineage. Secondly, there are reminders as we read through that though we know some of these names with familiarity, God knows each and every one intimately. Short snippets give us a peak into the life of some characters - such as the verse about Jabez:

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked. 

(1Ch 4:10)

As we leave the genealogies and begin the history, we get a brief mention of Saul, simply as a setting for the life of David. Not a pleasant epitaph, but an fitting one:

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. 

(1Ch 10:13-14)

We have an account of the men that fought with David. Again, small snippets, but keen insights into the character of men that surrounded David both when he was hiding from Saul and in the early years of his reign. We also see why Joab was made the commander of the army - the first to strike the Jebusites at Jerusalem.

When we come to the story of the ark going up the Jerusalem, we have a bit more detail than in the previous record in II Samuel. The first attempt was made with the ark on a cart  - and the people accompanying it were not the Levites. It should never have been attempted like this. The death of Uzza is not a matter of everything going well until that point, but more the tipping point that brought the judgment of God for not following His commands regarding His ark. The next time they went to take up the ark, they listened, and had the appointed people carrying the ark, as commanded in the law. Purification was made, and sacrifices offered. Things were done in order, and it pleased God.

'Order' does not mean dry, stoic, or unemotional, though, as seen in this very story. David shows unbridled joy and praise to God in dance and singing as the ark is brought in, even though his wife despises him for it. (In II Samuel, we learn she is punished for that - not mentioned here, perhaps as the emphasis is on the actions of the king.)

Except for a brief interlude describing David's sin in numbering the people, the rest of the book centres around the preparations for the temple, and the continuance of the throne. These two concepts are linked, and switch back and forth - David wants to build the temple, God says no, but promises to always have someone of the Davidic line on the throne. Then in the descriptions of the preparations, David advises both Solomon and the people, preparing both to continue on following God after his death. Just because he couldn't build the temple, didn't mean he wasn't going to do absolutely all he could to help.

It is an important point to meditate on, and an important principle to live by. We may not get the jobs we want, or be able to perform the activities we desire to (good though they may be), but just because someone else gets the responsibility (and credit) for the job/activity does not prevent us from helping in an unofficial role, if we are able to.

Perhaps the most important lesson from this book, though, is the example left by David in preparing Solomon and the people for after his death. I am reminded of our reading in Joshua - the advice/encouragement given to Joshua at the start by God, and the speech by Joshua to the people at the end of his life have remarkable parallels here. The advice given to Solomon in Chapter 22 is perhaps on Solomon's mind later when he asks for wisdom from God. Like Joshua and Moses before him, David reminds the people of what God has done, and exhorts them to stay true to God. He also reminds them of the youth of Solomon, and exhorts the people to support the young king. He gives his own wealth, and encourages the people also to be generous with theirs - a recognition of the truth that people care more when they have invested their own wealth into something - this was not David's temple, or Solomon's - it was the people's place to worship God, and they all had a stake in it. They were not forced, but gave willingly with a perfect heart, led by the example of a man after God's own heart.