I thought that 1 Chronicles 13 and 14 revolved around the idea of celebration and worship of God but it pales in comparison to the details given in 1 Chronicles 15 and 16. The over all story covers the arrival of the Ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. The text also makes it clear why Uzza died at the threshing floor when the ark was transported by cart. In the urgency, excitement, and celebration over the kingship of David the Israelites forgot to adhere to the commands of God about the handling of the Ark. Did the years of everyone doing what was right in their own eyes lead to the forgetfulness of the people to remember God’s commands? All too often I failure is found to be the best reminder and teacher when it comes to our faith in God. Continue Reading…
Beautiful picture of God and His beloved: 1 Chronicles 15 and 16
Celebration and worship of God: 1 Chronicles 13 and 14
Do we ever celebrate before God with all our might? In 1 Chronicles 13 the people celebrated before God with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets and from 2 Samuel 6:14 we know that David danced for joy as the people celebrated. How do christians today celebrate before God? Can the idea of celebration mentioned in 1 Chronicles be equated with our worship today? Why does music play such an integral part of our celebration and worship of God? All too often the church today has subjects its own viewpoint upon the definition of worship of God by claiming what is correct and true worship without concern for what the Bible says. In these moments we claim the authority only God has by presuming to know what worship would be if we were God. What does the Bible say about worship? How does the greatest commandment to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength play interact in our worship of God. Continue Reading…
True leadership found in a shepherd’s heart: 2 Samuel 5 and 6
How are we to view leadership? How were Saul and David as leaders over Israel? In 2 Samuel 5 David was finally anointed king over all of Israel and in 2 Samuel 5:2 the people say to David that “when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.’ ” While Saul was sitting upon the throne of Israel it was David who was among the people helping and leading them. It is amazing to think that David who was a shepherd of his fathers flocks of sheep was using the same skills as he shepherded the people of Israel. Continue Reading…
Loving God, loving people, and The Story: Deuteronomy 15 and 16
I love how reading through Deuteronomy is not seeming as burdensome as I thought when I started working through the book. I initially thought that I would become bored because of all of the repeated information that I have already blogged about from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. I have however found that the repeating of key details and commands within Deuteronomy were what Moses knew the people of Israel needed to remember and those facts are also necessary for me to remember. Every chapter as I remember that these are the final words from Moses to the people that he led for over forty years I become sad because I know that change is coming within the story. Continue Reading…
God’s celebration and justice contained in Leviticus 23 and 24
In Leviticus 24 and 25 we get a glimpse of the celebrations and justice that God commands for the Israelites. These celebrations were times of remembrance upon what God has done and is doing for the Israelites. The justice comes in the form of the famous line “An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth”
