First, we'll watch a king establish the priestly duties, then we'll reflect on how we righteously handle our anger, And then we'll conclude with the only king who was also a warrior and a priest. In the last episode, David brought an abundance of gold and silver And much of what Solomon would need to build a dwelling place for the Lord. It wouldn't just be a tent anymore. God was allowing Solomon to build him a temple. If you're a student of history, you know that we can't really call this a permanent dwelling place, but it would be much more secure than a tent. At first glance, these chapters and chronicles might make you feel, " Oh, no, are we diving back into genealogies again?" But they're actually revealing a strength of David's that's often not noticed...

Today's Reading: 1 Chronicles 23-24, Psalm 108, 109, 110

Scripture Read or Referenced:

1 Chronicles 23:1-5, 25-26

1 Chronicles 24:5

Psalm 108:1-5

Psalm 109:6-15, 21

Ephesians 4:26-27

Psalm 110 (all)

Matthew 23:34, 41-44

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Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary, Spurgeon's Treasury of David

Welcome to The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

2

I'm Stephanie Hickox.

3

In today's reading plan, we're

discussing First Chronicles chapters

4

twenty-three and twenty-four and Psalms

one hundred and eight, one hundred

5

and nine, and one hundred and ten.

6

First, we'll watch a king establish the

priestly duties, then we'll reflect on

7

how we righteously handle our anger, And

then we'll conclude with the only king

8

who was also a warrior and a priest.

9

In the last episode, David brought

an abundance of gold and silver And

10

much of what Solomon would need to

build a dwelling place for the Lord.

11

It wouldn't just be a tent anymore.

12

God was allowing Solomon

to build him a temple.

13

If you're a student of history, you

know that we can't really call this

14

a permanent dwelling place, but it

would be much more secure than a tent.

15

At first glance, these chapters

and chronicles might make you

16

feel, " Oh, no, are we diving

back into genealogies again?"

17

But they're actually revealing a strength

of David's that's often not noticed.

18

He was an incredible administrator.

19

If you think about this transition from

the Levites serving the Lord by carrying

20

the temple and its elements and traveling

with it, now they're going to have a

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more permanent structure of a temple.

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Their jobs need to change, and David

helped establish a structure that would be

23

adhered to for many, many years to come.

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In fact, there were about twenty-four

priestly duties that he assigned

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that we'll study throughout these

next chapters of Chronicles.

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And the original readers would

have been keenly aware of how

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gifted David was in this role.

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My church has been raising money for

a building campaign for several years,

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and we're about to break ground.

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So I love what my Moody

commentary said about this.

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David understood that the people

who serve God are just as important

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as the architectural splendor of

the building in which they worship.

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Indeed, the worship leaders may have

been more important than the building.

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So yes, there are some genealogies,

but they're here for a great reason.

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Chapter 23 begins: When David

was old and full of days, he made

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Solomon his son king over Israel.

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David assembled all the leaders of

Israel and the priests and the Levites.

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The Levites, 30 years old and

upward, were numbered, and the

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total was thirty-eight thousand men.

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Twenty-four thousand of these,

David said, shall have charge of

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the work in the house of the Lord.

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Six thousand shall be officers and

judges, four thousand gatekeepers,

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and four thousand shall offer praises

to the Lord with the instruments

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that I have made for praise.

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And jumping to verse 25, For David

said, "The Lord, the God of Israel,

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has given rest to His people, and

He dwells in Jerusalem forever."

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And so the Levites no longer need

to carry the tabernacle or any

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of the things for its service.

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As it describes the genealogies of the

priesthood, the line of Zadok is elevated.

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He's the son of Abiathar, who was

the one priest that Saul didn't

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kill when he killed about 70 others.

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Abiathar was the one that fled

to David and stayed faithful

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to him, and Zadok is his son.

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In chapter 24, we learn that the

priests were chosen by lot and with

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witnesses standing by watching.

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This would prove that the appointments

weren't due to politics or favoritism,

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and it's the eighth division of

Abijah that Zechariah, the father of

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John the Baptist, would come from.

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And now let's turn to the Psalms.

60

Psalm 108 begins: My

heart is steadfast, O God.

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I will sing and make

melody with all my being.

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Awake, O harp and lyre.

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I will awake the dawn.

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I will give thanks to you,

O Lord, among the peoples.

65

I will sing praises to you among

the nations, for your steadfast

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love is great above the heavens.

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Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

68

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.

69

Let your glory be all over the earth.

70

What's interesting is that this beginning

is almost verbatim what's written in

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Psalm 57 and similar to Psalm 60 as well.

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And I wouldn't have noticed the difference

without a little help from Charles

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Spurgeon He says, " There are some

minor alterations, but the difference

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lies in the position of the verses.

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In Psalm fifty-seven, notes of praise

grow out of prayer, but here the psalmist

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immediately begins to sing in praise.

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Afterward, he prays in a

remarkably confident manner.

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He seems to seize the blessing

rather than plead for it.

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Sometimes we must climb to praise on

the ladder of prayer, and at other

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times we must bless God for the

past in order to be able in faith to

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plead for the present and the future.

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By the aid of God's Spirit, we can

pray to praise or praise until we

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reach a proper frame for prayer."

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I appreciate that permission and

how interchangeably God designed

85

worship and prayer to work.

86

Psalm one hundred and nine is admittedly

one of the most difficult psalms.

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It's one of those imprecatory psalms,

which means David is praying down judgment

88

upon his enemies, and in this case,

it's because they falsely accused him.

89

Just to give you a taste of how

intense this gets, beginning in

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verse six, David writes, " Appoint

a wicked man against him.

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Let an accuser stand at his right hand.

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When he is tried, let

him come forth guilty.

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Let his prayer be counted as sin.

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May his days be few.

95

May another take his office.

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May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.

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May his children wander about

and beg, seeking food far

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from the ruins they inhabit.

99

May the creditor seize all that he has.

100

May strangers plunder

the fruits of his toil.

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Let there be none to extend

kindness to him, nor any to

102

pity his fatherless children."

103

But I found a little

clarity in researching

104

my Moody commentary says that

as vengeful as it may seem, it

105

still operates under the command,

" Vengeance is mine," says the Lord.

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See, David was a fierce warrior, and

if he wanted to take matters into his

107

own hands, he certainly could have,

but he brought his petition before the

108

Lord and asked God to bring justice.

109

Secondly, David doesn't tell God how

to go about these things or when.

110

He leaves that up to the Lord.

111

And third Before a righteous God, we are

all deserving of this kind of judgment.

112

David is well aware of the mercy

that's been extended to him, and it

113

seems he's just asking God to not

extend that mercy upon his enemy.

114

Included in all of this struggle is verse

twenty-one, " But you, O God my Lord, deal

115

on my behalf for your name's sake; because

your steadfast love is good, deliver me."

116

There's that phrase again,

for God's name's sake.

117

David still wants God to be glorified

even in the difficult times, and he's

118

trusting God to work this for good.

119

My pastor actually spoke on this recently

in a sermon about bringing our emotions

120

before the Lord, and I wanted to share his

main points because they're so helpful.

121

Number one, he said to expect

conflict because Jesus did too.

122

Number two, express your

anger, but without sin.

123

Ephesians four:twenty-six and twenty-seven

tell us, " Be angry and do not sin.

124

Do not let the sun go down on your anger,

and give no opportunity to the devil."

125

My pastor pointed out, isn't it

interesting that the be angry

126

is written in the imperative

form, like it's a command?

127

God understands the multitude

of injustices on this earth, and

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scripture even tells us that God

feels indignation every single day.

129

But we can entrust our anger to Jesus

because He will return as rightful judge.

130

While we're on the subject Psalm one

hundred and ten is undeniably about

131

the lordship and reign of Jesus Christ.

132

This is one of the most quoted

psalms in the New Testament.

133

The first several verses describe

Jesus as a divine king, with the

134

verse in the middle being the focal

point, revealing that Jesus is

135

not just king, He's also a priest.

136

And no earthly king ever fulfilled both

of these, so we know it's Messianic.

137

The last half reveals that

Jesus is a mighty warrior.

138

" The Lord says to my Lord, 'Sit

at my right hand, until I make

139

your enemies your footstool.'

140

The Lord sends forth from

Zion your mighty scepter.

141

Rule in the midst of your enemies.

142

Your people will offer themselves

freely on the day of your power.

143

In holy garments from the

womb of the morning, the dew

144

of your youth will be yours.

145

The Lord has sworn and will not change

his mind, ' You are a priest forever,

146

after the order of Melchizedek.'

147

The Lord is at your right hand.

148

He will shatter kings

on the day of his wrath.

149

He will execute judgment among the

nations, filling them with corpses.

150

He will shatter chiefs

over the wide earth.

151

He will drink from the brook by the way;

therefore, He will lift up His head.

152

At the beginning, we read that Jesus

is seated at His Father's hand.

153

This is a place of position and

honor, and reveals that Jesus has been

154

victorious over all of His enemies.

155

He's not a king that continues

to ride out to battle.

156

He's seated in the victory and

lives to intercede for us, patiently

157

waiting for many to come to Him,

and one day He will return for the

158

final judgment, proving Himself as

the ultimate victorious warrior.

159

Let's wrap up by showing how Jesus, in

Matthew 22, proved that this was about

160

Him, and instead of praying curses and

punishments upon His enemies, He used the

161

Word of God to silence their challenges.

162

In verse 34, we're told, " But when the

Pharisees heard that He had silenced

163

the Sadducees, they gathered together."

164

First, they asked Jesus what the

greatest commandment was, but if

165

we skip to verse 41, " While they

were still gathered together, Jesus

166

asked them a question, saying, ' What

do you think about the Christ?

167

Whose Son is He?'

168

They said to Him, 'The Son of David.'

169

He said to them, 'How is it then

that David, in the Spirit, calls Him

170

"Lord," saying, " The Lord said to my

Lord, ' Sit at My right hand, until

171

I put Your enemies under Your feet.'"

172

If then David calls Him

"Lord," how is He his son?'

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And no one was able to answer Him a

word, Nor from that day did anyone

174

dare to ask Him any more questions.

175

Lord, we come before you full of gratitude

for all of the roles that you fulfill.

176

You are a righteous king and

sovereign over all things.

177

You are the priest who gave

up yourself to be the ultimate

178

sacrifice and payment for our sins.

179

We rejoice that you are a victorious

warrior, and that you have the power and

180

authority to make all things right on

this earth, and we trust you for that.

181

May our lives be full of marveling

at your perfection and your

182

glory more than meditating on

the circumstances in front of us.

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As David ordered his kingdom and the

priests so well, we pray you would

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guide us to order our lives well.

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Forgive us for the times that we

have problems and we forget to come

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to you to solve them We believe you

have all wisdom and that you long, to

187

walk with us through all the details.

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And we pray that you would help us to

take our children by the hand and lead

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them into your throne room, that they

would get a glimpse of your glory,

190

and that it would be so captivating

that any fleeting pleasures of this

191

world would pale in comparison.

192

It is in the name of the warrior

priest King Jesus that we pray.

193

Amen.