1 Chronicles 24-26

What I Noticed Today (1 Chronicles 24-26)

1 Chronicles 24-26

It is tempting to gloss over these chapters full of names! But in slowing down, I came to appreciate just how organized David was as he established himself as king.

In 1 Chronicles 23, David began organizing the Levites. In 1 Chronicles 24-26 David further organized the Levitical priests, musicians, gatekeepers, treasurers, and judges.

1 Chronicles 24

In verses 1-19, the priests were organized under Aaron’s two surviving sons; Eleazar and Ithamar.

• A total of 24 groupings of priests were established to serve in the Lord’s temple in shifts.
• Eleazar’s descendants outnumbered Ithamar’s by 2:1, so Eleazar got sixteen shifts, and Ithamar got eight shifts.
• The shifts were assigned by lot and recorded by Shemaiah, the secretary.

In verses 20-31, the Levites who were not priests were also divided into 24 groups.

• Verse 20. Amram with his descendant Shubael, and Shubael’s descendant Jehdeiah.
• Verse 22 the descendants of Rehabiah and his son Isshiah.
• Verse 23 the descendants of Hebron.
• Verses 24-25 the descendants of Uzziel.
• Verses 26-30 the descendants of Merari.

• The roles were assigned by lot.

1 Chronicles 25

David may have been a man of war, but he was also a musician, and music played an important part in the daily worship of God.

In verses 1-31, the musicians were assigned from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun.

• The music ministry included the gift of prophecy (1 Chronicles 25:1).
• Asaph had four sons, Jeduthun had six, and Heman had 14, for a total of 24 groups.
• Each of the 24 groups was composed of 12 men, for a total of 288 men.
• The shifts were assigned by lot and recorded by the secretary.

1 Chronicles 26

The gatekeepers played an important role in protecting both the temple of God and also the storehouses.

In verses 1-3, the gatekeepers came from the tribes of Kohath and Merari.

In verses 12-18, the gatekeepers were assigned not based on shifts, but on which gates they were assigned to guard.

• Lots were cast to assign families to each of the four gates into the temple.
• Shelemiah guarded the east gate.
• Zechariah guarded the north gate.
• Obed-edom guarded the south gate and the storehouses.
• Shuppim and Hosah guarded the west gate and the Shalleketh.

In verses 20-32, treasurers and other Levitical officers were assigned:

• Ahijah, a Levite, was assigned responsibility for guarding the temple treasuries. Ahijah supervised the Gershonites who were assigned to guard the temple treasury.
• The final group to be assigned was the judges and officers who would enforce God’s law in Israel.
• Men were assigned west of the Jordan, but it was not until 40 years later, toward the end of David’s reign, that men were assigned east of the Jordan for the half tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites, and the Gadites.

Some thoughts for additional consideration:

• David crafted an organization of leaders who were responsible for every aspect of service to the temple before the temple was even built. Each family head knew exactly what their responsibilities were. David had supplied the materials needed to build the temple, and now he had established an organizational structure that ensured the smooth operation of temple worship.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: 1 Chronicles 27-29