What I Noticed Today (1 Chronicles 27-29)
1 Chronicles 27
In 1 Chronicles 27, David established secular positions overseeing the military and political structure of the Israelite government.
In verses 1-15, having organized the Levites for their service to the temple of God, David now turned his attention to the army.
- David organized the army into 12 divisions of 24,000 soldiers each.
- Each division would serve for one month during times of peace.
- Several of the 30 mighty men are mentioned in the list of commanders.
In verses 16-22, David also established leaders for each of the tribes (these men were like governors of states).
In verses 23-24, the Chronicler again notes (1 Chronicles 21:2-5) David’s census of military-aged (over 20-years old) men.
In verses 25-34, David also established men who oversaw a variety of important roles in caring for his personal property. These included men over the king’s treasuries, farmers, vineyards, wine, trees, olive oil, herds, camels, donkeys, and flocks.
1 Chronicles 28
In 1 Chronicles 28, David commissioned his son, Solomon to build the temple of the Lord.
In verses 1-21, David then assembled all these leaders together in Jerusalem and gave them his vision for building the temple, God’s covenant with the people, and announced Solomon, his son, would be the next king responsible for building the temple.
- David instructed his son to serve the Lord with a whole heart and warned him not to forsake the Lord.
- He encouraged Solomon to be faithful in building the Lord’s house and gave him all the detailed plans for its construction.
- He further encouraged Solomon by reminding him that the Lord would be with him, and never forsake him.
1 Chronicles 29
In 1 Chronicles 29, David provided for the building of the temple and prayed to the Lord before the people.
In verses 1-9, David led the people by making significant offerings of gold, silver, precious stones, and other materials for the building of the temple.
- He then challenged the people to follow his lead and give generously.
In verses 10-21, as the offering for the building of the temple was completed, David offered a prayer of thanksgiving on behalf of the people.
- In this prayer, David speaks of God’s greatness (v. 11), His glory (v. 13), a recognition that everything comes from God (v. 14), and that we are just on this earth for a short time (v. 15).
- Following the prayer, the people offered thousands of sacrifices to the Lord and ate and drank with great gladness (vv. 21-22).
In verses 22b-25, for the second time, the people followed David’s instructions by anointing Solomon as king. The Lord was with Solomon and made him greater than any king before him (v. 25).
In verses 26-30, the chapter concludes with a record of David’s death after reigning as king of Israel for a total of 40 years.
- He reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for 33 years.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- David’s organizational skills are apparent in these final chapters of 1 Chronicles. He was never sullen over not being allowed to build the temple himself. Rather, he did everything he could to provide for the building of the temple and set his son Solomon up for success as king. He brought the people together with a common purpose and gave everyone specific roles that contributed to the success of the nation.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
