1 Chronicles 16:19-30 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 16:7-18. Let’s go!
1 Chronicles 16:19-22 (NIV)
19 When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,
20 they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
21 He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
22 “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
On verses 19-22: Here David recounts how God protected the nation of Israel, even from its humble beginnings. What can we learn from this? God is a protector. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you have the most complete protection of any human being. Because of Jesus Christ, you have protection from the wrath of God, protection from the enemy’s attacks, protection from any ultimate pain or harm, and protection for an awesome destiny. For You have God Almighty on your side, who keeps you from harm and who has spoken the most complete word of protection over your life.
1 Chronicles 16:23-24 (NIV)
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
On verses 23-24: Lord I pray that today and every day I would proclaim Your salvation and declare Your glory to the world around me.
1 Chronicles 16:25-26 (NIV)
25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
On verses 25-26: As much as the world will try to preach that all gods and all faiths are equal, the truth is that there is no one like the Lord. Other faiths and religions are self-help programs that focus on what you need to do to earn your way to God. Christianity is about how God has already done everything necessary to forgive us of our sins so that we can have a relationship with Him. There is no one like our God.
1 Chronicles 16:27 (NLT)
27 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.
On verses 27: The place where you’ll find the most honour, majesty, strength and joy is in God’s presence. What’s even more amazing thing is how willing God is to share His honour, majesty, strength and joy with us. In exchange for our shame, God gives us honour in Jesus Christ. He also shares His majesty with us, calling us His royal children. To us who are weak, in Him we find strength. And to us who lack hope, in Him we find joy.
1 Chronicles 16:28 (NIV)
28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength,
On verse 28: What does it mean to “Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength”? It means to recognize God as glorious and strong. Don’t belittle God or have a small view of Him. Align your vision of who God is with Scripture and see how great He is.
1 Chronicles 16:29 (NIV)
29 ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
On verse 29: When David writes “the glory due his name”, it’s a reminder that we owe God glory with our lives. The reason you have breath in your lungs is to give God glory. So see your entire life as an offering to give Him glory.
1 Chronicles 16:30 (NIV)
30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
On verse 30: Once I was sitting in a class at UBC when the professor quoted verse 30 to the entire class. He claimed that verse 30 proves that the Bible falsely teaches geocentrism (the idea that the earth does not move and that the sun revolves around the earth), which is contrary to evidence that the earth orbits around the sun. But is verse 30 really teaching that our planet earth does not move?
Keep in mind that verse 30 is part of a worship song that David has written where David uses poetic, anthropomorphic language to describe how creation responds to God. For example, just a few verses later in verse 33 David writes “the trees will sing for joy before the Lord” (v33). Is the Bible teaching that trees actually sing? Of course not. David here is speaking figuratively.
What can we learn from this? When you read the Bible, you need to pay attention to the context of the passage you are reading. Is it poetry? Is it history? Is it a parable? Is it a letter? Is it a prayer? Is it meant to be taken literally or figuratively? By understanding the context, you can better understand the intended meaning of any one particular verse.
I believe there is a much better interpretation of verse 30, and I plan to share it with you this Sunday at THRIVE. But be warned! It might just revolutionize your relationship with God. See you Sunday to talk about it!
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your powerful Word. Thank You for speaking a complete word of protection over my life. Please help me to become a better student of Your Word, that I would know how to correctly handle Your Word of truth. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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