{"id":4051,"date":"2019-07-26T20:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T03:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=4051"},"modified":"2019-07-26T23:48:52","modified_gmt":"2019-07-27T06:48:52","slug":"1chronicles_23_1-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1chronicles_23_1-32\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of a Lifetime"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Chronicles 23:1-32 \u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Chronicles 23:1-32.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!\u00a0\u00a0The Role of a Lifetime (Plus, 4 Characteristics of Great Servants of God)<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Chronicles 23:1-5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0and six thousand are to be officials and judges.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the\u00a0LORD\u00a0with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-24:\u00a0\u00a0David was known for many things and wore many hats during his lifetime: he was a shepherd, a soldier, a military commander, and a king.\u00a0\u00a0But at his core, David was a worshiper who loved to worship God.\u00a0\u00a0While his other roles would come and go, it is this role as a worshiper that David would carry with him throughout his lifetime.\u00a0\u00a0When David was younger, his passion to worship God was evident in all the worship songs he wrote.\u00a0\u00a0Now as David is \u201cold and full of years\u201d (v1), we see David\u2019s passion to worship God in how he leads his nation to worship.\u00a0\u00a0In particular, here in this passage we see how David thoughtfully and painstakingly organizes the 38,000 Levites who would lead the worship of God at the temple, dividing them into 24,000 temple workers, 6,000 judges and officials, 4,000 gatekeepers and 4,000 musicians (v4), divided by family clan (v6-23).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0At different stages in your lifetime you may wear many hats and be known for various roles, but at your core you were made to worship God.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Your role as a worshiper of God is one you get to have for a lifetime and for eternity.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0You took on this role even as an infant (Psalm 8:2) and you will carry it with you until the day you die and even afterwards with Jesus in eternity.<\/p>\n

1 Chronicles 23:25-27 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For David had said, “Since the\u00a0LORD, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,
\n26\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”
\n27\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 25-27:\u00a0\u00a0Previously the age that a Levite would begin serving in the tabernacle was 30 years (Numbers 4:3).\u00a0\u00a0However, when it comes to serving at the temple, David lowers the age to 20 years.\u00a0\u00a0Why is that?\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps it\u2019s because with the arrival of the temple there would be much more work to be done, including heavy lifting.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps David figured that if a man is old enough to be enlisted in the army (Numbers\u00a01:45), he is also old enough to serve in the temple.<\/p>\n

Similarly,\u00a0today Jesus the Son of David is calling young people all over to serve in his temple and to build His house<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0In fact this is a verse I ask our staff at Thrive to memorize: \u201cDo not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in faith, in life, in love and in purity.\u201d (1 Timothy\u00a04:12)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0\u00a0A young person can do nothing better than to serve God in their youth.<\/p>\n

1 Chronicles\u00a023:28\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n28\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the\u00a0LORD: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 28:\u00a0\u00a0In verses 28-32 the Chronicler describes the duties of the Levites. First, the Levites were there to help Aaron the high priest and his descendants.\u00a0\u00a0What does that tell you about the kind of person God likes to use to expand His kingdom?\u00a0\u00a0God likes to use people who are humble, who can humbly submit to and serve the leaders above them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>So if you want to serve God well, learn to humbly serve and submit to the leaders God has placed over you.<\/p>\n

1 Chronicles\u00a023:29\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n29\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened wafers, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 29:\u00a0\u00a0The work of a Levite required great attention to detail.\u00a0\u00a0This teaches me that\u00a0if you want to serve God well, be detail-oriented and thorough in the work that you do<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0See also verse 31 where the Levites are to serve God regularly \u201cin the proper number and in the way prescribed for them\u201d.<\/p>\n

1 Chronicles 23:30-31 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n30\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the\u00a0LORD. They were to do the same in the evening
\n31\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the\u00a0LORD\u00a0on Sabbaths and at New Moon festivals and at appointed feasts. They were to serve before the\u00a0LORD\u00a0regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 30-31:\u00a0\u00a0Here we learn a third characteristic of people whom God likes to use to build His temple:\u00a0\u00a0consistent love for God<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Here the Levites were to stand every morning and evening and give thanks to God.\u00a0\u00a0One of the best marks of spiritual maturity is consistency: having passion and a willingness to serve that is consistent through different seasons, as opposed to being hot one day and cold the next.\u00a0\u00a0If you want to serve God well, aim to be a consistent lover of God.<\/p>\n

1 Chronicles\u00a023:32\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n32\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And so the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the\u00a0LORD.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 32:\u00a0\u00a0Here we learn a fourth characteristic of people whom God likes to use to build His temple:\u00a0those who are flexible and who can serve God in different contexts<\/strong>, just like the Levites went from serving in the Tent of Meeting, to the Holy Place, and to the temple.\u00a0\u00a0If you want to serve God, be flexible.\u00a0\u00a0Have a flexible attitude that says, \u201cGod, wherever You want to use me, wherever my church needs me, I\u2019m willing to serve.\u00a0\u00a0It doesn\u2019t have to be under a spotlight.\u00a0\u00a0It doesn\u2019t have to be my primary area of gifting or passion.\u00a0\u00a0I just want to serve You.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0When you have that kind of attitude, God will expand your territory.<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, thank You that I will always be a worshiper at my core.\u00a0\u00a0Other roles, positions and titles may change, and my environment may one day change, but may I never lose my identity as a worshiper of God.\u00a0\u00a0May I serve You well by serving my leaders well, by being thorough and detail-oriented in how I serve, by being consistent in my passion for You, and by being flexible enough that You can use me in different situations and contexts.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Chronicles 23:1-32.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!\u00a0\u00a0The Role of a Lifetime (Plus, 4 Characteristics of Great Servants of God)<\/p>\n

1 Chronicles 23:1-5 (NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.\u00a0
\n2\u00a0\u00a0He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.\u00a0
\n3\u00a0\u00a0The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.\u00a0
\n4\u00a0\u00a0David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0and six thousand are to be officials and judges.\u00a0
\n5\u00a0\u00a0Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the\u00a0LORD\u00a0with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”
\n\u00a0
\nOn verses 1-24:\u00a0\u00a0David was known for many things and wore many hats during his lifetime: he was a shepherd, a soldier, a military commander, and a king.\u00a0\u00a0But at his core, David was a worshiper who loved to worship God.\u00a0\u00a0While his other roles would come and go, it is this role as a worshiper that David would carry with him throughout his lifetime.\u00a0\u00a0When David was younger, his passion to worship God was evident in all the worship songs he wrote.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4051"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4106,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4051\/revisions\/4106"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}