What Legacy Will You Leave Behind

February 20, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Last Days

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 29

Most of us are just ordinary people, but even as insignificant as we are in this world, we will leave behind a legacy, either a good one or a bad one.

We may be remembered only by friends and family, but to some of those we may be important to them.

So, we should ask ourselves what kind of legacy will we leave behind?

As long as we are alive, we can improve our legacy!

After we have been in the family of God for many years, we hope our past life will be forgotten just as the Lord has forgotten it.

So, again, what contribution have we made since our salvation?

We know that the Lord called all His brothers and His sisters into the Church, to begin working for His glory.

This is a much greater task than what David encouraged his son Solomon to do.

Our job is to take the Gospel to the entire world so, did we contribute to this work, we can ask ourselves?

The Lord called His entire Church, individually and collectively, to take part in this ministry!

This may not mean much to the world but it will certainly mean much in the realm of Heaven!

The Lord God our Creator builds much greater temples than the one Solomon built!

Every Temple built by the Lord is for the Lord because it is for the worship of the Living God!

This worship extends outside to the telling of the world “How Great Is Our God”!

Many people have forgotten the purpose of our gathering together.

We gather for the worship of our Creator and our Savior and all other things are secondary to this!

We should love the opportunity and the privilege to gather in the name of the Lord, and to be a part of the continuation of His ministry!

David told Solomon:

*1Ch 29:3 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

Our greatest goal should be to undertake a work for the glory of our Savior!

I admit my failure to do so but I am still working on it, to get better at it.

Many are called to specific things for the Lord, but all of us are called to be obedient to the Word of God that teaches us how to be a witness for the Lord.

Many will say, well the I have not heard the Holy Spirit speak to me but the Holy Spirit speaks loudly and boldly to us in the Word of God!

We may not have great riches to give to the House of God, but God would rather have Living Sacrifices than great riches!

Riches maybe of gold and silver but we are God’s jewels!

Rom_12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

David set his affection to the house of his God and his God is Jehovah, who came down from Heaven and took upon Himself the Body of Jesus Christ just so He could save a useless beggar like me!

On David’s death bed, he was still encouraging the nation of Israel to get closer to the Lord.

We can never get too close to the Lord!

It was time for Israel to build a house where the Lord God of all this world would come down to visit with His people!

It was a great sum of riches that King David had accumulated for this work yet, it would not be enough so, all the leaders of the twelve tribes were to share their own riches.

They would have no riches if were not for King David!

We should understand that until King David, Israel had no riches.

It was by the economy of King David that these men had accumulated their riches.

They were not to forget the blessings that God had shared with them.

We seem to forget that it is by the blessing of the Lord that we are blessed with what we have, and He only expects us to give back ten percent of those blessings.

David wanted these elders to realize that giving to the construction of the Temple would be the greatest work these leaders would ever undertake!

1Ch 22:14 Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.

David had given all his treasures to the building of the Temple.

If we figure the weight of a talent was around ninety-five pounds, a hundred thousand talents would weigh four thousand seven hundred and fifty tons of gold.

A talent of gold was double the weight of silver so a talent of silver was about forty-five pounds.

The silver that David gave had a weight of twenty-two thousand and five hundred tons.

We can only imagine what the values of just these two valuable metals would be worth today.

After hearing this, the chiefs of the tribes and the princes of the tribes and the captains of military in those tribes with the rulers of the king’s work, gave willingly.

*1Ch 29:6 Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly,

David challenged the national leaders to personally dedicate themselves to the Lord.

We need to challenge our own national leaders today to personally dedicate themselves to the Lord.

We need to do the same in America today!

We must stand up for Jesus and there will be a great turmoil, but until we do this, we certainly cannot claim to be Christian nation.

Remember it was Obama who said he would make sure that America would not be a Christian nation ever again, and it is he who is pulling the strings today, but he does not know the power of God or the Lord Jesus Christ and this battle is His and not ours but we must have a part in it.

If we cannot make a personal re-dedication to the Lord, we do not deserve Him!

We must be willing to consecrate our relationship with the Lord!

So much wealth was given to build the Temple that a treasurer had to be appointed to watch over it.

We should understand that the work of the Lord is enormous, and we as God’s children must give and give willingly to this work of reaching lost souls.

Far too much of God’s resources are used for elaborate buildings and many other things, other than reaching souls for Christ.

The Church has two jobs.

Reaching souls for Christ, and making disciples so they can reach souls for Christ.

Many so-called churches have forgotten the mission the Lord Jesus has given us to do!

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

The people of Israel rejoiced that there would be a “House of Prayer” built in Jerusalem.

*1Ch 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

It takes a perfect heart to serve the Lord and God is working on us every day to clean our hearts up to be good servants.

People must be reached with the “Gospel of salvation”!

The people of this world are suffering and only the Lord can help them!

The people of the world need the Word of God to become a part of them.

There has never been another such man as King David, who has a legacy of giving to the Lord as he did, except the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up the riches of Heaven to come to this earth to die on a wooden cross to save the people of this earth from a place called Hell!

On a day near his death, King David stood before a massive crowd of national leaders overflowed with joy with the generosity of those who were seeking a relationship with the Lord.

King David realized just how blessed Israel was to have Jehovah as her God.

The House of Prayer that was to be built for the Lord was also to be for the presentation of God’s Word and God’s worship.

Our Lord deserves to be worshiped!

Worship must include adoration.
Worship must include thanksgiving.
Worship must include confession.
Worship must include supplication.
Worship must include intercession.
Worship must include petition, a deliverance from evil.

Now we do not need a building to appear before the Lord, but if you are a child of God you will want to join with the many others who truly want to worship the Lord!

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The Lord God Jehovah is the God of all true believers and there are no other gods, but those of the mind of the non-believers!

*1Ch 29:10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
1Ch 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Keeping in mind that the word Israel means “the people of God”, then Jehovah is certainly the God of all His people and He is our Father for ever and ever.

That word “blessed” means that our Lord is the Living picture of Holiness!

He is the Father of all true believers in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ!

He will be our Father forever and ever with a life that has no ending!

Another thing we see is, just like most of us here today, the closer we get to going home the more we like to talk about it.

It is our Lord God who controls all things because all things belong to Him!

He possesses all power and all greatness.
He possesses all glory, all majesty, and all splendors.
He possesses all that is in Heaven and on Earth.
He possesses all greatness.
He is truly exalted above all!

There are many of these things He will share with us if we love Him!

*1Ch 29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
1Ch 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

We must clearly understand that any wealth and any honor that comes to us in this world, came by the hands Jehovah God!

Our Lord God is the source of all things good that comes to us in this world!

One of the reasons, the main reason, is so we can give back to the Church for the work of reaching out to lost souls.

Those who have been blessed with such riches should glorify the Lord for those things!

Those who have obtained honor in this world should use it in proclaiming the truth of God!

Those who have been given the strength to overcome life’s obstacles should teach those of little strength how to do the same!

We must all be thankful for the things God has shared with us.

We may not understand why some seem to be better off than others, but we must understand that the Lord is Omnipotent and He always knows what is best for each of us! Amen.

King David acknowledged that his kingdom actually belonged to the Lord.

We need to acknowledge that the United States of America also belongs to the Lord.

Everything upon this earth belongs to the Lord because He created it all!

So many laughs at these things today, but they will one day see the truth of the Word of God!

King David then thanked the Lord for enabling the people to be able to give.

One of the reasons that our government wants us all to not have money is so we will not have to give to our God!

They are so foolish; the Lord does not need our resources!

He allows us to give for His work in order to earn rewards and we earn greater rewards from giving when it hurts us financially.

Isa_55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa_55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

If the swamp in Washington DC and in many states, capitols could understand this, they could do something beneficial for our nation rather than trying to destroy our nation.

Satan is in full control in America because the Church has been so weak!

This is why the Lord tells us this world is not worth saving and He will make all things new.

Heb_11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Why did King David give so generously? Because God was testing the hearts of His people!

1Ch 29:16 O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
1Ch 29:17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

Everything we have belongs to God and God will test us time to time to see if our hearts are still in the right place!

God gives wealth as a test to see if that person will return that wealth to Him if He ask for it back.

David knew that God test the hearts of His people from time to time.

We should understand that without a “test”, we will never have a “testimony”!

Without making a “mess” with our lives, we will never understand God’s “message”!

God does not try to hide the terrible things in the life of King David even when He knows much of this world will exploit our mistakes to use against us.

With all the things we have read about King David we could say that David was never really a child of God but we must know that not one of us are perfect.

Not one of us can stand before the Lord and say we are worthy of His love, because we know we are not.

Those that do are self-righteous and will never get to Heaven!

So again what kind of legacy will we leave behind?

When we are in our very last days, what will we tell our children and grandchildren and many of us are blessed with great grandchildren.

In a world that is going to pots, family is still the greatest blessing the Lord gives to us!

We all need to take a pad and pen and record the time each day we spend in prayer for one week.

Most of us would see that we do not spend a lot of time talking to our Heavenly Father.

I am so guilty Lord, help me to do better!

Solomon became the third King of Israel and he sat upon the throne of his father David but watch how our Scripture words this.

1Ch 29:23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord instead of his father David.

That throne in Jerusalem is reserved for the Lord Jesus Christ and many impostors have tried to rule from that throne and the worst of all those impostors will soon attempt to sit upon that throne and the Lord Jesus Himself will boot him off!

Solomon was coronated a second time and the people celebrated with boundless joy.

Knowing all these things about King David, we should ask ourselves, how loyal are we to the Lord?

How committed are we to serving the Lord?

What kind of lives are we living?

We are all still sinners but we must realize that sin damages our legacy and also shames the name of the Lord.

The traits that we need to serve the Lord are loyalty, allegiance, commitment, dedication, and obedience!

As we go through our day, we must continually magnify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For the most part David had lived a good life.

*1Ch 29:28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

All the things about King David were recorded.

The Book of Samuel was recorded and we have his records.
The Book of Nathan the prophet of which the Holy Spirit deemed not necessary to be included in the Bible.
The Book of Gad the seer which the Holy Spirit decided was not necessary to be included in the Bible.

This does not mean those records do not exist, it only means that the Holy Spirit did not see it necessary to include those records in the Word of God though He did include bits and pieces of those books in what is the Bible today.

David clearly understood that the Lord was the only living and true God and that it was He who had appointed him to be King of Israel.

If only our leaders would realize this today!

We could make America great again!

Amen

Planning for the Temple of Solomon

February 12, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Wise Counsel

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 22

At the end of our last lesson we know that after David bought the threshing floor of Ornan, turned it into an altar and he sacrificed to the Lord to stop the plague that the Lord had placed on Israel.

2Sa 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

After buying the threshing floor from Ornan, King David then bought that parcel of land that is now known as the Temple Mount.

1Ch 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

1Ch 21:18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

1Ch 21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

We can see that there were two separate transactions for the place where Solomon built the Temple that was intended to be a House of Prayer for all of Israel.

We also know that the Muslim have built a false temple that is known as the Dome of the Rock built right upon the threshing floor of Ornan that belongs to the nation of Israel because it was a place given to the Lord by King David.

For all intents and purposes, the Lord has the threshing floor of Ornan safe and secure and protected and preserved by a building provided for by the Muslims.

There is always a purpose behind everything that the Lord does!

These things cannot be denied!

1Ch 22:1 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

The Lord would not allow David to build this House of Prayer because it would have sent the wrong message, but Solomon David’s son, would build this House of God.

*1Ch 22:6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.

We should understand that as fathers we do not have the right to dictate the career path of our sons or daughters.

God in His wisdom has given us all the freedom of choice in our lives.

We can, as fathers and mothers, recommend a path we would love for our children to follow.

The best thing that we can do is to be a good example to our children and pray that they learn from the mistakes that we have made in our lives so that they will not make the same mistakes that we made.

If we have been wise fathers, then maybe we can provide the means by which our sons and our daughters may carry out our purpose and some friends to help him in it.

A wise father and mother can largely shape the influences under which our children grow up!

King David could not build a Temple for the worship of the Lord but Solomon could, and King David began assembling most all the materials that would be needed, for the Lord had provided King David with the plans to build such a Temple and the finances to do so.

*1Ch 22:7 And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:
1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

As far as meetings go, this is the most important meeting that Solomon would have in all the days of his life!

This was not David trying to tell Solomon how to live his life.

When David was made King of Israel, the nation was weak militarily, and economically and politically.

Solomon would now inherit a kingdom that had a solid foundation.

You see, we live in a land that is becoming weak militarily, and becoming weak economically, and weak politically but as the children of God, we will inherit the things of our King Jesus that is built upon a solid foundation.

Luk_6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

In the time of David, he did not have time to build upon the infrastructure of Israel for battling with Israel’s enemies, but Solomon would inherit a kingdom that was at peace and the enemies of Israel would not be prone to attack Israel.

He could take on worthy projects and the Temple of God should be first on his lists and David would be gathering the building materials for him and would give him the plans for the building of the Temple, which came from Jehovah.

The Temple would never have been a proper place of worship if it were built by bloody hands!

We could say the same thing about the Muslims places of worship today.

The builder of any place to worship the Living God, must be a man of peace and a saver of life and not a destroyer of life!

Luk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.

We can see that only the Lord Jesus Christ meets these requirements and it is the Lord Jesus Christ who builds all the Temples of God today!

We will see many times Solomon as a type of Jesus Christ.

Why was King David giving this request to his son Solomon?

*1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
1Ch 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

1) David had a burning desire to personally build a Temple to worship Jehovah.

2) Jehovah would not allow David to Him such a Temple due to the way he had lived his life.

3) David shared to his son Solomon that Jehovah had chosen Him to be the next King of Israel and for Solomon to build this Temple.

Remember all of David’s sons who were born before Solomon had become worthless human beings who had no cause to change their ways and two of them had died in their wickedness.

God would give him a son who would be a man of peace, a man free from enemies and warfare.

For David, Solomon was this son, but we know that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the true fulfillment of this promise made to David!

What had God said?

“I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his day”:

*1Ch 22:10 He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.

These words were never about Solomon!

These words were about the Lord Jesus Christ and are still in our future.

The days of Solomon were at peace until he had finished the construction of the Temple, but just as soon as Solomon began to turn his back on God those days of peace ended.

Remember Solomon had over seven hundred wives and he was pulled into false religion by them.

1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

Peace began to fade away and Solomon’s enemies began to show up.

1Ki 11:23 And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:

1Ki 11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.

Jehovah does not say things that are not true!

In the days of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be true peace in this world for one thousand years, for the Lord Jesus will rule with a “rod of iron”.

Moses was the first man of importance who had a rod, a wooden staff sometimes called the “rod of God”.

Exo 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

The brother of Moses, Aaron, was the one that bloomed. A dry stick came to life, which was a type of the nation of Israel but it could also be said to be a type of the lost come to the new life, that Born Again life by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Num 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

Aaron’s rod was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant to save for future generations.

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

But it was another Son of David and not Solomon that would one day rule this world with a rod of iron.

A rod then is the symbol of power and authority!

Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Rev_12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev_19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

These things are still in our own future for the Church must first called out of this world and shortly after this there will be seven years of tribulation with the last three and a half of those years being terrible until the Lord Jesus returns to put down all rebellion.

Then the Lord Jesus will sit on the throne of His Father David and these things written here will come to be true!

And we know that wise King Solomon did not ever build a true house in the name of Jehovah, and the throne of Solomon did not last forever!

These things the Lord Jesus did!

1 Co_6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Then the Lord will remove His Church before the Tribulation years begin.

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Then there will be those years of tribulation.

Mat_24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

The Lord will put down the rebellion upon this earth and then He will sit upon the throne of His father David, and not of the throne of Solomon.

Because David’s heart was for the Lord and Solomon’s heart was for his wives!

Luk_1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Solomon’s job was to build a worldly Temple for the worship of Jehovah that was supposed be a House of Prayer for all the people of Israel.

So, David completes his prayer and his blessing for his son Solomon.

We know that Moses and Jacob gave dying blessings which were prophetical, and so, would be this blessing from King David.

When we have communion, it is said that we are partaking of the “Cup of the Lord’s blessing”.

*1Ch 22:11 Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee.
1Ch 22:12 Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.

The Almighty Living God did give these things to Solomon.

Solomon became the richest most prosperous man in the world.

Solomon became the wisest man in the world, accept for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Solomon became the most understanding man in the world in his days.

But Solomon did not keep the Law of God all his days!

One of the most important things that we can learn from the Word of God is discernment!

It is discernment that enables us to judge what is the correct and proper way to act in our everyday lives!

The Bible says we must guide every decision we make with discretion.

Psa 112:5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

And our enemies cannot stand it when the Word of God is always right!

Psa 112:10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

Our lives will be so much better if we are obedient to all the Word of God!

In fact, how long we will get to spend time with our families will depend on how well we keep the Word of God!

Pro 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

David told his son Solomon that it was his duty to build that first Temple as a place to worship.

David then told his son Solomon that he had already purchased the building materials for this Temple.

David had already assembled a great work force who were already working upon those great marble stones and the timber that would be needed.

Solomon’s duty was to supervise the construction of the Temple by following God’s plan and put this plan into action.

1Ch 22:16 Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with thee.

The greatest thing we can give back to the Lord after the salvation gifts He has given to us, is obedience to the Word of God!

David had more children than Absalom and Amnon, and David commanded all the princes of Israel to help his son Solomon.

There were also each tribe of the sons of Jacob that had princes.

1Ch 28:1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.

*1Ch 22:17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
1Ch 22:18 Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.

Before David died, he issued a private charge to his son Solomon, but he also issued a private charge to all the leaders and the princes of the twelve tribes, to help Solomon to build the Temple we know as Solomon’s Temple.

God had certainly been with all of Israel the days David was King of Israel.

God had certainly given them peace throughout all the land and had subjected their enemies under the rule of Israel.

In a way, these tribal leaders were heavily obligated because of the blessings down through the years of David’s rule.

In comparison, just as David challenged the leaders of his day, we the Church are challenged today.

Of all the blessings that had come to Israel none of them had been given the gift of salvation as we have been given.

We owe far more dedication to our Savior than these who had certainly been blessed but not with eternal blessings.

Every mission that our Church is involved in and the ministry of our own church deserve our wholehearted dedication!

We must be faithful in supporting every project because the Lord is still building Temples at the same time, He is building human lives!

*1Ch 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.

At this time David gave Solomon the plans for the construction of the Temple and in a lot of ways it followed the plans given to Moses for the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

1Ch 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
1Ch 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:

1Ch 28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

We should understand that when God plans it will be a perfect plan and our job is to “Be Strong And Of Good Courage And Do It”.

When God is involved in the planning, then it is God’s pledge in the accomplishment because God’s plans never fail!

God has never asked but one thing from us and it is “FAITH”!

It is “faith” that gets us saved!

Once we are saved, then that same faith will carry us to the work of God which is building temples, human temples.

Rom_12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

After our salvation God is asking for the use of our bodies.

Our sacrifice is being dead to sin, but living for the work of the Lord.

God just asks for our reasonable service.

God just ask us to continue the work that the Lord Jesus Christ was doing before He gave His life for us!

Amen

When It Really Counts

February 5, 2024February 7, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David Takes a Census

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 21

A census is taken in any nation to determine the number of people in that nation.

When a census is used for any other purpose, then it is not a true census!

In Israel, the number of people would be separated by those people over the age of twenty to determine the amount of men capable of being in the army which was a requirement if they were called upon.

This is still done in Israel today!

Not by census but by law!

Every man and I believe every woman over the age of eighteen is required to serve a tour in the military of Israel and from then to the age of fifty they would be the reserves if Israel were called into war as they are in now with Hamas.

Every eighteen-year-old man in America is still required to register in America today, but right now we still have a volunteer military.

Another fact is that, in the time of the exit of Israel from Egypt, every man above twenty years was required to pay a half shekel as a ransom for his soul, that there should be no plague whenever a numbering of the people took place.

This numbering by King David was uncalled for! God had not told David to number the people of Israel.

Israel was at peace and David did this thing just so he could boast. It was the sin of pride.

It seemed that David just wanted to boast about how large his army was, when the size of his army was never important.

Did David require that half-shekel? It does not seem so, and the Scriptures do not say.

We do know that God sent an angel to bring judgment upon Israel for this act of King David.

God showed to David that it was He who determined the size of that nation.

This is what Joab reminded David of, and it was a fact that when a nation is at peace, more children are born but the abortion industry has destroyed this truth.

This is also why during the time of COVID we never heard how our military fared against this man-made disease.

Some nations are still working on plagues that would hinder the military of the United States!

We only heard that demand came for our militaries to be vaccinated and we lost troops from both directions.

Some to this disease and some because they refused the vaccine.

Our government is so foolish!

As God does, He will almost always cause something good to come out of something that is done against Him, if we repent.

The size of the army of Israel was never important when they were close to Jehovah.

The Lord Jesus Christ was the true Captain of the army of Israel then and now!

Jos_5:15 And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

At this time David was the human captain over the armies of Israel as the Lord explained to King Saul.

1Sa_13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

What we can understand is that a census was not to be taken of Israel unless it was directed to be done by Jehovah.

Exo 38:26 A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

The size of the army of Israel was not relevant when the Lord was leading that nation and I believe this is still true today!

Then, why did King David call for a census of Israel.

*1Ch 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

Why did Satan stand up against Israel? Israel was God’s people as the name suggest!

What was the result of this census? “And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel,”

We should remember the Book of Job because our God does not ever change!

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

The Book of Zechariah:

Zec 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

Satan is in reality an angel of the Lord who rebelled against the Lord and has become the adversary of God’s creation, especially all mankind.

But Satan is still a tool that the Lord uses in the fulfillment of Scripture. Satan does not have free reign to hinder God’s people but those opposed to the Lord can be used of Satan and there is nothing they can do about it until they repent and come to the Lord.

2Ti_2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Those who are caught up in the snares of the Devil do not have the ability to say no to him!

Satan is the very opposite of a guardian angel!

It was to Joab, the General of all the armies of Israel who was to conduct this census, which means David wanted to know how large an army he could raise if he went to war.

Joab knew this was not a good thing and Joab did not get a complete count.

Joab had seen what it means to have the Lord on your side in the many battles of Israel.

We already know that the size of David’s army was irrelevant when David obeyed the commands of God!

Rom_8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

David’s pride began to cause him problems!

When we think of ourselves as better than others it is always sinful!

Most of our politicians are like this today and this is the reason they cannot form a government for the people.

The little power we have given to our government has become a monster demanding more and more power when this was never the intention of our Constitution!

It is not the people who are deplorable, it is the politicians themselves!

David was a king, but David was not the best king to rule Israel.

That position is reserved for the Lord, who when He returns, will rule this world with a Rod of IRON which means by His Own Power!

There will be no rebellion against the Lord in those days!

*1Ch 21:2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

The Lord is always displeased with our sin and He should be, but the sin of any national ruler is an even greater sin!

Rom_13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

We should know by now that even the greatest Christian can slip and fall and bring God’s judgment upon them.

We are aware of God’s forgiveness, but we must be aware of God’s judgment because it will certainly come for disobedience.

We need to be praying for God’s mercy, after we have been forgiven because we know He is also full of mercy because He cares for us!

It is easy to say how stupid King David was, but how many of us have sat down and counted our money just to see how much we have after our needs have been met.

It is unimportant after God has provided enough to meet our needs!

The size of David’s army was never important! It was the fact that David was a man whose heart was with God.

It is more important that we know our Savior, who is Christ the Lord, than to put our faith in money or in other humans, or in anything else.

Israel was surrounded by its enemies and we would think that it was important for David to know the size of its army, but God’s people cannot be defeated by any army if God is on or side.

We must never yield to any temptation by Satan!

We cannot follow the Word of God and yield to the Devil, these are two different paths!

Even Joab had now realized that the strength of David was in His God and not in the number of people of Israel.

2Sa 24:3 And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?

Either we are going to allow the Lord to rule our lives, or we are going to give in to Satan and these are the only choices we have.

It is far better to allow the Lord to rule in our lives!

Joab could not change the mind of the king!

Joab did not do a complete count because he knew this thing was not important and the king was wrong.

We should understand that Satan has never had even one clever idea!

There is not one good thing in the heart of Satan!

*1Ch 21:7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.

We must understand that Israel has always been surrounded by nations who had greater armies so, there has been nothing greater than the survival of the Jews.

What we have seen throughout history is, that those neighbors of Israel that have been defeated, time after time, and there is only one answer for that and it is that Jehovah has always been on their side.

God did allow for the scattering of the Jews and God has seen fit to bring them back to their land.

In fact, one of the great prophecies of the Bible began May 14, 1948, when Israel again became a nation and were located upon the land that God had given to them.

Now the world can say what they will, but these things cannot be denied!

All those who want war with Jehovah God are foolish and it will only lead to their own death.

King David had forgotten these things himself.

It has never been about the size of Israel’s army; it has always been about their faith in Jehovah God.

It is the same today and we should be extremely cautious in finding truth in any public opinion of the nation of Israel.

There is great danger in so-called righteous socialism because we would be in danger of losing our personal convictions in our relationship with our Holy God.

This is what is going on in America today, just as King David was about to fall into this trap in his day.

David had pride in the empire he thought he had built, when it was Jehovah God who had caused it to happen because even God will never go against His own written Word.

The Lord would not stand for it!

Yielding to temptation is never a good thing!

We hear our president tell us every day of the things he has done and his Bidenomics.

If Donald Trump has a fault, it is also in saying the things that he would do.

He needs to be saying the things that God is directing him to do!

It is too late for the demnocrats as they all have left the Word of God for Marxism.

Pride and conceit leads to terrible evil and David realized his sin.

*1Ch 21:8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

Confession is the first step to a renewed relationship with the Lord!

The sin had been committed so; the chastisement of the Lord would still have to take place.

This is another thing we, as God’s people should realize today.

When sin has been committed then a penalty must be paid!

It is foolish to ignore the Word of God and America will find this out just as King David did!

Just as God sent the Prophet Gad to David, God sends His Pastors and Preachers today.

Of course, God has not sent any of those who ignore the Word of God, those are of course Satan’s children including the Pope when he goes against the Word of God.

There is no modern Gospel, there is only the Living Word of God that comes from the Living God!

The prophet Gad had been informing David even before David became king so, the Word of God does not change, ever!

God allowed David three choices:

1Ch 21:12 Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

David knew that he had to depend upon the “Mercy” of God!

This what we have to do today because God’s “Mercy” brings God’s “Grace”.

The Lord sent the plague as King David had chosen.

The Lord allowed David to see something that many who are left behind will see after the Church is called to Heaven.

1Ch 21:16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

David begged for “mercy” to be shown to the people for he knew he was at fault and he only.

David knew he needed to make a sacrifice to the Lord and David was on the threshing-floor of Ornan.

In the time of David, the top of a large bare rock was used as a threshing-floor.

The sheaves were carried to this rock floor in carts and spread upon that rock and a yoke of oxen would be driven round over that crop of sheaves.

Sometimes these oxen were yoked to a sort of machine consisting of a heavy board with pieces of steel or rock fasten to the bottom of the board.

*1Ch 21:21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
1Ch 21:22 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.

No matter what is going on in our lives, we can ask God for His Mercy!

What did the Lord Jesus say about “mercy”?

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

If we show “mercy” then we can obtain the mercy of God!

We find if we read the Scriptures that “mercy” and “truth” are linked together most all the time.

A “mercy” that is constant and “faithful” will not deceive!

All the things we receive from the Lord are because of His “Mercy”!

What is the truth of God?

Pro 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

America is under the influence of sin and immorality and it is these things that keep our nation from being a righteous nation and our nation may never be a righteous nation ever again!

One thing we had better do is to mend our divisiveness and get back to trusting in the Lord as we approach these end times.

We must change the leadership in the White House!

Corruption cannot be healed it must be removed!

Regardless of what the Muslim say, this threshing floor of Ornan is the exact same place where the Muslim built the Dome of the Rock, just to keep it from God’s people!

In fact, that whole piece of land that was bought from Ornan is the place called the Temple Mount today.

Then the final task was to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Threshing floors were an integral part of agriculture in biblical times.

A threshing floor was a specially prepared outdoor surface where harvested grain crops were beaten or trampled to separate the grain kernels from the straw and chaff.

Threshing floors in the Bible served both practical and symbolic purposes related to harvesting, purification, judgment, and the covenant with God.

What did the Lord Jesus say?

Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

After crops were harvested in the field, they would be brought to the threshing floor to be threshed.

Threshing is the process of separating the edible grains of wheat and barley from the inedible chaff that surrounds them.

The laborers of the harvest were to bring the sheaves to the threshing floor.

This is a type of witnessing for the Lord. We can find many things in typology in those sheaves and the threshing floor.

Remember that old Gospel song, “We will come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves” witnessing for the Lord and bringing those sheaves to God’s threshing floor, where we find that “Rock” threshing floor.

There are many false Churches today because some threshing floors use only hard dirt, or some even use a wooden floor and some modern churches today use a concrete slab, but if you do not go to the “Rock”, the Rock threshing floor you cannot be threshed to reveal that perfect wheat that is usable to God.

Those sheaves are useless unless they go to the threshing floor.

You can get a special blessing by doing a Bible study of the sheaves and the threshing floor!

By spreading the harvested stalks out on the threshing floor and beating them with sticks or having oxen walk over them to crush the stalks, the loosened grains would then be tossed into the air using winnowing fork or a fan, so that the lighter chaff would blow away in the wind, leaving only the heavier grain kernels behind.

Threshing floors needed to be durable enough to withstand the trampling hooves of oxen and the repeated beating of the grain stalks.

These “Rock” floors were often located on hills or other elevated sites that were exposed to more wind. The increased airflow helped blow away the chaff during winnowing.

One common way to thresh grain was simply beating it with a stick, rod, or threshing tool.

The threshing tool was usually made of wood and was several feet long with one end flattened like a paddle.

We should remember Ruth in the Bible.

Rth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

Another threshing method, often done along with beating, was to have oxen walk over the stalks and crush the grain out with their hooves.

Deu 25:4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

Allowing the animals to eat some of the grain motivated them to crush it out efficiently with their heavy steps.

Using animals was faster than beating the stalks by hand.

After threshing by beating and/or animal trampling, the farmer still had to separate the crushed kernels of grain from the discarded stalks and husks, known as chaff.

They would toss the threshed material into the air so that the wind could blow away the lighter chaff while the heavier grain fell back down.

Rth 3:2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.

We know Boaz as a type of Christ.

This work of winnowing corn was usually ended with a feast just as one day we will sit at the table of the Lord.

Threshing was essential to make grain edible for cooking and baking.

Without removing the inedible stalks and husks, the grain would have little value as food.

Any study of the Bible will reveal that God frequently uses imagery of threshing and winnowing to picture God separating the righteous from the wicked, God’s people from their enemies.

Isa 41:15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

Isa 41:16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

This is a picture of the “judgment” of God.

Jer 15:6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.

Jer 15:7 And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.

This is a picture of God’s judgment as the Lord’s fan will clean up the threshing floor after He has separated the righteous from the unrighteous.

In Bible times it required intense labor to thresh a harvest on the threshing floor.

We are to be diligent in the work of the Lord!

What was the importance of threshing God’s people. Removing the undesired, those that were not God’s children.

Gen 30:32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.

Gen 30:33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

God will only accept those He can make perfect!

Threshing floors were important places!

King Solomon requested grains and oils in Babylon’s threshing floors for his inheritance.

As key locations that embodied productive harvests, threshing floors also took on wider symbolic meanings around fruitfulness and reward.

Threshing floors also are used to indicate the judgment of God as we have seen.

Jer 30:23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.

Jer 30:24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

In the end God will gather all His enemies to His threshing floor which is Jerusalem!

Mic 4:11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

Mic 4:12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.

Mic 4:13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

God expressed commands David to build the altar at Araunah’s threshing floor on Mount Moriah specifically.

2Sa 24:18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.

This transaction solidified the site’s role as location of temples and sacrifices in Jerusalem for years, including the First and Second temples.

Later, David’s son Solomon would build the Lord’s temple on this same threshing floor, establishing this as a very holy site in Jerusalem.

2Ch 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

This shows us the importance of the threshing floor as a place of meeting between God and His people.

God appeared to Solomon and told him that he had chosen this place for the Temple and the Altar.

When we come to Church, here at Gethsemane, we are coming to the threshing floor God has chosen for us!

Today this world sits on God’s threshing floor and God will thresh this world one day soon.

The study of the threshing floor and the separation of the wheat from the chaff is a great study for all of us.

*1Ch 21:23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.
1Ch 21:24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: “for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost”.

David, hearing that so many thousands of the people were being fatally stricken by the plague, David humbled himself before the Lord.

David had been given three choices to make concerning the Census he had taken:

The parallel chapter in 2 Samuel says this:

2Sa 24:13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

And David’s choice was:

2Sa 24:14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

Most every Christian would choose the same as David!

“They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and humble their souls in his sight, saying, We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men: for as is his majesty, so is his mercy.”

The Scriptures say that David actually saw the angel doing all this destruction:

2Sa 24:17 And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.

David changed his mind, but his greatest need was for him to offer a sacrifice for that sin of pride, and God commanded him to build an altar and to build this altar upon the land where this plague had been stopped.

This is why King David bought this land and this is why the Muslim have no claim to this piece of land.

The place of the Dome of the Rock is a place where God commanded David to build this altar.

Notice David refused for these things to be given to him and he also refused for Ornan to give him a discount for these things, David asked for the full price to be paid for these things!

In reality, this in typology means, we will offer up our sins to the Rock who is the Lord Jesus Christ, all sin not clinging to those pet sins we try to hold on to.

Deu 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

2Sa 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
2Sa 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

A Psalm of David:

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Psa 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

So David bought all the land from Ornan and built an altar to the Lord and later King Solomon built the Temple, called the Temple of Solomon, but it was a House of Prayer because King David had prayed to God to stop the plague that was killing so many of the Jews.

Satan is that plague that needs to be stopped today!

*1Ch 21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

1Ch 21:26 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
1Ch 21:27 And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

God accepted the atoning sacrifice offered by David, the Lord forgave David of his sins and God answered the prayer of David.

The Lord stopped His hand of chastisement at this place of the Rock.

We can see that in typology, we know this Rock floor of Ornan’s threshing floor represents the true Rock of Grace, the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Jews return to know the truth of Jesus Christ, they will find a way to rebuild the House of Prayer that once stood on that site and the Muslim will have no say in the matter.

Another thing we had better remember, we must never offer to God some sacrifice that did cost us nothing.

If there is no cost, there is no real sacrifice!

Remember the Jews had to offer their best animals who had no blemishes at all.

King David used this place as his place of worship the remainder of his days out of his “Fear of God”.

1Ch 21:28 At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
1Ch 21:29 For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.
1Ch 21:30 But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

Amen

Unwise Choices

December 4, 2023 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapters 13-16

David’s Unwise Choice

We should understand that we as Christians are still human and we are going to make mistakes and they will be sinful mistakes.

God gives us His Word to guide us in this life and to help keep our mistakes to a minimum.

God also gives us the means of forgiveness but chastisement for our mistakes is also just as sure.

David, as the King of Israel, was to rule according to the Word of God!

Just like every other ruler in this world!

We will never make the right decisions in life without seeking the presence of God!

This is the greatest necessity we have in order to have a happy and joyous and a safe life.

Without God’s presence we will never grow spiritually, without seeking the presence of God through prayer and obedience!

In order for Israel to be a strong nation, they needed to move the Ark of God to a place specifically made under Jehovah’s specifications.

David had already built a place named the Tabernacle of David to house the Ark when it would be returned.

What were Davids plans?

*1Ch 13:1 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.
1Ch 13:2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:
1Ch 13:3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: “for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul”.
1Ch 13:4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

We can immediately see why King Saul failed and Israel failed under his government!

Saul never prayed to Jehovah concerning his leadership of Israel!

Now we will also see some mistakes King David will make, after making a commitment to the Lord.

1) David made the decision to move the Ark to Jerusalem so he and the people could seek the presence of God.
2) David built his palace in Jerusalem to centralize the government of Israel in the same place where all of Israel could seek the presence of God and His guidance.
3) David made a commitment to seek God in prayer before taking Israel into any war.

You see, as a nation we must strive for economic security.
We must also strive for national security against any foreign military and terrorists who would attack us.
We must also strive for the personal security of our homes against any of those who would cause us harm, including our own government.

Our nation should be seeking the economic wealth of all its people along with these other things!

Not some socialist agenda!
Not some communist agenda!

These are things that are written in our own constitution and much of it is being ignored today!

We should consult God in every decision we make that concerns any of these things, and add to this, we must pray to God to maintain our relationship with Him.,

1Th_5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Just as soon as David was made King of all of Israel, he began to address these matters.

We need a new government today that will stand firm on the constitution.

The best government would first stand firm on the Word of God.

No one in Washington can call anyone a liar especially Donald Trump, because no one in Washington is concerned for the Constitution of the United States of America which they all took an oath to defend.

They should remove all who will not do this!

They are all liars!

Especially those who make up a certain political party and all those who call themselves progressive!

I said it once and I will say it again, there is no such person as a progressive Christian!

And today we can see that there is no such person as a Christian who follows the Democrat Agenda.

For Israel to have the Ark of God and the place of God in the same place as the government in Jerusalem, would be a natural thing.

Our own government seeks to be as far away from God as they possibly can!

Such foolish people but they recognize the gods of this world and seek to pacify them!

Only through Jesus Christ can we seek the presence of God!

King David had brought all the elders of Israel and the Priests of God to Jerusalem to discuss these things and these things were decided.

It had been sixty years since the Ark of God was last in His place.

David knew that God had selected Jerusalem to be the place of His presence and all the people agreed!

*1Ch 13:5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim.
1Ch 13:6 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.

In all the days of Saul, he had never tried to return the Ark of God.

David sent out a summons to all of Israel to join with him as he transported the Ark of God to Jerusalem.

This Baalah to Kirjathjearrim which is Judah, and much of that land that is in dispute today is claimed by the Palestinians which has never been true.

Remember, it is Judah which is Judea that Rome renamed to Palestinia just to get back at the Jews because of hatred.

Rome hated the Jews and Rome in the Bible shows the same hatred we see in the world today.

It was a good thing that David was seeking, but David did not consult with the Bible nor with the Priest nor the Levites on how to move the Ark of God.

He decided to move the Ark just as the Philistines had moved it.

Once all of Israel was united and David was anointed King of all of Israel, it seemed to David that it in the interest of all of Israel that the Ark of God be restored to a house of worship.

As we go over these Scriptures, we can see that the Ark of God can also be seen as a type of Jesus Christ.

Before the Ark came to the home of Obed-Edom, the Ark was located at the home of Abinadab that was in Gibeah.

Let us look at both of these things today.

We must clearly understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to seek to be in the presence of God!

Since I prayed for the Lord Jesus to come into my heart and save me, I also understand how important it is for me to be in the presence of God.

I need to feel Him and to know that He is listening to me, though I can do this at home or any other place, there is no greater feeling than being in the company of the many others who feel the same way at my church, my place of worship.

You see upon the Ark is the “Mercy Seat”.

The Ark was the place where Israel was to meet with the Lord God of Israel!

By the way He is also the Lord God of all creation, all the things we see and all the things we do not see!

There was no other furniture, lamps, altar, or anything else including the priesthood that meant more than the Ark which was the place Israel was to meet with God.

It is the “Mercy Seat” where we can meet with God today!

The “Mercy Seat” at the Church is the altar where I can reach out to my Savior!

This why it is so important to be in the house of God at the appointed times of worship!

When the Ark was taken because of the sins of Eli and his two sons, that punishment included the Ark of God being taken by the Philistines and the destruction of the Tabernacle located at Shiloh.

It seems at this time another Tabernacle had been built at Gibeah but was without the Holy of Holies.

This was an important event because it was at the Mercy Seat where God met with the High Priest of Israel to remove the sin of Israel.

As far as Israel was concerned, when the Ark was not in their possession, then God was not with Israel and they carried there sin year to year.

They could offer up their sacrifices at Gibeah but the High priest could not take the blood of that sacrifice and sprinkle upon the Mercy Seat because it was not there.

One of the first things David wanted to accomplish as King of Israel, was to bring the Ark back to Israel so all of Israel could meet with God.

We should remember that David was one of the few Jews that it is said he had the power of the Holy Spirit with him at all times.

1Sa_16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

“The Spirit of the Lord came mightily on David from that day forward.”

David could still meet with the Lord but the people had no place to do so.

We should understand that it was not going to take thirty thousand people to bring the Ark back to His place, but David assembled this large group to give honor to the Lord.

David did not do anything that might cause friction with the unified Israel so, David consulted with the leaders of Israel before he set out to bring the Ark back home.

But David did make a terrible mistake.

*1Ch 13:7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.

All the things of God must be important to all the Church, but God has an order that must be followed!

We must understand that God has certain ways for us do spiritual things, and they must be done according to His Word.

How was the Ark to be moved from place to place?

Num 3:29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
Num 3:30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
Num 3:31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

Num 7:9 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.

Num 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

It was a good thing that David wanted to the Ark back into the hands of the people but God insists we do all things according to His Word.

The Ark was a sign of the covenant God had made with His people.

The Ark was the place of the “Mercy Seat” where their sins could be forgiven.

The Ark was to be carried upon the shoulders of the sons of Kohath, the priests assigned to all the furniture of the Tabernacle.

It was not to be carried in any wagon that it would appear as some unholy cargo.

It was good that David used a new cart that was not desecrated by common uses, but it was still against Levitical law.

This is the same way that the Philistines had tried to move the Ark and it had cost them dearly, with many deaths and much destruction in their cities and especially in their places of worship.

The Bible is our means of knowing what God expects of us!

Today we have the completed Bible and it is to be our guide in all things of this life.

Israel had the Laws of Moses and it was enough to give them directions in their lives and in their government of Israel and all things in their worship of Jehovah.

It is the same for our Bible today!

*1Ch 13:8 And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

This possession was guided by the two sons of Abinadab Uzzah and Ahio with Ahioh walking in the front and Uzzah walking on the side near the rear of the cart and they began to travel to Jerusalem.

It was a joyous occasion for all of Israel but especially for King David.

There was the singing of songs.

There was the playing of many musical instruments.

God says to make a joyful noise before the Lord!

All these things seemed to be such wonderful things but David was disobeying by failing to transport the Ark as commanded by the Lord.

Obedience is the key to our relationship with the Lord!

*1Ch 13:9 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.
1Ch 13:10 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

We know that David was transporting the Ark but not according to the Levitical laws.

We do not really know why David chose to move the Ark the same way the Philistines chose, but it seems that it was the plan of David.

It could have been done to please the people but it was still against the Word of God.

It seemed to be so small a matter, but it was a grave error on the part of King David and it turned into a serious offence.

Many thought, “why would God do such a thing”?

We must clearly understand we cannot worship the Lord according to the way we think, but we must worship the Lord according to His clear instructions in the Word He has given to us.

God gives clear instructions about how to worship Him and it must be done in spirit and truth!

We can never just throw the Word of God away and come together to worship according to our own ways, yet this is exactly what is going on in what is called the progressive movement we see today.

Most threshing floors were a place with a rock floor so the harvest could be gathered and it is very possible that the oxen hooves did slip and cause a jolt to the cart.

The Ark was never to be touched by the hands there were rings and poles to be used to carry the Ark.

Exo 25:13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exo_25:14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
Exo_25:15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
Exo_37:5 And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

Any way of bearing the Ark other than this manner was rejecting the Word of God and we must remember the Ark was in typology a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The holiness of God must be respected!

The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and God killed him immediately.

Any act of irreverence towards the Ark was punished by death.

What would the world think if God did this today for irreverence?

We should remember and David and Uzzah should have remembered what happened at Beth-shemesh.

1Sa 6:19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.
1Sa 6:20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

Things that are serious to God will bring a terrible anger and a severe punishment.

The two things most important to God today are Israel and the Church!

God was disappointed in David and David was disappointed in God.

Have you ever tried with all you might to do something good for God and then find out that He was not pleased at all with you.

This is the way King David felt.

We must remember we have to do all these things in accordance with the Word of God!

David had to find out just what was the right way to retrieve the Ark of God without any more tragedies because of disobedience!

*1Ch 15:11 And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,
1Ch 15:12 And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.
1Ch 15:13 For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.

God has a due order by which we must abide!

It seems that David is laying part of the blame for the tragedy of Uzzah upon these two who are sharing the High Priesthood and we know that they disagree with many things concerning David.

David told them that they sanctify themselves in a recommitment to the Lord.

We must be committed to the Lord to have a personal relationship with Him!

They were to set themselves apart for Jehovah by living holy and pure lives.

Much of the Church has forgotten about sanctification.

Sanctification was essential in approaching the Ark because the Ark is the symbol of God’s Holy Presence.

This is why the Ark is a type of Christ.

We must be sanctified if we are to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

The sanctification of these two Priests included a ritual washing with water.

This was a ceremonial cleansing declaring that they had been cleansed from sin.

In the Church we know that we can only be forgiven when we are washed in the blood of Jesus and washed by the Word of God!

1Jn_1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Heb_10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

We cannot approach God until we have been Born Again!

We cannot approach God until we too have made our own Spiritual preparations!

*1Ch 15:14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
1Ch 15:15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

We will never have a good relationship with the Lord, until we have dedicated our lives to Him.

We must walk away from our old lives and walk in the newness of life through the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can only do this when are obedient to all the Word of God.

We cannot pick and choose the parts we will obey and the parts we will not obey as is what is going on in many churches today.

We know that poles had to be inserted into the rings of the Ark and the Priest bear the Ark upon their shoulders.

We must clearly understand that violating the Holiness of God will lead to eternal death.

Safety has never been in the Ark of the Lord!

Safety comes from the Lord of the Ark!

Our own safety does not come from the Church!

Our safety comes from the Lord of the Church, the Head of the Body of Christ!

We should remember the Lord Jesus said His burden is light.

Jer 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.

In the New Testament we find these words.

Mat 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Mat 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Israel was mistaken when Eli allowed his two wicked sons to take the Ark into battle.

Seven months later when the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel and the men of Bethshemesh looked into the Ark over Fifty thousand men lost their lives.

When the “Mercy Seat” is removed from the Ark, only death by the broken Law remains.

Then we see the useless death of Uzzah because the order of God was not followed.

We must see that the Holiness of God must be observed and this is not happening today in many places of worship.

*1Ch 15:26 And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.

We see that God wanted the Ark to be back with the Israelites and in His place in the Holy of Holies so He helped these Levites.

We do need the help of Heaven in our worship services.

In fact if the Holy Spirit does not show up there will not be a true worship service.

If our Preachers do not preach the message that God gives them, we will never understand how to live day by day in this wicked world.

Act_9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Notice the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit both are necessary in our worship services for the Church to be edified!

When do things right, then there will also be joy when the Lord joins with us in the House of God, and souls will be saved!

*1Ch 15:27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.
1Ch 15:28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

When we are in the presence of God, we must worship Him. This is what we live for.

The Lord is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth!

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

So many have forgotten these things today!

We must come to the Lord in Spirit: focusing our hearts and our minds upon Him giving Him our full attention, praising Him, and thanking Him for all that He is and all that He has already done for us and the things He has promised to do for us as we grow in Christ and wait for His return.

We must also worship Him in truth!

This is to worship Him exactly like He says to worship Him!

We can only approach God through and by the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this we must be sincere, God will not be mocked!

1Ch 16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
1Ch 16:30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
1Ch 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.
1Ch 16:32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.
1Ch 16:33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.

It is a fact that this lost world will not like our rejoicing over the truth of God!

*1Ch 15:29 And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.

One of David’s wives, actually his first wife who was King Saul’s daughter reacted against David because of the way he worshipped the Lord.

She was an unbeliever and also an idolater and while she watched these things from a window, she had seen David full of the Spirit of God and just having himself a time and she did not think a King should be doing such things.

We can see Michal as a type of the many who despise devotion to the Almighty God.

Michal saw Jehovah only as one of the gods among many gods.

David showed enthusiasm in His worship and which is something that is lacking in many a Church today.

2Sa 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
2Sa 6:21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
2Sa 6:22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
2Sa 6:23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

David lost any affection he might have had for Michal that day.

We know that in the family, if a wife or husband is saved and the other is still lost it can cause friction in the home.

How does God see these things?

1Co 7:13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
1Co 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
1Co 7:15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

Though David had many wives Michal remained under his support but there was no further relationship with the king in all of her days.

God expects us to do the best we can in our relationships with each other, but it may not ever lead to salvation for the unbelieving spouse.

*1Ch 16:37 So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required:
1Ch 16:38 And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:
1Ch 16:39 And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon,
1Ch 16:40 To offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which he commanded Israel;

Though many may disagree, this is where we see spiritual worship begin to take the place of ceremonial worship.

We are to worship God in Spirit and in Truth because this is the way God likes it.

Joh_4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Nothing is gained from ceremonial worship, which is ritual worship!

It appears that David had only built the Holy place and the Holy of Holies and had not built the Tabernacle that was still located in Gibeah.

David appointed Asaph and his brethren to minister before the Lord at all times somewhat like what takes place in Heaven continuously.

Rev_4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

It was Asaph and the singers with musical instruments who were to do this in Jerusalem.

It was Zadok the High Priest who was chosen to lead the worship in Gibeon and who had remained faithful to David and we know that all the house of Eli were pronouced unworthy of which Abiathar was of that family.

Abiathar did remain as High Priest until King Solomon removed him.

It would be Zadok who would lead the worship at Gibeon, the place where the Tabernacle had been reestablished.

Not too far in the future did Abiathar choose David’s son Absalom over David.

What does the Lord say?

Act_15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
Act 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

What these things mean is, that when the Lord Jesus returns to set set up His Millennial Kingdom to rule for one thousand years, then at this time all the remaining Israelites will worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth and not in some ceremonial fashion as was done at that Old Tabernacle.

It will be a new day for all of Israel.

There will be no ceremonial or ritual worship during those one thousand years!

Amen

LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD

Taking time to read the Bible

Book of 1 Chronicles

What Legacy Will You Leave Behind

Planning for the Temple of Solomon

When It Really Counts

Unwise Choices

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