1 CHRONICLES
I. Genealogy History (1 Chronicles Chapters 1 - 9)
The genealogies show the family tree of the people of Israel beginning from Adam. The descendants of every house and tribe were mentioned by names. This indicates that God is interested in every little tiny detail of our lives, even to the names we bear on this earth. He knows our root and he pays attention even to what we think does not necessarily count. He keeps record of everything (including our names), thus, we are very important to God than we could ever imagine. If such a list of names as this is recorded for our learning, then certainly, there’s a book in Heaven, where every details of our lives are recorded.
Still from this genealogy, we can see how God makes His choice, showing that He is no respecter of persons. He does as it pleases Him.
· The 12 sons of
Jacob – Judah, the fourth son, was his choice
· Saul – Son of
Kish
· David – Son of
Jesse
· Solomon – Son
of David
· Jeroboam –
Servant to Solomon
Going through the book of 1 Chronicles, I realised that when God has
made His choice, He stays committed and remains faithful to whoever He has
chosen as long as that vessel complies with (obeys and follows) the heavenly
order. His choice is not usually based on any external factor or one’s good
works (personal righteousness); it is just His mercy, His will and most
importantly, what He (God) wants to accomplish with that life that at given
time. He is a God who has plans waiting to be initiated through His chosen
vessels. But somehow, some of these vessels truncate the plans of God for their
lives and cut short God’s expectation and promises for them.
So, from the book of 1 Chronicles, we will be looking into some acts of
God to His chosen vessels, their relationships and the attitudes of these
vessels. While some where originally chosen, others where
replacements. Chronicles was a book of events, repeatedly recorded in the book
of Samuel for a purpose. May the Lord help us to touch that purpose and help
our lives in Jesus name.
II. Saul, A Chosen Vessel (1
Chronicles Chapters 10 - 12)
Saul was an ordinary man, the son of Kish, who went out to search for
his father’s lost asses. Fortunately for him, he had an encounter with Samuel
that turned his life around, simply because God had selected him to be the king
of Israel (1 Samuel 9). Saul became an answer to the prayer of the Israelites
in their quest for a king.
…BUT Saul lacked one thing: He did not know the nature of the God he was
dealing with. He did not understand His ways. He lacked training. (Very
unfortunate – He was not from a royal family, yet he was chosen to be a king.
Though Samuel loved Saul, but it never dawned on Saul, to learn the ways and
things of God). He remained in a place of honour with his old, normal life and
identity as the Son of Kish, who was more concerned about 'what would people
say', than 'what would God say'. His fear for his people, made him
disobedient to God.
He lacked sensitivity of what God was doing with him. He was not taking
stock of his life, neither was he observing the victories God was giving to
him. At least, if he had done that, he would have noticed that indeed, a new
spirit had come into him and he was no longer the ordinary Saul he used to be.
If he truly had taken cognisance of what was happening to him, he would have
retreated, offered thanks to God, asked questions, and learnt the ways of the
Spirit. He would have allowed the Spirit of God to work with him.
Evidently, the first time he attempted to offer sacrifice to God; it was
not appropriate. It made God reject him as king. Although, God still gave him
victory despite his error, yet, Saul did not repent of the sin (mistake) he had
committed. Rather, he justified his act by saying he forced himself
to offer burnt offerings to the Lord (1 Samuel 13:12). What does this remind us
of ?
Philippians 2:12-15 - “Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do
of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings (KJV).”
Again, it was recorded that even when he tried obeying God, he did not
obey the full instructions of God - this displeased God greatly.
In the end, 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 recorded thus: “So Saul died
for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against
the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one
that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not
of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son
of Jesse.”
From this, I see that the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives should
never be under estimated. He is God’s seal on our lives and He will teach us
and guide us into all truth. The Spirit of God came into King Saul, but what
truly happened?
Would you continue to ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit that is
speaking to you?
Are you still experiencing little defeats secretly and you cover it
up?
The Holy Spirit is there to Help. Cry out to God. No matter how tiny the
dead work in our life may be It can spoil everything God is intending to make
of you and even the work of God.
King Saul was a chosen vessel:
- He did not know the ways of
His master.
- He was insensitive to the
things happening around him, so was not a man of appreciation.
- He was disobedient/partially
obedient.
- Had an unrepentant heart.
- He was a lying king.
- Though, he was loved by
Samuel, who could have been a helpful and wonderful discipler to him, yet
he did not make use of the privileges he had. He was a king who perished
because he decided to be ignorant. He followed after his flesh. His
self-life took control over him, instead of the Spirit. It was not as if
God did not release His Spirit, He did!
Prayer:
- Father, open my eyes and
grant me a revelation of the cross daily.
- Let the cross begin to
syphon every trace of dead work that is remaining in me.
- Help me to study Your Word;
let it become flesh in my life. I do not want head knowledge but let it
dwell in my heart and let the Holy Spirit work with it to become life
inside of me.
- Give me a meditative heart.
Help me to take cognisance of your goodness in my life, so that I can be
grateful and repenting always.
- Close every loophole in my
life. Seal it up completely so that I do not become sifted from you.
- Lord, may I not ignore the
voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to me, nor grieve Him.
III. David, A Replacement Vessel
(1 Chronicles 11 – 17)
God replaced King Saul with a young David. David knew the ways of
God as well as His statues and he kept them. (1 Chronicles 13:1-2). Having experienced the wrath of God upon Uzza,
he was sensitive enough to know the right thing to do, and he feared God. (1
Chronicles 13:9-13 and 1 Chronicles 15:11-15).
David was a man of enquiring. He enquired from the Lord before embarking
on his missions. He was not a man of presumption (1 Chronicles 14:10-16), for
some of us, it is either we are too fast, impatient, have itching ears, or
sometimes, we simply conclude in our heart what we want to do before consulting
God. We follow our “sixth sense” and use experiences of our old life to handle
situation of the divine nature that is meant to carve us into God’s desire. For
some of us, we cannot even wait. We forget that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2 Peter 3:8 - But, beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day.
David knew how to walk with the Lord’s instructions
and did not bank on his past victories and presume God for new victories using
his past experiences.
The Lord gave soldiers to David and desired to increase them, until they
became a great host like the host of the Lord (1 Chronicles 12:22). In essence,
when you have been chosen by the Lord, the Lord does everything possible to see
you through unto the end. He makes provision by Himself. He does not call you
into a labour where you will have to struggle to succeed or defend yourself. He
would rather be your defence and helper. He can turn the hearts of many just
for your sake (1 Chronicles 12:38 -39).
David was a man of gratitude, praise and thanksgiving. Unlike Saul, he
could recognise the mighty hand of God at work. He took cognisance of it and
thanked the Lord for his victories. He delivered his first psalm in the book
of 1 Chronicles 16:4 -36, i.e. Psalm 105. David’s psalm to the Lord showed that
he was a man who knew his roots; a man who knew the statues, the promises and
covenant of God to him and his people. This helped him to praise and thank the
Lord with understanding, faith as well as boldness to charge the Lord to bring
to pass his promises.
1 Chronicles 17 (God's Word Translation)
David’s heart was completely filled with the desire to please the
Lord. He carried the Lord in his heart. He did not seek to please the Lord in
order to gain a favour from him. For David, it was more of a lifestyle. (1
Chronicles 17: 1-2)
He desired to build God a house, but what was God’s response?
God’s response to David’s desire revealed the goodness of God to anyone
who simply walks in His ways. Please endeavour to read 1 Chronicles
17- it is mind blowing!
But you may ask, “Did David not also sin against
God?"
Yes, he did, but what was his attitude when he learnt he had sinned
against the one whom he loved? David had a repentant heart – He pleaded
with God! (Psalm 51).
David was not replaced, but succeeded by his son...but what happened
after that?
III. Solomon, A Chosen Vessel (1 Chronicles 23)
Solomon, succeeded his father, King David.
But he did not follow the Lord the way his father David did.
His cravings took him away from following the path of the Lord.
He lusted after the lost and defiled, breached the commandments of God,
took wrong women as wives and served their gods.
He was disobedient by this singular act, and God tore the kingdom
(tribes) away from him.
IV. Jeroboam, A Replacement Vessel (1 Kings 11:26 -33 God's
Word Translation)
A servant to Solomon and a man of valour.
God handed the kingdom (tribes) of Solomon to Jeroboam.
But for David' sake and Jerusalem's sake, he left just one tribe.
God revealed his desires to Jeroboam (1 Kings 11: 35 – 38).
God remained faithful unto David even after his reign because he
observed the ways of God and followed God correctly. His sure mercies was
bestowed upon him.
Solomon lost his position because of his cravings and worldly desires.
What are you actually craving for in the world that the Father cannot satisfy
you with? When you keep feeding on what you have not been given, you only put
poison into your system and cut short God’s plans and purpose for your life.
The Lord is seeking for vessels that will follow him not just in words,
but in deeds. When He elevates you, it is not because of you, but because
of what he wants to do. When he allocates resources to you, it is for a
purpose.
Prayer:
- Lord, I thank You for You are a loving Father.
Please, as you showed mercy unto David, grant unto me also, Your sure
mercies. Help me Lord and look unto me with you mercy. Lord, put me in the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of your sure mercy.
- Help me to serve you with an
upright heart all the days of my life.
- Lord, deliver me completely
from the cravings of the flesh and the things of the world. Put hatred in
my heart for them. Give me the singleness of heart in my walk with you in
this discipleship. There is no other way out, except through the cross.
1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God.
Forbid any other gospel. The problem of all these vessels of the Old
Testament was that their flesh was not crucified. (Galatians 5:24). Jesus has
completed it on the cross. Jesus nailed the flesh and he died. If God has
brought you this far and has chosen you to know this truth, give heed!
In the agenda of God, He will be replacing sons and daughters, eliminating and bringing the low and abased to a place of honour. He will be bringing us into plenty and directing resources and lives to us, just for the purpose of ushering revival that will yield a great harvest of souls; but how can we be made qualified without the true complete gospel?
Lord, let this gospel be engraved in our hearts and become our lives in Jesus' name. Abba, Father, keep us daily near the cross! Amen.
Hebrews 2:1 - Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed
to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them
slip.
Discipleship is
God’s only tool for making us.
