I am receiving a richer and deeper flavor of the importance of us reading the Bible. As I have shared, God sent me on a journey to reread his Word to enrich my relationship with Him. When I was a child and a Sunday School student, I remember thinking to myself, why are we going over these same stories again and again… I already know them! Now as an adult, I know the importance. Because when life starts to happen, as it will for all of us, Satan will swoop in to kill, steal, and destroy any memory we have of the good things that God has done for his people and for YOU!
1 Chronicles depicts the names of anyone with a title and how many of them they are. I came to the conclusion it is why this book is called Chronicles. It chronicles just about everyone! In Chapter 28, David is talking about building a house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant. David wanted to build this house himself. However, in verse 3, David said God told him because he had been a man of war and had shed blood he could not build the house for him.
Let’s park here for a moment. Undoubtedly, there are some lessons to be gleaned from this. Number one, David was listening to God. He was open to hear what God was saying to him. Had David been operating in the flesh he could have ignored God and did it his way. Number two, David humbled himself before God. It must have been a shock to David’s ego because he came up with the idea and he had the desire to do it. Yet, David humbled himself before God and allowed God to have his way. Are you allowing God to have his way in your life?
As we move along in this chapter, David is sharing this information with princes, tribes, captains of the many companies. So there were many people gathered to hear David share his faith and declaration to God. It was clearly about God and not about him. David shares that God chose Solomon, of all of his sons, to build this temple unto Him. And David shares the great inheritance that will be upon Solomon as he takes on this task that God shared with him.
Verse 9 is so piercing when you read it. It is the best advice a father could give to his son, a parent to their child, a friend to a friend. David urges Solomon to know God as his father, serve him with a perfect heart and willing mind because God searches ALL hearts and understands ALL imaginations of the thoughts. Folks, this is rich and deep! I encourage you to read this verse for yourself. David goes on to tell Solomon if you seek God you will find him. Then comes the caution, if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Wow! Then he encourages him to take heed of what he has told him and to remember God has chosen him to build this temple, so be strong and DO IT! Glory!
What great advice! This is the best advice ever… even for us! We have to remember that God knows our hearts and our minds, thoughts and imaginations. That is all encompassing. It is EVERYTHING. God knows us through and through. AND, if we seek Him we will find Him. David ends this advice by telling Solomon to be STRONG and DO IT…Enough said… Love & Blessings!