Today's Devotions

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Showcase: Assorted Treats

  • Why We Need the Puritans by JI Packer +

    1 Horse Racing is said to be the sport of kings. The sport of slinging mud has, however, a wider Read More
  • May 9 Devotional: Valley of Vision (Puritans) +

    Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Read More
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Don  Carsonhttp://www.biblestudytools.com/rsv/1-chronicles/22.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/rsv/1-peter/3.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/rsv/micah/1.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/rsv/luke/10.html

1 Chronicles 22; 1 Peter 3; Micah 1; Luke 10

THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE account of David's numbering of the people (1 Chron. 21) and the account of David's formidable preparations for the construction of the temple that his son Solomon would build (1 Chron. 22) is one verse, the first verse of chapter 22, with no parallel in 2 Samuel: "Then David said, 'The house of the LORD God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel'" (1 Chron. 22:1).

So the place where the temple was built is the place where David built an altar to the Lord, calling on him with sacrificial offerings (1 Chron. 21:25–27), and where the angel of death sheathed his sword.

So David laid in formidable supplies of building materials and prepared the people to help his son Solomon build the promised temple. "Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD" (1 Chron. 22:19).

There are some lessons to be learned from this siting of the temple.

(1) The place chosen for the temple is the place where a sacrifice was offered and the wrath of God against sin was averted. Of course, the very design of tabernacle and temple was meant to remind people that sin had to be atoned for, that one could not simply saunter into the presence of the holy God, that the sacrifices God himself had prescribed had to be offered by the designated high priest once a year, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. But the siting of the temple on this location reinforces the point. Worship and religion are not primarily about offering to God something called praise, something God prefers not to be without. Worship and religion are first of all about God-centeredness—and because we are rebels, that means that worship and religion are in the first instance about being reconciled to this God, our Creator and Redeemer, from whom we have willfully become alienated. The heart of the temple is not its choirs, its incense, its ceremonies. The heart of the temple is about averting the wrath of God, by the means he himself has provided.

(2) The siting of the temple is also a mingling of priestly and kingly lines of authority. Originally, the priests and Levites alone were responsible for the tabernacle; the pillar of cloud determined when it would move. But here the king establishes the site—anticipating the offices of king and priest in one man: Jesus Christ.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/loveofgod/2013/11/26/1-chronicles-22-1-peter-3-micah-1-luke-10/

Reflections to Consider

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Publications

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Music

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Audio & Video

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Favorites

  • Process +

      The finished diamond is one of the most beautiful and desirable gems. Read More
  • Not a Conscientious Objector +

    As we abide in him and he abides in us, we are receiving his life rather than creating our own Read More
  • Falling in Love With God +

    “falling in love with God,” as Boa’s subtitle for the facet explains. In this approach we attempt to enter into Read More
  • God's Dimension +

    We experience a great sense of the wonder, boldness, and overwhelming awe of God through our relationship with the Holy Read More
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Hidden Blessings

  • Praise as Warfare by Sylvia Gunter +

    Praise is adoration of God for who He is, His person, His character, His names. It is loving God because Read More
  • Followers First by Steve Tamayo, Chatham Community Church +

    What does it mean to be a Christian? Read More
  • Dallas Willard on Spiritual Formation +

    What does it mean to be a disciple, to follow the disciplines necessary to serve Jesus with our whole heart? Read More
  • Cultivating joy to proclaim the gospel +

    And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15 Read More
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