1 Chronicles 1-29 - The Bible from 30,000 Feet - Skip Heitzig - Flight 1CHR1
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The Bible from 30,000 Feet-- soaring through the Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
Would you turn in your Bible to the Book of?
1 Chronicles.
1 Chronicles-- 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles, Chapter 1. Any of you from San Francisco, raise your hand. You're from there. Any San Franciscans? OK, or you visited San Francisco? How's that? We can do that. So you know what the name of the newspaper in San Francisco is?
The Chronicle.
The Chronicle. The San Francisco Chronicle. Anybody from Houston, Texas here? Really? No Texans? We have Texans here, probably, but not from Houston. Ever visited Houston?
Yes.
You know what the newspaper name is?
Chronicle.
Houston Chronicle. OK. So you can see where I'm going with this. So ever been to Augusta, Georgia? The newspaper there is called the--
Chronicle.
Augusta Chronicle. So when you hear the word "chronicle," typically, you think of that. It's a common name for a newspaper. It's the way a reporter would lay out and stage, or journal, the affairs of that city in any given day or in any given week. It's a history of the community through the eyes of a reporter. That's what a chronicle means.
Originally, 1 and 2 Chronicles were one book in the Hebrew Bible, just called the Chronicles. The Hebrew name is [HEBREW]. I don't expect you to ever remember that or to even write that down. But it means "the words of the days"-- "the words of the days," or "the journal of the journey of the nation." These are the words in a journal written by chroniclers of the nation of Israel.
Way before there were cameras or tape recorders or CD-Rom devices or MP3s, way before that, there were guys who sat in palace throne rooms called chroniclers. And they would be writing the affairs of state-- what the king said, what the commands were, what the nation should do, what is happening in that nation. He recorded the events of the day.
We have before us the chronicles of the nation of Israel. But it's far more than just a straight reporting of events. It's an editorial. And that's what I want you to see and I want you to grasp and I'd like to explain. It is an editorial. It's not like a newspaper only chronicling the events, but it's taken from a different angle.
So 1 and 2 Chronicles covers the same material you've already covered, in certain parts-- 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings. Some of those events are repeated here in 1 Chronicles. But there's a twist. It's an editorial. It's a divine editorial.
It is not just the history of the nation. It's the history of the nation from a spiritual vantage point, a spiritual perspective. So the history of Israel is really the history of God working through the nation of Israel. And this book, more than the previous books that cover the history, will show you that.
Now, who is the author of the book of 1 and 2 Chronicles? We believe it is Ezra-- Ezra the priest. We'll get to his book soon enough. And why? Because the way 1 and 2 Chronicles is written, the way it's laid out, the words chosen, the way the sentences are constructed, reads a lot like the same construction in the Book of Ezra.
They're very, very similar in style. And just by reading Ezra and reading the Chronicles, they both seem to have the perspective of somebody from the priesthood of Israel. And we know that Ezra was a priest.
Here's another tip-off. The last paragraph of 2 Chronicles is the same as the first paragraph, with minor changes, of the Book of Ezra. It's as if he captures one thought, and then he moves with that thought in the first book, or the only book, called the Book of Ezra. After 2 Chronicles comes that book.
So it makes sense because the topics covered in this book are topics like the temple of Israel, the priesthood, and the theocratic dynasty of the lineage of David. So that would be of interest to a priest. So we think that Ezra wrote this book.
Now, the Book of Chronicles-- 1 Chronicles, especially-- is centered around one person in particular, and that is King David. In fact, David, his name is recorded more than 180 times in this book. You'll read a lot about David, David, David, David. You're always going back to him and to his lineage.
So it's a book that centers around David. We can divide the book up into two, can divide it into ancestry and activity, all about David-- ancestry and activity. Chapters 1 through 9-- David's rightful ancestry. And then chapters 10 through 29-- David's royal activity. So ancestry first, activity second. But it's all about David.
In the first nine chapters, 3,000 years are covered. I'll show you how in a minute. 3,000 years are covered in the first nine chapters. In the last part of the book, beginning in chapter 10, only 30 years are covered. That's the reign of David in Israel as a united nation. First, he reigned in Hebron seven years, then 30 years as the king of the united monarchy. And when I talk about united monarchy in the Old Testament sense, I don't mean England and Scotland. I mean Israel and Judah combined together.
So let's begin with a few verses in chapter 1. We're going to move pretty quickly through here. Because can you just take a glimpse? And what do you notice as you just take a glimpse of these chapters?
Names. You think last week was tough with names? Wait till you get a load of these names, and we're only going to read a few of them. But we're looking at David's rightful ancestry. The first nine chapters, as I mentioned, cover 3,000 years of genealogical record from Adam, the first human being, to David, the second king of Israel.
So chapter 1, verse 1. Adam, Sheth, Enosh. Verse 4-- I'm doing this specifically to get you to track with certain names-- Noah-- that's familiar-- Shem, Ham, Japheth-- all familiar. Verse 24, Shem is sort of familiar, probably, to some of you. Arphaxad, probably not familiar to most of you. Shelah-- verse 25. Eber, Peleg, Reu.
Now, that is a noteworthy verse-- verse 25. In fact, you may even want to commit it to memory. You're thinking, fat chance. Why would I say that? It's the shortest verse in the Old Testament. That's what makes it significant. We know what the shortest verse in the Bible, in the New Testament-- Jesus wept. This is the second shortest.
The shortest verse in the Old Testament is verse 25, so you'll impress your friends, maybe-- Eber, Peleg, and Reu. Serag, Nahor, Tera-- now we get to familiar ground-- and Abram, who is Abraham. The sons of Abraham, or Isaac and Ishmael, these are their genealogies. We're following a lineage, a genealogical record with several names. It's an obituary at this point.
Chapter 2 is Jacob's sons. And we go from a guy by the name of Ram, who's also mentioned in The New Testament-- genealogy of Jesus-- to David, the line of David. Chapter 2, verse 10-- Ram begot Amminadab. Amminadab begot Nahshon, leader of the children of Judah.
Just reading some of these names, now you can see why the Book of 1 Chronicles is not high on most people's list of devotional books of the Bible. Your favorite life verse probably doesn't come out of any of these nine chapters. I defy anyone here to say, my favorite verse is. And if you are, you probably just made that up.
Verse 11-- Nahshon begot Salma. Salma begot Boaz. Now it's getting familiar again. Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot Jesse. Jesse begot Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second, Shimeah, the third, Nethaneel, the fourth, Raddai, the fifth, Ozem, the sixth, and David, the seventh.
Now we're on to King David. But his brothers are mentioned first in this lineage. So just in case you wonder who didn't get picked as king, David is the guy picked, but all his other brothers who came first, none of them were chosen.
Chapter 3, verse 1. Now, these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron. OK. You get the flavor. We're dealing with the most extensive genealogical record in all of the Scripture. First, we go from Adam to David, as we have seen. We go through Adam, Noah, Jephthah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah-- the tribe of Judah, the son of Jacob, then the tribe of Judah-- down to the line of King David.
So we go from Adam to David. And it's highly selective. What you find in these nine chapters-- and I don't expect you to wade through them. I did wade through them. I did read through the whole book. I like to get familiar with it, even the names. I just waded through it.
There's certain parts I find interesting. One of them is the lineage is followed. And then, when it's not germane to the main story, it drops off. And I'll tell you why one would be important and one would not be.
If it is an important lineage, it keeps going. It wants to lead you on and point you in a genealogical direction. But you'll get a little bit of Ishmael, then it drops off. You get a little bit of a Esau, then it drops off. But the other line continues and is narrow. So it's highly selective.
And here's the reason. It's to trace the lineage of David from the creation to the captivity and, eventually, to Christ-- creation, captivity, Christ. And I'm making those distinctions because by the time you get to the New Testament genealogical records, you follow the same pattern from creation to captivity to Christ. So the genealogical records are displayed in detail.
And what it shows you-- and here's the grand theme-- God is at work through human history to isolate a particular nation and to preserve that nation so that nation can become the receptacle of the Messiah, the Savior, the only hope of mankind. It wants to show you how that nation is preserved.
Now, let me throw something out at you. Because if you've read through Chronicles, you're thinking, Skip, I'm sorry. You always say the Bible's exciting. But this, really, I didn't find this exciting. In fact-- in fact-- and you get kind of nervous to admit it-- I found it boring.
I want you to know something. I just feel good about saying this, too. It wasn't meant to be interesting. 1 Chronicles was never meant to be interesting. I'll explain that in a minute, but I just want to hold that thought.
When you open the New Testament, if you think you're going to get some riveting hook, you'll be surprised. Because the first 17 chapters of the New Testament start out like this-- a genealogical record. Here's how it starts. The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac begot Jacob. Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
And it traces them all the way down to David. So that's not what you would call a hook, an attention-getter, like, wow, I just gotta read more. And yet it's presented in the very first chapter of the New Testament-- Matthew, chapter 1.
Now, in reading this, in part, and in hearing that, here's what I want you to keep something in mind about. All scripture is inspired by God, even this genealogical record, even the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped-- all of it, including this.
If you had a Jewish background, you would understand the importance of a genealogy. It was all-important in ancient Israel to know your background, your genealogical record. Why? Well, if you wanted to sell land, you had to make sure-- so that the land wouldn't leave the tribe allotment-- you had that prove a genealogy. If somebody was going to buy it or you were going to get it back later on, you had to prove your genealogical connection to that land by tribe. So it was important for that.
Number two-- if you were going to serve in the priesthood, you had to prove that you were from the tribe of Levi, right? So Ezra, if he wrote the book, when they came back from the captivity, they had to prove that they had the genealogical lineage that would belong to the priesthood before they could serve. If they couldn't prove it, they couldn't serve.
There's a third reason genealogies are important. If you're going to come along and claim you're the Messiah, anybody with a Jewish background is going to ask, really? What tribe are you from? What family are you from? What lineage are you from? Where were you born? They're going to want to know all that because of the predictions laid out in scripture that are very specific as to what line the Messiah would take.
I remember years ago, a man came to our church. It was a Thursday night Bible study at that time. I didn't know who he was. I just saw him come through the door. I'm talking to people before the service. One of my assistant comes up and says, Skip, you gotta talk to this guy at the door. He says he's Jesus. I said, really? I mean, like "hay-soos"?
It was, no, no. He says he's Jesus. OK. I didn't know what it was all about. So I met him, and he claimed, indeed, he was Jesus the Messiah. So I knew I'm dealing with a wingnut. It didn't take much, right, to figure that out. He's one burrito short of a combo plate. But I thought, I'll give him a chance. He was very sincere.
I said, do you have proof of that? He goes, yes, I do. I said, what do you have? And he pulled out some documents. He says, this is the Third Testament. I said, oh, the third testament. Well, I've heard of the first two, the Old and the New Testament. Yes, but this is the third testament. It authenticates me.
I said, really? Who wrote the third testament? He said, I did. I said, OK. So then I just started asking questions that, normally, a Jewish person would ask when somebody claims to be the Messiah. Where were you born? And he goes, Pittsburgh.
So then I definitely knew this is not the Messiah because he wasn't born in Bethlehem, in Judea, of the lineage of David from the tribe of Judah back to Abraham, Isaac Jacob. So we showed him the door politely and made it clear that he wasn't allowed back until he changed his personal theology a bit. Anyway, fun night.
Now, back to that statement I mentioned a moment ago. This section is not meant to be interesting. Let me expand on that. It's not meant to be interesting. It's meant to be accurate. You know what it's like? It's like a dictionary. How many of you read a dictionary through just because it's interesting? Some of you might, but I don't know if I want to get too close to you if you do.
Most people don't read it through. It's a reference work. If I go to an auto parts store, which I've done many times, they have to look in a book, and they find the year and the part, and they go through a few other things. It takes them a while, but they're really digging in and finding the accuracy of the number and then ordering the part.
I'm positive that guy doesn't take that little reference book home at night and read through it, like, wow, this is riveting. Because it's not. But it's accurate. And it's a reference. And so the genealogical records provide the accurate reference that goes all the way back to the beginning. That was important to them. So that is David's ancestry. His rightful ancestry is cataloged in chapters 1 through 9. Enough said.
We're in chapter 10. And chapter 10 begins the second portion of the book-- David's royal activity. First part was 3,000 years. This is 30 years, as David reigned over the united kingdom. Chapter 10 is the end of Saul's kingdom, and then chapter 11, the beginning of David's kingdom.
I want to show you something. I want to show you that editorial bit I told you about, show you how God gives a divine editorial and the spiritual health of a nation through these words. So let me just plant something in your mind, so you can compare.
You remember back in the previous books, in 1 Samuel, when Saul died? He died in a battle on Mount Gilboa against the Philistines. They wounded him. He knew he wasn't going to get out of the battle alive, so he fell on his sword. He asked his armor bearer to kill him. He wouldn't do it, so he fell in a sword, committed suicide, right? That's how he dies.
Now, I want you to see how the chronicler tells it from a spiritual perspective. Chapter 10, verse 13-- "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord"-- that's the divine editorial-- "because he did not keep the word of the Lord and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore, He"-- the Lord-- "killed him." How's that for a divine editorial?
"And turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse." He's given the why behind the what. Chapter 11 begins David's kingdom. Verse 1-- "Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron"-- that's down south, in Judah-- "saying, indeed, we are your bone and flesh." Notice the unity that's there. There's unity among the tribes of Israel.
"Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in, and the Lord your God said to you, you shall shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over My people Israel." Notice there was loyalty. So we have unity and loyalty. We're together, and we recognize that you are the one who has shepherded this people. We want to be a part of it. We're going to follow you. There's an allegiance of unity and loyalty.
With that thought in mind, let me read something to you from the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. In chapter 13, the writer of Hebrews says, "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the Word of God to you, whose faith follow. Considering the outcome of their conduct, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them."
A few verses later-- I'm reading out of Hebrews 13, verse 17-- "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls." They shepherd your souls, like David, whom they said, you have shepherded us in times past. "As those who must give an account, let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
So likewise, the Old Testament counterpart to the New Testament directive, follow your leaders. And I'm not saying that just because I'm a leader of a church. I would do it if somebody else was and I was sitting in the pew, and I did that when I was.
But the writer says, do it, and don't make it hard for them. Don't give them grief. Because it's going to be unprofitable, not just for them but for you. You'll make it hard on yourself. The people recognized that, and they gave their loyalty to David as their new king here.
Verse 3-- "Therefore, all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel." When did Samuel speak that word?
Privately, in a house, when he went to Bethlehem and he went to the house of Jesse and he said bring your boys out here. So they brought the eldest, Eliab, and all those names that I read to you a moment ago, who didn't make king. And finally, David, the seventh, is brought in, this ruddy little handsome kid out in the sheep fold. And the Lord spoke to him and said, that's the guy. Anoint David. He's going to be the man.
Now, why did he do that? There was already a king in Israel named Saul. Why did God dispatch Samuel to the house of Jesse to find another King? Because of Saul's unfaithfulness. The author already said God killed him.
But in 1 Samuel, chapter 13, Samuel said to King Saul these words. "And now, your kingdom shall not continue, for the Lord has sought for himself"-- you know what the next phrase is-- "a man after his own heart. And the Lord has commanded him to be commander over his people because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."
David is the only man in scripture with that description-- a man after God's own heart. It mystifies us, really. Because we know David. We've read the rest of the story. A man after God's own heart committed adultery with Bathsheba, got her husband drunk, killed him off, did a lot of things against the Lord?
Yet God says, you're a man after my own heart. Don't think that that means perfect. Because it wasn't. He had flaws. Another translation puts it this way-- a man after God's own mind. Or another translation-- the Knox translation-- a man to fulfill God's purposes.
Now, think about this for a moment in terms of your own life. Think of that phrase-- a man to fulfill God's purpose, or a woman to fulfill God's purpose. Think of the potential in that phrase. It's as if God is saying, I don't see David in his sin.
I know his sin. But I am seeing David with the potential for David to be something other than that, a man after my heart, my mind, someone who will fulfill my purposes. Just think what God can do through you, no matter what your past is, what God can do through you, a man or woman sold out to God.
It might have been DL Moody-- there's a lot of stories about who said this originally-- but there's a great statement that goes like this. The world has yet to see what God can do through one man totally devoted to Him. The world has yet to see what God can do through one woman or man totally devoted to Him. Be that person. Be a spiritual person.
There's an old recipe from antiquity about how to cook a rabbit for a meal. The first direction-- first, catch the rabbit. I like that. It's so obvious. It's so simple. It's axiomatic. It's self-explanatory. How do you make rabbit soup? Well, first, catch the rabbit.
Now let me give you the recipe for having spiritual influence. First, be spiritual. First, be spiritual. First, be devoted and dedicated to God. You want to be a person who influences the next generation? Be a spiritual person. First, catch the rabbit. Then you can cook it. First, be spiritual. Then you can influence people spiritually. Keep your priorities straight.
Over in Milan, Italy, there is a church, a cathedral, that has an arched entryway. There's three arches, actually-- a large arch in the center and two smaller ones on the side. There's an inscription over each archway. On one archway, it reads, "All that pleases is but for a moment." On the other archway, it reads, "All that troubles is but for a moment." In the center archway, the biggest archway, the grand archway, it reads, "That only is important which is eternal."
What pleases and what troubles-- [SNAPS]-- it's over in a heartbeat. But if you want something to last that is eternal, that's what you want to aim for. If you were to let those three truths govern you, you would be a man or woman after God's own heart. Perfect? No. Filled with flaws? Yes. But a person of potential and influence? Yes.
But I'm flawed. So? That's why David should encourage you. Yet God calls him a man after his own heart. Now, the rest of 1 Chronicles will deal with David's reign up until the transition with the next king, named-- the next king after David is?
Solomon.
Solomon. Wake up.
[LAUGHTER]
And we're going to get there. But if you were to compare this book with the same stories that are written about David and the surrounding events of David, from the book of 2 Samuel, you will find similarities, but you will also find differences.
Let me explain. You'll find included here in 1 Chronicles, like in 1 Samuel, you'll find the story of David moving the Ark to Jerusalem and Uzza putting his hand out to steady the Ark. And he gets struck dead. That's the same. It's written here.
But in this book, you read nothing about David's struggle with Saul. It took place for a whole decade. You read nothing of David's sin with Bathsheba. And you read nothing about Absalom's rebellion against David. That is absent from this narrative.
Why is that? Not to trick you but for the audience, the audience that-- who's writing the book? Ezra's writing the book-- the audience that Ezra would have written to was post-captivity. You know what I mean by that? After the Babylonian captivity, Jews returned back to Jerusalem.
For those returning Jews, Ezra wanted to write something that would encourage them so they'd press on in the future, not be mortified because of the bad stuff that happened in the past. Yes, you've had dark days, he would say, but you have a bright future. God wants to do something with this nation. This nation is going somewhere.
So some of that extraneous stuff is pulled out. The history, the integrity of the history, is still maintained, but it is a divine editorial. Ezra's writing it. But also, keep in mind it's superintended by God. He's actually the author of the book. The Holy Spirit is the divine author.
So history is one thing. His story is quite another. And God takes your history and weaves your story into His story so that, again, no matter how dark your past is, your future can be bright as He gets ahold of your life.
It was quoted beautifully tonight in that little script before the study that God isn't like man. He doesn't look like man looks. He doesn't see like man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. So God chooses David and chooses to put David in the best light, as a man after God's own heart. Again, this should encourage you.
Let's show you another example of this divine editorial-- chapter 12. Chapter 12, people come from the different tribes of Israel to align themselves and pledge loyalty and align themselves with David. Chapter 12, verse 1-- "These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still a fugitive from Saul, the son of Kish.
And they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones, ambidextrous, and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul's brethren." So a bunch of people around the country sensed an anointing in David's life, came to him.
Verse 21-- "They helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. From that time"-- verse 22-- "from that time, they came to David day by day to help him until it was a great army like the army of God." So this grassroots movement, this groundswell of defection from Saul's army, more and more aligning themselves with David until they finally coronated David as their king.
Now, the next few chapters tells the ongoing animosity between Israel and this group that nags them through this period of history called the Philistines. They've settled along the coast of Israel. David has killed a giant by the name of?
Goliath.
Goliath. So Goliath is long gone. They want revenge. Chapter 14, verse 8-- "When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all of Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David, and David heard of it and went out against them. Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim."
And I like this verse. "David inquired of God, saying, shall I go up against the Philistines?" David's a soldier. You would think a soldier, if he sees a threat, he just goes to war. It's instinctive. It's a knee-jerk reaction. It's an immediate response. There's a threat. I'm going to counter it.
But Ezra gives insight into David's spiritual life, his prayer life. He asks the Lord, Lord, should I go for it? Should I fight these guys? Shall I go up against the Philistines?
Next question he asks, verse 10-- "Will you deliver them into my hand?" That really is the important question. "And the Lord said to him, go up, for I will deliver them into your hand." So that's Ezra's little editorial comment on David's prayer life. At this stage in his life, he was still pure, seeking the Lord.
Chapters 13 through 16-- in other words, after what we just read-- is the moving of the Ark, the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Remember, the Philistines captured it. They returned it. Then David tried to move it, and they put it on a cart-- we already read the story-- put it on a cart.
A guy named music Uzza stretched out his hand because it was going to tip over. God struck him dead. Dave was all bummed out. And they finally got it right, put it on poles, carried it up. This story is mentioned here. And they have a huge celebration.
Chapter 17 I want you to look at. 17 is the key chapter of the book and one of the most pivotal chapters in the Bible. Now, let me jog your memory. Because I said the exact same thing about a chapter in 2 Samuel. It was chapter 7. 2 Samuel 7 is similar to 1 Chronicles, chapter 17. It is the covenant that God makes with David.
Let me give you three words that sum up the book, the whole book-- blessing, judgment, covenant. All three themes are followed in this book-- blessing, judgment, covenant. Covenant is the big neon sign word that you need to remember for 1 Chronicles. It's about the covenant that God made with Abraham and, now, the covenant that God makes with David.
God promises to David a lineage-- a genealogical offspring-- that will last forever. And because it will last forever, it must refer to whom?
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ. He's really the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's the only one that will last forever. So he promises a lineage that will last forever. Solomon, his son, fulfills part of it, as you'll see. Jesus fulfills the other part, the second part of it.
Solomon fulfills the immediacy of the promise. Jesus fulfills the eternality of the promise. One is temporary. One is eternal. It is the thread-- the crimson thread or the scarlet thread-- of redemption.
So here's what happens. David's kicking back in his palace. He's got a nice palace. And he looks around. He goes, man-- I'm kind of embellishing it a bit-- man, I got nice digs here. This is a sweet spot. I got a sweet setup here in Jerusalem-- my big screen TV going on, I have a great view of the city. Yet the Ark of the Covenant is out there in that little tent. I've got this beautiful palace, but God's living in a tent. I need to build God a house.
He goes to Nathan, the prophet. He goes, Nathan, God's put it in my heart to build Him a nice house. He's been out in that tent long enough. We gotta move Him into a big palace like me. And so Nathan, kind of being a yes man, says, do all that is in your heart, David.
But that night, God wakes Nathan up and says, Nathan, you spoke too soon, buddy. I don't need a house. I never asked for a house. I moved in a tent for years. My presence is bigger than any temple. I don't require something fancy or ornate.
Well, let me read it-- have you read it yourself-- 1 Chronicles 17, verse 9. "Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people, Israel, and will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own"-- that's the Abrahamic covenant-- "and move no more, nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them any more, as previously." We're kind of still waiting for all that to happen, but it's a promise.
"Since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people, Israel, also, I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore, I tell you the Lord will build you a house." You're going to build me a house? I don't need a house. I'm good. I'm going to build you a house.
Now, here's David thinking about building God a house literally. God counters and says, I'm going to build you a house dynastically-- spiritually and literally. There's going to be a lineage that's going to come from your loins. You're going to have people raised up as kings. But there's going to be an eternal kingdom that is going to come, eventually.
So here's David saying, I'm making plans for God, and God saying, have I got plans for you. It's a great twist on it. Again, here's the principle-- you can never outgive God. You go, I'm going to give this to the Lord. All this generosity is welling up within me. God's saying, oh, wait till you see how I'm going to bless you. You can't outgive Him.
Verse 11-- "It shall be when your days"-- God's speaking to David-- "when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you who will be of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build Me a house." Who is that referring to?
Solomon.
Solomon. Solomon built the temple. And-- notice that "and"-- I will establish his throne-- the lineage of his throne, the seat of his throne-- forever. That is not Solomon. That must refer to whom?
Jesus.
Jesus. I will be his father. He shall be my son. I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it away from who was before you. And I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom forever. And his throne shall be established forever."
Now, here's the Covenant. Number one, David's going to have a son. Solomon-- though David had many sons-- Solomon will be his successor. He will build the temple. Second component of the Covenant-- the throne of David will be established forever.
That's not Solomon. That's Jesus. Yes, Solomon is the son of David, but Jesus is also called the son of David. Sometimes the word "son" means the offspring of. You could say, if your grandfather is named George, you could say I'm the son of George. If your great grandfather was named George, I'm still the son of George. That's how it worked in the chronology of Judaism. So Jesus would be the greater son of David. And he will refer to himself, and be referred to, by that name, the son of David.
So I hope you'll indulge me. I'm going to read a little section out of-- this is a book I wrote. And I'm not saying this as a shameless plug. I want to put something together for you. "In the generations to come, David's descendants would occupy Israel's throne. In the long-term, Jesus would come as Israel's true king and deliverer but would go unrecognized.
He announced to Pilate, 'My kingdom is not of this world'-- John 18:36-- but that was then. The plan all along was for him to eventually return and set up an earthly kingdom as 'the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords'-- Revelation 17:14 and 19:16. When Jesus does return, he will occupy David's throne in Jerusalem and will rule from it for 1,000 years." That's the millennial kingdom.
"The angel Gabriel told Mary that her son will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David." Remember, that's what the angel said. "And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom, there will be no end." That's Luke 1:32 and 33.
"Based on the promise that God made here in 1 Chronicles 17, the Jews understood that the one called the son of David would be the Messiah. That's why Matthew was quick to establish the connection in his gospel, beginning with these words, 'The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.'"
So all of that is happening in this chapter. David's dynasty is going to be interrupted by captivity. They're going to go into Babylonian captivity. That line will be broken with Jeconiah and then Zedekiah.
But then Jesus will come. He'll come the first time to free people from sin. Then he'll come back the second time. We're still waiting for that coming. And when He comes back the second time, He comes to rule with those who have been cleansed from sin. All that is part of the covenant that is established, in part, here.
I'm belaboring this because I want to make a point. One of the reasons we teach the Old Testament, and one of the reasons I'm so opposed to anybody saying, let's get unhitched from the Old Testament, is because you won't understand the New Testament. You won't have any clue. You won't know eschatology. You won't be able to understand the ministry of Jesus or the words of the prophets unless you understand this chapter and this Covenant of David.
And so the New Testament authors will play off these Old Testament promises and show that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's covenant to David. It's that obvious in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost, Peter stands up and begins his sermon quoting Psalm 16.
And he says, "Men and brethren"-- you know Psalm 16 says you will not leave my soul in hell nor suffer your Holy One or allow your Holy One to see corruption. That's Psalm 16. So he says, "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried in his tomb, is with us to this day.
Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God has sworn an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on the throne." Now, there is Peter saying, I know 1 Chronicles Chapter 17 and 2 Samuel 7. I know that promise, and it's now being fulfilled. He draws upon the history of the old.
OK. Temple worship is explained in the rest of the book. David prepares the materials, prepares the blueprint. It's all laid out. It's all mapped out because he basically says to the leaders around him, look. Solomon is going to be the king, but he has no experience at all. He'll be in so far over his head, but he charges Solomon to build it.
So chapter 22, verse 6. Boy, I love hearing that.
[WHIRRING]
Then he called for his son Shlomo. That is the Hebrew pronunciation of the word that you see in front of you. Solomon we say in English, Shlomo in Hebrew. He called for his son-- Shlomo, come here-- and charged him to build a house for the Lord his God.
If you study the temple at all, you know that the temple remains today that you see in Jerusalem. They call it Herod's Temple. And if you go down far enough and you find a cornerstone or something, they think they can point to what they call Solomon's Temple. But really, even though Solomon built it, it was David's temple.
J. Vernon McGee said, the only temple of Solomon had was the one on the side of his head. This is David's temple. He got all the materials. He made the blueprints. All he just said was that when I'm dead, you build it. I can't. I'm a man of blood.
So David said to Solomon, verse 7, "My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, you have shed much blood. You have made great wars. You shall not build a house for my name because you have shed much blood on the Earth in my sight."
Verse 9-- "Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest, or a man of peace. And I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon"-- Shlomo-- "for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days."
Now, at this point, and looking at the time and the rest of the book, what comes to my mind are the words of Inigo Montoya in that classic theological movie The Princess Bride, where they're outside the palace, and he says, "Let me 'splain. No. There is too much. Let me sum up."
So let me sum up. Chapters 23 and 24 give the divisions of the priesthood. There are 24 divisions that David sets up. Their Levitical duties are given. The Kohathites duties are given. Chapter 25, it's all about musicians and singers. And it's beautiful. The description is "They would minister in music before the Lord." It was a ministry God called them to of music before the Lord. That's chapter 25.
Chapter 26, it's all about gatekeepers and treasuries. A little side note I found interesting in my reading-- perhaps you will, too-- is some of the gatekeepers were from the house of Obed-Edom. You say, why on earth would you find that interesting? Because Obed-Edom was the house-- after Uzza tried to stabilize the Ark and God kill him, it says they left the Ark of the Covenant at the house of Obed-Edom, like in a little shed out back.
And then David went up to Jerusalem and said, OK, we gotta figure this out. Let's read the Bible, do it the right way, get the Levites with poles. But in the meantime, it says God blessed the house of Obed-Edom because he had the Ark in his little shed in the backyard.
So when it comes time to have gatekeepers and guards, he gets the whole group of the house of Obed-Edom, all the relatives, says, you guys are the gatekeepers. Thanks for letting us house the Ark in your shed for all those months. Just a little note. Obviously, you don't find it interesting. I'm looking at you. I do.
[LAUGHTER]
Sorry. Chapter 27-- chief officers and captains of the tribes, all the military groups, are listed. Chapter 28 is a meeting, a public leadership meeting, to announce the temple plans. David's not going to build it. He's a man of blood. Solomon's going to carry it out.
Chapter 29, David takes an offering for the temple and has an overwhelming response. Chapter 29, verse 9-- "And then the people rejoice, for they had offered willingly. Because with a loyal heart, they offered willingly to the Lord, and King David also rejoiced greatly."
Verse 20-- "Then David said to all the assembly, 'Now, bless the Lord your God,' so all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the King." This is followed by animal sacrifices by the thousands. Verse 22-- "They ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon, the son of David, king the second time and anointed him before the Lord to be leader and Zadok to be the priest."
The second time. This is sort of like the second coming of Solomon. What does this mean, the second time? Well, the first time, they did it in secret, if you remember. We read it a few weeks ago. Adonijah, one of David's sons, says, I'm the next king. And he went down to one of the streams outside Jerusalem and got a little group of people and staged a revolt. He wanted to take the kingdom.
David found out from Bathsheba and from Nathan, the prophet, and said, now, wait a minute. I thought the Lord said that Solomon was the next king. David said, he is the next king. So they took him down to the Gihon Spring in a private ceremony and coronated him. This now is the public coronation. That's the second time.
Now, let me take you down to verse 26 of chapter 29. This is the summary of David's reign. Verse 26-- "Thus David, the son of Jesse, reigned over all Israel. And the period that he reigned over Israel was 40 years. Seven years he reigned in Hebron. 33 years he reigned in Jerusalem."
So he died in a good old age. Please mark that. I'm going to tell you why that's a little weird. He died at a good old age, full of days and riches and honor, and Solomon, his son, reigned in his place. David died at age 70. Uh-oh. I'm looking at that, going, really? Good old age? What happened to guys like Abraham or Methuselah? 70 years old?
I can't explain it, except David lived a hard life, man. And sin'll do that, and fighting'll do that. And he probably looked older than he actually was. He was frail, the Bible tells us, in his old age. But it is remarkable that he died at age 70, and it says a good old age. Maybe that's opposed to a bad old age. Let's just leave it at that.
So it says, verse 29, "Now, the acts of King David, first and last, indeed, they are written in the book of Samuel the Seer"-- it's an old name for a prophet-- "in the book of Nathan the Prophet and the book of Gad the Seer. With all his reign and his might and the events of that happened to him to Israel and to all the kingdoms of the lands."
So the entire book of 1 Chronicles has as its human focus King David, has as its overarching focus the kingdom. It's about the king and the kingdom. It's a kingdom theme. And the book ends on a positive note. The book ends with a peaceful reign of King David and now King Solomon.
Things were good. And it's probably a good place to end the book. It's sort of like a they lived happily forever after moment. It won't last that way, but it is that way for now. It's a good time, and the kingdom is expanding, and there's peace in the land.
And I'm saying all that because I want to end on this note. What you are reading about in the establishment of the united kingdom under David and then Solomon is a preview of coming attractions. And when I mean preview of coming attractions, I'm specifically referring to the very end of the book, the end of the Bible, the Book of Revelation.
I'm going to read just a couple of verses to you as we close. This is Revelation, chapter 20. This is after the tribulation period, after hell on Earth, after people think there's no hope.
But then it says-- Chapter 20, Revelation-- "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. Having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand, he laid hold of that dragon, the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years"-- hallelujah-- "and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up"-- yes-- "and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little while"-- most troubling verse in the Bible.
"Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worship the beast or his image, had not received his mark on their foreheads and on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
Now, over and over again is this phrase in this section of the Bible-- a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand years. That's called the millennium. And sometimes people ask me, because I believe in a literal millennium. Some people make it figurative. Well, it's not really a literal thing. It's just a figure of speech.
Well, if a thousand years doesn't mean a thousand years, then what does it mean? And then you have to ask yourself, what does three days and three nights mean? Maybe that's not literal, either. Every time you have a number-- seven or 144,000-- if that's not 144,000, but it means something else, now it's up to you to tell me what it means.
So I believe there will be a literal 1,000 years of peace on Earth called a millennium. Why? What's the point? Why the need, people ask, for an earthly kingdom? Why not just pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to heaven-- the eternal state? Why heaven on Earth? Why not just go directly to the eternal state?
Let me tell you why really quickly. Number one, the millennium is needed to redeem creation from the curse. A curse was placed on creation in the Garden of Eden. It's been that way since the fall. It's always been on it. It's not been removed.
Then there's the tribulation period, where it's the environmentalists' worst nightmare. Because God Himself, the creator, will trash the Earth and judge people upon the Earth. The 1,000-year millennium is God's answer to the prayer of all the saints of all the ages who prayed this-- Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. We need the millennium as an answer to the curse. There's the second reason to the book of 1 Chronicles.
The millennium is needed to fulfill all of God's promises to the nation of Israel. God promised a kingdom to David-- 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17. He confirmed it with an oath-- Psalm 89. The kingdom was predicted by the prophets. Virtually all the prophets announce a coming kingdom. Not one of them missed it. God promised that the kingdom would be earthly, as well as eternal.
The millennium is that phase one fulfillment of the promise to Israel-- an earthly kingdom of peace for a thousand years followed by the eternal state with the New Jerusalem. So that's phase two to the promise of Israel. That's why the capital city isn't New Santa Fe. It's New Jerusalem. It has Jewish roots, Jewish origin. So Jesus will reign from Mt. Zion for a thousand years.
When the thousand years is over, the renewed millennial Earth will be destroyed, the Bible says, and God makes a new heaven and a new Earth. And that's called the eternal state-- new heaven, new earth, and a new capital city, New Jerusalem, which hovers like a planet, like a moon. In fact, it's roughly the same sized-- surface of the moon-- that hovers around the new Earth. A lot of fun to read and study about it.
All of that to say, as we close, this is why evangelical Christians support the state of Israel presently in the Middle East. If you ever wondered, why are evangelicals talking about-- who cares about the embassy in Jerusalem and the rights of Israel? We support Israel not because Israel, politically, is amazing or perfect. Because they have a lot going wrong.
We support Israel because of the covenant that God made with Abraham and the covenant that God made with David and the covenant that will be fulfilled when the Messiah comes to rule and reign for a thousand years over a millennial kingdom in Jerusalem, from Jerusalem, from Mount Zion, and then eternally in the eternal state. That's why. And that's why we are pro-Israel. And I've always loved the poem-- and I'll close with this-- I think it was by Michael David Ewer, who put it this way. I love it.
"How odd of God to choose the Jews but not so odd as those who choose the Jewish God but not the Jews." You understand that God's promise of a messiah required the existence of a nation and the continuance of that nation. So if you could destroy that nation, you will thwart God's plan.
That's the war that goes on throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. That's what the Holocaust is all about. That's what the babies in Bethlehem are all about. That's what happened with Pharaoh killing the Hebrew babies. It's all about that war because God required a nation to exist. Enough said. We're over time. Let's pray.
Father, thank you for this time that we spent together in this book, talking about Your covenant with Your people, that will be fulfilled in Jesus, ultimately. It's in His name we pray. Amen.
We hope you enjoyed this message from Skip Heitzig of Calvary Church. For more resources, visit calvarynm.church. Thank you for joining us for this teaching from the Bible from 30,000 Feet.