We build for generations

Here's a response to yesterday's post:

Marie Fox has left a new comment on your post 'Careful building preparations':

What a revelation! The fact that David was architect and procurer of materials for the temple sheds new light on the significance and reach of his role as King. I love that Solomon was to have a reign of peace after so much bloodshed - both necessary stages, no doubt, in the journey of the children of Israel towards God.

David must have been a real strategist - not only as a warrior but as city planner and instigator of a scheme to have the best-trained musicians. His vision was far-reaching. Would you call him a polymath these days?

David also illustrates that we build for generations, not just ourselves, and our part is not necessarily to achieve a sense of completion. It may be just the first step along the path of a bigger plan.

Marie Fox

Careful building preparations

Drawing of Solomon's Temple (First Temple in Jerusalem), as seen in the Israel Museum

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reconstruction_of_Solomon%27s_Temple.jpg (Author: Tombah)

It was a big surprise to me to read, in First Chronicles, that King David did an enormous amount of preparation towards the building of the Jerusalem temple. I knew that God had told him that he would not be the one who would oversee the actual build. I also knew that it would be his son Solomon who had that privilege and duty. But I hadn’t realised how much David was to contribute by having both the cash (lots of gold and silver), the workers, and the materials in place.

By the time the musician-warrior-king-David had achieved peace in his kingdom, he had access to huge resources and was ready to assemble them for the great new temple project.

David finally subdued the Philistines and conquered Gath and its surrounding towns. 2 He also conquered Moab and required its people to send him a large sum of money every year. (I Chron. 18: 1, 2 The Living Bible)

Moreover, he had previously made connections with those who could assist in building projects. He had overseen the construction of his palaces and a new tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant. And he had a strong sense both of the value of his kingship and the importance of marking significant occasions with joyful music!

1 King Hiram of Tyre sent masons and carpenters to help build David’s palace and he supplied him with much cedar lumber. 2 David now realized why the Lord had made him king and why he had made his kingdom so great; it was for a special reason—to give joy to God’s people! (I Chron. 14: 1, 2 TLB)

28 So the leaders of Israel took the Ark to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the blowing of horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on the harps and zithers. (I Chron. 15: 28 TLB)

As he moved forward with the building preparations, David was very attentive to God’s direction.

He organised the workers:

2 David now drafted all the resident aliens in Israel to prepare blocks of squared stone for the Temple. 3 They also manufactured iron into the great quantity of nails needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps; and they smelted so much bronze that it was too much to weigh. 4 The men of Tyre and Sidon brought great rafts of cedar logs to David. (I Chron 22: 2-4 TLB)

He had a succession plan:

5 “Solomon my son is young and tender,” David said, “and the Temple of the Lord must be a marvelous structure, famous and glorious throughout the world; so I will begin the preparations for it now.”

So David collected the construction materials before his death. 6 He now commanded his son Solomon to build a Temple for the Lord God of Israel.

7 “I wanted to build it myself,” David told him, 8 “but the Lord said not to do it. ‘You have killed too many men in great wars,’ he told me. ‘You have reddened the ground before me with blood: so you are not to build my Temple. 9 But I will give you a son,’ he told me, ‘who will be a man of peace, for I will give him peace with his enemies in the surrounding lands. His name shall be Solomon (meaning “Peaceful”), and I will give peace and quietness to Israel during his reign. (I Chron 22:5-7 TLB)

David trusted that God’s plan was in place, so he saw to it that every item had the exact amount of financing necessary.

Then he could hand over the project:

11 Then David gave Solomon the blueprint of the Temple and its surroundings—the treasuries, the upstairs rooms, the inside rooms, and the sanctuary for the place of mercy.

19 “Every part of this blueprint,” David told Solomon, “was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord.” 20 Then he continued, “Be strong and courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; he will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly.  (I Chron 28: 11, 19, 20 TLB)

And God got the entire glory:

10 While still in the presence of the whole assembly, David expressed his praises to the Lord: “O Lord God of our father Israel, praise your name for ever and ever! 11 Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. 12 Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might, and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength. 13 O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name, (I Chron 29: 10-13)

David’s historic forty-year reign was drawing to a conclusion, but his care for his country was steadfast to the end.

A quick search in Concord shows me that David is referenced many times in New Testament times. Paul acknowledges the line that connects David and Jesus:

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;… (Romans 1:3 KJV)

Mary Baker Eddy appreciated David's poetic and musical contribution:

King David, the Hebrew bard, sang, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 273:10, quoting Psalms 37:25)

David is a pivotal figure in the Bible, and I am glad to be learning more of his important role.

 Julie Swannell

King Jeroboam I

Readers of this blog may recall that I have been learning about the Divided Kingdoms Judah (South) and Israel (North).

This from the Bible Lens in the Christian Science Sentinel dated 13th March on the Christian Science Bible Lesson “Matter” is very helpful:

8 | I Kings 13:1, 3–6 

There came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth–el: . . . And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth–el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

In this account, an unidentified prophet arrives in the Northern Kingdom of Israel to admonish its first king, Jeroboam. This monarch has cemented the split from the Southern Kingdom of Judah, whose two tribes worshiped at Jerusalem, by setting up idols for the remaining ten tribes at sanctuaries in Bethel and Dan. (Jeroboam is later designated the monarch who “made Israel to sin”; see 16:26.) 

Now, at the dedication of the Bethel altar, Jeroboam’s actions are denounced by the visiting seer. When the unrepentant king attempts to arrest the prophet, his outstretched hand is withered and the altar destroyed. In a tacit recognition of God’s power, Jeroboam asks for healing—and receives it from the man whose rebuke he has rejected.

Joyce Voysey

Ed. A shortened version of the Bible Lens appears in the print version of the Christian Science Sentinel. It includes a QR Code that can be read by a smartphone and which gives access to more helpful material. Click the links above to find out more about the Christian Science Bible Lesson and the Bible Lens. Or go to the Bible Lesson page on BooksThatChangeLives.au (a joint venture of Christian Science churches in Queensland).

Talents and service

This afternoon I thoroughly enjoyed reading First Chronicles chapters 10 to the end in The Living Bible online at BibleGateway.com. I am left with the three questions Bible teacher Madelon Maupin of BibleRoads.com has taught many of us to ask:

What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean to me?

Well, the text says quite a lot (haha) and a slower re-reading is yielding fresh information and meaning. Here’s some of the story.

After the death of Saul, David is singled out to be the next king: “You shall be the Shepherd of my people Israel. You shall be their king” (I Chron. 11: 2).

The newly nominated king proceeds to amass an enormous and well-structured army (12:22), with The Top Three and The Thirty heading up warriors who are "expert archers and slingers" and who  "could use their left hands as readily as their right"!!, along with those proficient with "shield and spear" and "swift as deer" (12:2, 8 etc).

David's army was faithful, not only to their commander but to God. When some new recruits turned up and David queries their allegiance, there is a remarkable response (I Chron. 12: 18): “Then the Holy Spirit came upon them, and Amasai, a leader of The Thirty, replied,

"We are yours, David;

We are on your side, son of Jesse.

Peace, peace be unto you,

And peace to all who aid you;

For your God is with you."”

Having just finished reading Peter Fitzsimons harrowing recounting of The Battle of Long Tan, I am acutely aware of the expertise, courage, comradeship split-second timing and critical decision-making skills required in times of conflict, skills acquired through gruelling training and actual combat.

While most of us probably won’t be joining the armed forces soon, we will be needing to advance our skills and expand our talents. We may be reminded of Jesus parable of the fellows with the talents and how the one who buried his in the ground was left with nothing (Matthew 25). In both the Hebrew (Old Testament) and the Greek (New Testament) Bible, a talent was an ancient unit of weight or this weight in gold, silver etc (a large round coin says Strong’s Bible Dictionary), but “a capacity for achievement or success” (Macquarie Dictionary) works just as well in the following passage:

... And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD? ¶ 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, And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.
(I Chronicles 29:5–7 3rd And)

Ah – it’s all about service.

Julie Swannell

Divided kingdoms

 The Collins Study Bible, New Revised Study Version (NRSV) of I Chronicles starts out thus:

In the Hebrew Bible, 1 and 2 Chronicles are called “The Events of the days.” The title Chronicles can be traced back to Jerome in the fifth century C.E. The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles were written after the exile and in Jerusalem, probably in the fourth century B.C.E. The author is conventionally called the Chronicler. While these books share many themes with the nearly contemporary books of Ezra and Nehemiah, a growing number of scholars believe they are separate compositions. Note, however, that the first verses of Ezra are identical to the last verses of Chronicles (2 Chr 36.22-23).

The introductory notes of the NRSV have me curious about the Divided Kingdom – the North, defined as Israel, and the South defined as Judah. I get the idea that the north does not have a very good press – the action is mostly in the south, particularly with David and Solomon. The notes say that the Chronicler treats David and Solomon “...as equals, often omitting negative information contained in his sources.” Their work centred on the building of the temple and the installation of its personnel.

It is said that the Chronicler includes the Northern Kingdom in the endeavour to champion the Second Temple and its ritual life in Jerusalem.

The NRSV notes end with this paragraph:

Interpreters now find a far more open attitude to the Northern Kingdom in Chronicles than was previously recognized. Those willing to return to the Lord and come to his sanctuary were to be welcomed (2Chr 30.7-8). Hezekiah’s Passover celebration was unique in its inclusion of the North, and both he and Josiah conducted reforming activities in the North. The Chronicler seems to be inviting Northeners to acknowledge the claims of the temple in Jerusalem and to participate in its ritual life.

I have to find out more about this Divided Kingdom! I understand that the division of Israel happened immediately after the death of Solomon (931 BCE) and in the reign of Rehoboam.

Here’s what one website says in a 1994 article titled Israel Divided into Two Kingdoms:

During Rehoboam's reign, the tribe of Judah and the majority of the tribe of Benjamin accepted Rehoboam as their king. They became the kingdom of Judah, or the southern kingdom of Israel, with its capital at Jerusalem. The other 10 tribes and the remainder of the tribe of Benjamin - usually spoken of as the Ten Tribes - chose Jeroboam as their king. The collective Ten Tribes retained the title of Israel, and became known also as Ephraim, which was the dominant tribe. It became the northern kingdom, with headquarters at Shechem in Samaria.

On the whole, Judah remained more faithful to Jehovah. Almost as soon as the northern kingdom of Israel was established, it went into apostasy. Although great prophets such as Elijah and Amos ministered in the kingdom, the people worshiped false gods and adopted many practices of Baalism.

Source: Church News Archives: Israel divided into two kingdoms

The Church News Archive site is very good on the history of the Northern Kingdom and its demise.

Joyce Voysey

 Ed. I like what Jesus said about divided kingdoms:

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
(Matthew 12:25, 26)

Musicians, warriors, door-keepers and more

Many people have family trees which list current and previous generations. I Chronicles' family tree is huge! I Chronicles 4: 22, 23 says that "These names all come from very ancient records" and "These clans were noted for their pottery*, gardening, planting" and  "they all worked for the king" (The Living Bible). 

[For anyone interested, archaeological excavations have unearthed examples of such pottery, and if you're feeling rich, you can purchase your own recreation from Zaks Antiquities in Israel.]

There were a LOT of people. At I Chron. 5:18, the history records over forty-four thousand armed, trained and brave troops bringing back booty of 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 captives. What's more "The family tree of every person in Israel was carefully recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel" (9:1) and "all of these families lived together near Jerusalem" (8:32).

I was interested to read the names of some of those people: 

Ram / Amminadab / Salma / Boaz / Obed / Jesse / Eliab / David.

I was also interested to learn that David (who became King) was the seventh son in his family and that he had two sisters, Zeruiah and Abigail.

Furthermore, David's sons from his official wives numbered 20, among them Amnon, Daniel, Absalom, Adonijah, Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. According to the record, David reigned for 7 and a half years in Hebrob and then he moved his capital to Jerusalem. See Chapter 3. One source relates the following:

The city of Jerusalem was first built on the hill south of temple mount by the ancient Canaanites in the 18th century b.c.e. David son of Jesse, King of Israel, conquered the small Jebusite (Canaanite) city and made it his capital, which he called - the City of David (2nd Samuel 5).

And then there was the music. "King David appointed song leaders and choirs to praise God in the Tabernacle after he had placed the Ark in it. Then, when Solomon built the Temple at Jerusalem, the choirs carried on their work there" (6: 31, 32). You can hear what David's lyre might have looked and sounded like here. 

The king made the appointments. Only Aaron and his descendants took on the role of priests and therefore could enter the Holy of Holies. Meanwhile, the 212 doorkeepers were appointed because of their reliability and worked under 4 head gatekeepers (9:22-26).

Apparently Jerusalem was previously called Jebus (11:4) and so Jebusites must come from Jerusalem!

My favourite passage in this afternoon's reading is at 11:14, where the story relates that "David held his ground". And isn't that just what we can do too? Hold our ground with unselfishness, joy, and hope, trusting God's all-power and presence.

I was mildly surprised at how much I enjoyed what I had feared might be a tedious read. Not so!! Family stories are always interesting.

Julie Swannell