King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Chapters: I Chronicles Chapter 6
Message: The Ministers of God
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today I thanked God for all the names written that I have been reading and for those He put in His ministry, and I will add that they are our under-shepherds and teachers. Then it occurred to me that while not everyone is called to a church ministry, we are all called to minister to people. So, while every saved, born again Christian is called to be ministers outside Christ’s Church, those He calls as ministers in His Church are tasked with a larger responsibility and yet we are all one in the same.
[1 Corinthians 12:13,23-25,28 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.]
[but God hath tempered the body together,] Can you just imagine one nation living under the authority of God? While there will still be natural evils to deal with one nation under God would lead so many people to Christ. Then again the pilgrims tried that when they came to America and look at where we are right now, [Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.]
It is interesting that this verse popped up, as we return to the reading of 1 Chronicles, and after an account had been given of the descendants of Judah, Simeon, Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, we are given the account of the descendants of Levi. The Levites were more concerned than any of the other tribes about preserving their ancestry and being able to prove it. Why? Since God was their inheritance, all honors and privileges of their office depended on it.
[1 Chronicles 6:1-10 The sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. 3 And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4 Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua, 5 And Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi, 6 And Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth, 7 Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub, 8 And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz, 9 And Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan, 10 And Johanan begat Azariah, (he it is that executed the priest’s office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem:)]
[The sons of Levi…the sons of Kohath; Amram…the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam.] It is interesting to note that one; Moses and Aaron were descendants of Kohath who had caused a heap of trouble when God had told the Israelites that they would not be going into the promise land for forty years and after all the adults died, [Numbers 16:1-2 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:]
It is also interesting to note that Miriam is listed among the descendants as you do not read about too many women as part of the lineup. She was also a prophetess, which you did not hear much of back then. This is proof that the Spirit of God calls ministers to their work, and without any limit as to the families they came from or their gender, [Hebrews 11:35-40 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.]
[executed the priest’s office in the temple that Solomon built] It was David who had laid out the plans for the temple, but it was Solomon who executed it just as David sketched had it. David, went even as far as to appoint all of the Levites duties, [1 Chronicles 23:27-28 For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above: 28 Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;]
At this point, the kingdom had been given to Judah, [1 Samuel 16:1,13 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.]
The birthright had been given to Joseph [Genesis 48:3-5 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. 5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.]
And the priesthood had been given to Levi, [Numbers 1:49-50 Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: 50 But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.]
We read of those who were children of the priests, yet because they could not find the register of their genealogies, nor make out their descent by any authentic record they were put out from the priesthood, [Ezra 2:61-62 And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: 62 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.] The priesthood to Levi is repeated again for the sake of their posterity after they returned from Babylon.
[1 Chronicles 6:15-23 And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the LORD carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. 16 The sons of Levi; Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17 And these be the names of the sons of Gershom; Libni, and Shimei. 18 And the sons of Kohath were, Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. 19 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers. 20 Of Gershom; Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeaterai his son. 22 The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,]
[And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers.] God’s ministers in His Church are not just the pastors of the church they are a part of the Church. While the pastors are the under-shepherds of Christ’s sheep, meaning their guides and counselors to God’s Word, there are also deacons, teachers, singers, maintenance people, and so many more faithful Christians who are called to assist and minister to the pastors. God, does not put all the burden of the Church on just the pastors, [1 Corinthians 12:4-6 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.]
You will notice that the chapter goes back and forth with the lineage tracing back to Levi to point out that were all of the same descent regardless of who their sons or daughters were. Now, we come to the other Elkanah, who happens to be Samuel’s father.
[1 Chronicles 6:26-32 As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 28 And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah. 29 The sons of Merari; Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son, 30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son. 31 And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.]
[Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.] This Elkanah is the father of Samuel, by whom Hannah, his mother had prayed to God for a son and said that she would give him to God. [1 Samuel 1:1,20-21 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: 20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD. 21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.]
[the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.] Samuel’s lineage did not go any further than these two because his sons were wicked, [1 Samuel 8:1-3 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.]
[David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD,] David arranged for a proper liturgical service in connection with the Tabernacle worship after the Ark of the Covenant had been moved from the place it had been sitting until David became king, [1 Chronicles 16:1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.] While not everyone is called to be a pastor or an evangelist, many are called to be a part of the church, janitorial work, babysitting, teaching, singing, or even a pastor’s wife, every skill is given by God to enable them to be used in His ministry, and every one of them is honorable to God as well. Now, an account is given to the sons of Merari, from whom Asaph would descend. Now, and account is given to the sons of Merari, from whom Asaph would descend.
[1 Chronicles 6:32-33,38-39,43-44 And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order. 33 And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel, 38 The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. 39 And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea, 43 The son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi. 44 And their brethren the sons of Merari stood on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,]
[Asaph the son of Berachiah] Asaph, who is accredited for many of the Psalms, even David dedicated many of them to him. David appointed the jobs they would do in the temple once it was built, which Solomon would have built according to David’s specifications once his reign began.
[1 Chronicles 6:48-54 Their brethren also the Levites were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God. 49 But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 50 And these are the sons of Aaron; Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51 Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52 Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53 Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son. 54 Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot.]
[But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar] I imagine Levi, never thought that he nor his descendants would be ministers of God. And yet, right after Aaron had helped the people build the golden calf and it was dismantled that God had chose him and his descendants to serve him as priests. I do not know if it was a blessing or a curse, but this is all proof that God’s ministers are no where near perfect, but they are chosen, [1 Timothy 1:15-16 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.]
David, also appointed those who would do other services, but it was Aaron’s sons who would be appointed as high priests and priests according to God’s commands. An account is also given to the cities that each tribe had given them to dwell on, remember, God was their inheritance so they did not receive any land of their own.
[1 Chronicles 6:57,60-63 And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs, 60 And out of the tribe of Benjamin; Geba with her suburbs, and Alemeth with her suburbs, and Anathoth with her suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities. 61 And unto the sons of Kohath, which were left of the family of that tribe, were cities given out of the half tribe, namely, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities. 62 And to the sons of Gershom throughout their families out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. 63 Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.]
[Hebron, the city of refuge,] It is interesting that David chose to live in the city of refuge for seven years as king of Judah. This was a town where the accused of murder could hide out and not be hunted and killed until it was proven whether or not it was by accident or intentional. They were allowed to remain there until they were proven innocent or while the high priest was alive. While we are not all murderers on the run, we are all sinners, and have a death warrant out on us. However, there is a way for us to be pardoned, and that is Jesus Christ, who is not only our refuge, but our high priest, who still lives today.
[Hebrews 6:17-20 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.]
[And unto the sons of Kohath, which were left of the family of that tribe,] This is proof that it does not matter what family one comes from, their salvation is up to each individual, [Philippians 2:12-13 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. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [1 Chronicles 6:49 But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for saving me, cleansing me, and making me one of Yours. You have given me many skills and talents over the years and while I do not understand all the uses for them, I do understand that You have a reason and purpose for them. You have given us an example on how we are to live as not only a testimony of Your great sacrifice saving my soul from hell, but a reflection of You. Lord, lead me and guide me, show me how and where to use the skills, talents, and gifts that You have given me to be used for Your glory. Never let me forget that it is not how much I serve You or even where I serve You that matters most to You, it is serving You with my whole heart, and leading the lost to You through my own testimony. I love You and ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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