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, May 23, 2020
Chapters: I Chronicles 21-22, Psalms 30 & 95
Message: Ready For Jesus
Hello My Friend,
Angels. They stand at attention, and await every command that God gives them, and as soon as He gives a command, they obey at will. Well, just like us humans, there are angels that have rebelled against God, and they too are awaiting judgment, but every command is obeyed by those who do fear Him. Some angels are messengers, they are sent to tell of what is to come, others are sent to help us, yet others are awaiting the command that would bring judgment upon the whole earth. You see, sin is destroying the earth and there will come a time when it will be so unbearable that Jesus will return, gather His people, then use these angels to destroy the earth. No, we do not know when Jesus will return, which is why we need to be ready more than ever. Whether we get raptured out of here or resurrect from the grave, we will be out of here. [I Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.]
Interestingly, we get a glimpse of what will happen when Jesus returns through David. Yesterday, we learned of David commanding a census to be done in Israel and the judgment God placed upon them for that. I Chronicles goes into more detail of the judgment and David’s pleas for his people to be saved from it.
[I Chronicles 21:1-2,5-8 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. 2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. 5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. 6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab. 7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. 8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.]
[And God was displeased with this thing;] As we know from II Samuel, that God was already angry with Israel over something they did, which is why the devil was allowed to provoke David to number them. Nevertheless, God was not happy with the way David conducted himself in that it was out of pride of his great army that he numbered them. We must not forget that we will be accountable for all sin, even it is something we have done in err or ignorance. Again, we learn that David must choose the punishment himself.
[I Chronicles 21:13-17 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man. 14 So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. 15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.]
[let me fall now into the hand of the LORD;] I will tell you what, if I am going to have to face punishment for something I have done, I rather it be at the mercies of God. Man’s punishments are insane, and much more insufferable than God’s. [And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor] This is Jesus Himself and not the angel that was sending the plague on the people. I can only imagine the pain Jesus must go through as He watches countless people die in their sin, as He tells them He never knew them because they never took the time to ask Him to save them when they were alive, [Matthew 7:23]. [who were clothed in sackcloth,] Do you see how they all knew that this was more than David’s sin. However, when God saw David’s sincere plea for the people, He repented, turned His anger away from them, and any more lives lost. In order for the plague to be removed completely, David needed to build an altar from the very place that the Angel of the LORD stood.
[I Chronicles 21:21-27 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground. 22 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people. 23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. 24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. 26 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering. 27 And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.]
[but I will verily buy it for the full price:] To thresh means to beat soundly with a stick or whip, this was where the crop that was reaped was placed and beaten until the grain came out. Think about that for a second as you imagine Jesus hanging on the cross, His broken and beaten body was placed upon the altar, until He died. This was the full price to pay for saving His people, and it was all that was needed to keep the plague of death from striking those who believe in and receive Him as their Saviour. The second we receive Christ as our Saviour, we truly have something to be thankful for and rejoice about for we have been saved from the pit of hell.
[Psalms 30:2-10 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. 6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. 7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. 8 I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication. 9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.]
[For his anger endureth but a moment;] God may chasten His people, but He does so because they are His, and His anger does not last. Yes, we too must suffer as we have heaven and the Kingdom of God to look forward to, where there will be no more death, pain, or sin for that matter, [Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.]
Now, after that terrible judgment, God accepting David’s confession, and sacrifice, God pointed out that where they were standing was the place where He wanted the Temple built. David was excited to make all the preparations, he gathered people and supplies that would be needed, including the instructions on who was going to do what. Then he calls for Solomon, and tells him what he expects of him.
[I Chronicles 22:1-3,6,11-13 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. 2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. 3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; 6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel. 11 Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee. 12 Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God. 13 Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.]
[Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding,] Do you see how God turned everything around? This is Solomon, remember, his mother is Bathsheba. God, while He did chasten both David and Bathsheba for what they had done, it did not last, He blessed them with another son who would not only be heir to the throne, but build the first temple ever made for Him. And this is where we discover the mercies of God.
[Psalms 90:8-12 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. 10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.]
[that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.] Being saved does not mean we will not suffer for sin, suffering always comes with sin, God loves us way too much to let us live our lives any way we please. Yet, since we are saved that means God never turns back on His promise, He will never leave nor forsake us, and when we apply our hearts to the wisdom of God, we will endure every trial, and be prepared for when Jesus does return. [Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercy, no matter what I do, You will never leave nor forsake me. I have witnessed Your anger, and also Your hand over me more times that I can count, and yet You truly watch over, and protect Your anointed. Lord, Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and Your protection on me. Lead me and guide me, keep Your hedge of protection around me, fill me with Your mercies, grace, and love, for I know I will fail You at times, but You are my strength to get back up, and be the faithful witness You need me to be so that others can see Your Son in me and receive Him also before the day comes when You send Your Son to judge the earth. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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