Recap

So far in 1-2 Chronicles we’ve read through the introductory genealogies and the very start of king David’s reign. While separate books in our Bible 1-2 Chronicles tell one story, giving a recap of the Old Testament from Adam to the Jews' return from exile.

We read through the opening chapters of the book dedicated to the genealogies of God's people. This started with Adam and followed his descendants down to Jacob. Then from Jacob, we explored the genealogies of each of his twelve sons, as the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. There was a large focus on the tribes of Judah, the tribe of the royal family, and Levi, the tribe of the priests. We also looked at the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of the first king Saul.

Then we jumped forward to look at the genealogies of the people who had returned from exile, to show that these people were indeed connected to Israel's rich history. This was followed by king Saul's genealogy and how his reign was cut short while in battle with the Philistines, opening the way for David to take over.

1 Chronicles 11-14

The people of Israel gather together to make David their king. They describe him as a shepherd over the people. David's first role as king was to capture the city of Jerusalem and built it up to be the capital. The writer uses the name Zion, which is the name often used by the prophets to refer to Jerusalem as God's holy city.

From just this initial passage, we've established that the role of the king is to be a shepherd that looks after the people, a leader who defeats their enemies, and someone who will restore and rebuild God's holy city. And we’ll see going forward the writer continues to use David as a model for what an ideal future king will look like.

A mighty military leader is only as good as his men, and David had some great men. We get lists of names of men who were loyal to David, and some stories of great adventures and feats that these men performed in his name. But perhaps most significant is the fact that these men come from every tribe.

David was a king who was able to unite all of Israel, even before he was king. Many of David's mighty men joined him as he was still fleeing persecution from Saul. He was an outlaw on the most wanted. The king unites God's people.

Having claimed and built up Jerusalem, David realised that if this was to be the nation's capital, then it's where God's presence need to dwell. So he went out to collect the Ark of the Covenant. Unfortunately, while on the journey, one of David's men touched the Ark to help balance it and was struck down.

The Ark was the most concentrated place of God's presence and holiness. As we saw way back in Leviticus, unholy things couldn't enter into God's presence without being destroyed.

Here we see one of the few times David makes a poor decision in 1 Chronicles. Panicking that the Ark was too dangerous to bring with them, they dropped it off at the nearest house they could find. A man named Obed-edom. As long as the Ark was in Obed-edom's house, God's blessing was poured out upon that house. God's presence is the source of his blessing.

With that said, God's blessing wasn't missing from David's life. Resources were provided so that David could build for himself a great house, and he had many, many children. Children were often seen as a gift from God (Psalm 127:3).

The Philistines gathered together to fight against David. But David was never cocky, stepping out in his own strength. Each time he would first make sure to ask God what his will for this situation was. And each time God told him to go out and fight the Philistines, so David did and he defeated them.

As the Philistines began to flee, they left the idols of their foreign gods behind and David had them burnt. Through David, many of the other nations began to fear God. The king is in line with God's will. He destroys God's enemies and removes the worship of other gods, causing people to fear God.

Psalm 64

This psalm is attributed to king David and falls into the category of lament psalm.

A) Psalm 64:1-2 - Prayer for protection

B) Psalm 64:3 - The tongues of the wicked

C) Psalm 64:4 - The wicked shoot suddenly

D) Psalm 65:5-6 - The wicked plot

C) Psalm 64:7 - God shoots the wicked suddenly

B) Psalm 64:8 - The tongues of the wicked turn against them

A) Psalm 64:9-10 - Rejoice in God’s protection

The psalmist starts with a call to God to hear them and protect them. It’s a simple request.

But then comes the complaints. There are wicked who seek evil towards the psalmist.

Once more, we see the mouth described as a weapon. Here it is the tongue, as the wicked use their words to lie and stir up trouble.

If their words are like arrows, the wicked shoot these arrows at the blameless, trying to defeat them. Their whole goal is injustice, looking at how they can lay traps for innocent people to fall into.

In this, the psalmist makes an incredible statement. “For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.” (Psalm 64:6).

Here the psalmist is exploring the depths of what it means to be human, that we can treat one another like this. That with fore planning and intent we can so revel in injustice.

But then the psalmist turns to trust. Just as the wicked might shoot arrows suddenly, God will shoot arrows at them suddenly and wound them.

While the wicked might have wielded their tongues like weapons, those same tongues are going to be their downfall.

And so the psalmist encourages people to fear God but also ponder. Reflect as they did on what in human nature can bring someone to a point where they plan someone else’s downfall. How can we weed that out of our own lives?

And so the psalmist ends with a focus on God. Let all that are righteous rejoice in God and find security in him.

While this psalm is a lament psalm, it also leads us to reflect on human nature and the nature of wickedness. This, in turn, should cause us to reflect inside and what wickedness and injustice do we need to weed out.