The Berean Pursuit
Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him. And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
And David took more wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters. These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face them.
Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of God, "Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?"
"Go," replied the LORD, "for I will deliver them into your hand."
So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, "Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand." So they called that place Baal-perazim. There the Philistines abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.
Once again the Philistines raided the valley. So David again inquired of God, who answered him, "Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because this will mean that God has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines."
So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. And David's fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.
David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, "No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever."
And David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it. Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;
from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;
from the Gershomites, Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;
from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;
from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives;
and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.
David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. And he said to them, "You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order."
So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.
David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments-harps, lyres, and cymbals. So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.
The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals. Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth. And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith. Chenaniah the head Levite was the director of the music because he was highly skilled.
Berechiah and Elkanah were to be guardians of the ark. Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer-the priests-were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.
So David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom. And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the director of music for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding of rams' horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.
As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.
So they brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. Then he distributed to every man and woman of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.
David appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to celebrate, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. Asaph was the chief, Zechariah was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They were to play the harps and lyres, while Asaph sounded the cymbals and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
On that day David first committed to Asaph and his brothers this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:
"Give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name;
make known His deeds among the nations.
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
tell of all His wonders.
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Seek out the LORD and His strength;
seek His face always.
Remember the wonders He has done,
His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
O offspring of His servant Israel,
O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
He is the LORD our God;
His judgments carry throughout the earth.
Remember His covenant forever,
the word He ordained for a thousand generations-
the covenant He made with Abraham,
and the oath He swore to Isaac.
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
'I will give you the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.'
When they were few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in the land,
they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
He let no man oppress them;
He rebuked kings on their behalf:
'Do not touch My anointed ones!
Do no harm to My prophets!'
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Proclaim His salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all peoples.
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and joy fill His dwelling.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
bring an offering and come before Him.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.
Let the heavens be glad,
and the earth rejoice.
Let them say among the nations,
'The LORD reigns!'
Let the sea resound,
and all that fills it;
let the fields exult,
and all that is in them.
Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His loving devotion endures forever.
Then cry out: 'Save us, O God of our salvation;
gather and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to Your holy name,
that we may glory in Your praise.'
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting."
Then all the people said, "Amen!" and "Praise the LORD!"
So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to minister there regularly according to the daily requirements, along with Obed-edom and his sixty-eight relatives. Obed-edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were to be gatekeepers.
And David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon to regularly present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the LORD, which He had commanded Israel to keep. With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD, for "His loving devotion endures forever."
Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for the songs of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.
Then all the people departed for their homes, and David returned home to bless his household.
Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, who presented to the governor their case against Paul.
When Paul had been called in, Tertullus opened the prosecution: "Because of you, we have enjoyed a lasting peace, and your foresight has brought improvements to this nation. In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude. But in order not to burden you any further, I beg your indulgence to hear us briefly.
We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. By examining him yourself, you will be able to learn the truth about all our charges against him."
The Jews concurred, asserting that these charges were true.
When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he began his response: "Knowing that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I gladly make my defense. You can verify for yourself that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. Yet my accusers did not find me debating with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city. Nor can they prove to you any of their charges against me.
I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.
After several years, then, I returned to Jerusalem to bring alms to my people and to present offerings. At the time they found me in the temple, I was ceremonially clean and was not inciting a crowd or an uproar. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia who ought to appear before you and bring charges, if they have anything against me. Otherwise, let these men state for themselves any crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, unless it was this one thing I called out as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'"
Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, "When Lysias the commander comes, I will decide your case." He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends to minister to his needs.
After several days, Felix returned with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, "You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you." At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him.
After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.