The Berean Pursuit
Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the LORD God, as well as the altar of burnt offering for Israel."
So David gave orders to gather the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of God.
David provided a large quantity of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with more bronze than could be weighed and more cedar logs than could be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.
And David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent-famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore I must make preparations for it." So David made lavish preparations before his death.
Then David called for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel.
"My son," said David to Solomon, "it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, but this word of the LORD came to me: 'You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me. But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'
Now, my son, may the LORD be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as He said you would. Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when He puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the Law of the LORD your God. Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD-100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.
You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in every kind of work- in gold and silver, bronze and iron-craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you."
Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: "Is not the LORD your God with you, and has He not granted you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land has been subdued before the LORD and His people. Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD."
When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel. Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.
The Levites thirty years of age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000. "Of these," said David, "24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 are to be officers and judges, 4,000 are to be gatekeepers, and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made for giving praise."
Then David divided the Levites into divisions according to the sons of Levi:
Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham, and Joel-three in all.
The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran-three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei-four in all. Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one family and received a single assignment.
The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel-four in all.
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever. As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
The descendants of Gershom: Shebuel was the first.
The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.
The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
The sons of Uzziel: Micah was the first and Isshiah the second.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. Eleazar died without having any sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth-three in all.
These were the descendants of Levi by their families-the heads of families, registered individually by name-those twenty years of age or older who worked in the service of the house of the LORD.
For David had said, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever. So now the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its service."
For according to the final instructions of David, the Levites twenty years of age or older were counted, but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God, as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.
They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening. Whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, they were to serve regularly before the LORD in the numbers prescribed for them. So the Levites were to carry out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the service of the house of the LORD.
These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
With the help of Eleazar's descendant Zadok and Ithamar's descendant Ahimelech, David divided them according to the offices of their service. Since more leaders were found among Eleazar's descendants than those of Ithamar, they were divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar.
Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar's and Ithamar's descendants.
The scribe, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites-one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.
The first lot fell to Jehoiarib,
the second to Jedaiah,
the third to Harim,
the fourth to Seorim,
the fifth to Malchijah,
the sixth to Mijamin,
the seventh to Hakkoz,
the eighth to Abijah,
the ninth to Jeshua,
the tenth to Shecaniah,
the eleventh to Eliashib,
the twelfth to Jakim,
the thirteenth to Huppah,
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
the fifteenth to Bilgah,
the sixteenth to Immer,
the seventeenth to Hezir,
the eighteenth to Happizzez,
the nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Jehezkel,
the twenty-first to Jachin,
the twenty-second to Gamul,
the twenty-third to Delaiah,
and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
Now these were the remaining descendants of Levi:
From the sons of Amram: Shubael;
from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.
As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first was Isshiah.
From the Izharites: Shelomoth;
from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.
From the sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
From the sons of Uzziel: Micah;
from the sons of Micah: Shamir.
The brother of Micah: Isshiah;
from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.
The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
The son of Jaaziah: Beno.
The descendants of Merari from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
From Kish: Jerahmeel the son of Kish.
And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the sons of the Levites, according to their families. As their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, they also cast lots in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites-the family heads and their younger brothers alike.
Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.
From the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah-six in all-under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
From the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. All these sons of Heman the king's seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
All these were under the direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God.
Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king. Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288. They cast lots for their duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.
The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the fourth to Izri, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the eleventh to Azarel, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all;
and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers-12 in all.
A Maskil of Asaph.
Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the beginning,
that we have heard and known
and our fathers have relayed to us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but will declare to the next generation
the praises of the LORD and His might,
and the wonders He has performed.
For He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the coming generation would know them-
even children yet to be born-
to arise and tell their own children
that they should put their confidence in God,
not forgetting His works,
but keeping His commandments.
Then they will not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose heart was not loyal,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The archers of Ephraim
turned back on the day of battle.
They failed to keep God's covenant
and refused to live by His law.
They forgot what He had done,
the wonders He had shown them.
He worked wonders before their fathers
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
He split the sea and brought them through;
He set the waters upright like a wall.
He led them with a cloud by day
and with a light of fire all night.
He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
He brought streams from the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.
But they continued to sin against Him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
They willfully tested God
by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God, saying,
"Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
When He struck the rock, water gushed out
and torrents raged.
But can He also give bread
or supply His people with meat?"
Therefore the LORD heard
and was filled with wrath;
so a fire was kindled against Jacob,
and His anger flared against Israel,
because they did not believe God
or rely on His salvation.
Yet He commanded the clouds above
and opened the doors of the heavens.
He rained down manna for them to eat;
He gave them grain from heaven.
Man ate the bread of angels;
He sent them food in abundance.
He stirred the east wind from the heavens
and drove the south wind by His might.
He rained meat on them like dust,
and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
He felled them in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled,
for He gave them what they craved.
Yet before they had filled their desire,
with the food still in their mouths,
God's anger flared against them,
and He put to death their strongest
and subdued the young men of Israel.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
So He ended their days in futility,
and their years in sudden terror.
When He slew them, they would seek Him;
they repented and searched for God.
And they remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
But they deceived Him with their mouths,
and lied to Him with their tongues.
Their hearts were disloyal to Him,
and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
And yet He was compassionate;
He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.
He often restrained His anger
and did not unleash His full wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.
How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness
and grieved Him in the desert!
Again and again they tested God
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember His power -
the day He redeemed them from the adversary,
when He performed His signs in Egypt
and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
He turned their rivers to blood,
and from their streams they could not drink.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and frogs that devastated them.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
the fruit of their labor to the locust.
He killed their vines with hailstones
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
He abandoned their cattle to the hail
and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
He unleashed His fury against them,
wrath, indignation, and calamity-
a band of destroying angels.
He cleared a path for His anger;
He did not spare them from death
but delivered their lives to the plague.
He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,
the virility in the tents of Ham.
He led out His people like sheep
and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
He led them safely, so they did not fear,
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
He brought them to His holy land,
to the mountain His right hand had acquired.
He drove out nations before them
and apportioned their inheritance;
He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
But they tested and disobeyed God Most High,
for they did not keep His decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,
twisted like a faulty bow.
They enraged Him with their high places
and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
On hearing it, God was furious
and rejected Israel completely.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent He had pitched among men.
He delivered His strength to captivity,
and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
He surrendered His people to the sword
because He was enraged by His heritage.
Fire consumed His young men,
and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
His priests fell by the sword,
but their widows could not lament.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
He beat back His foes;
He put them to everlasting shame.
He rejected the tent of Joseph
and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
But He chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which He loved.
He built His sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth He has established forever.
He chose David His servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
from tending the ewes He brought him
to be shepherd of His people Jacob,
of Israel His inheritance.
So David shepherded them with integrity of heart
and guided them with skillful hands.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him! For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned. For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many! Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.