THRU THE BIBLE
EXPOSITION
The Books Of The Chronicles:
God's Preservation Of His Davidic And Levitical Covenants
XVII. Edifying The
Next Generation
(1 Chronicles 22:1-29:30)
Introduction: (To show the need . . . )
In view of what is happening in
today's world, the next generation needs to be spiritually edified:
(1) A Yale University "nationwide
survey of 21,678 U. S. high school students found that nearly 75% of the
students' self-reported feelings related to school were negative." (Tracy
O'Shaughnessy, "Anxiety in high school" (Republican-American,
February 4, 2020, p. 1C) Co-author of
the study "Marc Brackett " said, "'Stress levels have
consistently gone up in high school students in the last 20 years. Suicide rates have gone up as well.'"
(Ibid.)
(2) Besides the stress that students
face in high school, the adult world they will face will present them with
major stressful issues: (a) Arkansas Representative Steve Womack, the top
Republican on the House Budget Committee, as cited in the January 29, 2019 Wall
Street Journal story, "Trillion-Dollar Deficits Seen for Years,"
wrote: "'I hope that more eyes will be opened to the stark reality we
face. It is imperative that we put our
country on a responsible fiscal path.'"
(b) Financial stress in government affects us at the state level as "residents
leaving high-tax blue states for low-tax, pro-growth red states over a 10-year
period represents $129 billion in lost revenue . . . for local stores,
restaurants, businesses, home ownership and commerce." (William R.
Bellotti, former deputy commissioner of the Connecticut state Department of
Labor under Republican former Governor John G. Rowland, in a letter in the Republican-American,
February 3, 2020, p. 8A)
(b) It occurs in the mainstream media. Michael Barone's piece, "Historians cry
foul on Times" (Ibid., January 29, 2020, p. 10A) wrote of the New York
Times' "1619 Project," an effort by articles to re-write American
history to assert that "the central driving force in American history, the
underpinning of everything from corporate capitalism to suburban sprawl,"
has been "slavery and its effects."
Even "University of New York's James Oakes" complained that the
Times' 1619 Project articles are "not only ahistorical, they're actually
anti-historical."
(c) It occurs in the legal
realm. Jonathan Shugarts' story,
"Notorious" (Ibid., February 1, 2020, p. 1A) told how a Connecticut
"notorious killer who fed his wife's body into a wood chipper . . . will
soon be a free man" as a "result of . . . a now-changed law that
allowed inmates to earn 'good time' credits that reduce sentences." Remarkably, if he had been "sentenced
using current state law, he would not be eligible for any credits based on his
crime," Ibid.
Need: So we
ask, "In view of the stress of today's world, how can we spiritually edify
the next generation?!"
I.
In 1 Chronicles 22:1 to 29:30, David repeatedly
expressed concern over the daunting leadership challenge his young,
inexperienced son Solomon would face when he became king after David:
A.
In 1
Chronicles 22:5 and 29:1, David repeatedly referred to Solomon as na'ar and rak, a "youth" and "tender; undeveloped."
(Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 1364, 1375; B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of
the O. T., p. 654-655, 940).
B.
Consequently,
in 1 Chronicles 22:12 David wished the Lord might give Solomon sakal and binah, "good sense" and "discerning understanding"
respectively to obey Scripture for blessing. (Ibid., Kittel, p. 1365; H. A. W.,
Theol. Wrdbk. of the O. T., 1980, v. II, p. 877, 104)
C.
Furthermore,
in 1 Chronicles 22:13 and 28:20, David urged Solomon to be strong and of a good
courage, not to fear or "be demoralized" (hatat, Ibid., Kittel, p. 1365, 1375; The Analyt. Heb. and
Chaldee Lex. (Zon.), 1972, p. 756; Ibid., H. A. W., v. I, p. 336) in
trusting and obeying the Lord for blessing.
D.
David's
concern for Solomon was based not only on his son's youthfulness and lack of experience,
but also on the daunting situation Solomon would face once he assumed the
throne in his father's place (as follows):
1.
Solomon
would be responsible for constructing the temple of God, what was to be a
magnificent structure to be a good testimony to the Lord in a nation that was
surrounded by pagan Gentiles, 1 Chronicles 22:5b.
2.
This splendid
temple's ministering priests and Levites had to be organized for the temple functions
to be a blessing and a good testimony before the lost pagan world.
3.
However,
Solomon also had a civic responsibility as king -- the oversight of Israel's
national defense that demanded organization and respectable leadership to
provide for a peaceable atmosphere in the nation so that the people could
worship God at His temple as a testimony to the onlooking pagan world.
II.
Accordingly, David made EXTENSIVE, PRACTICAL
preparations to lessen Solomon's burdens as king while also directing his son
on setting a wise course for his future administration (as follows):
A.
David
made extensive preparations for the material construction of God's temple, 1
Chronicles 22:14-19:
1.
He
amassed gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone materials for the building, 1
Chronicles 22:14, 16a.
2.
David
acquired stone masons, carpenters and other artisans to perform the work, 1
Chronicles 22:15.
3.
He also
directed experienced administrative officials to help Solomon oversee the work,
1 Chr. 22:17-19.
B.
David
organized the Levites to perform the temple functions (1 Chronicles
23:2-24:31), he arranged for the worship service musicians (1 Chronicles
25:1-31), he appointed guards to protect the holiness of the temple area (1
Chronicles 26:1-19), he assigned treasurers for the collections of the
donations (1 Chronicles 26:20-28) and delegated officers to administer judgment
on legal cases based on the Law (1 Chronicles 26:29-32).
C.
David
organized the army, dividing it into 12 divisions with each division serving a
month out of the year for the nation's defense, 1 Chronicles 27:1-22. [David also took a census of the fighting
men, a lack of faith in violation of Deuteronomy 17:16a, 1 Chronicles 27:23-24;
Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to 1 Chronicles 27:23.]
D.
David then
set administrators over his estates and properties as king (1 Chronicles
27:25-31) and appointed counselors to help him as king in decision-making
issues the king faced, 1 Chronicles 27:32-34.
III.
David then summoned his administrators and son
Solomon to direct them to perform their various functions toward helping
Solomon construct the temple, 1 Chronicles 28:1-21. David also gave Solomon the plans for the
temple God had given him in a vision, 1 Chronicles 28:11-21, esp. v. 19.
IV.
King David also urged the people to contribute
funds toward the temple construction, and they gladly gave of their wealth,
making the temple project a nationally unifying venture, 1 Chronicles 29:1-22a.
V.
David then made Solomon king while he was still alive,
causing his administrators to submit to Solomon and providing a smooth
transition from David's reign to Solomon's rule, 1 Chronicles 29:22b-25.
VI.
When David then died, he left an orderly,
peaceful nation of Israel for Solomon, 1 Chronicles 29:26-30.
Lesson: Concerned about the daunting
circumstances his young, inexperienced son Solomon would face after his passing,
David encouraged and advised Solomon to heed God's Word while also organizing
as best as he could all that was needed in his administration to make Solomon's
start as Israel's king a success.
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ for
salvation to have eternal life, John 3:16.
(2) If concerned about the daunting set of circumstances the next
generation of believers will face, may we (a) encourage and advise them on
heeding Scripture and trusting the Lord (b) while organizing matters materially
and administratively for them best to make their assignments from God manageable
for them.
Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )
In view of the big
issue of stress many youths face as seen in the Yale study in our
introduction, the single best edifying advice we can give the
next generation of believers is Biblical instruction on guarding
their inner man.
Such a directive is
found in Proverbs 4:23-27 [along with 2 Corinthians 4:8-18], for stress
reduction comes from guarding one's inner man from harm, a necessity that is
commanded in Proverbs 4:23 with its process being explained in Proverbs 4:24-27
(Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 914).
We then explain this process (as follows):
(1) First, one should
guard his inner man by not voicing words that deviate from what he knows is upright,
Proverbs 4:24. One's words reflect his
heart, and if his heart is twisted, he is more easily misled by twisted words
and thoughts from others, cf. 2 Timothy 3:13b with the example of Eve in
Genesis 3:1-6a. Keeping our speech
upright then helps us keep our thinking upright, making us less vulnerable to deception
and manipulation by others!
(2) Second, one should
guard his inner man by focusing on upright goals in life, not letting himself
become distracted from them, Proverbs 4:25.
In 2 Timothy 3:4 NIV, Paul stated this truth another way, claiming we
must not let ourselves be distracted by lawful but civilian affairs if our
Commanding Officer, Christ, has called us as spiritual soldiers to fulfill His
specific assignment as spiritual soldiers!
Staying focused on our divine callings then works to keep us from being
manipulated or misled by wicked, self-serving, destructive parties!
(3) Third, we should
guard our inner man by taking sensible paths to reach our upright goals,
Proverbs 4:26. Such paths are "level,"
fitting our abilities (Proverbs 4:26a NIV), and they are also firm, or stable
and safe for us to traverse (Proverbs 4:26b NIV). We need to take reasonable paths, ones that
keep us from stressing our inner man.
(4) Fourth, we should
guard our inner man by sticking to the right path once we set ourselves on that
path, Proverbs 4:27. Swerving off to the
right or to the left from the initially upright path eventually causes us to
walk into evil or calamity, what can only eventually harm our inner man,
Proverbs 4:27 NIV.
(5) Fifth, for believers in this current dispensation,
unjust trials wage war against the inner man, but we can trust the Holy Spirit
to renew our inner man from the effects of unjust trials, 2 Corinthians 4:8-18,
esp. v. 16.
May we trust in
Christ for salvation. May we give the
next generation God's directives for blessing.