IF AND WILL

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The divisions of the gatekeepers:

From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth and Eliehoenai the seventh.

Obed-Edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sakar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh and Peullethai the eighth. (For God had blessed Obed-Edom.)

Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders in their father’s family because they were very capable men. The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also able men. All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work—descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.

Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, who were able men—18 in all.

Hosah the Merarite had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him the first), Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were 13 in all.

These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their leaders, had duties for ministering in the temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had. Lots were cast for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him. The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-Edom, and the lot for the storehouse fell to his sons. The lots for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road fell to Shuppim and Hosah.

Guard was alongside of guard: There were six Levites a day on the east, four a day on the north, four a day on the south and two at a time at the storehouse. As for the court to the west, there were four at the road and two at the court itself.

These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.

Their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries for the dedicated things.

The descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and who were heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli, the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the temple of the Lord.

From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites:

Shubael, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the official in charge of the treasuries. His relatives through Eliezer: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zikri his son and Shelomith his son. Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and by the other army commanders. Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the repair of the temple of the Lord. And everything dedicated by Samuel the seer and by Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

From the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were assigned duties away from the temple, as officials and judges over Israel.

From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives—seventeen hundred able men—were responsible in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the king’s service. As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families. In the fortieth year of David’s reign a search was made in the records, and capable men among the Hebronites were found at Jazer in Gilead. Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives, who were able men and heads of families, and King David put them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.

This is the list of the Israelites—heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.

In charge of the first division, for the first month, was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. There were 24,000 men in his division. He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army officers for the first month.

In charge of the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite; Mikloth was the leader of his division. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The third army commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was chief and there were 24,000 men in his division. This was the Benaiah who was a mighty warrior among the Thirty and was over the Thirty. His son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.

The fourth, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab; his son Zebadiah was his successor. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbekai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel. There were 24,000 men in his division.

The leaders of the tribes of Israel:

over the Reubenites: Eliezer son of Zikri;

over the Simeonites: Shephatiah son of Maakah;

over Levi: Hashabiah son of Kemuel;

over Aaron: Zadok;

over Judah: Elihu, a brother of David;

over Issachar: Omri son of Michael;

over Zebulun: Ishmaiah son of Obadiah;

over Naphtali: Jerimoth son of Azriel;

over the Ephraimites: Hoshea son of Azaziah;

over half the tribe of Manasseh: Joel son of Pedaiah;

over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Iddo son of Zechariah;

over Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner;

over Dan: Azarel son of Jeroham.

These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. God’s wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David.

Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses.

Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers.

Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the workers who farmed the land.

Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards.

Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.

Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills.

Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.

Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon.

Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.

Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.

All these were the officials in charge of King David’s property.

Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hakmoni took care of the king’s sons.

Ahithophel was the king’s counselor.

Hushai the Arkite was the king’s confidant. Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar.

Joab was the commander of the royal army.

David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men.

King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’”

“Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah He chose my family, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel. Of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many—He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build My house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his father. I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out My commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’”

1 Chronicles 26, 27, and 28:1-7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we reach the final chapters of 1 Chronicles, we find King David getting everything set up for his son Solomon to replace him and assume the throne of leadership over Israel. All the duties and responsibilities for the temple and city were put in order. Duty assignments were made for the priests, musicians, gatekeepers, and treasurers. The army divisions and their leadership were established. Tribal leadership was pronounced as were those who played key roles in the king’s court to include the overseers and officials.

A lot of effort and attention to detail was put into making sure everything was set for David to pass on his authority and as Chapter 28 opens, we find him do just that. Look at these words of David as he addressed an assembly in Jerusalem that consisted of all the officials of Israel. These officials included the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men:

“Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’”

“Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah He chose my family, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel. Of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many—He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’”

Of critical importance here were two important facts:

First, note that it was God and God alone who selected Solomon to rule and reign over Israel.

Just as David had been hand selected and anointed by God, so too had Solomon been. David had many sons who could have been king but only Solomon was chosen by God and that’s all that mattered.

Secondly, God would establish Solomon’s kingdom forever if conditions were met. Look again at these words from the Lord:

Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.

When David led in accordance with the Lord’s commands, he thrived in leadership. As we saw several chapters back in this book, when David strayed from the Lord’s commands, consequences happen (recall the plague that came over the land and killed 70,000 people as a result of David’s disobedience – 1 Chronicles 21:14). The same rules would apply for his son as he entered into power.

As I considered this passage, I was drawn to the fact that there are many instances where the Lord places conditions in matters concerning His followers. Let’s just call them “if, will” proclamations. To underscore this, I will just show you a few examples drawn from the Gospel of John and Paul’s letter to the Romans.

1. If we remain obedient to the Lord’s commands, then we will remain in His favor.

We know this because Jesus said, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in My love.” John 15:10

2. If we stay connected with the Lord, we will bear fruit (fruits of righteousness and the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23).

Look again at the words of Jesus as He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me, you can do nothing.” John 15:5

3. If we are associated with the Lord, then we will experience persecution.

Jesus promised us as much when He said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”  John 15:20

4. If we decide to live for the sin of the world over living for the Lord, we will die.

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. Romans 8:13a

And once again, Jesus added words to affirming our destiny if we opt to live without Him, saying, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”       John 8:23-24

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) There is no way to eternal life with the Father (i.e. life after death) unless you believe in the Son, Jesus Christ. And this leads to number 5.

5. If we decide to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will live.

But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13b

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9

For God so loved the world that He gave His Son Jesus as a living sacrifice to atone for the sins of mankind. As a result, anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16 paraphrased). This is truth from the One who is truth, the One who created the concept of truth.

6. If we have received the offer of eternal life by believing and trusting in Jesus as Savior, then He will return and take us to the place He has prepared for us.

For Jesus said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  John 14:3  He also said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

When Jesus returns, it will be the best day ever for those who chose to believe in Him for they will be changing addresses forever, moving from this world which will pass away to the promised New Jerusalem and the place Christ has prepared. In that time, we will be set free from all the things of the world that cause us struggle or hurt. There will be no more pain or sorrow or depression. All affliction and heartache and sin will be no more. We will be liberated from it all, entering into the peace and light of God the Father and Jesus, His Son, forever.

Friends, I give thanks for the “if, will” statements in the scriptures for they serve as a way to convict us, guide us, challenge us, and finally offer us hope. My prayer today is that you will pay close attention to the scriptures when you see these two words used in the ways framed by this devotion and be obedient to the Lord’s commands.

David did and found prosperity. That prosperity was promised to continue as long as Solomon followed suit. And we today, more than 2,000 years later, will enjoy the fulfillment of the same promises as long as we conform to the Lord’s will and way, allowing Him to transform us from the inside out toward His glory and service.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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