I Chronicles Chapter 23
Please read: I Chronicles 23 –
David was a very busy king right up to the end of his days on this earth. We know that he prepared the materials needed for his son to be able to build the temple. But he also organized all the tribe of the Levites who would be responsible for all the duties of that temple. This type of organization was not something new, but there were a few necessary changes made from what God originally instructed in Numbers 4. One change that was necessary was the responsibilities of the sons of Kohath since the temple would be a structure rather than a moveable temple, and the furniture pieces inside the temple as well as the Ark of the Covenant would remain stationary.
It may seem strange that David took a census of the Levites when he had previously disobeyed God by taking a census of the whole of the people. But David was not in this instance trying to glory in the size of his potential fighting army but rather organizing all the duties that would be required of the temple. This is exactly what God told the Israelites to do hundreds of years prior in Numbers 3-4, to number the Levites. David organized the Levites by the 3 family lines of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. And in the next few chapters we will also see how David set the organization of Levites to be priests, musicians, and gatekeepers.
Let's Reflect
1. What is the first order of priority recorded in this chapter that David set forth before his death?
2. As you read the large number of Levites, it seems like a lot of people to be handling the duties of the temple, but given that we know of the approximate total census of Israel, we can understand how it would take such a large number of Levites to perform all the work of the temple especially when sacrifices were offered. The preparation of the animals for the sacrifices would require many hands. What total number of Levites was given in verse 3?
3. The service to the temple was not just assigned to anyone who wanted to volunteer but was directed as grave responsibilities to the descendants of Levi. Therefore, the chronicler shows this importance by naming some of the genealogical descendants of Levi. Who were the 3 families (or sons) of Levi?
4. The priests would be from the descendants of Kohath, but more specifically from the line of what man who was the brother of Moses?
5. According to verses 24-26 what important change did David make because he knew that there would be so many tasks that would need attending to in the new temple?
6. Verses 28-32 lists all the various duties that the Levites would need to attend to. My favorite is listed in verse 30. What was that special assignment, and can you imagine how you might fulfill this assignment if it were assigned to you?
Devotionals
