David installed the Ark in 1 Chronicles 15 and instituted regular worship in chapter 16, led by Asaph:

That was the day that David inaugurated regular worship of praise to GOD, led by Asaph and his company. (1 Chronicles 16.7, MSG)

So Asaph was a contemporary of King David, and you’ll see his name on a lot of psalms. 1 Chronicles 16 records excerpts of three psalms:

• 1 Chronicles 16.8 – 22 is Psalm 105.1 – 15
• 1 Chronicles 16.23 – 33 is Psalm 96.1 – 13.
• 1 Chronicles 16.35, 36 is Psalm 106.47, 48

Here are a few snippets – commands:

• Study God and his strength.
• Seek his presence day and night.
• Remember all the wonders he performed… (1 Chronicles 16.11, 12, MSG)

• Sing to God, everyone and everything!
• Get out his salvation news every day.
• Publish his glory among the godless nations, his wonders to all races and religions. (1 Chronicles 16.23, 24, MSG)

Wow. Strong commands for God’s people. Study God, seek his presence, remember… Then, don’t just talk to ourselves. Talk to the nations…all races and religions.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. (1 Chronicles 16.24, 25, ESV)

I think overall we’re not doing a good job.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67.1 – 5, ESV)

Continuing our theme from yesterday that God is not to be trifled with:

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12.28, ESV)

It is noteworthy that God “exploded” in both chapters 13 (during the first attempt at retuning the Ark) and chapter 14 in a battle. Here again is the incident with the Ark:

GOD erupted in anger against Uzzah and killed him because he grabbed the Chest. He died on the spot—in the presence of God. David lost his temper, angry because GOD exploded against Uzzah; the place is still called Perez Uzzah (Exploded Uzzah) (1 Chronicles 13.10, 11, MSG)

Then in chapter 14, the Philistines threaten, and the same word is used:

David prayed to God: “Is this the right time to attack the Philistines? Will you give me the victory?” GOD answered, “Attack; I’ll give you the victory.” David attacked at Baal Perazim and slaughtered them. David said, “God exploded my enemies, as water explodes from a burst pipe.” That’s how the place got its name, Baal Perazim (Baal-Explosion). The Philistines left their gods behind and David ordered that they be burned up. (1 Chronicles 14.10 – 12, MSG)

I’d rather be on the chapter 14 side of God’s explosions, wouldn’t you?

Peter said, “Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn’t lie to men but to God.” Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. (Acts 5.3 – 5, MSG)

He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?” He said, “Who are you, Master?” “I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.” (Acts 9.3 – 6, MSG)

The first thing David does upon establishing Jerusalem as the new capital city is to bring the Ark back. We looked at this when we went through 2 Samuel a few months ago. But I saw new things here in 1 Chronicles.

David consulted with all of his leaders, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds. Then David addressed the entire assembly of Israel, “If it seems right to you, and it is GOD’s will, let’s invite all our relatives wherever they are throughout Israel, along with their relatives, including their priests and Levites from their cities and surrounding pastures, to join us. And let’s bring the Ark of our God back—the Ark that was out of sight, out of mind during the days of Saul.” (1 Chronicles 13.1 – 3, MSG)

First, I’ve never stopped to think that the Ark had been gone a long time. It was taken into battle by the sons of Eli back as recorded in 1 Samuel 4. After some fun in Philistia, the Ark comes back to Israel as recorded in 1 Samuel 6. That’s before Saul’s kingship, so the Ark has been gone a long time: “Out of sight out of mind during the days of Saul.”

We know that David moved the Ark incorrectly (We might say “imagination and creativity” instead of “following directions.”) And Chronicles makes it abundantly clear why David got it right the second time:

After David built houses for himself in the City of David, he cleared a place for the Ark and pitched a tent for it. Then David gave orders: “No one carries the Ark of God except the Levites; GOD designated them and them only to carry the Ark of GOD and be available full time for service in the work of worship.” (1 Chronicles 15.1, 2, MSG)

So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the Ark of the GOD of Israel. The Levites carried the Ark of God exactly as Moses, instructed by GOD, commanded—carried it with poles on their shoulders, careful not to touch it with their hands. (1 Chronicles 15.14, 15, MSG)

Do you think they were being careful? I quoted Annie Dillard (again) about three months ago, but her words seem appropriate here also:

On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. ― Annie Dillard, “An Expedition to the Pole” from Teaching a Stone to Talk (1982)

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12.28, ESV)

We wrote a couple of days ago about the diverse nature of a team, noting that King David’s included “wild men.” The promise is that we’re on God’s team with a role to play:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2.10, NIV)

It’s one thing to have a role. It’s quite another to actually play it. Retired (I think!) NFL quarterback Tom Brady made that clear in an interview a week or so ago. If you know anything about pro football at all, you know that Tom, drafted 199th in the 2000 draft as a quarterback, went on to become (in the opinion of many) the “Greatest of All Time.”

In the interview, Tom explains why many wide receivers who had done well with other teams came to his team, the New England Patriots, and didn’t do well. Mainly because Tom never threw the ball to them! Why not?

The problem is summarized in this opening:

The failure of so many physically gifted – and sometimes even accomplished professional – wide receivers to make it in New England is one of the enduring mysteries of the Patriots Dynasty. And perhaps the biggest criticism of Tom Brady in his 20 years of unprecedented success was that it was his fault a lot of his wideouts managed to fall through the cracks, even when they proven themselves on other teams. The knock on Brady was that he’d lose patience with a guy too soon. And that once his trust was gone, there was no getting it back. – Barstoolsports.com, August 20, 2024

There’s a link to that portion of the interview in the online article about 2/3 the way through. Here are some (approximate) snippets:

The best teammates I had showed up for work every day, and I never had to worry about their effort or their attitude…[Some guys] I knew they were going to hustle and run the play exactly as they should… [Other guys] I’d look over and they’re not lined up right…they’re looking to the sideline for help…they don’t know the play. My job is hard enough without having to worry about my teammates not doing theirs. – Tom Brady, from a one-minute response to the question of non-productive wide receivers

It’s not enough to be one of the essential diverse elements of a team. Every team member must know his or her role and how to execute it properly and on time: applies to football teams, symphony orchestras, and, yes, even the Kingdom of God.

[Church leaders’ purpose is] to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. (Ephesians 4.12, 13, MSG)

It’s time for our annual shout-out to work, a very important part of life. I marvel (it provokes wonder!) that things work as well as they do…that people work as well as they do to provide for all of our needs.

I was on the Home Depot web site recently looking for a faucet for a new vanity. “Do you want that delivered today at no extra charge?” So from our deck, using an iPad, my wife and I said, tongue in cheek, “I guess that’s acceptable!” And the faucet arrived before lunch. Amazing.

And there’s nothing more amazing than The Country Market in Estes Park.

On the far side of town from where we stay is a standard-size, full-service Safeway. On our side of town is The Country Market, considerably smaller, maybe a quarter as big or less. And in more than 10 years of shopping at The Country Market, I have ALWAYS found what I went there for: handwarmers in the winter, medicine, soap, leftover containers, almond milk, etc. It’s a small store, just a few shelves, but it’s all there. It’s like magic. And if you ask any employee where something is, they will tell you. They are extraordinarily good at their craft…and they know it. Here’s an excerpt from their website:

We know you.

Whether you’re an Estes Park local or one of our visitors (welcome!), we know what you need.

How do we know? Because we help hundreds of locals and visitors like you every single day. And, after doing this for many, many years, we’ve gotten very good at it. Combine that with our friendly service (if you’re looking for self-checkout, this ain’t the place) and a much faster checkout experience, why would you go anywhere else?

The Country Market is a locally owned…grocery store…[which] offers a wide array of fresh organic produce, cheeses, meats, and other natural and locally sourced foods and friendly, faster service than area big-brand stores.

The store also offers everything you need for your Estes Park and Rocky Mountain adventure, including s’mores supplies, propane, firewood, ice, and more. And if you’re hankering for some grub, stop by for one of our famous made-to-order deli sandwiches, espresso drinks, and ice cream!

If you need something, chances are good that we have it. Stop on by! We’ll show you ourselves.

Kudos to the owners, managers, whoever decides what products to carry (how can they have everything?!), stockers, and checkout clerks. It’s a marvel. An experience in wonder every time I go.

Don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. (Colossians 3.23, MSG)

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90.17, NIV)

The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder. – G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles

June and I were in a cabin outside of Estes Park, Colorado, the past two weeks. It had been a mostly cloudy day with a bit of rain. As we were listening to Audible read us a novel, we looked out the window just at sunset:

It’s not the most spectacular picture I’ve ever made, but it’s still a reminder of the wonders of God’s creation. That the sky would do that, just for a few minutes, just enough to brighten our evening, was a blessing, and yes…a wonder.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19.1, ESV)

We left David in 1 Chronicles 11 having been crowned king and capturing Jerusalem. The rest of chapter 11 and all of chapter 12 talk about his mighty men, including our friend Benaniah who “killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.”

1 Chronicles doesn’t describe the blow-by-blow of David’s becoming king of all of Israel. It describes the kind of men who made it happen. For example:

There were some Gadites there who had defected to David at his wilderness fortress; they were seasoned and eager fighters who knew how to handle shield and spear. They were wild in appearance, like lions, but as agile as gazelles racing across the hills. Ezer was the first, then Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Macbannai—eleven of them. These Gadites were the cream of the crop—any one of them was worth a hundred lesser men, and the best of them were worth a thousand. They were the ones who crossed the Jordan when it was at flood stage in the first month, and put everyone in the lowlands to flight, both east and west. (1 Chronicles 12.8 – 15, MSG)

“Seasoned and eager fighters who knew how to handle shield and spear. They were wild in appearance, like lions, but as agile as gazelles…”

Wild men. Compare the description of John the Baptist:

When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! (Matthew 11.7 – 9, MSG)

Some guys are prophets – wild – others are better pastors. Different kinds of guys. Note that Ephesians 4.11 lists different kinds of gifted leaders:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers. (Ephesians 4.11, NIV)

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Some refer to this as the APEPT model. The implication of Ephesians 4.11 is that we need them all. It takes an apostle, for example, to start a church, especially in a hostile environment. But the guy with apostolic gifts (a “church-planter”) is unlikely to be the guy who can pastor the people over time.

Same in the military. Some guys are great wartime leaders but terrible peacetime leaders.

I’m thankful for David’s “wild men.” I’m also thankful none of them became king! There were also the men of Issachar, “men who understood both the times and Israel’s duties.” Armed, trained “fierce fighters…united and determined to make David king over all Israel.”

It takes a team!

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. (Romans 12.6 – 8, NIV)

There are God-sightings everywhere if we choose to look for them. I wrote about one at the Olympics. Here’s another. The story is a bit long but worth it…

In the summer of 1975, we had just moved to Omaha the previous January for an Air Force assignment and decided to go to Colorado for a brief vacation. My friend John Morgan, whom I had served with in Turkey 1970 – 1971, was in Boulder, CO, getting a master’s degree. Decades before Air B&B he found us a place to stay in mountains between Lyons and Estes Park. The owner, a Denver commercial artist named Dieter Sebastian had just bought and assembled a kit home: “They bring it to you on a large flat bed trailer. They dump it on the ground, shake your hand and leave!”

The Sebastian house in 1975. They built it to live on the top floor and rent out the bottom floor, where we stayed. My 51-year-old son, Mark, was two at the time. Note Mt Meeker in the background of the picture on the right.

We started going out to Estes Park regularly in the 1990s and again after 2006 when we returned to Colorado from five years in Alabama. At some point we got the idea that we should find this property. Dieter had passed away by this time, and we didn’t contact his wife before she passed. We had no idea where the house was except it was between Lyons and Estes Park, and you could see Mt Meeker. That would put it on a side road off of a 15 – 20-mile stretch of Highway 7.

MANY times over the past 20+ years, we have gone exploring trying to find that house. No success. When we were there recently we went out again and on a side road, there was a fellow out working in his yard. We told him the story, and he suggested we call on the manager of Meeker Park Lodge, within a mile of his property. He didn’t even know her name exactly, but he said, “She grew up here, and she’s in real estate. She knows all the properties.” Turns out his name is Robert, same as mine.

The next day I called the Lodge, and Rainia answered the phone. I asked if she was the lady who knew all the properties around here. “I am.” I told her my story, and she said she would be glad to research it for me. So I emailed her a few pictures. A success, right? Bob, you wouldn’t be telling us this story if she hadn’t found the house for you.

Yes and no. She didn’t have to find it. Here’s what she wrote:

Oh my goodness. This is the house I grew up in! My parents still live in it actually. This is wild!

You can’t make this stuff up. A road we happened to turn onto…just when a guy is outside working…who is vaguely aware that the manager of Meeker Park Lodge might be able to help. Help!? She grew up in that house! (And it turned out to be several miles further away from Estes Park than we had been looking.)

The house had been added on to, but it is the house. There was practically no vegetation when we were there, but in nearly 50 years… You can’t see Mt Meeker from the house today, but pull back out onto the highway, and there it is. The bottom row shows our new friend Rainia today, sitting in front of the window as a little girl, and the original owner in front of that same window. Turns out he lived there only six years.

And we had a bonus moose-sighting! This mother and calf were right next to the house. (By the way, a good reason not to get out of the car. Moose are the most dangerous animals out there. They’ll leave you alone until they don’t, and since they can kick in any direction, “There is no safe approach to a moose.” Especially one with a calf.)

Thanks to God, Robert, and Rainia, we accomplished our mission. The long-missing house has been found.

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul… (Proverbs 13.19, ESV)

We’re back to the narrative of 1 Chronicles which parallels the history we already read in 1 Samuel – 2 Kings. I will try not to repeat lessons we’ve already written about. The L O N G list of names, 1 Chronicles chapters 1 – 9, ends with the genealogy of Saul, which was also given at the end of chapter 8. Neither list gives any indication that Saul was king. It’s just a list of names. Odd.

Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal. The son of Jonathan: Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah…. (1 Chronicles 9.39, 40, NIV)

Then we pick up the narrative in chapter 10 with the death of Saul, including the fact that he took his own life as reported at the end of 1 Samuel. Then this commentary:

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. (1 Chronicles 10.13, 14, ESV)

Chapter 11 cuts through the years of civil war after Saul’s death and goes straight to David’s kingship and making Jerusalem the capital city:

Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.’ ” So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel. And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. (1 Chronicles 11.1 – 6, ESV)

David becomes king “according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.”

Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16.11 – 13, ESV)

As with Joseph, who became Prime Minister of Egypt at age 30, after 13 years of slavery, so David became king of Israel at age 30. If he, too, was about 17 when the promise came, he had 13 hard years as well. Our lessons from Hebrews apply:

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. (Hebrews 10.36 – 39, NIV)

Yesterday we looked at the prayer offered by the men from Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh in the middle of a battle:

God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. (1 Chronicles 5.20, NIV)

But they didn’t just pray, they had trained!

The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. (1 Chronicles 5.18, NIV

“…able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle.” And how does one become “able to handle shield and sword”? How does one become proficient with a bow? Answer: by training! And if you think back to the Olympic athletes, what does training look like?

The simple things that lead to success are all easy to do. They’re also just as easy not to do. – Jim Rohn

And this brings us back to my friend Mike and the difficulty he is having just helping his men get into the habit of daily time with God. If we know what to do, why don’t we do it?

• We don’t start small enough. When I teach time with God, I always encourage folks to start with just 10 – 15 minutes. I’ve had some people balk: “Only 15 minutes?! I should be doing an hour!!” My response is always, “God would rather you give him 15 minutes than NOT give him an hour.”

• We don’t see far enough Growth takes time, but growth does occur over time. A lot of folks quit when they’re not making progress as fast as they want.

[Jesus] also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. (Mark 4.26 – 28, NIV)

• We don’t want to. You will not want to do something until you’ve first done it when you didn’t want to. (compare Hebrews 12.11)

• We just don’t!

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on… (Philippians 3.12 – 14, NIV)

Do the work! Easy to do…easy not to do:

Keep up with your daily time with God; practice the one thing that will improve your relationship with someone; practice one thing for physical fitness; put sermons into practice…

David said to Solomon, be strong, and do the work! (1 Chronicles 28.10)