THANK AND PRAISE THE LORD
1 Chronicles 23:1-32
They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening (30)
chapter 23
1. When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2. He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.
3. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.
4. David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of the LORD and six thousand are to be officials and judges.
5. Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose."
6. David separated the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
7. Belonging to the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
8. The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the first, Zetham and Joel - three in all.
9. The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran - three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
10. And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush and Beriah. These were the sons of Shimei - four in all.
11. Jahath was the first and Ziza the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; so they were counted as one family with one assignment.
12. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel - four in all.
13. The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.
14. The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.
15. The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
16. The descendants of Gershom: Shubael was the first.
17. The descendants of Eliezer: Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
18. The sons of Izhar: Shelomith was the first.
19. The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.
20. The sons of Uzziel: Micah the first and Ishiah the second.
21. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
22. Eleazar died without having sons: he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
23. The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth - three in all.
24. These were the descendants of Levi by their families - the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the temple of the LORD.
25. For David had said, "Since the LORD, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever,
26. the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service."
27. According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.
28. The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the LORD: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God.
29. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.
30. They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening
31. and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals. They were to serve before the LORD regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them.
32. And so the Levites carried out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the Holy Place and, under their relatives the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the temple of the LORD.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1. When David was old, he set the Levites and priests in order. As an old king about to die, he could have had other concerns, such as border security or a good burial place for himself. However, his heart was towards God. He counted the number of Levites, the tribe that serves God. Some of them were to oversee the work of the temple, and others would be judges, gatekeepers, and praise servants. David also separated the Levites into divisions by sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Thus, David made sure only those who belonged to the line of Levi served the temple as God commanded them.
2. Aaron and his line were set apart to serve God as priests. They were the only ones who could offer sacrifices and minister before God. But it was not because they were holier than others; this role was God’s one-sided love and grace. In the same way, God has made us priests to serve him. May we serve God with thanksgiving for this privilege. Since God will dwell in Jerusalem forever, they no longer needed Levites to carry around the ark. Instead, they were to help Aaron’s descendants (priests) in serving God. As verse 30 says, their job was to stand every morning and give thanks and praise to the Lord. That is what angels and elders do in heaven (Rev 4:8). God is most pleased when we give thanks to him and praise him day and night.
Prayer: Lord, we praise your name and give thanks to you for all you have done.
One Word: Praise the name of the Lord