The nation of Israel had endured many years of instability. Saul had managed to keep the people unified, but the latter part of his reign was especially erratic as he pursued with paranoia the Hebrew hero, his arch nemesis, the former shepherd, David. Then Saul was slain by the Philistines in battle, and the political climate really turned stormy. The former captain of Saul's army quickly made Ishbosheth, Saul's son, the king of Israel, but the tribe of Judah appointed David as its king. Eventually, Abner was slain, then Ishbosheth, and all the tribes came together at Hebron to make David the king of ALL Israel. After years of drama and disunity, David became that unifying force that was so desperately needed.
After conquering Jerusalem and making it the new (and more centralized) capital of the nation, one of David's first acts as king was to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Not only did he have a desire to please God, and God's plan was for the ark to be in the most holy place inside the Tabernacle, this move would unify the people spiritually.
The first attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem failed! When David became aware of the problem, he made the corrections and finally, the ark arrived in Jerusalem. It was a triumphant day that stirred the Jews' spiritual affections and turned their hearts to God. After offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to God, David gifted all the people with loaves of bread, pieces of meat, and cakes of raisins (1 Chron. 16:1-3). This was the Jews' first real celebration in a LONG time. There wasn't just victory. There wasn't just unity. There wasn't just peace. There was joy!
With all of this in mind, focus your attention on 1 Chronicles 16:4...
"And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel."
Now that the Tabernacle was erected and the ark safely inside, the Levites and priests could resume their God-ordained work as prescribed in the Law of Moses. David gave instructions to the Levites that we would ALL do well to heed, and no, I'm not talking about the work of ministering before the ark of the Lord. As God's people today, we ought to commemorate, thank and praise God in response to the blessings He bestows upon us.
What is most interesting here is the order...
To "commemorate" is to remember. We ought to first of all remember that our blessings are from the Lord (James 1:17). When something great happens in your life, don't pat yourself on the back. Remember that God is the source.
Then, once you recognize and remember the SOURCE of your blessings, thank Him. Don't just have a thankful disposition, express your thanks. After all, when you do something for someone, it's always nice to hear them say "thank you." So don't assume that God knows you're thankful. Say it! Thank the Lord, and mean it from the bottom of your heart.
If you've commemorated and thanked God, your thoughts will not only be centered on God, you will most likely find yourself admiring God's goodness and will be overwhelmed with affection for Him. God is so good to me. How could the mighty Creator of heaven and earth even take notice of me, much less show such kindness to me? Wow! God is good! The result? Praise Him! Worship Him!
Like the Israelites of old, we are all encumbered with hardship in this life. We are faced with instability, stress, drama, discouragement, and so many other things that distract us from God. But let's not fail to recognize God's blessings. In fact, let's take full advantage of those times of joy and spiritual awakening by remembering God, thanking Him, and praising Him, thus prolonging our joy and implanting those positive, spiritual affections deep in the soil of our heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment