1 CHRONICLES 28:1 – 29:30 and ACTS 4:1–37
1 Chr 28
King David is reflecting upon that which he desired to do in building a house of Rest for the Ark of God. The account he refers to is found in 2 Samuel 7. The Lord made clear that this privilege would be given to the seed that would come forth from him and not to David due to the bloodshed seen throughout his reign. Solomon was the chosen son to carry on the work of the temple (vs 5). David makes clear that Solomon was God’s choice, not man’s. At the time of Adonijah’s rebellion Solomon was the designated son who would become king. He was born in Zion after David had sinned with Bathsheba. Adonijah was one of the sons bore in Hebron that caused David trouble. One of the other sons of Hebron was Absalom. These were sons born of different women. We have mentioned on numerous occasions that this was a violation of one the law of Kings from Deu 17:17 where multiple wives were not to be taken. There was sin in the lineage of David that enabled both Absalom and Adonijah to assert themselves in their seeking to take the throne. There are similarities in the way they went about it. Both of these men prepared chariots and horsemen to go before them. They also had 50 men to run before them in their desire to spread the news of their reign. To understand why Solomon would be the seed through whom God would have his temple built we need to appreciate his place of birth.
Psa 87:5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.
Psa 87:6 The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.
Psa 87:7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee
Zion represents a vision and it is important that this vision is birthed within the heart of one who will dwell there. Absalom, Adonijah and many other sons of David were born in Hebron; it speaks of an inferior inheritance. Solomon, in the natural was birthed in Zion. It represents God’s resting place and it is the place where David as both king/priest established God’s presence. Zion should be the destination of all believers because it is there where the Lord chooses to dwell (Psa 87:2, Psa 132:13-14).
David gives Solomon a charge to serve the Lord with a perfect heart and willing mind; he adds that if he seeks the Lord he will be found of Him and if he does not he will be forgotten forever. He then gives Solomon the pattern for the porch, rooms and treasuries of the house of God (vs 11-12). David was also particular in appointing the Levites and priests in their courses for the service work of the house of God (vs 13, 21) for the reasons stated in the previous chapters. There is one final charge that David gives to Solomon and that is to be strong and of a good courage. These are the same words that Moses gave to Joshua; (Deu 31:6-7) the same words that the Lord gave to Joshua (Josh 1:6) which would also be the words given to us in our day; that we be strong in the Lord and be of a good courage.
1 Chr 29
David now turns his attention to the people making it clear that Solomon was young and the work before him was a great one. He is trying to rally the people behind his leadership. Solomon though young, had a very good start as their king and leader. David and Bathsheba spent considerable time in training him to rule and reign upon the throne. They tried to make it as easy as possible as he assumed the rule over the nation. There are lessons of succession that can be learned from David’s example. Solomon’s rule would be different than David’s nonetheless there were the principles of the kingdom that were taught in addition to the gold and silver that were dedicated towards the work. What is notable is that the chief of the fathers and the princes of the tribes offered their services willingly before God. These were a people who were also very generous towards the work.
The Bible College of Wales (BCW) project has been a miracle since the thought first came into the mind of the Cornerstone leadership. There have been many people who have volunteered services and many who contributed vast sums of money towards the work. The vision has been communicated effectively and the results are there for all to see. This same generous spirit provided such a blessing to David (vs 9). The result of all of this was a prayer and song of rejoicing of David to the Lord. In fact, it is a song in many churches.
1Ch 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
David is overwhelmed at the goodness of God taking note of who he (David) is in light of God’s greatness. David was aware of the potential dangers that lurked about as a potential threat to Solomon. He prays to God that Solomon would have a perfect heart; to keep commandments and testimonies while in the act of building the palace (vs 19). Soon afterwards David had the people bless the Lord in reverent worship (vs 20). The official coronation of Solomon was publicly made with much pomp so as to show forth Solomon as king before all the people. This public display provided a natural transition of leadership from David to Solomon. The Lord magnified Solomon before the people in a picture of royal majesty.
In verses 26-30 the passing of King David is recorded. His total reign over Israel was for forty years, seven of which were over Hebron where he had 6 sons born. The balance of 33 years was his rule over the entirety of Israel. We will continue to cite David throughout these commentaries. He is the only true king/priest seen in the Old Testament, other than Melchizedec. He provides a picture of what Christ will be like and he will be one who will rule and reign with Christ as a prince in the millennium. There is so much to glean from this great man’s life.
Acts 4
The ministry of Peter and the apostles through the Holy Spirit was now making an impact on their city. It would only be a matter of time before the opposition would rise up against their effort. The boldness of Peter’s preaching was a stinging rebuke to the Pharisees and Sadducees. They laid hands on them and held them overnight. Meanwhile another 5000 plus men believed the preaching that they were hearing. The following day several of the high level leaders, many of whom being responsible for the crucifixion of Christ, gathered the disciples together and asked by what authority they were doing these things (vs 7). Once again it is Peter, who is filled with the Holy Ghost, who stated clearly that it is by the authority of Jesus Christ, whom ye crucified, that authorizes them. There is no other name. He is the stone that was set who has now become the head of the corner. Peter also made clear that salvation comes by no other name (vs 12).
The following verses are significant in seeing that people were now taking note of Peter and John. In the natural they had no outstanding features that would draw men’s attention. The boldness that was seen upon them was undeniable. They also took note that they had been with Jesus. They also saw the man who was healed standing alongside them so there was nothing that they could say. These men were in a dilemma because they could not allow this to continue without their being discredited and brought to irrelevance. To directly intervene would cause problems because a notable miracle had been performed that could not be denied. We need to see this kind of power today.
They decided to take the men (Peter, John and the others) aside and command them to no longer speak in the name of Jesus. This kind of suppression is being employed today throughout the world in varied ways. John and Peter were clear in their convictions just as we need to be today. They were to testify of the things that they had seen and heard. For the moment there was not too much they could do to stop Peter and John seeing that people and crowds were glorifying God for what they had witnessed.
The above account helps to give a window to what will play out in these last days. The enemy seeks to undermine Christianity in different ways. Through today’s media an extreme minority position can be promoted forcefully as if it’s the majority sentiment of the people. Today’s homosexual agenda is a good example of this. A person who takes a stand against same sex marriage is made out to be an uncaring bigoted person. The media then plays upon the emotions of people by presenting innocent looking same sex couples who simply want to live their life in their way just like everyone else with the same privileges. What is hidden behind this smokescreen is a monstrous agenda that seeks to undermine God’s ordained order of sexuality. If this institution can be broken down then every institution can be broken down resulting in the enemy’s easy infiltration into the church. This is how the enemy seeks to destroy the church and silence the voice of Christianity. This is how the enemy worked against Christ in his last days before the Cross. They sought ways to trap him so that they could make a so called case against Him. In doing so they had to ensure that they could rally the masses of people against Him.
I bring this out so that we can look at events today in context. You have large rallies promoting causes or massive protests against this or that. We can see the people on the front lines protesting or arguing their case but the unseen hand that organizes these public displays are never seen. One recent example in the USA makes this case poignantly. A simple little pizza shop in a small town was visited by a news reporter who asked a baiting question. Would you provide catering services at a gay wedding? The young girl respectfully responded that she and her family believe that a wedding should be between a man and a woman and that they would not provide services for such a wedding. GOTCHA! This news reporter trumpeted the response of this young woman and the issue went viral. There were protests and threats to the pizza shop and to people who would do business with this establishment. This is how the enemy works and how he will intensify his efforts in the days to come against Christianity. The church will either have to conform to the rules of the new World Order of beliefs or face an assault against their beliefs and way of life. There is still a light shining in America. Once the above case went viral and the family came to international exposure due to this reporter’s warped values the country responded by raising about 1 million USD for the family. These perverted voices of injustice are a real minority but they have an amplified voice.
The enemies of Peter and John and the church had to work fast in trying to stem the church’s momentum. For now, the church’s growth was continuing and there was not much that anyone could do to stop it. The men were aware of the threatening’s and they knew it would continue but they were able to rejoice in seeing how the Lord was working through them. They prayed that in the midst of their plotting’s that the Lord would give them boldness to persevere (vs 29). As they continued in prayer the place where they were at shook and people who were there were filled with the Holy Ghost and all of them had that same unique boldness (vs 31). I personally feel we will see another outpouring of the Holy Ghost similar to Pentecost but in an increased measure seeing that we are heading towards the last days. It will be needed to stand against the tide of wickedness that will surely counter the move.
In verses 32-37 you see a unity and commonality amongst the people. This is not communism as it is preached today. When you have the Holy Spirit at the center of administration there need not be any worry of centralized power in the hands of a few. This will require the body of Christ, the church to come together in these last days. We must believe for the Spirit to break down denominational walls of separation so that each of the joints of the church body can supply and meet needs. The danger that we must watch out for is compromise and the lessening of standards. We can be assured that the Holy Spirit as administrator and enabler of this move will help keep standards in check. We will see this in greater detail in chapter 5. What we see here in chapter 4 is hopefully a picture of what is to come. For now, the church has momentum, Peter, John and the others are experiencing phenomenal growth and there is not yet much the enemy can do in standing against this move. It is a view of what is to come.