Personal Devotions
Notes from Mark's personal Bible reading and meditation
With a goal to apply one truth from each day's reading to my life that day
Feb 11, 2023, 6:46 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 23-26
Meditation Verse: 23:4
Thought
David appointed the Levites to new duties, since they no longer had to transport the Tabernacle. Among those duties were to be judges, which I assume also meant teachers, since you can't judge people by laws they don't know about. It has been the responsibility of the priests to teach the Law, but they weren't doing such a great job of it, or else they lacked support from the civil leaders (city elders, previous judges, Saul) to execute punishment based on the Law.
Feb 10, 2023, 6:48 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 19-22
Meditation Verses: 21:1-2
Thought
While this gives no excuse for sin, it is hopeful to know that even when I fail, the Lord can bring good from it. The end of this story is the establishment of the temple location. Though seventy thousand people in Israel died, not one lost their chance for redemption. Either they were already saved or they would never believe; their eternal destiny had already been set. We make much of this life, and it is important, but mainly for determining where we spend eternity, and secondly, the quality of that experience.
Feb 9, 2023, 6:49 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 15-18
Meditation Verse: 17:10
Thought
David couldn't bear the thought of the Lord sitting on His throne in a tent, while David sat on a throne in a cedar house. It was wrong that he should enjoy comforts that the Lord didn't. It was wrong that he should have better things than the Lord. The Lord was God of all creation, far greater than David, and He should have the best, better than any human king enjoyed. That is honor.
Feb 8, 2023, 6:50 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 11-14
Meditation Verse: 14:8
Thought
Victory does not come without testing. David was finally announced king; God finally fulfilled His promise to him. But no sooner had he united the country, then the Philistines attacked. They probably felt foolish, because David had lived among them, claimed loyalty, then at the first chance run off to be king of their enemy! They would make him pay for making them look like fools. But God helped him through this attack and the next, and that ended it.
Feb 7, 2023, 6:51 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 7-10
Meditation Verses: 10:13-14
Thought
Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He wasn't careful with the Lord's instructions, but altered them as the situation seemed to indicate to him. He justified his disobedience by his circumstances and by what he perceived his needs and the wants of the people to be. So he elevated his and the people's desires above the clear commands of God. That was his unfaithfulness. He didn't honor the Lord as highly as he honored himself or his people.
Feb 6, 2023, 6:53 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 3-6
Meditation Verses: 4:41-43
Thought
Evidently Hezekiah's reforms sparked new boldness in some of the people to continue the Lord's command to wipe out the remaining original inhabitants of Canaan, as well as continue the Lord's eternal war with Amalek. Some from Simeon destroyed the Hamites and Meunites, and even invade part of Seir to destroy some Amalekites who had escape previous purges. Most of what is recorded elsewhere is of Israelites deciding to live among the Canaanites because they were too strong to defeat, until the Israelites we're strong enough to make them into slaves.
Feb 5, 2023, 6:54 AM
Passage Read: 2 Kings 24 - 1 Chronicles 2
Meditation Verse: 1 Chronicles 2:55
Thought
If this is the same Recab, who fathered the Recabites, who were not to drink wine or live in cities, then they were from the people of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenites! They weren't originally Israelites, but we're faithful followers of the Lord, priests of the Lord from Midian. They were always nomadic while living with Israel in Canaan; their father must have codified that practice as he saw the trouble brought on by gaining and possessing land, gathering wealth.
Feb 14, 2022, 7:28 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 27 - 2 Chronicles 1
Meditation Verses: 1 Chronicles 29:18-19
Thought
It's interesting that David would pray this, because back in Genesis, God said that every inclination of the thoughts of men were only evil all the time. David prays that God would keep this generous intent towards Him in their hearts forever. So how much will God do and how much will He leave it to us to decide? Is this a prayer that God will answer? Obviously, He didn't keep the hearts of the people delighting in Him forever.
Feb 13, 2022, 7:29 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 23-26
Meditation Verses: 26:30-32
Thought
The tabernacle hadn't moved for hundreds of years, from the time it was set up at Gibeon after Joshua brought the Israelites into the land. So most of the Levites had nothing to do. They had formerly been assigned the duty to carry all its equipment, but since it wasn't moving any more, there was nothing for them to do. David recognized that it was actually their duty to serve the priests, and with the construction of the temple, they would have even less cause to serve.
Feb 12, 2022, 7:30 AM
Passage Read: 1 Chronicles 19-22
Meditation Verses: 19:2-4
Thought
Assuming the worst about someone is bad enough. Doing evil to them without provocation is even worse. God is as jealous for His people as David was, and He will pay back those who impute evil motives to those of His who are truly seeking to show kindness. It's far better to suffer for doing right then to suffer for doing wrong. The former will be repaid in kindness and the latter is deserved.