I & II CHRONICLES

What a great day we had yesterday at Church!  My how I enjoy Church and wish everyone had a great church to attend.  I'm in the Chronicles today and here are a few choice thoughts I had as I read this morning: 1) OBED-EDOM- After David tried to do a right thing, the wrong way, Uzza was killed by touching the Ark.  Remember it was put on a new cart instead of being carried on the shoulders by the priest.  David learn to put the Ark on a cart because of his time with the Philistines.  They moved the cart that way, but that was not the way the LORD commanded the Israelites to move the Ark.  So, a bit frustrated, David leaves the Ark with the family of Obed-edom.  1 Chronicles 13:13-14  "So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.  14  And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had."  After David heard of God's blessings upon Obed-edom and his family, David goes back for the Ark and does things God's way and brings it back to Jerusalem.  BUT.... that is only the beginning of the story for Obed-edom.  In I & II Chronicles from chapter thirteen on, we will find twelve verses with Obed-edom's name it them.  In each time, it is connected with being around the Ark of God.  God blessed His home because of the Ark of God, and now Obed-edom will not leave it.  Eventually his sons and grandsons watch over the Ark as well.  1 Chronicles 26:8  "All these of the sons of Obededom: they and their sons and their brethren, able men for strength for the service, were threescore and two of Obededom."  When the Temple was finally raided and the gold and vessels were taken, it tells us in II Chronicles 25:24, that Obed-edom was still there!  Oh how this ought to illustrate to us to stay in the place of blessing... the local Church! 2) A TENT DWELLING GOD- In I Chron. 17, God tells David that he will not be the one making the Temple, his son would.  In verse five and six, God says: 1 Chronicles 17:5-6  "For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.  6  Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars?"  John 14:23  "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."  The word "abode" here means to "pitch ones' tent".  John 15:7  "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."  The word:  "abide" means the same thing.  God pitches His tent to be with us, and we are to "pitch our tents" to be with Him.  The idea is that He follows us, and we follow Him!  What a beautiful way to portray the communion and fellowship we are to have with our God everyday of our lives.  Will you pull up your stakes, and follow God today, and then put down your tent tonight as you go to sleep with Him?  Let this be our challenge!  Our God is a tent loving God! Oh man, I have only started but it seems that each thing I write about today I have a sermon idea.  These two will have to suffice, but let me at least give you the references of other things I marked:  I Chron. 22:5 "Exceeding magnifical"; I Chron. 22:12 "Only the LORD give thee wisdom & understanding" (David's advice & Solomon's request: II Chron. 1:10); I Chron. 28:4 "he liked me"  (David said:  God liked me!  He likes us too!); I Chron. 28:19 (God gave David the pattern of the Temple; the Tabernacle had a pattern shown Moses on the Mount; The Church has a pattern given to us in the New Testament.... follow the pattern!).  And this is what I marked up, I wish I had time to type for another hour just about these thoughts.  God's Word is so rich, so full, so inexhaustible,  keep reading dear friend!  Blessings on you!     Pastor Mike Mutchler