Lessons from a list of returning exiles
Text 1 Chronicles 9 Time 21 10 20 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)
We come this evening to 1 Chronicles 9. So far in Chronicles we have been confronted by a lot of names - mostly of people but also of places, many of which mean very little or nothing to us. The writer has been giving us the genealogical background for what comes next. At this point at last we begin to move towards the sort of narrative that we are more used to.
So, having given us genealogies from Adam to Abraham to Jacob to David to the exile in Chapters 1-3 and then the genealogies of the tribes of Israel in Chapters 4-8 - Judah (4:1-23) Simeon (4:23-43) Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh (Chapter 5) Levi (Chapter 6) Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, western Manasseh, Ephraim and Asher (Chapter 7) and Benjamin (Chapter 8) we now come to the resettling of Jerusalem following the exile, which was done by Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.
In verses 35-44 we have a repeat of what is in 8:29-38. Now you get other examples of this in the Bible. For example, Psalm 18 is also found in 2 Samuel 22; Psalms 105 and 96 in 1 Chronicles 16. In Psalms itself Psalms 14 and 53 are practically the same. Parts of psalms reappear in other psalms too and there are some repeated Proverbs. 1 Chronicles 11 is pretty much the same as 2 Samuel 23, certain passages in Isaiah 36 and 39 are in 2 Kings, Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 are more or less the same as are Isaiah 2:2-4 and Micah 4:1-5.
It may be that here some copyist has made a mistake and written Saul's genealogy twice. It is more likely that the genealogy in 8:29-38 rounds off what is said of Benjamin and 9:35-44 serves to introduce what is said of Saul in Chapter 10. Repetition is an important rhetorical and educational tool. In the Bible we find not only simple repetition but also repetition of phrases and ideas that are clearly deliberate and no mistake. To adapt a Steve Turner poem - The Bible repeats itself; it has to no-one's listening!
So having said that about verses 35-44, let's concentrate now on verses 1-34 and say four things.
1. Learn from the Israelites about troubles and the need for honesty and unity
The writer begins by bringing us to what was then bang up to date - the time of the return from the exile. He says All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. These are not the books we know but official records kept by the Israelites to which our writer had access. He says frankly and honestly They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. He goes on Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants. It is these four groups that he then goes on to speak about, beginning with the Israelites (3) Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem. These Ephraimites and Manassites had no doubt originally joined Judah when the ten tribes were taken into exile by the Assyrians in 722 BC but were then taken into exile by the Babylonians in 597 BC.
This measure of re-unification is spoken of in Hosea (1:11) and Ezekiel (37:22) The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel. ... I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.
We then have some examples of those who returned
From Judah (4-6) Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah. Of the Shelanites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. Of the Zerahites: Jeuel. The people from Judah numbered 690.
From Benjamin (7-9) Of the Benjamites: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah. The people from Benjamin, as listed in their genealogy, numbered 956. All these men were heads of their families.
Two things here then by way of application
1. We ought to remember times of trouble and how our own sins have been our downfall. Matthew Henry says "Let that judgment never be forgotten, but ever be remembered, for warning to posterity to take heed of those sins that brought it upon them." More generally, we should remember past troubles and be thankful for deliverance but we should also confess how we have often been the architects of our own downfall.
2. We should recognise that although trouble is undesirable it can often result in greater unity. Trouble can often drive people together. When people speak of the spirit that existed among people during the war it is that spirit of unity that they are referring to. Think of metals being smelted together. Though disparate under the heat they merge. Not everyone returned from exile but those that did were now reunited in a common task
2. Learn from the priests about the importance of able leadership
The writer then goes on to write about the Levites and Temple servants. He begins with the priests in verses 10-13. He says
Of the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer. The priests, who were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God.
It is good to read about the priests. It was good that they were willing to leave Babylon and take a lead in the ministry back in the Promised Land and good that the people appear to have been eager to have them along. Two things again to notice
1. It is said of Azariah that he was (9) the official in charge of the house of God. This is not a reference to the High Priest (that would have been a man called Joshua) but rather to someone who took care of the day to day running of the renewed temple worship. In New Testament times there is no separate priesthood but there are leaders and we need people to give themselves full time to leading the work. We are commended to pray for such people. Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you (Hebrews 13:7a).
2. It is said of these men (13) that They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God. As we said a moment ago, we are all now priests but there are leaders and we need leaders who are able and who will take responsibility for the ministry. It was a critical moment in history when God's people returned from exile but they had the leaders and that made all the difference. We need such people today. Pray for them.
3. Learn from the Levites about implementing God's revealed plans
Having spoken about the priests, our writer goes on to consider the Levites and the gatekeepers. So first (14-16) Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite; Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zikri, the son of Asaph; Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites. Presumably it was not possible to live in Jerusaem at this time and so they had to travel in.
Then (from verse 17) The gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their fellow Levites, Shallum their chief being stationed at the King's Gate on the east, up to the present time. These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of the Levites. Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the tent just as their ancestors had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the LORD.
In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was the official in charge of the gatekeepers, and the LORD was with him. This is probably not the famous one but God was with him, and as we have often said, that makes all the difference.
Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. That sounds like a large number but if we allow for shifts and the fact that the approaches as well as the gates themselves were guarded then it sounds more reasonable. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the LORD - the house called the tent of meeting. The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south.
Their fellow Levites in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods. This was again perhaps a temporary arrangement. But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God. They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning.
Lessons this time
1. It appears that until a new Temple could be built they reverted to the older pattern of using a tent or tabernacle. Matthew Henry "Those that cannot yet reach to have a temple must not be without a tabernacle, but be thankful for that and make the best of it. Never let God's work be left undone for want of a place to do it in."
2. The way things were organised was based on what Samuel and David had prescribed (22). Whether this means that Samuel had drawn up plans later perfected by David when he was king or whether from early on David and Samuel had worked together on a plan we do not know. The thing is that after long neglect these Levites were eagerly getting back to God given principles of practice and applying them as best they knew how. We should seek to do the same.
3. It was important that the Temple should be guarded. The unclean, the unqualified and any troublemakers needed to be kept out. We are used to the word gatekeeper being used in a wider way. So today we need to be careful in matters such as church membership and who takes communion and the need to make sure our doctrine conforms to what the Bible actually says. Care needs to be taken. That verse They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning points to the need for constancy and diligence and the importance of not guarding the truth in such a way that it excludes God's people. Use the key to open the door, rather!
4. Gatekeepers were placed on all sides. We need to take care on all sides when it comes to the things of God. We do not know from which direction trouble may come next. There is a famous quote from Luther. He says
If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except that little point which the world and the Devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.
5. It may seem a lowly job but you recall how David said he would rather be a gatekeeper at the Lord's House than lives in the tents of the unrighteous. We should take the same attitude and be willing to do whatever needs to be done for the Lord.
4. Learn from the other things said here about serving the Lord in our own generation
In verses 28-33 we read of the various jobs that were done by other Levites.
Some seven jobs are mentioned altogether.
1. Some were in charge of Temple articles. 28 Some of them were in charge of the articles used in the temple service; they counted them when they were brought in and when they were taken out. Notice how careful they were that nothing should be found missing. That sort of care ought to be seen in us today.
2. Some were in charge of Temple furniture. 29a Others were assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary, - the altar, the washing basins, the table, the lampstand, the golden altar, the ark and the atonement cover, etc. As God's servants we ought to be diligent in matters to do with prayer, Bible reading, worship, etc.
3. Some also dealt with perishable goods. 29b as well as the special flour and wine, and the olive oil, incense and spices.
4. The priests mixed the spices. 30 But some of the priests took care of mixing the spices. There was a special recipe for this and it was priests who dealt with the mixing.
5. A man called Mattithiah was responsible for baking the offering bread. We read (31) that A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with the responsibility for baking the offering bread. This appears to involve dealing with the flour, oil and incense used in certain priestly offerings.
6. Bread was laid out on a special table every seven days. This bread was made and set out by certain Korahites. Verse 32 Some of the Kohathites, their fellow Levites, were in charge of preparing for every Sabbath the bread set out on the table.
7. Finally, there were the musicians. Verse 33 Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night. Singing appears to have gone on at all times. The purpose of that was to remind us of heaven where God is praised continually. Whenever we sing God's praise we should be reminded of the glories of heaven.
In verse 34 he notes that All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.
Everyone had a job then and knew what to do and presumably did it. We can all help in one way or another and it is important that we find out what needs to be done, whether we can help in some way and then make ourselves available and keep working on it.
Two New Testament passages speak to this very plainly.
Romans 12:3-8 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
1 Peter 4:10, 11 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
