“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”
~ 1 Chronicles 16:10
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to go to parties? Do you like to be at celebrations? Have you ever been to a dedication? Why are there are parties, celebrations and dedications? Parties, celebrations and dedications have guys, gals and kids coming together for a specific reason. A party is a fun occasion when guys, gals and kids play games, eat food and interact with each other. A celebration is a happy occasion when an event is remembered with joy, gifts and fireworks. A dedication is a reflective occasion when something is memorialized or a gal, guy or kid is consecrated. Birthdays, anniversaries and the Christmas seasons are when parties happen. Births, graduations and victories are causes for celebrations. Babies, churches and ships have a dedication ceremony. Your grandpaa knows that your dad and ma have had birthday parties for you. Your grandpaa knows what it is like to celebrate after playing in a ballgame that his team won. Your grandpaa knows what it means for him and your grandmaa to be dedicated to serve God. The chronicler – in 1 Chronicles 16, wrote down what took place after David had a tent built for the ark of the covenant and when the ark of the covenant was placed in this tent. David did not just put the ark of the covenant into the tent; David had a special dedication service at the time when the ark of the covenant was put into the tent. David assigned different guys to do different things. Sacrifices were made to God. The Israelite people group guys and gals who were with David at Gibeon were given loaves of bread along with cakes of dates and cakes of raisins. Do you remember who David was? David had been called a man of God. David became a great leader who blessed God. What does it mean to bless? Do you bless others? David blessed God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group. David blessed his wives and kids. God wants your grandpaa to bless Him and to bless guys, gals and kids. Your grandpaa knows that he is being blessed by God – just as David knew that God was blessing him when God allowed him the privilege of setting up a tent in Gibeon for the ark of the covenant. Do you know who built the ark of the covenant? God had Moses build the ark of the covenant about 450 years before God had David make a tent in Gibeon as a place to keep the ark of the covenant. Do you know what was so special about the ark of the covenant? The ark of the covenant is where God’s presence was on planet Earth with His specially chosen Israelite guys, gals and kids. The ark of the covenant was where God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids were to go to to worship God through giving Him offerings which a Levite priest would sacrifice on an altar. God’s presence is no longer found in the ark of the covenant, God’s presence today is always in Christ-followers lives.
Do you know what David was really good at doing? When David was a kid, David took care of his dad’s sheep. While guarding his dad’s sheep, David had to kill with his bare hands a lion and a bear. When he was a probably still a teenager, David used a slingshot to kill a giant. When he became a grown guy, David led guys into battles against the enemies of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids. David was probably a very strong guy who had the respect of other guys. David was also really good at writing songs. David really liked to sing. David probably had an excellent singing voice. Singing was very important to David. Singing songs or psalms to God was very important to David. David liked using with his songs or psalms instruments – such as harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets. David would use his songs or psalms to praise and thank God. David wrote a new song or psalm that he wanted sung to God at the very moment when the ark of the covenant was moved into the tent that David had set up for the ark of the covenant. Do you like to sing? Your grandpaa has told you that he cannot sing but . . . God does not hear how well a guy, gal or kid sings; God just wants guys, gals and kids to exalt, praise and acclaim Him. This really is the least that your grandpaa knows that he can do for God.
Your grandpaa would like you – when you read the Bible, to picture in your mind each place which is talked about in the words that you read. Your grandpaa wishes that he had the skills of an artist. Your grandpaa is really not very good at anything. A guy who your dad knows real well – Mr. Daverman, once said that to be a good missionary a guy or gal has to be willing to go anywhere, be able to eat anything and to have a good sense of humor. Your grandpaa really enjoys exploring new places. Your grandpaa is always game to eat something strange. Some guys and gals – including your grandmaa, do not think that your grandpaa has a sense of humor but . . . your grandpaa believes that sports is transcultural. Your grandpaa is athletic enough to play any game that involves a round ball. What do you think made David such a special guy in the eyes of God – that David would be called a man of God? David wanted God first in his life. What would make your grandpaa – or you, kids who would be called a guy or a gal of God? Verse 11 is David’s testimony of how he is living his life before God and what he wants everyone else to do when he wrote “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” David gave Asaph and his choir this psalm to sing which he had written for this special dedication event of the ark of the covenant being moved into a tent. David trusted and believed in other guys – just as God is trusting in your grandpaa – and in you, to do His perfect will on planet Earth. Fun parties are good. Happy celebrations are good. Memorable dedications are good. Your grandpaa knows that parties, celebrations and dedications will never compare to the joy of just serving God. It continues to be the prayer of your grandmaa and grandpaa that your lives will be tents where God will always live.
1 Chronicles 16 (128)