DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY APRIL 28:
WORD OF WISDOM
You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive
twice.
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DAILY DEVOTION
A Life that Makes a Difference
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16
Christians are supposed to be different from the world. God's design and
command is for us to live in such a way that we are examples of His power to
transform a life. Such a life glorifies God, and it also is a powerful
witness to those around us.
A few years back, a man whose wife had attended church for many years
finally made the decision to trust Christ as his Saviour. When I asked him
what brought him to that decision, he said, "It was seeing my wife get out
of bed every morning to pray and read her Bible, and the way she lived as a
Christian around me." This was not a quick decision-in fact it took ten
years of a consistent Christian testimony from his wife before he opened his
heart to the Lord.
The tragedy of a Christian whose life does not match his message is
illustrated for us in the story of the destruction of Sodom. After Lot
(Abraham's nephew) had chosen to live in Sodom for some years, his testimony
seems to have completely disappeared. When God sent angels to warn Lot that
judgment was coming, he tried to convince his married daughters and
sons-in-law to flee with him. "And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in
law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place;
for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto
his sons in law" (Genesis 19:14). If Lot had taken his example more
seriously before the moment of crisis, his family and those around him would
have been more willing to heed his message.
The power of a spoken witness reinforced and supported by a truly Christian
life is great indeed.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
1 Chronicles 26-29New King James Version (NKJV)
The Gatekeepers
26 Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites,
Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. 2 And the sons of
Meshelemiah were Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the
third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth,
Eliehoenai the seventh.
4 Moreover the sons of Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the
second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the
sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth; for God blessed him.
6 Also to Shemaiah his son were sons born who governed their fathers'
houses, because they were men of great ability. 7 The sons of Shemaiah were
Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers Elihu and Semachiah were
able men.
8 All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their
brethren, able men with strength for the work: sixty-two of Obed-Edom.
9 And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, eighteen able men.
10 Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the first (for
though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first), 11 Hilkiah
the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and
brethren of Hosah were thirteen.
12 Among these were the divisions of the gatekeepers, among the chief men,
having duties just like their brethren, to serve in the house of the Lord.
13 And they cast lots for each gate, the small as well as the great,
according to their father's house. 14 The lot for the East Gate fell to
Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and
his lot came out for the North Gate; 15 to Obed-Edom the South Gate, and to
his sons the storehouse.[a] 16 To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for
the West Gate, with the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway-watchman
opposite watchman. 17 On the east were six Levites, on the north four each
day, on the south four each day, and for the storehouse[b] two by two. 18
As for the Parbar[c] on the west, there were four on the highway and two at
the Parbar. 19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the sons
of Korah and among the sons of Merari.
The Treasuries and Other Duties
20 Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and
over the treasuries of the dedicated things. 21 The sons of Laadan, the
descendants of the Gershonites of Laadan, heads of their fathers' houses, of
Laadan the Gershonite: Jehieli. 22 The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his
brother, were over the treasuries of the house of the Lord. 23 Of the
Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: 24 Shebuel
the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was overseer of the treasuries. 25
And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram
his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.
26 This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasuries of the
dedicated things which King David and the heads of fathers' houses, the
captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the army, had
dedicated. 27 Some of the spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain
the house of the Lord. 28 And all that Samuel the seer, Saul the son of
Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated, every
dedicated thing, was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren.
29 Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons performed duties as officials
and judges over Israel outside Jerusalem.
30 Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brethren, one thousand seven hundred
able men, had the oversight of Israel on the west side of the Jordan for all
the business of the Lord, and in the service of the king. 31 Among the
Hebronites, Jerijah was head of the Hebronites according to his genealogy of
the fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought,
and there were found among them capable men at Jazer of Gilead. 32 And his
brethren were two thousand seven hundred able men, heads of fathers' houses,
whom King David made officials over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God and the affairs
of the king.
The Military Divisions
27 And the children of Israel, according to their number, the heads of
fathers' houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers,
served the king in every matter of the military divisions. These divisions
came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year,
each division having twenty-four thousand.
2 Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of
Zabdiel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand; 3 he was of the
children of Perez, and the chief of all the captains of the army for the
first month. 4 Over the division of the second month was Dodai[d] an
Ahohite, and of his division Mikloth also was the leader; in his division
were twenty-four thousand. 5 The third captain of the army for the third
month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, who was chief; in his
division were twenty-four thousand. 6 This was the Benaiah who was mighty
among the thirty, and was over the thirty; in his division was Ammizabad his
son. 7 The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of
Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; in his division were twenty-four
thousand. 8 The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth[e] the
Izrahite; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 9 The sixth captain
for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division
were twenty-four thousand. 10 The seventh captain for the seventh month was
Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were
twenty-four thousand. 11 The eighth captain for the eighth month was
Sibbechai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four
thousand. 12 The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the
Anathothite, of the Benjamites; in his division were twenty-four thousand.
13 The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of
the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 14 The eleventh
captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children
of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand. 15 The twelfth
captain for the twelfth month was Heldai[f] the Netophathite, of Othniel; in
his division were twenty-four thousand.
Leaders of Tribes
16 Furthermore, over the tribes of Israel: the officer over the Reubenites
was Eliezer the son of Zichri; over the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of
Maachah; 17 over the Levites, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; over the
Aaronites, Zadok; 18 over Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; over
Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; 19 over Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of
Obadiah; over Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel; 20 over the children of
Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; over the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel
the son of Pedaiah; 21 over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the
son of Zechariah; over Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; 22 over Dan,
Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under,
because the Lord had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the
heavens. 24 Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census, but he did not finish,
for wrath came upon Israel because of this census; nor was the number
recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David.
Other State Officials
25 And Azmaveth the son of Adiel was over the king's treasuries; and
Jehonathan the son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the field, in the
cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses. 26 Ezri the son of Chelub
was over those who did the work of the field for tilling the ground. 27 And
Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was
over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine. 28 Baal-Hanan the
Gederite was over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the
lowlands, and Joash was over the store of oil. 29 And Shitrai the Sharonite
was over the herds that fed in Sharon, and Shaphat the son of Adlai was over
the herds that were in the valleys. 30 Obil the Ishmaelite was over the
camels, Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the donkeys, 31 and Jaziz the
Hagrite was over the flocks. All these were the officials over King David's
property.
32 Also Jehonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, a wise man, and a
scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons. 33
Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's
companion. 34 After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, then
Abiathar. And the general of the king's army was Joab.
Solomon Instructed to Build the Temple
28 Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers
of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the
captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over
all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the
officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of valor.
2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, "Hear me, my brethren and my
people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the
covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made
preparations to build it. 3 But God said to me, 'You shall not build a
house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.'
4 However the Lord God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father
to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler. And
of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my
father, He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel. 5 And of
all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) He has chosen my son
Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6 Now
He said to me, 'It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My
courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. 7
Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe
My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.' 8 Now therefore, in
the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our
God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that
you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your
children after you forever.
9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him
with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts
and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be
found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. 10
Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the
sanctuary; be strong, and do it."
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses,
its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the
mercy seat; 12 and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the
courts of the house of the Lord, of all the chambers all around, of the
treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated
things; 13 also for the division of the priests and the Levites, for all
the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the articles
of service in the house of the Lord. 14 He gave gold by weight for things
of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver for all
articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of
service; 15 the weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold,
by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by
weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each
lampstand. 16 And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread,
for each table, and silver for the tables of silver; 17 also pure gold for
the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold, and the golden bowls-he
gave gold by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by
weight for every bowl; 18 and refined gold by weight for the altar of
incense, and for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold cherubim
that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the
Lord. 19 "All this," said David, "the Lord made me understand in writing,
by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans."
20 And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do
it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God-my God-will be with you.
He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work
for the service of the house of the Lord. 21 Here are the divisions of the
priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every
willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every
kind of service; also the leaders and all the people will be completely at
your command."
Offerings for Building the Temple
29 Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: "My son Solomon, whom
alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great,
because the temple[g] is not for man but for the Lord God. 2 Now for the
house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be
made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron
for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set,
glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and
marble slabs in abundance. 3 Moreover, because I have set my affection on
the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all
that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and
silver: 4 three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven
thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; 5
the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all
kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to
consecrate himself this day to the Lord?"
6 Then the leaders of the fathers' houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel,
the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king's
work, offered willingly. 7 They gave for the work of the house of God five
thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of
silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand
talents of iron. 8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the
treasury of the house of the Lord, into the hand of Jehiel[h] the
Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly,
because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King
David also rejoiced greatly.
David's Praise to God
10 Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said:
"Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
11
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
12
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.
13
"Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
14
But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And of Your own we have given You.
15
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers;
Our days on earth are as a shadow,
And without hope.
16 "O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a
house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. 17 I know
also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As
for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these
things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to
offer willingly to You. 18 O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our
fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of
Your people, and fix their heart toward You. 19 And give my son Solomon a
loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your
statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple[i] for which I
have made provision."
20 Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the Lord your God." So
all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their
heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.
Solomon Anointed King
21 And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the
Lord on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs,
with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22
So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And
they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him
before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. 23 Then Solomon
sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and
prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty
men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King
Solomon. 25 So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all
Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king
before him in Israel.
The Close of David's Reign
26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 And the period
that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in
Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 28 So he died in a
good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned
in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they
are written in the book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the
prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, 30 with all his reign and his
might, and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the
kingdoms of the lands.
Footnotes:
a.1 Chronicles 26:15 Hebrew asuppim
b.1 Chronicles 26:17 Hebrew asuppim
c.1 Chronicles 26:18 Probably a court or colonnade extending west of the
temple
d.1 Chronicles 27:4 Hebrew Dodai, usually spelled Dodo (compare 2 Samuel
23:9)
e.1 Chronicles 27:8 Spelled Shammoth in 11:27 and Shammah in 2 Samuel 23:11
f.1 Chronicles 27:15 Spelled Heled in 11:30 and Heleb in 2 Samuel 23:29
g.1 Chronicles 29:1 Literally palace
h.1 Chronicles 29:8 Possibly the same as Jehieli (compare 26:21, 22)
i.1 Chronicles 29:19 Literally palace
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James VersionR. Copyright C 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
