2 Chronicles 5 – The work is finished. Solomon brings in the things his father had dedicated—the stores of silver and gold, etc. The elders, and heads of the tribes, ancestral houses come to bring up the Ark out of the city of David to the new Temple. The number of sheep and oxen sacrifices cannot be numbered. The Ark is placed “underneath the wings of the cherubim” (5:7).

“There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the…

2 Chronicles 3 – The building is located at the place David designated, “on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (3:1) on Mt. Moriah. It is started on the 2^nd day of the 2^nd month [mid-spring] of the 4^th year of his reign. The measurements are all given in “cubits of the old standard”—60 by 20 [90 feet long and 30 feet wide]. The vestibule 20 cubits long and 120 cubits high.

It is overlaid with pure gold. The nave [main room] is…

So yesterday, we finished with the July readings I added to the last month of posts so that we could catch up to the readings we are on for the rest of the year. We are back on the scheduled readings.

2 Chronicles 1 – Solomon summons the people or at least the leaders—commanders, judges, heads of families (1:2), and takes them to the “high place” at Gibeon. On the bronze altar that Bezalel had made there for it,…

1 Chronicles 27 – A list of the people, heads of families, commanders of thousands, hundreds and officers—divisions numbered 24,000. Each one is assigned a month. Names that pop out are Banaiah, son of priest Jehoiada, commander of the third month’s division. He was commander of the Thirty. Asahel, Joab’s brother was in charge of the 4^th.

Leaders of the tribes are named: Eliezer—Reubenites; Shephatiah—Simeonites; Hashabiah—Levites; Zadok for Aaron; Elihu (a…

1 Chronicles 23 – David makes Solomon king over Israel. He assembles all the leaders, priests and Levites.  There were 38,000 Levites over 30 years old of whom 24,000 are given charge over the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 are made officers and judges, 4,000 gatekeepers and 4,000 musicians to offer praise to God with instruments.  They are organized by division corresponding to the sons of Levi—Gershon, Kohath and Merari.  They are named. Moses and Aaron are descendent from Kohath…

1 Chronicles 21 – Satan, it says, inspires David to take a census. Joab tries to warn him that it will bring guilt on Israel, but the king insists. Joab comes back with a number of 1,100,000 of military age and readiness in Israel and 470,000 in Judah. Even in David’s reign they were conceived of as separate segments; either this or the writing of Chronicles comes after the division of the two kingdoms. But Joab does not complete the count in Levi…

1 Chronicles 15 – David builds a palace in the city, and a place for the ark, “a special tent” (15:1). He commands that only the Levites shall carry the ark in the future. He thinks this is why they had trouble the first time. Then he assembles the people to bring the ark up to Jerusalem. All the descendants of Aaron and the Levites are assembled. David also gets the Levite chiefs to appoint musicians to accompany the Ark. Kenaniah is the Levite leader of musicians “for he understood…

1 Chronicles 13 – David consults with all his officials. They send word to others in Israel to come to Jerusalem. David wants to bring the Ark of God back “for we neglected it during the reign of Saul” (13:3).

The Ark is in Kiriath-jearim in Judah. They carry it on a new cart from the house of Abinadab with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. “David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments –…

1 Chronicles 11 –David becomes the king of all of Israel. The elders come to Hebron and David makes a covenant with them. They march to Jerusalem (Jebus), but are told they will not be permitted to come there (11:5). 

David tells his men the one who attacks the Jebusites first will be commander, so Joab, son of David’s sister, Zeruiah, does it. David establishes himself in the city.

David’s warriors include Jashobeam, leader of “the…

1 Samuel 30 – Upon returning to the town given to him by the Philistines, Ziglag, David learns that the Amalekites have attacked and burned it, taking the people off as captives.  David and his men weep—he has also had his own wives taken—but the people are also angry with David for having left the town without proper defense. “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (30:6).

David has Abiathar bring him the ephod and he seeks the advice of the Lord.…

1 Samuel 28 – When the Philistines muster to fight Israel, Achish makes it clear that David will have to join them in battle against his own people; he makes David his bodyguard. 

Samuel has died and all Israel mourns for him. “And Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead (28:3).

Saul and his army are encamped at Gilboa; the Philistines are at Shumen.  Saul seeks guidance from the Lord, but the…

1 Samuel 26 – The Ziphites come and report David’s whereabouts to Saul.  Saul takes his usual 3000 men to go hunt for him. 

When he learns of the expedition, David sends out spies to find Saul. Ahimelech, the Hittite and Abishai, son of Zeruiah, go with David to Saul'’s camp by night and find Saul asleep with a spear stuck in the ground next to his head. Abishai thinks David should kill him, that God has given him into his hand once again.  But David asks, “who…

1 Samuel 25 – Samuel dies and all Israel mourns his passing. 

David, still in the wilderness of Paran, sends 10 young men of his to a rich man, Nabal, who lives in Carmel.  He and his men have been providing protection to Nabal’s flocks and shepherds for a while. Nabal was “surly and mean,” but his wife, Abigail, was “clever and beautiful” (25:3). The men ask Nabal to provide food for David and his men.  Nabal says, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many…

1 Samuel 23 – David is instructed by the Lord to go help the people of Keilah against the Philistines. He does and is successful. Saul learns of it and thinks the gates of Keilah could be a useful trap for catching David. David uses the ephod Abiathar managed to bring out of Nob to find out from the Lord that Saul is indeed coming to Keilah after him, and that the men of the town will surrender him if he stays.  So David and his (now) 600 men leave and wander here and there, in the…

1 Samuel 21 – David goes to Nob, to the high priest Ahimelech.  He pretends the king has sent him on a secret mission, that no one must know where he is or what he is doing.  He asks Ahimelech for bread, but the priest says he has none—only “holy bread.”  He can give it to David and the men who are with him if they “have kept themselves from women” (21:4). David assures him that they have, so the priest gives them the holy bread—“Bread of the Presence”—which is removed each…

1 Samuel 20 – David flees again, back to Jonathan wondering what it is he has done to earn the hatred of Saul. Jonathan assures him that his father never does anything without telling him (Jonathan) and that he will protect David. 

David worries about the fact that Saul knows of Jonathan’s affection for him—they have sworn to a “covenant” in 1 Samuel 18:3 based on “the bond” of love that existed between them. “Jonathan [had] sealed the pact by taking of his robe…

1 Samuel 19 – Saul speaks to his son Jonathan about his desire to kill David, but Jonathan of course warns David. The next day, Jonathan speaks to his father about David.  He reminds Saul of the many services David has performed from him and tries to tell him it will be a very great sin if he harms him without cause.” Saul heeds the voice of Jonathan” (19:6), for the time at least. These stories of Saul’s vacillating relationship with David seem so real…

1 Samuel 18 – Jonathan loves David from the first; “the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (18:1).

Like the heroes of the past, everything David did, was touched by success—command of Saul’s armies, popularity among the women who greeted David’s returns from war with singing and dancing (18:6).  Saul becomes jealous of him, and “an evil spirit rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was…

1 Samuel 17 – The battles with the Philistines continue, this time at Socoh in Judah.  Saul gathers the Israelites against them.  Now a Philistine “champion named Goliath, of Gath” comes forward; he is over nine feet tall. He is armed in bronze mail. 

Over a period of forty days, this huge foe shouts into the ranks of Israelites “Why have you come out to draw up for battle?  Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?  Choose a man for…