1 Chronicles 22:1-19
David announced, “The house of the Lord God will be built here. Israel’s altar for burnt offerings will also be here.”
David Makes Plans for Building the Temple
David gave orders to bring together the outsiders who were living in Israel. He appointed some of them to cut stones. He wanted them to prepare blocks of stone for building the house of God. David provided a large amount of iron to make nails. They were for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings. He provided more bronze than anyone could weigh. He also provided more cedar logs than anyone could count. The people of Sidon and Tyre brought large numbers of logs to David.
David said, “My son Solomon is young. He’s never done anything like this before. The house that will be built for the Lord should be very grand and wonderful. All the nations should consider it to be famous and beautiful. I’ll get things ready for it.” So David got many things ready before he died.
Then he sent for his son Solomon. He told him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, “My son, with all my heart I wanted to build a house for the Lord my God. That’s where his Name will be. But a message from the Lord came to me. It said, ‘You have spilled the blood of many people. You have fought many wars. You are not the one who will build a house for my Name. That is because I have seen you spill the blood of many people on the earth. But you are going to have a son. He will be a man of peace. And I will give him peace and rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon. I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king. He will build a house for my Name. He will be my son. And I will be his father. I will make his kingdom secure over Israel. It will last forever.’
“My son, may the Lord be with you. May you have success. May you build the house of the Lord your God, just as he said you would. May the Lord give you good sense. May he give you understanding when he makes you king over Israel. Then you will keep the law of the Lord your God. Be careful to obey the rules and laws the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Then you will have success. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.
“I’ve tried very hard to provide for the Lord’s temple. I’ve provided 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver. I’ve provided more bronze and iron than anyone can weigh. I’ve also given plenty of wood and stone. You can add to it. You have a lot of workers. You have people who can cut stones and people who can lay the stones. You have people who can work with wood. You also have people who are skilled in every other kind of work. Some of them can work with gold and silver. Others can work with bronze and iron. There are more workers than anyone can count. So begin the work. May the Lord be with you.”
Then David ordered all Israel’s leaders to help his son Solomon. He said to them, “The Lord your God is with you. He’s given you peace and rest on every side. He’s handed over to me the people who are living in the land. The land has been brought under the control of the Lord and his people. So be committed to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Start building the temple of the Lord God. Then bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord into it. Also bring in the sacred objects that belong to God. The temple will be built for the Name of the Lord.”
1 Chronicles 23:1-32
The Family Line of Levi
David had become very old. So he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
He gathered together all the leaders of Israel. He also gathered the priests and the Levites together. The Levites who were 30 years old or more were counted. The total number of men was 38,000. David said, “From them, 24,000 will be in charge of the work of the Lord’s temple. And 6,000 will be officials and judges. Another 4,000 will guard the gates. And 4,000 will praise the Lord with the instruments of music I’ve provided for that purpose.”
David separated the Levites into groups. He did it according to the sons of Levi. The sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
The Family of Gershon
Ladan and Shimei belonged to the family of Gershon.
The sons of Ladan were
Jehiel, Zetham and Joel. Jehiel was the oldest son. The total number of sons was three.
The sons of Shimei were
Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran. The total number of sons was three.
They were the leaders of the families of Ladan.
The sons of Shimei were
Jahath, Ziza, Jeush and Beriah. The total number of the sons of Shimei was four.
Jahath was the first son. Ziza was the second son. But Jeush and Beriah didn’t have many sons. So they were counted as one family. They had only one task.
The Family of Kohath
The sons of Kohath were
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. The total number of sons was four.
The sons of Amram were
Aaron and Moses.
Aaron and his family line were set apart forever as the Lord’s priests. They had the duty of setting the most holy things apart to the Lord. They offered sacrifices to the Lord. They served him. They gave blessings in his name forever. The sons of Moses, the man of God, were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.
The sons of Moses were
Gershom and Eliezer.
Shubael was the oldest son in the family line of Gershom.
Rehabiah was the oldest son in the family line of Eliezer.
Eliezer didn’t have any other sons. But Rehabiah had a great many sons.
Shelomith was the oldest son of Izhar.
Jeriah was the first son of Hebron.
Amariah was his second son. Jahaziel was the third. Jekameam was the fourth.
Micah was the first son of Uzziel. Ishiah was his second son.
The Family of Merari
The sons of Merari were
Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli were
Eleazar and Kish.
Eleazar died without having any sons. All he had was daughters. They married their cousins. The cousins were the sons of Kish.
The sons of Mushi were
Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. The total number of sons was three.
Those were the family lines of Levi. They were recorded under the names of the family leaders. Each worker who was 20 years old or more was counted. They served in the Lord’s temple. David had said, “The Lord is the God of Israel. He has given peace and rest to his people. He has come to Jerusalem to live there forever. So the Levites don’t need to carry the holy tent anymore. They don’t need to carry any of its objects anymore. Those were the things that were used to serve there.” The Levites who were 20 years old or more were counted. That was in keeping with David’s final directions.
The Levites had the duty of helping the members of Aaron’s family line. They helped them serve in the Lord’s temple. They were in charge of the courtyards and the side rooms. They made all the sacred things pure and “clean.” They also had other duties at the house of God. They were in charge of setting the holy bread out on the table. They prepared the special flour for the grain offerings. They made the thin loaves without using any yeast. They did the baking and the mixing. They measured the amount and size of everything. They stood every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They did the same thing every evening. They also did it every time burnt offerings were brought to the Lord. Those offerings were brought every Sabbath day. They were also brought at every New Moon feast and during the appointed yearly feasts. The Levites served in front of the Lord at regular times. The proper number of Levites was always used when they served. They served in the way the law required.
So the Levites carried out their duties for the tent of meeting and for the Holy Room. They worked under their relatives who were in the family line of Aaron. They helped them serve at the Lord’s temple.
