Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
I Chronicles 16 (Psa 96, 105, 106)
“Worship Reminiscing”
[audio:]
Background Information:
- The worship before the ark is not intended to stand alone. Rather, this day of celebration marks the beginning of a continuing tradition: “David left Asaph and his kinsfolk there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required” (16:37). Curiously, however, the sacrificial service to the Lord performed by Zadok and the other priests is conducted, not before the ark in Jerusalem, but “before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon” (16:39). Although the ark had been brought to Jerusalem, no mention is made in the Chronicler’s sources of any of the other sacred furnishings being carried there. So, the Chronicler assumes that the tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering were left where they were, at Gibeon (see 21:29; 2 Chr 1:3-6, 13). Only in Chronicles is Gibeon said to be the location of the tabernacle and its altar. Perhaps the Chronicler assumes this, in order to explain why Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings at Gibeon (1:6//1 Kg 3:4). (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 70)
- In addition to burnt offerings, there were “fellowship offerings” (KJV, “peace offerings”). The latter not only symbolized atonement, as choice parts were burned in sacrifice on the altar, but also depicted the restored fellowship with God that comes as a result of the reconciliation. Most flesh from the peace offerings was eaten by the people themselves, sitting down, as it were, as guests of God’s table, in a meal celebrating the restoration of their peace with him (Lv 7;15; cf. Ex 24:11 and the discussion of sacrifice and NT communion in Payne, Theology, 383-87). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 388-89)
- Zadok (see on 6:8), however, was sent back (cf. 15:11) to Gibeon to serve as high priest at the tabernacle, which continued to exist as Israel’s primary sanctuary for sacrifice (v. 40) till Solomon’s construction of the Jerusalem temple (2 Chr 1:13; 5:5). Abiathar, on the other hand, seems to have remained at the capital (cf. 27:34), which may account for David’s double high-priesthood (18:16). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 393)
- These two psalms appear together in both the book of Psalms and in 1 Chr 16, and both contain the expression “Hallelujah” (rendered in the NRSV as “Praise the Lord”; see Pss 105:45; 106:1, 48). But most importantly, both psalms recall the events of Israel’s past–though from strikingly different perspectives. Ps 105 emphasizes Israel’s past as the history of God’s salvation and deliverance. In Ps 106, however, that same past is seen as the history of Israel’s rebellion (see also Ps 78; Ezek 20:1-26)! Viewing these psalms together, the reader finds the righteousness of God contrasted with the sinfulness of God’s people. In this pair of psalms, then, Israel’s remembered past is used by the psalmists to call forth a response of faith and commitment. As James Mays observes of Ps 105 and 106, “The first calls for trust, the second for repentance” (Mays, 337). (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 64-65)
- Together, the three psalms quoted in chapter 16 express the central theme of Chronicles. Because God is the righteous judge and ruler of the world, the reader is assured that God will respond with blessing to those who are faithful. However, also because of God’s justice, unfaithfulness and disobedience will result in destruction. Like Psalms 105 and 106, Chronicles finds the theme of divine justice and righteousness demonstrated in the history of God’s people. Indeed, it is for this purpose that the Chronicler retells Israel’s story. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 65)
The questions to be answered are . . . Why did David go to all the logistical bother to set up, encourage and promote worship? What does the Chronicler hope to tell us by sharing these details?
Answer: That David wanted to make sure that Israel never forgot the Lord or what God has done for us and promised us. David’s attention to detail is representative of David’s regard for God’s holiness and awesomeness.
The Word for the Day is . . . Remember
What is David trying to accomplish in all he does in 1 Chronicles 16?:
I. David is attempting to remind Israel of God’s works. (Dt 5:15; 7:18; ch. 8; 25:19; Josh 1:13; 4:7; 1 Chr 16:12; Ps 40:5; 77:1; 105:5)
The exhortations to thank God and proclaim Him were grounded in two further exhortations. The people were to look to God, and they were to remember His deeds. The biblical understanding of what it means to praise God does not consist of mindless repetition of words of flattery, but of rejoicing in the experience of God’s closeness to Israel, both past and present. (Broadman & Holman Pub, Shepherd’s Notes, 1, 2 Chr, 30-31)
Worship is a verb that describes the urgent desire that exists in a believer’s heart to honor God once he has come to know him as the one who has planned his eternal good. The longing is continuous, wholehearted, urgent, and joyful. It must express itself by celebrating in song all that God has done to save. And since the mouth speaks what the heart is full of, a believer will also tell others what God has done. Finally, as this section also suggests, believers encourage one another to worship the Lord, just as one flame will kindle another. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 1 Chr, 180)
That is why the word “remember” is so important in the vocabulary of worship. Because God is faithful, we know that he cannot “forget,” as mortal men do. He will always “remember”–and act upon his promises of love to us. It is vital for us, then, to remember God’s promises in our worship. To remember them, of course, means more than to call them to mind. It also means to repeat and proclaim them, to celebrate the specific ways God has fulfilled them in the past. “Remember the wonders he has done,” David urges God’s people here (v. 12). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 1 Chr, 181)
II. David is attempting to remind Israel of God’s character. (Num 15:39-40; Dt 24:9; Neh 4:14; 9:17; Ps 78:42; 79:13; 106:7; Is 41:10)
One might summarize the commonly noted properties of music as follows:
1. Music has the power to move and express the emotions. Even as David was able to soothe Saul’s troubled spirit with his harp (1 Cam 16:23), so there is music that saddens, gladdens, arouses a martial spirit, entices lust, readies for sleep, and so on. Music may both arouse the whole range of human emotions and provide a vehicle for expressing them when they are already present.
2. Music has the power to stimulate the memory. As anyone who learned the A-B-C song knows, music is a great aid to the memory.
3. Music has the power to discipline or corrupt the soul. This at least is the argument of the philosophers and theologians. Good music–that which consists of ennobling lyrics and moderate tunes–edifies and disciplines the soul. Bad music–that which consists of unworthy lyrics and tunes–inflames the passions, breaks down restraint, and corrupts the soul. (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God A Vision for Reforming Worship, 274)
We, too, have received a meal from our Priest and King. In the Lord’s Supper he comes to us with royal generosity and gives us more than we could ever ask or imagine. “Forgiveness of sins, life and salvation” are the blessings he delivers when he gives us his body and blood along with bread and wine. The ultimate fulfillment of all these meals will occur when we will receive a place at the heavenly table of our King, “where [we] shall eat of the eternal manna and drink of the river of [his] pleasure forevermore.” (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 1 Chr, 176)
III. David is attempting to remind Israel of God’s promises/covenants. (Ex 32:13; 33:1; Dt 6:23; 9:3; 15:6; 26:18-19; 27:3; Josh 21:45; 23:4, 14-15; Neh 9:8)
That God is faithful to God’s promise is apparent right away. The covenant with Abraham was also sworn to Abraham’s son Isaac, and confirmed to Isaac’s son Jacob (16:17). Should there be any question as to the content of that promise, the psalm makes its meaning clear: “To you I will give the land of Canaan, / as your portion for an inheritance” (16:18). This promise would have had particular relevance to the Chronicler’s community, reclaiming the land after the Babylonian exile. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 66)
For the Chronicler, the ancient story of God’s faithfulness recalled in this psalm is the key to understanding Israel’s past, and a source of hope for Israel’s future. God made a promise, and God keeps God’s promises. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 66)
HINGE: How we remember events says everything about our knowledge of and faith in God.
Aritsotle used to call memory the stomach of the soul. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 55)
Never forget what is worth remembering or remember what is best forgotten. (Bits & Pieces July 13, 2000, 6)
The high-minded man does not bear grudges, for it is not the mark of a great soul to remember injuries, but to forget them. -Aristotle
We can change. We can be different. We can defy our personal history. Our past is only a memory carried into a present moment. In the present moment, we can change it all. We do so by changing our point of view. . . by changing our beliefs. (Barry Neil Kaufman ~ Founder, The Option Institute. (Bits and Pieces for Salespeople August 10, 2000, 3-4)
The memories of tomorrow depend on your attitude today. (Bits and Pieces for Salespeople February 22, 2001, 11)
God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. -J. M. Barrie
A retentive memory may be a good thing, but the ability to forget is the true token of greatness. -Elbert Hubbard
A pessimist can hardly wait for the future so he an look back with regret.
A pessimist remembers the lily belongs to the onion family, an optimist that the onion belongs to the lily family.
It is far better to forgive and forget than to resent and remember.
To remember evil results in gossip, depression and despair.
To remember good results in praise, encouragement and hope.
There is a way to remember past evils to make things better now.
There is a way to remember past evils to make things worse now.
The same event can be remembered with two very distinctly different ends. You can either remember an event in which God proved faithful and true in and through the event which facilitates encouragement and hope. Or you can remember an event in light of the world’s fallenness which facilitates discouragement and hopelessness. — Pastor Keith
Remembering my “Good ole days” can either cause you to despair and be discouraged because life will never be the same or it can cause you to be encouraged that God is taking this life away from you to prep you for the next world and that you have a new opportunity to minister so life will never be the same.
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: Why is acknowledging David’s attention to detail for the purpose of remembering so important to us today in 21st century America?:
A- We have forgotten all that God has done for us. (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:25; 2 Tm 2:8; Heb 8:6)
Gratitude: The memory of the heart.
The high point of our worship comes when we remember and proclaim Christ crucified in our sermons. “Do this in remembrance of me” our Lord said, in giving us his holy Supper (Lk 22:19). This aspect of our worship led one Christian writer to remark, “There is no event in history so remembered as Christ’s sacrifice for us on Calvary.” This is as it should be, since the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the basis of our worship. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 1 Chr, 182)
Remembering God and his acts of love is so much different from remembering a person or a happy time in our past. The person we remember has changed over the years, and the happy time we recall is gone forever. But God remains the same, and he is living and active in our present circumstances to do us good. To remember God’s help in the past is to call on his aid in the present. To sing God’s praises for what he has done in the past is to remind ourselves that he will always be giving us fresh songs to sing in the future. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 1 Chr, 182)
There is a tension underlying false discernment, an anxiety that pressures the mind to make a judgment. True discernment emerges out of a tranquil and pure heart, one that is almost surprised by the wisdom and grace in the voice of Christ. Remember, our thoughts will always be colored by the attitudes of our hearts. Jesus said, “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Mt 12:34). He also said, “Out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts” (Mk 7:21). Again He said, “the pure in heart…shall see God” (Mt 5:8). From the heart the mouth speaks, the eyes see, and the mind thinks. In fact, Prv 4:23 (NKJV) tells us to diligently guard our hearts for “out of [the heart] spring the issues of life.”
Life, as we perceive it, is based upon the condition of our heart. This is very important because the gifts of the Spirit must pass through our hearts before they are presented to the world around us. In other words, if our hearts are not right, the gifts will not be right either.
When the heart has unrest it cannot hear from God. Therefore, we must learn to mistrust our judgment when our heart is bitter, angry, ambitious or harboring strife for any reason. The Scriptures tell us to “let the peace of Christ rule [act as arbiter] in [our] hearts” (Col 3:15). To hear clearly from God, we must first have peace. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 81-82)
There is an epidemic of spiritual amnesia going around, and none of us is immune. No matter how many fascinating details we learn about God’s creation, no matter how many pictures we see of His galaxies, and no matter how many sunsets we watch, we still forget. (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 29)
“In order for there to be perspective in life, there must be monuments.” (Chuck Swindoll message on Esther)
B- We have forgotten who God is and what He is like. (Isa 46:8-9; Heb 6:12-17; 10:23; 2 Pt 3:9)
I think that is what one of my old teachers meant when he said, if I remember rightly his words, that God is the most obligated being that there is. He is obligated by His own nature. He is infinite in His wisdom; therefore He can never do anything that is unwise. He is infinite in His justice; therefore He can never do anything that is unjust. He is infinite in His goodness; therefore He can never do anything that is not good. He is infinite in His truth; therefore it is impossible that He should lie. (J. Gresham Machen, The Christian View of Man, 26)
The first law of prayer is this: remember to whom we are speaking, and the second law of prayer is this: remember who we are. (RC Sproul, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary: Romans, 394)
We forget that both the biggest human contribution and the greatest human weakness are irrelevant in the face of God’s infinity. God’s unlimited power is neither strengthened by our contribution nor lessened by our weakness. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, p. 142)
John Wesley used to say, “I dare no more fret than curse and swear.” A friend of his said, “I never saw him fretful or discontented under any of his trials, and to be in the company of persons of this spirit always occasioned him great trouble. He said one day, ‘To have persons around me murmuring and fretting at anything that happens is like having the flesh torn from my bones. I know that God sits upon the throne ruling all things!’” (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 61)
C- We have forgotten God’s promises to those who believe. (Mt 11:28; Lk 24:49; Rom 1:2; 4:16, 20-21; 2 Cor 1:20; Gal 3:14; 15-29; 4:28; Eph 1:13; Heb 13:5; 2 Pt 3:13; 1 Jn 1:9; 2:25; )
If we could stretch the limits of language, we could say that we not only “remember” God’s past acts of mercy done according to his promise, but we also remember the future actions God will carry out in establishing his kingdom. They are as good as done, since God has promised to do them. Therefore, we can remember them in thanksgiving already before the fact. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 1 Chr, 183)
“My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner and that Jesus is a great Savior.” -John Newton (John Piper, Brothers, We are NOT Professionals, 264-65)
When a new activity or experience occurs, it can result in a strengthening of the connection between neurons, or even in a new connection altogether. These connections are critical for memory, behavior, emotions, desires, and any number of other outcomes that activity or experience brings. If that experience or activity occurs again, the connection is used and strengthened in the process. If that connection is not used, the synapse eventually breaks down and dies. This process refers to either a continued connection between neurons or to a loss of connection–not the life or death of the neurons themselves, although that can and does occur as well. (Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., MD & Freda McKissic Bush, MD, Hooked, 28)
One of the dangers of having a lot of money is that you may be quite satisfied with the kinds of happiness money can give and so fail to realize your need for God. If everything seems to come simply by signing checks, you may forget that you are at every moment totally dependent upon God. — C. S. Lewis
“God, if you let Him, will take your sins and build a monument to His glory”. (Steve Brown Romans Tape Series. Tape 3; Side B.)
A memory is a treasure that survives.
Worship point: When you remember God’s works, character and promises, there can be no other rational human response but praise and worship. It is when we fail to remember these that worship begins to be laborious and detached.
Spiritual Challenge: Spend time every day during your devotions, during your prayer time, during your idle moments, reflecting upon and rejoicing in your memories of God’s works, character and promises.
“David returned home to bless his family” (v. 43). The worship of our daily lives follows naturally from the worship gathering. There is a sense in which our worship of God never ends. We gather together to be revived and restored in our relationship to the Savior God. This empowers and strengthens our love in all our earthly relationships. Christ’s love shapes the love of a husband for his wife. Christ’s willing obedience enables the wife to yield her life to her husband (Eph 5:21-28). The hearts of the fathers are turned back to their children (Lk 1:17). A true love of God leads into a true love for our neighbor. There is no need, except in the most extreme cases, to divide our loyalties or to act as if service of God renders service to our families optional. The same love that moves us to worship God also compels us to offer our lives as a blessing to those with whom we live. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 1 Chr, 185-86)
THAT WE OUGHT TO DO ALL WE CAN TO ASSIST OUR MEMORIES TOWARDS GOD. 1. It is a good thing to make an actual record of God’s mercy. 2. Be sure to praise God thoroughly at the time you receive His goodness. 3. Set apart a little time for meditation. 4. Often rehearse His mercy in the ears of others. 5. Use everything about you as a memento. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 56)
Hope is stronger than memory. Memory is strong. Hope is stronger. People live on hope, not on memory. Take away a person’s memories, and they become anxious. Take away a person’s hopes, and they become terrified. (Kennon L. Callahan, Effective Church Leadership, 124)
Author Joseph Bayly expressed the truth this way: “Remember in the darkness what you have learned in the light.” (Philip Yancey, The Bible Jesus Read, 71)
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. — Deuteronomy 4:9
On what might you reminisce that might encourage your worship of God?:
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Quotes to Note:
The readers of this book ask therefore the most obvious of all the questions, and receive the profoundest of all the answers. “Why preach to us about the ark?” they say; “we have no ark.” And the chronicler replies: “You do not need an ark. Grace is not bound to your religion or your faith: it precedes them, and they are simply a response to it. Grace is not bound to particular places or circumstances: man must be prepared for God to come down to him anywhere. And grace is not bound to its symbol, the ark, either. Grace is free. God is pouring out his grace upon you here and now, ark or no ark, and will be doing so when the entire system of OT Israel, priests, kings, and all, is ancient history. Never say, therefore, that if you go here or there, if you do this or that, God will be bound to bless you. His grace is bound to nothing at all except his own love and goodness. Fortunately so; because while everything else is changing and unreliable, that is constant.” (Michael Wilcock, The Message of Chr, 75-76)
Since the Chronicler is very evidently concerned with showing that the religious community of his own day, gathered around the post-exilic temple, is the heir to the true religious traditions of the past, it is clear that he is claiming that the descendants of these Levitical groups can be regarded as the maintainers of the tradition. The ark had gone, perhaps already long before the destruction of the temple in 587, for it is not mentioned in the accounts of that; but what the ark stood for had not gone, and the fact that the psalms more often allude to the ark than refer to it by name may indicate that in the post-exilic period a celebration of the God of the ark and his entry in triumph continued, even though the actual physical symbol was not present. It is the essence of the celebration which counts. (Peter R. Ackroyd, 1 & 2 Chr, Ezra, Neh, 65)
Christ:
Remember Him
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