Brian Luke - I Have Set My Affection To The House Of My God - Class 6 - The Great Congregation

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   I’d now like to call on our brother Brian to give the sixth session In dealing with the overall subject, I have set my affection to the House of my God. He’s entitled this session. The great congregation, Brother Brian. All looking very bright and healthy. After a. Long day yesterday. You may remember that we actually didn’t look at chapter 24.

2. 0:33

   So I’m picking up chapter 24 and chapter 27 this morning and hopefully a little bit of chapter 28 before memorial meeting now in chapter 23, just to get our bearings again. In chapter 23 it told us about the Levites, the 38,000 of them. And in verse 13, among the Levites, of course, was the sons of Aaron. So verse 13 of chapter 23 said the sons of Amram, Moses and Aaron’s father, and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things.

3. 1:19

   That’s point #1 to to burn incense before the Lord #3 to minister unto him, and #4 to bless in his name forever. So the blessing that was placed upon Israel like in number six that we that we use at the time of baptism, that blessing was by Aaron. If you look back in #6 you’ll see that that was the case. And then there’s the the list of all of the other Levites and of their particular duties, verses 24 down to verse 32. And we looked.

4. 1:57

   Briefly at those yesterday, but in chapter. 24 we have the division of the Sons of Aaron. So it’s picking that section up and bringing it through to chapter 24. And the next chapter will be about the singers. So you can see it’s quite an ordered construction, isn’t it? It’s really reorganizing all the main events of the Levites and the the National events of that nation.

5. 2:27

   He he’s reorganizing it and putting on a sound foundation. As we saw yesterday, that plan is going to continue through then for hundreds of years. So these were very significant chapters for the Israelites. Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. He had four sons, Nadeb and a Bayou, Eliezer and Ithema. But then it explains that they were suddenly produced, but Native and Abiahu died before their father and had no children.

6. 3:06

   Therefore Eliezer and Iphemiah executed the priest’s office. That is a pretty remarkable thing to read, isn’t it, that the high priest had four sons and lost 50% of them? And we know the record it’s given in Leviticus chapter 10. It really shows that God is no respecter of persons, doesn’t it? The high priest suddenly lost two of his sons. Record is in Leviticus chapter 10. So when you read this chapter next time in Leviticus chapter 10, make a little note for it that Native and Abiahu are really the first and second sons. The high priesthood would have come to native. It’s his name means willing by you means he is my father. They were given names that the that Aaron would have liked to have thought were Speaking of their their good attitudes towards the things of God.

7. 4:10

   That he lost both those boys. And the occasion is recorded this way. And native and Abiahu the sons of Aaron, took either of them his sensor, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he commanded them not. Now the command was, that if they put the coals upon the incense, that those coals should come in the altar of burnt offering. So that prayer that was offered up unto God, and this was the idea of it should come from a willing path, the burnt offering was to offer oneself unto God.

8. 4:56

   Prayer that is not like that is not acceptable to God. But they must have taken the coals from somewhere else. Perhaps there were kitchen fires or home fires and they thought, oh, well, you know, that’s convenient, that’s easier to get to. So they took some coals from there, which is here described as strange fire.

9. 5:15

   It wasn’t a dedicated fire to God. That’s instructive, isn’t it? Very instructive. There’s sometimes when our prayers may seem very domestic, very tired, perhaps because we’re finding it difficult to concentrate like last night. But but God wants us when we lift our voice up unto him. And if we speak to him, he wants us to be all there, to be offering a burnt offering.

10. 5:41

    Our heart is going toward him with all of our being. It’s a real challenge now it says in verse 2. And there went out far from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. If you just pass your eye out the column, you’ll see in verse 24 that verse that we looked at, in fact yesterday, didn’t we? There came a fire out from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat which when all the people saw, they shouted and fell on their faces. That was God’s acceptance. 2 verses down, it’s God’s condemnation.

11. 6:18

    So God can be either for acceptance or for our condemnation. And that dramatically illustrates that fact. Now Moses always clear minded, saw the point of that. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it, that Yahweh spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them, that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

12. 6:48

    What if you can imagine what a tragic name? What for? Yeah, his first and 2nd borders set to be the high priest in turn were now struck dead before his presence. He had to hold his faces. Remember the law said that he wasn’t in fact to be involved with their their death. He wasn’t to mourn it with their death. How could a father not mourn at the death of his two sons, but because the work he was involved in was sanctified before God and of extreme importance, therefore he had to keep his mind upon that service, even though before him were these two borns who were dead.

13. 7:29

    And it seems that the reason for that was that they were inebriated with strong drink. Because out of that event it says in verse 8, Yahweh spoke unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine, nor strong drink thou, nor thy sons with thee, when you go into the Tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die, bless ye die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, between unclean and clean, and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statues which Yahweh had spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

14. 8:08

    And Moses has spoken to Aaron, and unto Elie Isa, and unto Idema his sons. That’s the other two boys. See, take the meat offering that remaineth, and so on. So those two boys now take over where their older brothers had in fact perished. What a terrible story, that one. Well, very well to read it, isn’t it?

15. 8:27

    But it was a terrible story, you know, that laid the foundations for atonement, the principle of atonement. This father. There it turned out to Leviticus chapter 16 is what it seems at first a peculiar heading to this the legislation in Leviticus 16 of the Day of Atonement.

16. 8:54

    And there it says in verse one. And the Lord spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before Yahweh, and die. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place, within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark, that he die not, For I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy. Seat.

17. 9:25

    What was the principle of that occasion? Principle was as Moses picked it up in verse 3 of chapter 10. I will be sanctified in them that come nine me and before all the people I will be glorified. That’s a very interesting thing because if you would be asked what’s the the principle principle as given in the New Testament concerning the atonement, you would say that it declares the righteousness of God. That’s what you’d say and you’d be right. Romans 3/25/26 is false.

18. 10:00

    Coming to the crux of the matter, and that’s what he said to declare, I say at this time repeating it, His righteousness or the forgiveness of sins of the past. And that’s exactly the same thought that verse 3 is exactly

19. 10:15

    when we declare his righteousness, we sanctify him and that’s what God wants. And that becomes the rider to the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. Not one set of rules for atonement, the old another set of rules that atonement you. It’s obviously the same principle. That’s very interesting. Well, that’s why back in Chronicles now, Native and Abayahu are commented as having died before their father.

20. 10:45

    And they must have been relatively young men because it then says they had no children, so there was no future generation in their life. That meant their two younger brothers had to come up and take their place. Now the first of these was Eliezer and the second was Ithema. Now they’re not living of course in the day, but David when this is written, they were back in Moses time, but they had each their line, the Eliezer line and the Ithema line that had come down now to the days of David.

21. 11:20

    And David distributed them both the Zadok of the sons of Eliezer, verse 3, and a Himelec of the sons of Ithema, according to their offices in their service. So obviously the eldest son in the line of Eliezer was now a man called Zadok, which means righteousness. And in the line of Ithema, the man who was the eldest in that family at this time of David’s life was Ahimelech.

22. 11:49

    So Zadok and Ahimelech were the modern day representatives in David’s life of those two lines of the sons of error, it says. And there were more chief men found of the sons of Elijah than of the sons of Ithmah. And thus were they divided among the sons of Elijah. There were 16 chief men of the House of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithmah.

23. 12:16

    How many does 16 + 8 make? So these are 24. Again. That’s pretty consistent, isn’t it? You see in the next chapter there’s 24 groups of singers. The very real logic of that would be that as a group of priests are going in on their course, I don’t know how, how often it was, but there’s 12 months. And if there were 24 orders, I suppose it’s reasonable to say they, their term would come each year for a fortnight of that, of that period.

24. 12:47

    And so as they went in, there would be a company of of new singers, players on the instruments that would have come from him. So the offerings were given with song and praise. It was a beautiful concept. And undoubtedly that’s the kind of thing that’s going to prevail in the future. The temple is going to be a place of prayer for all nations, but people want to come because it will be a lovely atmosphere in that place.

25. 13:11

    And thus were they divided by lot. It says in verse 51 sort with another for the governors of the sanctuary and governors of the House of God. The word governors is the word for Princess. It’s the word SAR SAR. You’ve got it in the word Israel, a Prince with God and it’s a very general earth.

26. 13:35

    You look across to chapter 28. You see, it’s used all through this verse. Chapter 28, verse one David assembled. All. The Princess of Israel, the Princess of the tribes, the Princess of the cap of the company. The verse is actually translated differently. the AV has translated differently as you go down, but it’s actually the same word that ministered to the king by corpse and the captains.

27. 14:05

    That’s the same word. The Tsar over the thousands, Captain Tsar over the Hundreds and the stewards Tsar. Over all the substance. Possession of the king. Their sons would be officers. And that’s the same word again with the mighty men and all the the valiant men hunt Jerusalem. So it’s a very general word to speak of those who were in high office in positions of great respect.

28. 14:34

    So if we could bring that back to chapter 24, verse 5, you will see that the priests were not just not just priests, they were Princess. They were highly recognized people, they were king priests. There was an element of governorship about them. And so that also of course shows it’s it’s own way to the future, doesn’t it?

29. 15:01

    If we just at this point come through to Revelation Chapter 5, you’ll see that I’ve referred to this obliquely a couple of times, but just see how clearly all these things are brought together. In Revelation chapter 5, I beheld and lo, in the midst of the throne, verse 6 and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having 7 horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

30. 15:39

    And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and 20 elders, a person who read that would have immediately, surely from the first time it was read, would have thought of the 24 that goes all through those chapters and chronicles. So there were 24 elders.

31. 16:01

    They fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of Saints. So there’s the office of the of the priest in the offering of incense, which is the prayers of Saints interpreted. And they sung a new song, so that the singers and the players and instruments, this is a new song that’s never been sung.

32. 16:25

    With immortal liberty. Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof. For thou wast slain, and has redeemed us to God by thy blood, and of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. So there’s 24 because they were taken from not just Israel of old, but from the new Israel from all nations of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. This made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.

33. 16:55

    So all of these officers are combined together in a new order of 24 elders, symbolically expressed. That’s. Beautiful, isn’t it? Though we can see that these things clearly are a prototype of things to come. So if we come back to First Chronicles 24. Again, you notice here that David knows about protocol. He knows the wisdom of of wise protocol. I just mentioned again, in earthly life, don’t be apprehensive about having some protocols, not something that’s stiff and rigid about something that’s warm and godly and sanctifies God’s name in our assembly. That’s a good thing.

34. 17:43

    And David could see the the virtue of that. You know, I’ve never really seen anything that’s LAX and lackadaisical. I’ve never seen that grow. I’ve never, ever seen something that’s casual and indifferent growth. I have seen something where the zeal and enthusiasm, desire to keep things up, I’ve seen that grow. I’ve never seen the other growth. Have you?

35. 18:05

    It just dissipates. Children come along and sell them. Well, that’s all. That’s been the reason. Oh, well, I’ve gone off the gang of baseball. Let’s do that. But where there’s a zeal and enthusiasm to keep something up and a sanctity, then that is what seems to grow. It’s a great lesson in our present world.

36. 18:23

    In First Chronicles 24, verse 6, it says and Shemaya, the son of Nephenille the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the king. Now isn’t that interesting? He wrote them before the king. See how David was? He’s a clever. Man, wasn’t he? This wasn’t going to be inaugurated in, you know, some back backroom where there was just these men present.

37. 18:47

    It would be done properly in front of people that that those young men would really be affected by how important their office office was and how important it was indeed. So he wrote the. Before the and the Princess, and Zadok the priest, the high Prince and a hymbal his companion. The son of A by that’s the two that are mentioned in verse 3 and before the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, the older man 1 principal household being taken for Eliezer and one taken for Hippamah. And it was decided by not the first lot came forth to Jehoiah River, the second to Jedi Iah.

38. 19:38

    Now some of these were from the House of Eliezer originally, and some from the House of Ithema. And eight of them were from Ithema, and 16 from the House of Eliezer. And so their names are given from verse 7 down to verse 18. These were the orderings of them in their service, verse 19, to come into the House of the Lord, according to their manner under Aaron their father. As the Lord God of Israel had commanded, so God perpetuates therefore the lion of fear.

39. 20:16

    And it says, And the rest of the sons of Levi were these of the sons of Amram, and so on. And it gives her a description of all of these people. And you think, well. Why has this been? Put on on the end, there’s some that have come from of Amram verse 20 and he’s the oldest son of Kohabis. And in verse 22 of the Israelites. Well, that was Kohad’s second child and R.E.M., Isha, Aziel and Hebron, those four children.

40. 20:50

    So Hebron’s mentioned in verse 23 and Aziel’s mentioned in verse 20. 4. So again, there’s order in it, but we left out the other parts of the Levites know. Verse 26. The sons of Murali were Mali and Mushi and so on. The Sons of Murali by Jezia. Verse 27. So they’re all brought into the picture. Then it says why he’s mentioned these names. These were obviously principal people of the Levites. Well, verse 31 says these likewise casts lots over against their brethren, the sons of Aaron in the presence of the same people that are mentioned in verse 6. They cast lots over against their brethren, the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king. Verse 6, David the king, and Zadok and Himilek verse 6, Zadok and Himilek.

41. 21:43

    And the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites is verse 6 again, even the principal fathers over against the younger brethren. Isn’t that interesting? That really is interesting. So here we’ve got all these heads of the other Levites. They were the ones that cast lots. You might say, well, why don’t you just get one man to cast lots?

42. 22:04

    That’d be good enough, wouldn’t a couple of lovely little proverbs about about the lots. Proverbs 18, verse 18. The lot causes contentions to cease and part it between the mighty. Chapter 16, Verse 33 The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

43. 22:55

    And so contentions were to cease on that basis. And the way it was done was He was the king and he was the high priest and his companion were both main families. And then there were the chief of the fathers of the priests and the Levites, older men and these other men here that were chosen from the other branches of Levi versus 2030.

44. 23:22

    They were the ones that cast them off. So I guess that what that means is that not one individual did all of that. You know what casting the lot is? You take the various names into into the lap and the lap is is shaken and then somebody comes and takes a name from that. What do you think God did it like that? Doesn’t really say why he did it except. That it made contentions to cease. But I suppose there would be always a sort of jockeying, you know, where are you in the line?

45. 23:54

    Oh, I’m first or on 28th. Oh, but I’m a lot better off. You’re 24th down the line, but if it was done by the lot, nobody could argue could that and remember that down the line. This became a very contentious thing because the priesthood was a, was a a. Prize in the days of Jesus and the Sadducees had bought that, hadn’t they Remember how that that they had actually bought that because a wealthy group of people. And because they had the priesthood, they therefore had the power.

46. 24:29

    But this way it was all done in the open. There was the king, 2 main branches of the Levites and other people came along and they exercised the lot in front of these principal people. So when you think about this very wise thing, wasn’t it? There’s all those names, you think, well, why are they mentioned?

47. 24:46

    But verse 31 is the key. Like they likewise cast lots over against their breath. So it was brethren casting lots about their breath, so that although they were going to be not priests, these others from Merari and from Amram and so on, although they were not going to be priests, yet nevertheless they were involved in the very selection of the priesthood because God was working through them through the lot.

48. 25:14

    And wasn’t that a wise thing? Who could therefore call in question the matter? Or those who weren’t priests, could they call in question the matter? No, they were involved in the process by which the priests were put into their particular order. It was a very wise thing, wasn’t it? Extremely wise, the way that was all put together.

49. 25:33

    And so these younger men were inducted into their office with general accord of all the Levites. There was a participating role of all the Levites that were represented in that choice. And the order wasn’t gone that. Was a very wonderful thing. All right, let’s come over to the chapter that we read this morning.

50. 25:57

    Chapter 27. Passover, the singers and the porters, as we know Bill Keepers, and we come now to the the children of Israel after their number, to which the chief fathers and captains of thousands of hundreds and their officers that serve the King in any matter of the courses. Which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year of every course were 20 and 4000.

51. 26:38

    Now there’s twelve of these mentioned, and they go from verse 2 to verse 15, verse 15, the 12th cup to. The 12th month was still down so. They’re on a monthly routine. It’s a course of one month. Just keep your hand there. Samuel had told them about this in First Samuel Chapter 8 when they had requested a king.

52. 27:07

    He saw very clearly what this would mean. In First Samuel chapter 8. You can’t have a Kingdom unless you’re going to have a lot of personnel involved. A Kingdom is a great thing, but it requires a great deal of public service. In chapter 8 verse 10, when they had cried for king, God had said, give them one.

53. 27:36

    Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king, and he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you. Get it straight, he said. You want a man over you, but this is what it means. It doesn’t mean just choosing one man.

54. 27:53

    You know he lives in his own salary. When you have a king, you’re going to have to keep that royalty up. He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his Chariots, to be his horseman, and some shall run before his Chariots. Which is exactly, of course, what Absalom did and a donager did when they usurped the Kingdom.

55. 28:18

    Those very phrases are used 50 million to run before them. He will appoint him captains over thousands and captains over 50s and will set them to ear his ground and to reap his harvest. Oh yes, he’s going to have his own grounds. He’s going to have very big kitchens. He’s got to have a whole lot of people cooking in those kitchens. He’s got to have food.

56. 28:38

    So he’s going to have to point people over, over the territories which he will take to himself. So some of your grounds going to have to go to him to ear his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his instruments of war and instruments of his challenge. And he’ll take your daughters to be confectionaries and be cooks and to be bakers. And he’ll take your foods and your vineyards and your olive yards.

57. 29:01

    Even the best of them, of course, the king. ‘S going to have the best he’s going to have second. Second best and give them to his servants. Take the 10th of your seed and of your vineyards, and give to his servants. He’ll take your men servants and your maidservants and your goodliest young men.

58. 29:18

    There’s someone around him that’s got a broken leg or a bad foot or something. He’s going to have a young man and all his health and strength and your ass and put them to his word. Take the tent of your sheep and he shall be his servant. That’s true. Can’t have a Kingdom unless you’re going to keep it up.

59. 29:36

    So in Chapter 27, we have the means by which in David’s day that was going to be kept up and he had it organized. And this is an interesting thing. He had it organized on a monthly basis. And the question that comes to you is then, well, what about the other eleven months when they weren’t in the King’s service? Well, they were back on their own properties. That’s interesting because we have a public service that have grown used to the fact that one of the endless discussions of government is how big the public service. One party comes in and cuts it down, the other party comes in and builds it up again, and so it goes on. Much the same in the US.

60. 30:22

    It’s been a phenomenon in our lives. But see the wisdom of this. There was no. Permanent public service man for 11 months. He stood on his own feet. He came in in a privileged position about the King’s service month by month. Verse one of all the months of the year. But he wasn’t permanent as a Leech on the whole.

61. 30:48

    Rest of the society, which is the great gripe we find in our communities. Public service grows yawns with the ineptitude, and so it draws the resources of the of the. Society to itself, until eventually society said look, get that, get that down. It’s far too big a problem on our backs. David didn’t have that.

62. 31:09

    Very wise, wasn’t it? How do you think things are going to be in the Kingdom? People and sisters, we were going to learn that principle to stand on their own feet and yet to give service to the central administration. I’m sure this is a feature that’s going to be corrected in the future in the Kingdom of God.

63. 31:28

    Very interesting. Now it says in verse 2. Over the first course, for the first month, who was? Joshua Bean, the son of Zabiel, and in his course were 20 and 4000. So each one of them had 24,000 men in his group. It’s a fair number of men, 24,000. It’s nothing like the the enormous numbers of public service that we have in our society, isn’t it? But represent a very large percent actually of the whole community.

64. 32:01

    It was 24 each month. And you know, most of these that are mentioned were chief men in David’s mighty. For example, if you look up see it says Joshua. And if you notice in your margin it says Chapter 11 verse 11 or Second Samuel 23 verse 8. Doesn’t say that in your margin, but I’ve written that in Second Samuel 23 verse 8.

65. 32:34

    But can you remember? What Second Samuel 23 was about David’s mighty men. So these were all men of the army? Not all, but most of the men of the army. So the army too wasn’t a standing army too. So you didn’t have a defence department. You had to keep up with the massive amounts of money. These that were the men of the army were also involved in the the district in the general running of the Kingdom. It says in verse one that served the king in any matter of the courses which came in and went out month by month. So aren’t just army men.

66. 33:24

    They served the king in all aspects of his royal administration. So there’s things to be done up in the North and there was concerns then the men that 24,000 they would have to be sent by the king or portion of them. They’d be sent by him to look after that matter, see what was going on.

67. 33:44

    If there was further stores needed for whatever it might be and some organization was required, then it’d be those men who were on that month, they had to go and look after that event. So a lot of the a lot of the people and from every tribe became involved in that central administration.

68. 34:03

    Nor could they say it’s mine alone. Corruption would be very little because whilst you were doing it this month, somebody else did it the next. Time, and so it got passed on down the line. Very different to the day where public servants. Often are the government. We have this, it’s another gripe of society, isn’t it? But you know, a minister comes into his office, but really he’s not really government place because he’s he doesn’t know anything about it.

69. 34:28

    He wasn’t in Washington to do it a month ago. And now he’s running this big department and all the heads of that department, they just get on top of him and tell me what he’s doing. And that’s what happens. In Australia, it’s the same. They often say the government’s really the permanent principles of the public service.

70. 34:44

    Well, not so here. These men were therefore unknown. And then somebody else came and did the job. You know, the whole thing is wise, isn’t it? And it kept down the the permanent burden upon the feet, kept taxation down, which is of course, a resentment in any community. All right, look at verse 4 then. Here’s the next one.

71. 35:09

    And over the course of the second month was Dodei and Ahoa height. I don’t like the marginal. Rendition of his name for. You I think we’ll go with Dodei. Otherwise it it might be a bit of a drew. No, that’s the Hebrew SO. But it says and of his course was Mclaugh also the ruler in his course likewise was 24,000.

72. 35:46

    Well, to make the point that it it was from among the great men of David. Look at verse 5. You’ll remember his name, won’t you? The third captain of the host of the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehovah, a chief priest. And then his course were 20 and 4000. Now that’s an interesting thing.

73. 36:07

    He’s a chief priest. He’s a captain of the host, Jarab Abishai Benaiah. In fact, he was the most faithful. Of the three of them when Jarab. Finally turned to sight who was loyal for the IT was Benaiah. So he was a mighty man in the army, but he was also one of the 12 appointed to this month 3 service of the king.

74. 36:33

    So it just helps you to see how the whole thing worked and so on. It goes right through to the 12th captain in verse 15. He was held AI the the tophotite of Octane. But again. If you look across in your margin for where it says held AI, there’s a little 3 in my Bible.

75. 36:54

    It may have a different letter takes you across to the margin and it says or helled. Chapter 11, verse 34, Second Samuel 23, verse 29. So again, he was a he was one of David’s money. So they weren’t just big Tufts of the army. They were responsible officers of the realm and therefore were able to conduct their affairs properly and to keep these 24,000 men.

76. 37:26

    That would come into Jerusalem that month. Can you imagine? That’d be a very busy, very busy event. The end of each month there was 24,000 men coming in from their homes, leaving their wives, their children and so on in the service of the king. And he would then have to pick them up.

77. 37:41

    There must be a place where they, they’ve registered and the others left and took their belongings with them. And these 24,000 then came into their barracks. I suppose it was at the register. Had to be there on time. They were there then. For the next month. Isn’t that interesting? Really interesting thing. It’s quite unique, isn’t it?

78. 38:01

    I can’t think of anything else you might say. Well, you know, if they were there all the time, they’d have, they’d have more idea of how things were done. But if they were there more all the time, there’d be a lot more corruption and self-serving, as we well know. So in this administration, it was kept down.

79. 38:19

    Samuel was right when he said it would if they would take their sons. But the way David organized it limited that considerably. What about the tribes? Because that’s that supra tribe, isn’t it? That’s not on a tribal basis. It’s gone beyond the tribes. And that’s what Solomon had. He had an organization that was beyond the tribes so that they lost that sense of just being.

80. 38:47

    In their own little tribe, they had an overall concept of their nation. But there were leaders of the tribes, it says in verse 16. Furthermore, over the tribes of Israel, the ruler of the revenites was Eliza, the son of Sikrim of the Semenites, shepherd Tyre, the son of Maiatha. Now who in the future is going to be the ruler of the tribes? Reminds you, doesn’t it, of the words of the Lord Jesus. In Matthew chapter 19.

81. 39:34

    This is the office which in the future will be held by none less than the apostles themselves. So Matthew 19 verse 28 Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, he also shall sit upon 12 Thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. So that would seem, wouldn’t it to be the same kind of office which this 12 people are mentioned in First Chronicles 27 enjoyed in years gone by.

82. 40:18

    You know there’s another little background to that. Not interested to notice this. Come to Psalm 122. The Lord’s words were not sort of out of the blue so much as what we might think. In Psalm 122 there was an earlier reference to something very akin to that very interesting little reference. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the Lord.

83. 40:48

    Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is billed as a city that’s compact together, whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. For there are set Thrones of judgment, the Thrones of the House of David. The tribes go up and there are Thrones of judgment, the Thrones of the House of David.

84. 41:20

    Jesus says he shall sit upon 12 Thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. That’s has its overtures in verse four and five. Now notice that those Thrones are not through the different tribes as Ezekiel depicts them in their cantons in the future, those those Thrones are in Jerusalem, for there are set Thrones of judgement.

85. 41:45

    There might be Israel in their cantons, but their Thrones of judgement will be in Jerusalem, as the Lord has said. That’s interesting when you just put one passage. I’m sure that he would have had that in mind. Sure of it. Put the passages together, they they dovetail in. Well in David’s day, verses 16 to 22 we have mentioned of the names of those who were over the 12 tribes. I just want to pick up one that’s very interesting. It’s in verse 18.

86. 42:17

    Who do you think was put over Judah? It says Elijah, and again your margin says Eliab, and that’s what the revised version says. So also just the Septuagint of Judah Eliab. And it says that because the next little phrase is one of the brethren of David. Now that’s a really lovely little touch.

87. 42:47

    Who was alive? What do we know about Eliab? We know about two incidents. Don’t worry about Eliab. The first is in verse Samuel chapter 16 and the other in chapter 17 and in the first one he comes before Samuel and when Samuel sees him he says why? What a dashing. Youth upstanding, tall and good looking board.

88. 43:11

    Surely he says, the Lord’s anointed this performance, and God told him, as he said of the next two brothers as well, or all of the other brothers. Look not on His statue, nor on the height of His countenance, for I have refused him. I’d be statue in all of this count, but I have refused.

89. 43:30

    The Lord looketh not upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart. A liar would have really felt that. Wouldn’t he would have to go to the side of the room and wait? Until the other little. Boy was brought in from the sheep, the young mandate, and he did feel that, as perhaps he had felt resentment towards David’s spirituality many times. Because there they are now in the next scene in first Samuel 17, and David comes with the cheeses and other things to his brothers, and he speaks to the king and he can’t, he can’t for the life of him understand why Israel is standing there. Why?

90. 44:10

    Why? Why Goliath and denigrates the glory of the God of Israel and of the people. Of Israel. And so in First Samuel 17 verse 28, Eliab said this. His eldest brother he heard when he spake unto the men what David was saying. You know what shall be done to the man that killeth the Philistine. But who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?

91. 44:37

    His older brother heard this, you know, this chirp coming from his little brother as he as he looked upon him, and he felt embarrassed by all of this. You know who’s he think he is, But you know inwardly you must have known. That if there was a person that could do anything about that circumstance, it was his younger brother.

92. 44:55

    But because it was his younger brother, he resented the fact of his intrusion. You couldn’t have a boy like David in your family. Except you would know that he is exceptional. You just think about that. If in your family, your own personal family, there had been one of the members of that family who was like David, you wouldn’t know it, wouldn’t you? When anything came up about the things of God, he was hot, he was king.

93. 45:27

    He was perceptive in mind, he was engaging in heart, he was responsive to his father. Whatever duties were there, he was king and enthusiastic. He was first of all a man of God. You would know that that that young brother or that son was an exceptional person in your opinion. You’d know that, wouldn’t you?

94. 45:48

    You couldn’t help it when he came and told the story about the lion and the bear. Did you believe it or not? Burst through the door, as it were. Dad, do you know what happened today? I mean, he would have said that, wouldn’t he? He’s only a young boy and you would have had to look at him in the eye and think. Now does he?

95. 46:07

    Really mean that or not. And you’d know that he really, he really meant it. He really meant it. And how could you doubt the same as Saul when Saul listened to him? I’m sure Saul believed that what that young man was telling him was right. You look in his eye and it was dead king, sincere, as though it was a deep world. That boy meant what he said.

96. 46:29

    The lion came and the bear came, and he stripped them and had the evidence to prove it. Well, imagine if one of your brothers came and he said that to you. He wouldn’t doubt him, would you, that you know, the foolish thing was that they resented him. That was a tragic. I’ve become a stranger unto my mother’s children, it says in Psalm 69.

97. 46:53

    And an alien in his own family. And that’s why they left him out. When you think about this record, it’s an incredible record. What Samuel came with it with a horn of oil to anoint one to be king. Everyone in that family knew who was the boy who should be king, who was the godly boy in the family who had the ability with men, who was God fearing.

98. 47:18

    That’s him. They all knew that. They had to know that Jesse couldn’t have not known. But the brothers said nothing, and the father did nothing and left him out there in the wilderness. Until then, they’re shamed. They had to wait, standing there waiting for hours until somebody found him out with the sheep holding him into that assembler. And then he came, unwashed, unclean. As it were.

99. 47:39

    Straight out of the field, but God said this is the one. I think if we had a boy like. That in our family we would know well look at a lion. Verse 28 His eldest father heard when he spake unto the men and their lives. Anger was kindled against David. He said, White King, was thou down hit her? And with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?

100. 48:02

     Probably saying it loud so everybody could hear. This is no worry. It’s just a kid that looks after a few sheep. I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thine heart without come down, that thou mightest see the back. Never did a brother make a worse assessment than a lion made of his youngest brother.

101. 48:22

     The naughtiness of thine heart. What did God say? A man after mine own heart. Chapter 13. Verse 14. You know, beautiful. That was his. Brother’s assessment. God’s assessment. Absolute opposite. Because he judged according to the outward appearance and not according to the heart. So that’s interesting because when we turn over to chronicles that 27th chapter again, David again is shown to be one who doesn’t.

102. 48:53

     He doesn’t hold gripes and I’ll feeling he gets over and overdue that it is able to spark. Isn’t that a beautiful thing? But a plenty of other men undoubtedly in Judah that were outstanding. But he appointed his own star. That’s a beautiful little note part. All the history is gone. And that’s if he appoints all right now in verse 25 through to verse 34.

103. 49:23

     It also had an interesting record, didn’t you think? Remember the words of Samuel, how he said the king would have all these different areas of responsibility and interests? Well, there they were, all listed for us in verse 25. To 34. And as you build it all up in your mind, see Jerusalem there’s the King beautiful House of cedar and he’s levelling the ground.

104. 49:49

     Is he not already to to prepare for the the temple and he’s gone over it when he’s walking stick. I’m sure many many times seeing it all in his mind. He saw it the very first time. God said to me that this, when the fire came down, he said this is the House of the Lord God. So that’s going to be soon on the horizon. And yet already all these other things have been built up from David’s. 40.

105. 50:15

     Years over the treasures was as mobile and over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities and in the villages and in the castles. So he built castles, he had storehouses in the various fields and in the cities of Israel there was abundance of food, a tight season, but they still had enough food wise provision, wise provision, and over them that did the work of the field for tillage of the ground with Esri, the son of Chello.

106. 50:53

     So all that, So what cultural side of his life required for the public service, for those who were about the palace, the vineyards? Verse 27. And then over the wine. Cellars. There was the Zampa, the Shipmark, Shipmark and the olive trees and the Sycamore trees that grow in the in the South. And they still do. If you go down there and you’ll find Sycamore trees on the plains of the Philistines.

107. 51:22

     And then there was the Cellars of oil. And then there was this purge in verse 29 in Sharon, that lovely plain along the coast. Can you get a picture of my dear friends? This is all these areas of interest and activity that all had to be maintained. The herds that were in the valleys, cattle upon 1000 hills.

108. 51:44

     They like the slopes don’t there’s 29 over the camels. There’s the the asses, beasts of verdict and over the flops with a table of the King. And for offerings. All these were the rulers of the substance, which was King David’s, and so his other principal officers are mentioned. That’s all the organization at the end of the chapter 27. In chapter 28, then, he brings that to a grand finale in what we might call the closing scene of his life, and our exhortation will take up that next picture.