Mission Blessings is a daily devotional to bring a blessed day for viewers.

MISSION BLESSINGS

2 Chronicles 13:10-16 
 
10 “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.” 13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. 
 
 Today’s title is “Proclamation Versus Tactics” 
 
 Our life is a battle. We face big and small spiritual enemies every day. You maybe are a pacifist. But you can’t help it. Apostle Paul said, “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)”. What Paul said indeed shows what our Christian life should be like. Without fighting a good fight, we can never finish our race. Without finishing our race, we can never keep our faith. Without keeping our faith, we will never have the crown of righteousness. So we have to fight a good fight. But how do we fight? Today’s passage shows a good example of how. Abijah the king of Judah is facing Jeroboam the king of Israel the northern kingdom in a battleground. We can see the clear contrast in their battle strategy. Abijah, who was the godly king of Judah, is proclaiming God and His kingdom against Jeroboam. He proclaims, “We have not forsaken God. You have forsaken Him. We kept His law. You did not. We have worshipped Him right. Your worship was faked one. We worshipped the true God. You worshipped an idol. God is our leader. But who is your leader?” On the contrary, Jeroboam showed very realistic tactics. He sent his troops around to the rear of Judah’s camp so that they could ambush Judah from behind. That was a very savvy and seemingly practical strategy. The plan seemed to work perfectly at the beginning. King Abijah and the army of Judah were surprised and terrified. They cried out to the Lord out of terror. But God routed them at the desperate battle cry of Judah. Having gone through so many spiritual battles in my life, I now know why the battle-hardy warriors like David said that battle belongs to the Lord. No matter what we do, whoever is with the Lord wins, for God is the divine warrior who overpowers and outsmarts any scheme. Have you experienced such power and wisdom of God? Of course, you have, if you ever fought a good fight. So how are you fighting in your daily spiritual battle? Are you fighting it with the winning strategy?

2 Chronicles 13:10-16

10 “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”    13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their b

Proclamation Versus Tactics (2 Chronicles 13:10-16) Mission Blessings

When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. 
 
2 Chronicles 12:1-7 
 
1 After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel[a] with him abandoned the law of the LORD. 2 Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. 3 With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites[b] that came with him from Egypt, 4 he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 
5 Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’” 
6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is just.” 
7 When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. 
 
 Today’s title is “Humble Even in the midst of Sin” 
 
 Rehoboam, the son of Solomon wasn’t like either David or Solomon. He was arrogant and proud. He had no regard to the law of God. Although he did not worship idols like Jeroboam. He did not worship God faithfully either. He was no better than Jeroboam in many ways. At best, we might be able say that he was lesser evil of the two. God had every reason to be angry at him. We see one of such instances in today’s passage. God was angry at the unfaithfulness of Rehoboam and all the people of Israel who followed the ways of Rehoboam. It resulted in the invasion of Egypt. Have you noticed that the Chronicler here in the bible often shows the underlying spiritual reason for the success and failure of the kings or kingdoms unlike the secular chroniclers who fundamentally shows events after events with no explanations. I believe that’s how we should view all the facts and happenings in our daily life. Fundamentally, nothing happens without underlying spiritual reason. Some of those underlying spiritual reasons may not be so obvious to our minds. Still, it gives a much better view of life than any other I believe. As a result of the unfaithfulness of Rehoboam and His people, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem with massive military power that could easily overpower the kingdom of Judah. God did not hide the reason behind the attack. Through the prophet Shemaiah, God clearly told Rehoboam and the people of Israel. “You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.” Surprisingly, he leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is just. In other words, they repented and admitted that they deserved God’s wrath upon them. When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, Lord changed His mind and delivered them. At this, some might say, “How could God be so short-changed?” What do you think? Is God really short-changed? I don’t think so. I believe this is what He promise to do in His answer to Solomon’s prayer. “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). God knows our sinful nature more than anybody else. He is ready to relent His anger at any sign of repent and return to Him. No matter how sinful you are or what you have done, if you humble yourself, He is ready to heal us and deliver. Have you not experienced such forgiveness and deliverance before? I am sure we all have. God is still the same as ever. If we just humble ourselves and repent even in the midst of His wrath, He will forgive and heal our land. I believe this is the sole hope for our land. The question is, “Are we any better than Rehoboam and his people?”. We should be and quickly.

When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.

2 Chronicles 12:1-7

1 After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel[a] with him abandoned the law of the LORD. 2 Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. 3 With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites[b] that came with him from Egypt, 4 he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
5 Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak

Humble Even in the midst of Sin (2 Chronicles 12:1-7)  Mission Blessings

The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord 
 
2 Chronicles 11:13-17 
 
13 The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. 14 The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord 15 when he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made. 16 Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time. 
 
 Today’s title is “The Tales of Two Kingdoms” 
 
 Israel had their golden days in the reign of David and Solomon. Their military might reached its highest that they defeated enemies all around. Their territory expanded widely in all directions and countless people were added as their subjects. The nation became so rich that they didn’t value silver highly. The chroniclers of the kingdom clearly attribute the prosperity of the kingdom in the reign of David and Solomon to the love and faithfulness of the kings and people to the Lord. Unfortunately, the golden age of Israel didn’t last long. The kingdom became divided soon after Solomon died due to the stubborn folly of the successor Rehoboam. Unlike his predecessors such as David and Solomon, Rehoboam was not mindful of the plight of the people. Jeroboam, who was very ambitious and was eying on the opportunity to rebel against the king, seized the moment. He split the northern tribes from Israel leaving only the tribe of Judah and Benjamin to Rehoboam. Rehoboam tried to reunify the kingdom without success. On the other hand, Jeroboam tried to strengthen the northern kingdom in his own ways. In doing so, he endeavored to establish totally independent religious system from the original system established by David and Solomon with the temple in Jerusalem at the center. He built the new temple and placed goat and calf idols in it. He rejected the Levites and priests installed by the original system. He banned northern people from going to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord. All of these changes must have seemed very savvy movements to Jeroboam to solidify his own northern kingdom. Rehoboam couldn’t do anything to stop him. But many Levites in the northern regions and people who sought the Lord took brave actions. They left everything that belonged to them such as pastureland and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem. For them, nothing matters more than to worship the true God at the true temple. It sets up the temporary revival at the time of Rehoboam. But it didn’t end there. It sets the direction of the two kingdoms. The northern kingdom became a man-centered kingdom, while the southern kingdom remains God-centered despite its ups and downs. In due time, the northern kingdom becomes completely wiped out and ceases to exist while the southern kingdom manages to survive until the time of Jesus. This tale of two kingdoms shows the path of two types of human lives; man-centered and God-centered. Man-centered life no matter prosperous and strong it may look will end up in total wipe-out. God-centered life, no matter how hard and difficult challenges one may go through. Will end up seeing the Messiah. Which path of life are you following?

The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his ...

The Tales of Two Kingdoms (2 Chronicles 11:13-17)  Mission Blessings

He fled naked, leaving his garment behind. 
 
 
Mark 14:50-52 
 
50 Then everyone deserted him and fled. 51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. 
 
 
 
 Today’s title is “Fleeing Naked” 
 
 Jesus loved His disciples. Although they constantly disappointed Him, His love for them never wavered or waned. In a way, the disciples were like His children. He called them. He cared for them and raised them spiritually. The disciples must have felt such love of the Lord too. They were all convinced that they love the Lord in the same way. They all wanted to share the same glory and suffering if it is necessary with the Lord. Their dedication to the Lord was not a faked one. When Peter said that he would never betray Him under any circumstances, he meant it. When Thomas said to other disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him. (John 11:16)”, It wasn’t vainglory at all. They were indeed a few dedicated groups of people who left everything to follow Jesus. Alas! But they didn’t know that they wouldn’t be able to keep their words of commitment when the real trials and tribulations hit them hard. Everyone, with no exception, deserted Him and fled. A young man, whom we presume to be none other than the virtual author of the gospel of Mark himself fled naked when soldiers seized him, leaving his garment behind. How pitiful! But isn’t that who we are and what we are like? We Christians make many public and private commitments to the Lord. We didn’t make such a commitment lightly. But how many times did we fail to make that commitment true? I personally did fail countless times. I know that the young man fleeing naked could be me if I were there. If only they seize me by a simple garment of faith that we are wearing, we could all be running naked like the young man. Mark might have recorded the pitiful action of himself here as a confession of his own betrayal against the Lord. But I believe that he could do so because he was convinced that the Lord Jesus already knew such frailties in him as well as other disciples and declared forgiveness even before they have committed such betrayal. “Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee (Matthew 26:31-32)”. I often wondered how the Lord would forgive our future sins. Here we have a good example of it. How strong is your love and faith in the Lord? Be strong and courageous in your faith. But never bet on your own faith but trust in the saving grace of the merciful Lord. He knows our past. He knows our future. We will fail. But when you fail, don’t just indulge in the bitter misery of the failure but remember that the Lord already declared that you are forgiven. What a comfort it is! What an assurance it is! Good Lord, indeed He is. Amen!

He fled naked, leaving his garment behind.   


Mark 14:50-52

50 Then everyone deserted him and fled.    51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.   

                              

  Today’s title is  “Fleeing Naked”
        
             Jesus loved His disciples.   Although they constantly disappointed Him,  His love for them never wavered or waned.  In a way,  the disciples were like His children.  He called them.  He cared for them and raised them spiritually.   The disciples must have felt such love of the Lord too.   They were all convinced that they love the Lord in the same way.  They all wanted to share the same glory and suffering if it is necessary with the Lord.  Their dedication to the Lord was not a faked one.  When Peter said that he would never betray Him under any circumstances, he meant it.   When Thomas said to other disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with 

Fleeing Naked (Mark 14:50-52)  Mission Blessings

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 
 
2 Chronicles 9:13-22 
 
13 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[d] 14 not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon. 
 
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[e] of hammered gold went into each shield. 16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels[f] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 20 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day. 21 The king had a fleet of trading ships[g] manned by Hiram’s[h] servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. 
 
22 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 
. 
 Today’s title is “The Glory of Solomon” 
 
 People have a very dualistic attitude toward riches. They hate it when other people have it, especially when they boast about it. But people like it when they can enjoy it. In fact, everybody has a dream of great riches whether they admit it or not. I believe that is an essential part of human instinct. To deny it as in some socialist or communist regimes is amounts to denying their humanity itself. So such ideas or political systems are bound to fail. No wonder many socialist and communist countries end up in extreme corruption. No political system or idea cannot change the nature of humanity. We have to take it as it is. I am not saying this to promote capitalism against communism. Capitalism has its own problems. But at least it tries to acknowledge humanity as it is. But isn’t it a sin to desire worldly riches for a Christian? No, I don’t think so. It is true that Jesus spoke against people being obsessed with rich and famous and while in total disregard for spiritual reality. Jesus clearly warned against it. But He never discouraged people from pursuing riches by working hard and faithfully. Rather, the whole Bible seems to take such pursuit of riches and glories as a natural part of human life even though it should not the sole or primary purpose of life. More often than not, such worldly riches and glory are given as gifts or blessings of God. I believe that’s how the bible views the glories of Solomon as we see it in today’s passage. Solomon and Israelites in his time accumulated a great wealth that they have never seen before and after. And if you have carefully followed the stories of David and Solomon, you can see that it came as a gift of God for their love and faithfulness to God. And it is the shadow of heavenly glories that we will all enjoy by God’s grace. Of course, David and Solomon received greater spiritual blessings first. The earthly riches and glories came at the heel of such spiritual blessings. If you lose the spiritual blessings, the earthly riches and glories amount to nothing. I believe that’s what Jesus talks about when He compares the glory of a flower of the field with the glory of Solomon. To be realistic, not many of us will be able to enjoy the riches and glories like Solomon. I pray, however, that my beloved people including you would enjoy it on earth as much as possible with an unequivocal priority on God and His kingdom like Solomon. May God richly bless you all.

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.

2 Chronicles 9:13-22

13 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[d] 14 not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[e] of hammered gold went into each shield. 16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels[f] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.  17 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been m

The Glory of Solomon  (2 Chronicles 9:13-22)  Mission Blessings

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 
 
Mark 7:14-15 and 17-23 
 
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) 
 
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” 
 
Today’s title is “Hands Clean or Hearts Clean” 
 
 One of the most popular ways to hire people is through interviews. It is the most widely used technique to examine and screen people. Have you ever interviewed people? What do you want to find out about the interviewees? How did you go about it? The interviewers will look at different things of the interviewees such as how they look, how they talk, and their accomplishments and abilities. But the experienced interviewers know the ultimate things that show who the interviewees are not such visible outward things. What’s really important in knowing who the people are lies inside of the people. We may broadly call it “hearts”. The human Heart is the invisible root and seat of thoughts, ideas, convictions, or emotions that underlie people’s behaviors and lifestyles. But such hearts are mostly invisible to human eyes. So people tend to guess what’s in the invisible hearts of the people through what they can see. That seems highly practical. But it has many loopholes and can be misleading. Still many people stubbornly stick to such outward observation of the people. Jewish society highly emphasized washing hands. There is nothing wrong with washing hands frequently. But they added too much religious significance to it. The religious leaders were very particular about it. They even said that if anyone eats food with unclean hands, the food will defile them. In fact, this was what they accused the disciples of Jesus of. On the other hand, Jesus saw what was in the hearts of those religious leaders who criticized the disciples. They wanted to reject the power and glory of God that was powerfully manifested through Jesus. Jesus confronted them with a quote from the prophecies of Isiah. “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules (Isaiah 29:13). Obviously, Heart clean is much more crucial than hands clean. Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” ). But it can be so easily defiled. That's why you have to guard it. So what should we guard more, our hands or our hearts? The answer is obvious. But we are often misleading and are misled like those who accuse the Lord. How about you? Are you trying to be heart-clean or hand-clean ?

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 

Mark 7:14-15 and  17-23

14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”       17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile

Hands Clean or Hearts Clean (Mark 7:14-15 , 17-23)  Mission Blessings

“Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. 
May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness. 
 
2 Chronicles 6:41- 7:3 
 
41 “Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place, 
 you and the ark of your might. 
May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, 
 may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness. 
42 Lord God, do not reject your anointed one. 
 Remember the great love promised to David your servant.” 
1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” 
 
Today’s title is “ Inviting God and His Glory” 
 
 God is sovereign. He rules everything according to His own will. God is free. He is not confined to anything or anybody. But He is a very personal God. He loves to be with us perhaps more than we love to be with Him. He loves to befriend us. He initiated most of His friendship with people like Abraham, Moses, and David. Jesus also showed the same friendliness toward sinners. He had a very personal friendship with some people such as Lazarus whom He raised from the grave. For Such friendship, God visited and invited many. He also wants to be invited personally and have an intimate relationship with us. We see such a friendly and intimate heart of God in the book of Revelation. Revelation 3:20 says “ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” It seems to me that God viewed the temple initiated by David as an invitation to Him. God said that He does not need a temple nor have requested it at all. But He liked and accepted the mind of David who wanted to be with God all the time in an honorable fashion. God wanted to honor and bless such an inviting heart in return. We see such a mind of God and David materialized in today’s passage. At the climax of the dedication of the temple, Solomon invites God saying, “Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness. When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. What a beautiful and glorious sight this is! The divine and the human become joined in love. They are united with human worships and praises and glorious divine presence. Have you ever experienced such a glorious presence of God? If you haven’t so far, you should and can have such a glorious presence of God in the future, God is willing to come and fill your life with His glorious presence even now as He did in Solomon’s time. But are you inviting Him earnestly like Solomon and his people? Are you opening the door of your life for Him? Then, He will surely come in and fill your life with His glory and love. What a beautiful and glorious sight it will be!

Now arise, Lord God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with ...

Lnviting God and His  Glory (2 Chronicles 6:41- 7:3) Mission Blessimgs

“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 
 
 
2 Chronicles 6:32-35 
 
32 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 33 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. 
34 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. 
 
 
Today’s title is “Temple for Foreigners” 
 
 Most people tend to think that the temple of Jerusalem is the greatest symbol of so-called Hebraism. They believe that it is the most Jewish institution that separates the people of Israel from others. Is it really? In some ways, it is true. Temple has been the central place to maintain the identity of Jewish people through a long history of suffering and hardships from foreign invaders. We often heard that the foreigners were forbidden from coming into the inner courts with clear warning signs against potential intruders. But as far as I know, the court of gentiles was not specified at Solomon’s temple. It was introduced later in history after Israel went through foreign invaders who profaned the temple. Solomon’s temple had only an inner court where mostly the priests work for the sacrifices and an outer court where other people could enter for worship and another gathering. On the contrary, the Herodian temple had four courts such as the inner court, the court of Israel, the court of women, and the court of gentiles from inside out. The court of gentiles might have been designated in an effort to preserve the purity of the temple that has gone through many foreign invasions. Solomon’s temple doesn’t seem to have such segregation for foreigners. Foreigners were welcome to pray and sacrifice at the temple like any Israelites, for the temple is the temple of God who made heaven and earth as Hiram the king of Tyre said. We can see such international or universal characteristics of the temple in Solomon’s address. He says, “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.” This is almost identical to what Solomon said about his own people. When Jesus visited the temple later, it was here that He purified the temple. It was also mostly here at the court of gentiles that Jesus taught in Jerusalem. Wasn’t that the answer for the prayer of Solomon when he said “Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you?”? Indeed the people of the earth including us should be grateful for the temple, shouldn't we?

“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 


2 Chronicles 6:32-35

32 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, 33 then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.
34 “When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.


Today’s title is  “Temple for Foreign

Temple for Foreigners (2 Chronicles 6:32-35)  Mission Blessings

“When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence. 
 
2 Chronicles 6:18-25 
 
18 “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive. 
22 “When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence. 
24 “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors. 
 
 Today’s title is “The House of Prayer” 
 We often call the temple the house of God because we believe it is fundamentally the dwelling place of God. But will God really dwell in the temple? The answer is yes and no. The answer is “yes” because God indeed filled the temple with His glorious presence. There in the temple, God received sacrifices and worships of His people. For a long time, there were no other places like the temple on earth. But we know that the temple has deeper spiritual significance than that. Solomon knew it. He was in search of the true spiritual significance of the temple. We can see it in today’s passage. Today’s passage is the central part of Solomon’s dedication address of the temple. It starts with a rather rhetorical question. “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! This is a very honest and humble recognition of God’s greatness at a time that they were dedicating the most glorious and gorgeous temple for God. But that is exactly true. In fact, that’s very similar to what God said when David expressed his desire to build a temple for God. There is nothing in the whole world that is fitting for God to dwell. He is just too big and too glorious for anything. Then why did God approve the building of the temple? Who would know the mind of God? But I am sure that Solomon got to understand at least a part of it. God recognized and anointed the temple as a place of prayer. In other words, God wanted to give His people access to His throne of grace through the temple for rainy days as well as shiny days. No wonder Jesus called the temple as the house of prayer for all people as well as My Father’s house. Solomon had such insight. So he says, “Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.”. Beautiful, isn’t it? I believe this is the true spiritual significance of the temple. Solomon’s temple certainly played its role in this. But we know that it still is a shadow of the great and everlasting temple who not only made a way to God but also He himself became “the Way” to God. Of course, He is none other than Christ. Surely no one can come to the Father except through Him. Anyone can freely go to the throne of grace in Him and through Him. Are you rejoicing in such grace of the true temple?

“When anyone wrongs their neighbor and is required to take an oath and they come and swear the oath before your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence.

2 Chronicles 6:18-25

18 “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet, Lord my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwell

The House of Prayer  (2 Chronicles 6:18-25)  Mission Blessings

“He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. 
 
 
2 Chronicles 5: 12-14 
 
12 All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: 
“He is good; his love endures forever.” 
Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. 
 
 Today’s title is “Filled With The Glory of God” 
 
 I am often marvelled at the gigantic scale of things at the time of Solomon. He gave “a thousand burnt offering” on the bronze altar of the tabernacle at Gibeon before he dedicates the temple. Can you imagine how much is a thousand offerings? Literally, it must have made a river of blood from the slaughtered animals. It must have taken a fairly long time to burn them all. The scale of the dedication of the temple is no less impressive at all. Just imagine all the Levites who were musicians standing on the east side of the altar in fine linen. I don’t know exactly how many were there. Considering that there were 120 priest trumpeters who accompanied the musicians, it seems to me at least a thousand men praising God in unison. Of course, God is not impressed at the size of offerings or at the number of people praising. But it still makes us feel the intensity of Solomon and the Israelites with which they dedicated the temple. I am sure that God had felt the genuine passion and intensity of Solomon and his people in dedicating the temple. With such intensity, they all raised their voice and sang the famous repeated phrase of David’s psalms. “He is Good. His love endures forever”. The king and all the Israelites who snag the praise truly meant it from the very bottom of their hearts. It was one of the greatest worship and celebration in the history of the Bible. And their praises have reached to the throne of God. God responded to such passionate worship and dedication by filling the place with the overwhelming presence of His glory. He filled the temple with His glory cloud so profusely that the priests could not continue the service. It looked as if God was releasing His overjoy at the dedication of the temple and their worship. It was indeed a heaven on earth where God and His people were celebrating together. I believe this is one great example of worship where we would worship God in spirit and truth and God fills us with His glory. This is what our worship is supposed to be like. How often do you experience such heavenly encounters on earth? I am sure that God is never shy to fill our worship with His glory. What really matters is whether we worship in such spirit and in truth. If only we worship God in spirit and truth celebrating His grace and praising His goodness and faithfulness as the Lord said, we will surely be filled with the glory of God. Amen!

“He is good;  his love endures forever.”  Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.


2 Chronicles 5: 12-14   

12 All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:
“He is good;  his love endures forever.”
Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

            Today’s title is   “Filled With The Glory of God” 
              

Filled With The Glory of God (2 Chronicles 5: 12-14 )  Mission Blessings

“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided. 
 
 
2 Chronicles 2:5-7, 11-12 
 
5 “The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him? 7 “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided. 
11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon: 
“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.” 
12 And Hiram added: 
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. 
 
 Today’s title is “Building Together Worshipping Together” 
 
 God uses certain people and nations for His kingdom during certain periods. But God’s eyes are always on the whole world because He created the whole world. There is no nation and people that have been made apart from Him. No wonder Jesus declared, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son”. He chose Abraham and his descendants as the vessel of His blessings and salvation for the world. God has established a special relationship with Israel for this purpose. But God’s love and care were never confined to Israel. No nations were out of His divine care and love. We see such global care of care in many places of the Bible. We saw God did not forget the nation of Nineveh who forget God completely and was determined to send Jonah to save them. We also see God’s prophecies regarding many nations such as Egypt and Babylon through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah chapters 13-23). Occasionally, we also see some people and nations outside Israel express surprisingly biblical faith in God. We have no idea of how they got to have such knowledge of God outside Israel. Mostly, they might have heard about God through the contacts with Israelites. We see a good example of such godly gentiles in today’s passage. Hiram king of Tyre praises God as the God of Israel who has made heaven and earth. From his intimate relationship with David, we can reasonably assume that David had told him about His God. Hiram might have even read some of David’s psalms. So he is gladly consenting to the request of Solomon to send skilled workers of jewels and steels as well as fabrics for the temple. It seemed that the workers of Hiram played a very essential role in building the temple. The temple was built not only through the collaboration of different generations but also through the cooperation of multiple nations. No wonder when Solomon dedicated the temple, he clearly states that this temple is for them too as much as it is for Israelites (2 Chronicles 6:32-33). So why are we happy about David and Solomon building the temple? We are happy because it is the temple that all nations and all people worship God who had made heaven and earth together. We are happy because it is the shadow of Jesus the living temple through whom the whole world, Jews and Gentiles, will be saved.

“Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.


2 Chronicles 2:5-7, 11-12   

5 “The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him? 7 “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.
11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:
“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.”
12 And Hiram added:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israe

Building Together Worshipping Together (2 Chronicles 2:5-7, 11-12  ) Mission Blessings

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power 
 and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, 
 for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; 
 you are exalted as head over all. 
 
 
1 Chronicles 29:10-15 
 
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, 
“Praise be to you, Lord, 
 the God of our father Israel, 
 from everlasting to everlasting. 
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power 
 and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, 
 for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; 
 you are exalted as head over all. 
12 Wealth and honor come from you; 
 you are the ruler of all things. 
In your hands are strength and power 
 to exalt and give strength to all. 
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, 
 and praise your glorious name. 
 
14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 
 
Today’s title is “The Joy of Giving God” 
 
 God is the greatest giver. He gives all things to all. There is nothing in us that has not come from God including the fundamental things such as our life, family, and our nation. But God is not just a giver. He happily takes from those who willingly give to God. Of course, God does not take from people because He needs anything from us. God just loves the heart that is willing to give. Giving God is the best proof of man’s love for God. We see a good example of such a heart of giving God in David. David asked a lot from God. We can see it from the psalms he wrote. He asked for God’s salvation from many troubles even at the mouth of the lion. He asked for God’s protection from the countless enemies. He asked for vengeance of God upon his enemies. Of course, he asked for daily bread and water. It is no wonder that he received so much. “Ask, and you will receive. You do not receive because you have not asked.” The clear and simple principle of prayer that Jesus stated holds true all the time for all people. But David wasn’t just asking. He was a great giver too. That’s what made him outstanding and precious in God’s eyes. We see such grateful and giving heart of David in today’s passage. He was giving all that he had including tons of gold and silvers for the temple of God that he would never see in his own lifetime. The people of Israel followed him. As they give God in such a way, they were all exuberant. David and the Israelites were all so happy that they were able to give God so bountifully. David praised God saying “Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?” They knew all that they gave have initially come from God. They were indeed such cheerful and joyful givers. I believe that this is one of the characteristics of the golden age of David and Solomon. They gave cheerfully to God as much as they received bountifully from God. Not many people including some Christians are not so good at giving as in asking. How about you? Our God never twists people’s arms to force people to give. He has no need to do so. But he loves the cheerful givers, for he loves the grateful hearts. Are you such a cheerful giver?

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
    you are exalted as head over all.


1 Chronicles 29:10-15

10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, Lord,
    the God of our father Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
    you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
    you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
    and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what come

The Joy of Giving God (1 Chronicles 29:10-15)  Mission Blessings

Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 
 
1 Chronicles 28:9-13 and 19-20 
 
9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” 
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. 13 He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. 
19 “All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.” 
20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. 
 
 Today's title is “Spiritual Succession SO Beautiful ” 
 
 Man is finite. At the time I am writing this, I have lost one of my close friends. He was passed away despite earnest prayers for the healing of many who know him. We all who prayed for him felt the daunting brevity of life deeply. Yes, we are all pilgrims on this world finite and limited in every way. Moses said, “Our days will quickly pass. We fly away”.. How true! Then how could we overcome such finitude of our life? Could we even overcome the finitude of human life? The answer is “Absolutely Yes!”. The fundamental answer of God for the question of human finitude is His invitation for us to join in His eternity. From the beginning, God didn’t create man as a finite creature. We were created to share in the divine nature of eternity with God. But sin messed it up. We lost the shared divine nature of eternity as we sinned against God and broke the covenant between God and man established in the garden of Eden. However, God is not done with us yet. He wants to restore the eternal tie with us. Fundamentally, God will send the Messiah to restore the lost touch with God and His eternity at the appointed time. Until then, the people of God used spiritual successions to make up for the finitude of man. Abraham’s finitude was covered by his descendants such as Isaac and Jacob. For the finitude of Moses, Joshua was chosen as his successor. Great and faithful as David was, he was finite and couldn’t fulfill all his missions. God appointed Solomon as His successor. We see beautiful spiritual succession between David and Solomon in today’s passage. David clearly told Solomon who God is and what He has done. He told Solomon how God has chosen him as his successor and what he should do to fulfill the mission. He also gives very plain warnings against spiritual negligence and disobedience. He goes onto passing down all that he has received from God to Solomon such as detailed plans and designs of the temple and the administration ideas such as division of priests and Levites. He finished the succession with strong encouragement and warnings. What a beautiful sight of spiritual succession! I believe this is a good model for all other spiritual successions to come including our own. Of course, we live in a fairly different spiritual time than David. Jesus had come at God’s appointed time. He restored the fundamental relationship with God and gave us eternal life. But there are still some spiritual successions to be done between us and our Solomons, don’t we? How faithfully and diligently are you doing it? Are your Solomons ready for what God has in store for them?

Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 

1 Chronicles 28:9-13 and 19-20

9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicate

Spiritual Succession So Beautiful (1 Chronicles 28:9-13, 19-20)

Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the royal army. 
 
1 Chronicles 27:32-34 
 
32 Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hakmoni took care of the king’s sons. 
33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s confidant. 34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the royal army. 
 
 “Excellency Or Trust” 
 
 David’s kingdom was great by all standards. It was huge and expansive encompassing vast territories and people. He had a great army with dedicated generals and warriors. They were invincible. He also built a great administration system to rule the nation. It was all intricately organized from top to bottom. David, by God’s grace, was able to make the most of huge physical resources as well as enormous human resources. The Book of Chronicles contains the meticulous records of all the generals and leaders. Today’s passage is the climax of the list of the enormous human resources at the disposal of David. The list shows the people whom David most intimately consulted. Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight, and ascribe. An uncle with insight and biblical knowledge will make a good counselor. There is another counselor named Ahithophel. He was called “king’s counselor”. Unlike Jonathan, Ahithophel was probably chosen just for his excellent sagacity. Then there was Hushai the Arkite who was the king’s confidant. We are not quite sure whether the confidant was an office or not. But if it was an office, the main function of it must have been to become someone that the king could talk to freely opening up his hearts. If Ahithophel was a man of excellency, Hushai was a man of trust. And the two men went in totally opposite ways in times of crisis. When Absalom, who was David’s most favorite son revolted later, Ahithophel joined in Absalom against David. Hushai kept his trust in David. The bible clearly shows that the relationship of trust is better than excellence. God is trustworthy. He clearly wants us to be trustworthy, whether we are excellent or not. I am glad that God gave us His Son as our friend like Hushai with whom we could trust. But are we truly living as His friend as trustworthy as Hushai?

Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the royal army. 1 ...

Excellency Or Trust (1 Chronicles 27:32-34)  Mission Blessings

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 
 
1 Chronicles 21:7-14 
 
7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel. 
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” 9 The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’” 
 
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” 13 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 14 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 
 
 Today’s title is “How To Be Punished Well” 
 
 What makes a general a hero? The obvious answer would be “a great victory”. That is true. But I heard another insightful story about a true hero. According to the insightful story, a true hero in a war is a general who led a successful retreat. What do you think? I think there is great truth in it. A war hero who had a great victory is great mostly because he and the army he led routed the enemy by smashing victory. The greater the number of enemy soldiers they killed, the greater hero he becomes. But the other war hero, if we may call him a hero, might not have killed as many enemy soldiers but must have saved the great lives of his own army and perhaps the civilians. David has been the former kind of war hero who had numerable victories so far militarily as well as spiritually. But now he made a spiritual blunder by falling into a prideful heart. He was completely routed by Satan and was facing a great setback. David himself confessed to God that he has done a very foolish thing. But such confession and repentance could not free David from God’s punishment. God gave David three options of punishments from which he can choose; “ three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ David fell in agony and dilemma. The three options all seem equally heavy. Still, this is a very unusual offer of God for anyone who sinned before him. No sinners were ever given options of punishments to choose from before as far as I know. The offer showed at least some compassion of God to David the sinner. He would better take it and take it wisely. David, albeit he was a sinner, knew the mind of God. God is righteous. But He has greater love. So he chose God over man and a thing. He chose the sword of the Lord. We later find out that it was the best choice. Have you ever been given the option to choose from multiple punishments of God? The answer will be no if you don’t know the gospel of the Son. But yes, if you know the Son. We all sinned before God a big time. But like David we are given an option to cast our punishment to the Son hung at the cross. Of course, we see the righteous anger of God at the cross. God crushed His own begotten Son for our sins. But we see a much greater love of God in the cross. Are you also sinners facing such option? Are you making a good and wise choice?

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 

1 Chronicles 21:7-14

7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”    9 The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept away  before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”     13 David said to Gad, “I 

How To Be Punished Well (1 Chronicles 21:7-14)  Mission Blessings

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.” 
 
1 Chronicles 21:1-6 
 
1Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.” 
3 But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” 
4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah. 6 But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him 7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel. 
 
 Today’s title is “Pride Provoked By Satan” 
 
 An ordinary man, whether he is a Christian or not, does not know much about Satan. People hardly have sufficient knowledge either to approve or deny it. Some claim that they have personally experienced the power of Satan. Still, their description of who Satan is and what he does is very fragmentary and sketchy at best. We gain the most accurate knowledge of Satan from the Bible. The Bible shows us that Satan is a creature. It is a very old creature existing even at the time of the Garden of Eden. It is a very ambitious and rebellious creature who even rebelled against God. Satan has never and will never succeed in the rebellion against God. But he can’t stop the futile attempts. One thing that Satan is known for from of old is its “craftiness”. As early as Genesis, it is said, “ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.”. The craftiness of Satan can be seen in many ways throughout the Bible. What was most impressive about the craftiness of Satan to me is the “perfect timing” that it intervenes in the life of a man or in the redemptive work of God. Satan seems to know when to hit and when to run. Today’s episode in David’s life is a good example of it. Since David became enthroned as king, he prospers in every way. God was pleased with David and blessed him more and more. Satan must have been calmly observing David and God. It couldn’t stand the joy and glory of God manifested through David. It must have been calmly searching for the weakest spots of David to attack and waiting for the right time. Satan eventually found one and it attacked it. Where was the spot? It was the growing pride of David in himself and his achievements. He defeated all the enemies that he fought against big and small. He subjugated enormous territories and people. Albeit he was fundamentally humble and grateful, such seemingly endless victories and booties were making him engrossed in himself and what he has done. Satan must have instigated such a prideful spirit further. “You are so awesome! Look what you have done! It is so great. See how big your kingdom has become. And how many are your people! You will be amazed if you see how big it is and how many there are.” Alas! The great David who was so faithful and so humble stumbled into the crafty temptation of Satan. For many of us like David, pride is the most vulnerable spot too. We take pride in the numbers that show who we are and what we have done. We are easily blinded by the litany of praises. How will you stand up or stand down against such a crafty attack of Satan? Not in any way by our own might even if you are David! But only by the Lord who soundly defeated the craftiest temptation of Satan. Cross is the only weapon that crushes the craftiness of Satan. Amen!

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”  

1 Chronicles 21:1-6

1Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”  
3 But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including fo

Pride Provoked By Satan  (1 Chronicles 21:1-6)  Mission Blessings

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 
 
 
1 Chronicles 17: 16-19 
 
 
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men. 18 “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises. 
 
. Today’s title is “Who Am I?” 
 
 Have you ever felt jealous of someone? Whom did you feel jealous of most and why? Jealousy is not a good thing or virtue in general. However, I believe that there is some jealousy that can be justified. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul writes, “I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” Here, Apostle Paul says that he has godly jealousy to bring people to God as a pure and holy bride. I am sure that God honored such godly jealousy of apostle Paul. I am not sure whether my jealousy is so godly. But I feel jealous of David, especially the intimate personal relationship with God and God’s blessings upon him. God chose David even though he was the least in his own family. He protected David from all his enemies. He drew people to him. He exalted David above many nations. God blessed his descendants. He even made him the ancestor of the Messiah. What else can you ask more to God as a man? Why such huge blessings upon David? We don’t know. It is fundamentally “the sovereign grace of God”. But we do know that God does not throw pearls at pigs. When God bestows such great blessings upon David, there must be something in David that made God’s blessings worthy. What can it be? I believe today’s passage reveals some of David’s characters that made him earn God’s favor. First, David had a truly grateful heart. It seems that he never forgets or takes God’s blessings for granted. His psalms are flooded with thanksgiving from small to big things that God has done for him. His heart was always overflowing with gratitude and praises for God. Second, he always kept his humility before God. David didn’t forget who he was and how God raised him up. He never presumed that he was worthy of God’s blessings as such. We can see such a humble and grateful attitude of David through his words in today’s passage. He says, “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant.” Finally, David never ceased to interact with God in good times or bad times. If he feels joy, he wanted to share it with God. When he had sorrows and pain, he laid them down before God too. I think that God made us all jealous of David and the special blessings that David enjoyed. Can it be godly jealousy? I think it can if only we are jealously following David’s footsteps of deep gratitude, genuine humility, and living interactions with God too. God never runs out of His blessings for any spiritual descendant of David.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:   “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 


1 Chronicles 17: 16-19


16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:   “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.   18 “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.

.            Today’s title is “Who Am I?”

            Have you ever felt jealous of someone?   Whom did you feel jealous of most and why?   Jealousy is not a good thing or virtue in general.   However, I believe that there is some jealousy that can be justi

Who Am I ?  (1 Chronicles 17: 16-19) Mission Blessings

It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 
 
1 chronicles 15:11-15 
 
11 Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 14 So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord. 
 
Today’s title is “Carry It On The Shoulder” 
 
 The gospel frees us from many bondages that bound us before. Freedom is the most essential thing that Jesus gives us through His truth. Such mindset of Christ as freedom-giver or liberator is most clear in His words in the gospel of John. “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32) .” The apostles of Jesus Christ also emphasized the spirit of freedom. Apostle Paul said, “ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatian 5:1). I love the freedom that the Lord has given us. I enjoy it thoroughly. But the freedom that the Lord has given us is not without accountability. Even Apostle Paul who stressed freedom in the strongest words said, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love (Galatian 5:13). David’s love and passion for God are well known to God. God was pleased with David’s decision to move the ark to the city of David. But He struck Uzzah who tried to steady the ark with his hands when the oxen carts that were carrying the ark were stumbled. It upended the whole plan of David to move the ark. What was wrong with them? Was it that serious to upend such a well-meaning joyous celebration? David and the people of Israel must have agonized with these questions. And they finally got an answer to their questions. We see it in today’s passage. Albeit our passion for God is pleasing to God, we are never entitled to do it at our own whim or convenience. Oxen carts seem a very convenient way of moving ark to Jerusalem. But God already prescribed that the ark can only be carried on the shoulders of Levites. The bible does not clearly show whether David knew the prescription of God or not. Either way, God hold David and the people of Israel accountable for the negligence. You should carry the ark of God on your shoulder. It might be highly inconvenient compared to the cart. But paying due honor to the presence of God does much good to the people of God than doing it inconvenient way. That’s not diminishing our freedom at all. Living in the times of technology that makes things faster and more convenient, we are also often tempted to God’s work in inconvenient and easier ways. Are you not? What do you do when you are facing such temptations of convenience? We all need to make sure that we don’t use carts when God wants us to carry them on our shoulders. Certainly, obedience is better than convenience. Amen!

It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 

1 chronicles 15:11-15

11 Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 14 So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.



Carry It On The Shoulder (1 chronicles 15:11-15)  Mission Blessings

The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. 
 
1 chronicles 13:6-11 
 
6 David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name. 
7 They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets. 
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. 
11 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. 
 
 
 Today’s title is “Remember Uzzah! ” 
 
 David was a truly godly man and a humble king. Even though he became enthroned as a king, David never assumed that he now will rule the kingdom. He knew that the only true king is God. He was only a servant king for God and His people. He knew that he and his people should inquire of God who is the true ruler with regard to everything. So he persuaded all his officers and people to bring the ark of God that was abandoned in the reign of Saul back to Israel. In today’s passage, the bible says, “David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name. We can easily imagine the joy and happiness of the king and the people. No wonder they were all celebrating with all their might before God with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals, and trumpets. This was supposedly the greatest day of Israel in years. It will usher in the new godly era of the kingdom. But then, the unthinkable happened. The oxen that were pulling the carts stumbled. Uzzah who was assigned to guide the cart stretched out his hands to steady the ark. Boom! As soon as Uzzah’s hands touched the ark, he got instantly killed. Can you understand such upend of the joyous event? Why? What’s wrong with Uzzah? He was just trying to steady the ark. Every casual reader of the bible will be struck with questions like that. I had my share of surprises and questions. No one including David knew at the time what went wrong. He was upset and angry. No wonder! The joy and celebration suddenly turned into mourning and bewilderment. Who wouldn’t? What went wrong? Later they found the reason. David said later on, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.” (1 Chronicles 15:2). “ It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way (1 Chronicles 15:13) ”. The strongest stress must be on the last sentence that David said. He and the people wanted to bring the ark to Jerusalem to inquire of God for all that matters to their life. But in doing so, they forgot to inquire of God how to do it. What an irony! What a paradox! But we fall into this error frequently. We might have a great passion for God and His work. But we don’t inquire of God how to do it or become mindless even though God already prescribed it clearly. God gave us a stern warning through Uzzah. Don’t we need this warning? I do. We all do. Do your best to glorify God. But do remember Uzzah when you do it!

The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before ...

Remember Uzzah!  (1 chronicles 13:6-11) Mission Blessings

David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 
 
1 chronicles 13:1-4 
 
 David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.” 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people. 
 
 Today’s title is “The True Brave-Hearted” 
 
 We love all the soldiers who serve the countries in various ways. We love and respect all the more the elite soldiers who are famed for their outstanding bravery. They do often carry out highly risky missions on land and in the sea and sky. It takes great skills as well as courage. To be able to accomplish the tasks, they go through the most strenuous training with great endurance. Do you know any of such brave people? Are you perhaps one of those elite forces? What kind of people do you think they are? I ran into an article from a famous weekly magazine a long time ago that tried to answer these questions. The reporter asked, “How could they be so brave and daring? Who are these people?”. The article first clarified what they are not. Though they go through the toughest training and carry out the most demanding missions, they never look tough. It also says that if you run into anyone one who brags about the adventurous bravado, it is most likely that they are not the real elite forces. They are probably “wanna-be's”. The real elite forces never brag about what they did r do. They don’t even talk about what they do. What surprised me most in the article was that most real elite forces are very quiet and highly religious. If I may paraphrase it, most of the elite forces are serious Christians who worship and pray regularly. That’s the secret of their calmness even in the most challenging and hostile environment. I see a good example of such godliness and daring bravery in the person of David. David was a great warrior who dared to confront the most gigantic foes. He galloped through the bloody battlefield without any fear. How could he do that? He did inquire of God. He asked for God’s presence on every battlefield he fought. We can see such a God-fearing but man-daring mind of David in today’s passage. David now became enthroned as a king in Israel. He is now rebuilding the kingdom of Israel that was utterly shattered in the reign of his predecessor King Saul. Many things need to be done. But David knew what needs to be done most urgently. Israel needed to inquire of God. David clearly knew what the reason for the utter failure of his predecessor Saul was. He said that he did not inquire of God. David told his decision to bring the ark of God back to the whole assembly of Israel. They eventually bring it back. That set the foundation of the blessed reign of David and Solomon. Our daily life is a spiritual battlefield where we have to face many challenges and enemies. How daringly and courageously do live through it? We learned how we can from David. We know now how we can have a true brave heart. Inquire of God humbly like David, day in and day out. You can become more than a conqueror. Amen!

David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 

1 chronicles 13:1-4

     David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.” 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

      Today’s title is “The True Brave-Hearted”
            
           We love all the soldiers who serve the countries in various ways.   We love and respect all the more the elite soldiers who are famed for their outstanding bravery.   They do often carry out highly 

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