Hebrews 2:1-9 

 "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard..."  Because Jesus has spoken God's final words.. because He is the "appointed heir".. because He is the "radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature".. because He made everything and upholds everything .. because His reign will never end.. because of Who He is, we must listen to Him carefully and continually so we will not "drift away." 

Jesus has provided "so great a salvation"!  He spoke it, the disciples taught it, and it was "confirmed to us by those who heard. God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will." 

Jesus has authority over "all things".  There is nothing that God the Father has not made subject to Jesus. Because He suffered and died, He was "crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." 

Father, enable us to pay close attention to Your Word.. to Jesus Christ, the living Word.. to drink this Living Water and to taste the Bread of Heaven.  We are thankful that You have given to us, by Your amazing grace, such a "great salvation" through the sacrifice of Your only Begotten Son, who tasted death for each of us. We give You praise! We bow in worship! Our hearts are filled with joy because of Your great love for us. Help us to keep our minds steadfast on these truths that we will truly not drift away. We pray this in the Name that is above every other name, the name of Jesus. Amen. 

 Hebrews 1  " In days gone by, God spoke in many and varied ways to the fathers through the prophets. but now, in the [last days], he has spoken to us through his Son, to whom he has given ownership of everything and through whom he created the universe." ( v1-2 CJB) 

Jesus is the "radiance of His glory..." the "Sh'khinah" - the "very expression of God's essence" - He is the Light.. the Brightness.. the Brilliance..of God. 

Jesus is the Son of God. Angels may have been called "sons of God", but Jesus is the only One to be called the Son. He has been given all authority.  He has been given a Name above every other name. He has been given a seat at the right hand of the Father.. a throne forever.. a victory that is certain as all His enemies will be "a footstool for [His] feet." 

Jesus "upholds all things by the word of His power".   He made it all. He owns it all. And He keeps it all- He carries it, bears it - upholds it. All of creation.. ALL of it. 

Jesus "made purification of sins" - He cleanses us and makes us pure and whole and righteous.  He is the only One who can. 

Father in heaven, we praise You and we praise the Son! Help us Holy Spirit to grasp the greatness of our God.  Help us to see You more clearly, to loveYou more deeply, and to serve You always.  As the Psalmist wrote.."Let them praise the name of Adonai, for his name is above both earth and heaven. He has increased the power of his people, granted praise to all his faithful." ( Psalm 148:13-14)  You have given us the ability to praise.. and that is powerful.  May we truly praise You with all of our hearts. Amen.

 I Chronicles 29 This final chapter sums up David's provisions for the House of the Lord.. so much gold and silver and bronze, etc.  He gave more from his personal belongings and when he asked who else was willing to give.. they did.. and they all rejoiced!  David's prayer, recorded here is another one that we can learn from and pray for our own generation..

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of Israel our father forever and ever. Thine O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all." ( v 11)  David goes on to praise the Lord, confessing that everything they were able to give had come from His Hand.. and that even the willingness to give was from Him too.  "Since I know, O my God, that Thou tries the heart and delightest in uprightness, I , in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Thy people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to Thee." (v17)

David makes these two requests to the Lord.. "preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Thy people, and direct their heart to Thee; and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Thy commandments.." (v18-19) 

".. preserve the intentions".. the thoughts of the heart - David prays that the people of God would continue to direct their hearts.. willingly.. to serve and give and worship the Lord their God.  This prayer is my prayer for the Church, the Body of Christ - that our hearts would keep "stayed" on Him who gives perfect peace, the One in whom we trust.  May our hearts be ever thinking about our Lord.. to keep Him first, to trust Him fully, to continually worship Him with all praise and thanksgiving and to always give willingly and joyfully to His glory. 

"..give my son.. a perfect heart to keep Thy commandments.."  - a wholeheartedness to obey the will and instruction of God's Word.  What a bold thing to ask!  Lord, give my child a "perfect heart".. a heart to obey, to walk in truth and faith, to fully surrender to the will of God.  This is a powerful prayer!

Father in heaven, You are great and Your power is vast; Your wisdom is beyond understanding.  You have determined the number of stars and You call them by name.  Nothing is impossible for You.  We sing Your praises and exalt Your Holy Name.  Father, we pray, like David, that You would preserve the hearts of Your people.. keep us from slipping, keep us from compromising with the culture of our world, and keep us from neglecting Your Word and Your Spirit.  You are our salvation.. the protecting helmet  that shields our heads in the battle for our souls. Keep our thoughts captive to Christ Jesus, that we might be fully Yours. We pray for our children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren, that they might have perfect hearts to keep Your Word, to love You with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength.  We ask these things in the name of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 I Chronicles 24-28  David not only provided the plans and the resources for building the temple, but he organized the priests and Levites, the leaders of each tribe, and the military.  He had counselors and treasurers, managers and overseers...  He prepared everything so that Solomon could accomplish the full establishment of the kingdom of Israel.. all that Solomon needed to do was "be courageous and act". (28:10)

David's charge to Solomon is an inspiration for prayer.. "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." (v9)

This is the prayer I pray for my family too. 

Father,  You reign forever.  You are the God of every generation.  You are our help and our hope is in You.  Lord, You secure justice for the oppressed.  You give food to the hungry. You set prisoners free.  You open blind eyes and lift up the downtrodden.  You sustain the widow and the orphan and help the stranger.  You love us and have given us all that we have.Thank You ! Father, we pray for our families that they would serve You with whole hearts and willing minds. We pray that they will seek You and that You will let them find You.  We pray that they will not reject You, but humble themselves before You and find salvation in Christ Jesus who has sacrificed His own blood for our redemption. All glory and honor and praise we give to You. Amen. 

 I Chronicles 22-23  David's desire to build the house of the Lord never stopped, even though he knew it would be his son that would actually do it.  So, David prepared.. he prepared the materials, he prepared the workers, and he prepared his son, Solomon. 

I can't even imagine the amount of work that went into this temple. Stones, wood, bronze, gold, silver, iron.. ".. the house that is to be built for the Lord shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all the lands.."  David declared.  "So David made ample preparations before his death." (v5)

David also prepared the workers. "..stonecutters and masons of stone, and carpenters, and all men who are skillful in every kind of work."  He prepared the Levites too.  Since the Levites would no longer have to carry the tabernacle, their duties were "to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God."  They took care of the showbread and they were called to "stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord and likewise at evening." 

David prepared Solomon for this great responsibility.  He taught Solomon that God had promised to bring rest to Israel so that he could focus on this task. He prayed for Solomon and encouraged him.. "Now, my son, the Lord be with you that you may be successful and build the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you. Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God."  He exhorted Solomon to be strong and courageous, to not be dismayed or fearful, and to "set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God..."

When David died, all was ready for his dream to be fulfilled. And it was so. 

So, why is this important to us? The temple was built and then destroyed.  It was rebuilt and destroyed again. Another temple was built and that one was destroyed too. We know that God never needed a building, even one magnificent, famous, or glorious. We also know that God had a plan and a purpose at work here.  The temple was meant to point to the One who would fulfill its purpose. Jesus Christ came to be the great High Priest, the final sacrifice, and the True King.   Jesus was not impressed by the temple building.  He was furious that they had made it into a market place instead of the house of prayer that it was supposed to be.  When the Jews asked Jesus for a sign to prove His authority to cleanse the Temple, He replied, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."  He wasn't talking about a building, but about His own body.. the True House of God. 

Father,  I pray that You will give us, Your servants, discretion and understanding, to do the work that You have called us to do.  May we preserve and obey Your word. May we seek You with all our heart and soul every day. May we stand every morning and evening to thank and praise You. May we be pure and holy as the temple of the Holy Spirit ought to be. We ask this in the Name of our Lord and King, Jesus, Amen. 

 I Chronicles 18-20  " And the Lord helped David wherever he went."  ( 18:6; 13)  David became a great king with victory after victory. He faced every challenge and encouraged his people to do the same.  He continually honored the Lord and the Lord blessed him and all of Israel because of it. 

Yet, we know that David failed to be perfect. Just like us.  "Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel." ( 21:1)   This census was not commanded by the Lord.  It was all David's idea and even Joab was against it. Because of this sin against God, David was given a choice  of three judgements - 3 years of famine, 3 months of defeat against his enemies, or 3 days "the sword of the Lord". David chose "the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great.." 

70,000 men of Israel fell.  The angel of the Lord stood over Jerusalem with His sword drawn to destroy it. But, God stopped Him.  It is at this spot that David, after purchasing the land, built an altar. It is at this spot that the future temple would be built. It is at this spot.. on Mount Moriah, where Abraham had once stood, prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.  

Father, we don't always understand why things happen the way they do, but we believe, like David,  that You always have mercy on us when we trust in You.  I'm so thankful that Your mercies are new every morning! As Your Word says.. "Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. they are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness." ( Lamentations 3:21-23)  We hope in You, Lord God.  You are our portion. You are good.  You are merciful.  I pray for Your "new mercies" this morning.. for those who are suffering, for those who are weary, and for those who have no hope.  We put our trust in You, Lord, knowing that You will bring perfect peace to those who keep their minds on You. Help us to do just that today, please Lord. Great are You Lord and greatly to be praised! Amen. 

 I Chronicles 17   David's love and devotion to the Lord was expressed in his desire to build house for the Lord.  Yet, God's response was "No".   Instead, the Lord makes a promise to David, to build him a house.. a kingdom.. that would never end.. ".. I will set up one of your descendants after you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build Me a house and I will establish his throne forever.  I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him... but I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever." (v11-14)

We know that it was Solomon who built the temple.. but it is Jesus who is King forever.  David simply believed that God would do all that He said and rejoiced in His promises.  But, Solomon turned away from God and his descendants all failed to live up to their potential...  Until, Jesus came. 

It is in Jesus that all the promises made to David will be fulfilled.  Hebrews 1 tells us that it is Jesus who , "has inherited a more excellent name.. " It is of Jesus that the Psalmist wrote (quoted in Hebrews 1:8) "But of the Son, He says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter of His kingdom.." 

David said, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that Thou has brought me this far?" And it is Jesus who was "made.. for a little while lower than the angels;"  and then ".. crowned.. with glory and honor... and appointed.. over the works of [His] Hands".  It is to Jesus that all things are subjected.. "He left nothing that is not subject to him.."  Jesus, our great High Priest, will never fail to reign.. for He has fulfilled all the Law and has received all of the promises given to David.  As the writer in Hebrews said, "let us hold firmly to the faith we profess" (4:14b NIV).

Father in heaven, we are so thankful for such a King as this.. Jesus Christ, perfect in holiness, in love, and in everything.. to the glory of Your Name.  Thank You that every promise that You make, You will fulfill. Help us to have the kind of faith that David had.. to trust and to obey... to be thankful and to praise You always.  May Your Kingdom come, Lord, and Your will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven.  We draw near with confidence to Your throne of grace that we might receive both mercy and grace in our time of need. We need You every hour, Lord God! In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.