DCLM DAILY MANNA 4 JUNE 2021 — NOT JUST A NUMBER
TOPIC: Not Just A Number (DCLM Daily Manna 4 June 2021)
TEXT: 1 Chronicles 9:14-34
14 And of the Levites; Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari;
15 And Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;
16 And Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites.
17 And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief;
18 Who hitherto waited in the king’s gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.
19 And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry.
20 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past, and the LORD was with him.
21 And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
22 All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.
23 So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, namely, the house of the tabernacle, by wards.
24 In four quarters were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south.
25 And their brethren, which were in their villages, were to come after seven days from time to time with them.
26 For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.
27 And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them.
28 And certain of them had the charge of the ministering vessels, that they should bring them in and out by tale.
29 Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.
30 And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices.
31 And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were made in the pans.
32 And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.
33 And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.
34 These chief fathers of the Levites were chief throughout their generations; these dwelt at Jerusalem.
KEY VERSE: “All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.” – (1 Chronicles 9:22)
MESSAGE:
The Book of God contains the names of every one ever born on earth. It is that register that will be called up on the judgment day to distribute rewards. All Israel, was also enrolled by genealogies. No tribe of Israel was left out in the exercise.
Our text chronicles individuals who were selected or “reckoned by their genealogy in their villages.” Some were appointed to have an oversight function of the gates of the house of the Lord;others were appointed as porters and chief porters, and some were also assigned the duty of making the ointment of the spices. In their various duties, no doubt, some excelled more than the others.
For instance, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar who had a track record of manifesting exceptional zeal for the things of God, was made “the ruler over them…and the LORD was with him”. What have you been appointed to do in the house of the Lord? How faithful are you in carrying it out? Or are you looking and desiring other people’s assignments whilst paying no attention to yours? These roles were assigned to ensure that there was coordination and to avoid people working at cross-purposes.
We must be on our beats and give God the best in whatever we do. We must understand that all this organisation is determined by man (leaders) for smooth running of the work of God.
Believers must strive to do great things to receive great commendation like Phinehas. We must not get lost in the crowd. We must determine to tell ourselves, “I’m more than just a number.”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
When you work to please God, success becomes inevitable.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Samuel 30-31
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
