Ahithophel was counselor to the king; and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend (1 Chronicles 27:33).

When David's son Abasalom usurped his father's throne, Hushai followed David in flight; however, David told him to return to Absalom as David's spy and in order to confound the counsel of Ahithophel. Hushai is called David's "friend" here and elsewhere (2 Samuel 15:37; 16:17). Scholars suggest the title "friend" is more official than personal; however, Absalom's inquiry into Hushai's reason for leaving David seems to hint at a deeper bond:

Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is the love you show your friend? If he’s your friend, why didn’t you go with him?” (2 Samuel 16:17).

David had confidence in Hushai's ability, so that he trusted him not only to spy for him but also to counter the revered counsel of Ahithophel. 

Ahithophel was once David's trusted counselor (2 Chronicles 27:33) before he defected to Absaolom. It is somewhat surprising that Ahithophel supported Absalom (son of Maacah from 1 Chronicles 3:2), even though he was Bathsheba's grandfather and so Solomon's great-grandfather (compare 2 Samuel 23:34 with 2 Samuel 11:3). Perhaps he felt that Absalom would prevail and that he could entreat mercy on his grandchildren if he gave Absalom good counsel against David. Both David and Absalom had high regard for Ahithophel's counsel:

Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice (2 Samuel 16:23).

Both Ahitophel and Hushai had ability. The former had greater ability while the latter had greater loyalty. Clearly for David Hushai's loyalty was a far greater asset. 

Friends, we all want to have the most capable people on our team. But sometimes loyalty is a greater asset than ability. That said, could David have known Ahithophel would betray him? He was once loyal and trusted by David. He was even David's grandfather-in-law. No, David's hope and eventual restoration as king was not based on his ability to judge loyalties but his trust in the LORD. Thus, when he heard the distressing news that Ahithophel was advising Absalom, he prayed to the LORD:

So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness" (2 Samuel 15:31).

Friends, let us trust in the Lord and commit our ways to His providence and grace, for we do not know what a day may bring forth and we cannot discern the hearts of men. So we read in James,

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil (James 4:13-16).

There may be treachery around any and every corner of our lives, but we cannot see it. It is wisest to do the good we know and entrust ourselves to the benevolence of an all-knowing and all-powerful God. 

Ahithophel was counselor to the king (1 Chronicles 27:33).

We are not told anything about the treachery of Ahithophel in the Chronicles, simply that he served the king as his counselor. Yet, we know that he sided with Absalom against his father when Absalom usurped his father's throne. Ahithopel gave advice by which Absalom could both shame and destroy David. This might have been the outcome except that God favored David over Absalom. Consequently, Absalom was killed and David was restored to his throne. And Ahithophel, whose last advice was not taken, killed himself, for he understood the outcome of his counsel being ignored. All of this is recorded in 2 Samuel 16-17.

Ahithophel was no ordinary advisor, for we read,

Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice (2 Samuel 16:23).

Before Ahithophel became advisor to Absalom, David trusted him deeply, for the position of "King's Counselor" was no ordinary position. It presupposed trust, for the King's Counselor influenced every major decision of the king. 

When Ahithophel betrayed him, the thought of Ahithophel's counsel being against him was among David's chief concerns (cf. 2 Samuel 15:31,34). David may also have felt the pain of betrayal by this close associate, who at one time David may have trusted with his life. 

Friends, who can you ultimately trust but the Lord? Even close and capable friends can betray you. I have seen this happen in the martial arts organization. Those who once used lofty words to express their loyalty and enduring devotion have left for many lesser reasons than their years of talk would suggest. I have also seen this in the church, where a leader, who one man served for years without pay or acclaim and who also regularly preached against slandering, was secretly denouncing this man to his friends behind his back.

Perhaps all of us have Ahithophels in our lives. They could be ones we serve as well as those serving along side us. But I am reminded this morning that we need not fear the Ahithophels in our lives. Even though they may be extremely capable and can also do us great harm, the Lord is our sovereign Provider. It behooves us only to trust and obey Him. And we can have this confidence, echoed by Paul,

If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh andPeullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him (1 Chronicles 26:4-5).

Friends, I encouraged you to take a wide lense (telescopic) to these chapters last year, but today I want to encourage you to take a narrow one (microsopic). Among these barrage of names, we get this brief comment, "God had indeed blessed him." Do we know anything more about this? Yes!

If you recall, back in 1 Chronicles 13, we have the account of how David sought to bring the ark of God back to the city of David. In that instance, he did not do it according to what was written in the Law and God's wrath came upon Uzzah, who inadvertantly touched what was holy. We are told that, after this, David was afraid to bring the ark near to him, and so redirected it to the home of Obed-edom. But instead of harm coming to Obed-edom, God blessed him and everything connected to him:

David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months; and the Lord blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had (1 Chronicles 13:12-14).

This is certainly the blessing that 1 Chronicles 26 is referring back to. Even though David feared taking the ark to himself, he would only later understand that this fear was unwarranted. What he should have feared was disobeying God.

So, when David learned of how God blessed the household of Obed-edom, he then brought the ark back to the city of David. This time, though, he transported it as prescribed in the Law.

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But David did not count those twenty years of age and under, because the Lord had said He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven. Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count them, but did not finish; and because of this, wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not included in the account of the chronicles of King David (1 Chronicles 27:23-24).

Earlier in 1 Chronicles 21 we learned about how David sinned against God by taking a census of the people of Israel. He enlisted Joab to do the counting, who did it reluctantly and incompletely. But this action was sufficient to incur God's wrath. What we were not told in 1 Chronicles 21 is the reason behind the sin. 

And though it is still somewhat murky here, we do learn that the basis for the sin was that it went counter to God's promise that "He would multiply Israel as the stars of heaven," a promise that He made in His covenant with their forefather Abraham (cf. Genesis 15:5). It appears that the sin may have had something to do with testing the LORD rather than trusting Him.

Friends, both of these passages require us to look back at what we had read before and compare text to text, name to name, situation to situation. But when we do this, we gain greater insight and understanding. It takes a little more time, but I hope you will find that it is worth it, even to better appreciate and understand God's precious Word. 

Sometimes when you read the Scriptures it is good to take a microscopic view, so that you can discern nuances of meaning; however, other times a wide-lens view is helpful. Today, I would like to encourage a wide-lens view of our readings, from chaptes 21 to 27. Do you notice the emphasis of these chapters? They are all for the most part descriptive of David's priorities in the organization and management of his kingdom. 

But what interests me is that five and half chapters are devoted to the description of the material, personnel and management of Temple worship. Only one chapter (chapter 27) is devoted to everything else, including the military, tribal, and administrative organization. Then again, after this, the last chapters return again to focus on worship.

Clearly David's emphasis was not on the administration of the kingdom. And it was not on the military preparedeness of the kingdom. In fact, the little David did try to do to organize the military by getting a count of those able to fight incurred the wrath of God. 

David, who is a prominent Old Testament model of faithfulness - a man after God's own heart - with all the busyness, complexities, and responsibilities of being king of a fairly new and expanding kingdom, is shown to give perhaps 85% of his attention to worship and 15% to everything else. Granted this is the Chronicler's perspective; however, are we not still meant to understand from the Chronicler not only what was but what ought to be? Therefore, we can at least get a sense of what was important to God, who is the ultimate author of Scripture.

As I reflect on this reading, I am reminded again of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33), and others like it: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy and thieves do not break it and steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Let us, then, consider our present lives. What is the focus of our lives? Are we trying to fulfill our dreams of career success? Are we trying to build a stable and happy family? Are we simply investing everything to see our kids become successful in their talents and interests? Or are we just trying to get by?

Friends, let me encourage you to stop and rethink the big-picture of your lives. Take a wide-lens view of things. What are you emphasizing? Is it worship or is it everything else? What is the starting point of your well-laid plans? Is it the Lord and His will or is it your interests and ambitions? In other words, have you decided that you want to do such and such and then are trying to tack God onto it, giving it at least the semblance of being spiritual? Or are you genuinely pursuing God's will as the main thing, such that your interests and ambitions are only details to bring it about? 

Maybe you need to repent, restart, and rethink. If you do, you may find your life to be very different from the way it is now. Sometimes graciously God forces the matter by taking everything away. Remember, it is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. We might even say that it is very hard for the very distracted to enter the kingdom of heaven. And the words "very hard" may simply be a euphemism for impossible. Therefore, if God takes everything away, wouldn't this make it easier to surrender everything to God? After all, in the passage where Jesus taught on counting the cost of discipleship, Jesus clearly said, "Anyone who does not give up everything they have cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).

Those of you that are struggling financially think that you are under God's curse, but God may very well be blessing you. Don't you realize that God has chosen those who are poor to be rich in faith (James 2:5)? That is why James also writes,

Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. (James 1:9, 10 TNIV)

But be careful, those of you that struggle financially, physically, and emotionally, that you don't squander your opportunity for faith. Instead, you should take the opportunity given you to repent, restart and rethink your life so that you can rebuild your life on the priority of God's will. 

Those of you that are financially secure, you are perhaps the most insecure, for you are more prone to build your lives on your material wealth rather than on Christ. But there's always hope. It may be to live as simply as you can and to give away more than you take in. By this you may train your heart not to put your hope in this life and the abundance of things but rather on the Lord and the kingdom to come. If you have much, you can also indulge much, but if you have nothing but Christ, He will be your all in all. It is the latter state that we must all desire and pursue. 

What I'm sharing here is not easy for me, because I consider myself among the rich. Yet, God has given me this window to reflect on these things. And what I'm sharing in words I have not yet demonstrated in action. But by God's grace, what seems impossible to me is possible for God. And I pray also for you, my friends, and encourage you to reflect on these things that I'm sharing with you. I pray that God will help you also, whatever your situation, to make the hard choices, which may only become "easy" once they are made. 

This passage is about the levitical duties. These duties were performed by entire families.  

Chapter 25--The Levites' duty was to prophesy- which simply means to speak or recite, not to predict the future (v1, 5),  and  to exalt (v. 5). These Levites numbered 288 people. They drew straws, if you will, impartially, for their duties, and all were under David's authority therefore under God's authority.

Chapter 26-- This passage is about the Levitical gatekeepers. Their job was solely guarding the temple compound. There were four gates and there were 6 levites every day guarding the east gate, 4 guarding the north gate, four guarding the south gate, and four guarding the south gate. There were four guarding the road and two in the courtyard.

The second part of chapter 26 is about the levite treasurers. They would have to be very trustworthy people. They got the stuff in the treasuries from war, and part of the contents of the treasury was dedicated for the repair of the temple (v 27).

The last part of Ch. 26 is about Levites as judges. These were geneologically picked. They reported to David from Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manessah.

What strikes me about this passage is that everyone was picked for their duty impartially or geneologically. These men would have been very talented, and set apart from the beginning as a son of Levi. They were in the army. They would report directly to David as supreme ruler. They had his ear, if you will. Their duty was important in that nobody could just walk in off the street and say "I want to become a levite." You were born a levite. It wasn't possible to be anything else.

 Chapter 27-- All about the secular officials and the captains of each division. There were 24,000 israelites in each division, and twelve divisions.

That was 288,000 men. (v2-15) .

There were twelve kind of governors over each tribe of israel (v. 16-22).

David couldn't take a census unless the Lord told him to. If he decided to take a census, he could bring the wrath of God upon Israel. In this case in v. 23, he couldn't count the young men 20 and under.

There was a man in charge of the king's storehouses (v. 25), a man in charge of the storehouses of the cities, villages, and fortresses(v. 26), a man in charge of the people who tilled the fields (v. 26), a man in charge of the vineyards(v 27), the produce of the vineyards(v 27), the olive and sycamore groves(28) , the olive oil ((v28) the herds in Sharon and the valleys (v. 29) the camels(v 30) , donkeys (v 30), and the flocks (v 31). David was the administrator over all. These people all reported to him.

No one didn't have a job. You either did a job because your father did it, you showed great talent for it, and you did so well at your job that you were noticed. In today's workforce, you would be at the top of your profession. People would talk about you and your talent for whatever you did that was so great.

This seems boring, if you're just skimming over it, but it shows that God has a purpose and plan for every person, man or woman. You are not meant to sit on the couch and imitate a potato. You have talents. Use them.

¹ David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.

 Let's make a joyful noise today to the Lord! I came to work this morning and one of my assistants was grumbling because she feels she is not appreciated by her boss and found out that another assistant who was hired a couple of weeks ago will be fired because she brought up some OSHA violation in our office to the business manager with a good intention, and yet the manager took it as a threat to his authority. I feel really bad for her because she is a single mom who struggles to survive where money drives people's hearts. Even though she is good at what she does...... One of the missionaries who works in Nepal wrote on her FB that suffering is not easy when it is personal and becomes familiar and a part of the daily steps of life like walking with a hip limp! When suffering hits us, it stings really bad Nobody in this world, whether you're a believer or not, is immune to negativities that face us daily, and we go through emotional turbulence driven by them. I remembered what Habakkuk said,

 ¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

 Once again, brothers and sisters, Let us make a joyful noise before the Lord because He is our portion forever!