When Our Devotion is Despised. (1 Chronicles Chapter 15)

This Podcast is part of a 10-year project to complete an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. 

Episode Notes:

Have you ever been criticized for your devotion to the Lord? Most believers have experienced it, but it comes in all shapes and sizes.

If you’ve ever felt that sting… If you’ve ever been mocked for choosing God’s way over the world’s way… If you’ve ever wondered how to stay faithful when others despise your devotion… Then you’re in good company.

 Because David experienced the very same thing, in 1 Chronicles 15, David is determined to honour the Lord the right way. Not to do it casually or carelessly, and not according to popular opinion, but according to God’s Word. 

 He learned from the tragedy of Chapter 13. He corrected his course. He humbled himself, and he led the nation in obedience. But not everyone approved. Some despised him for it. Some misunderstood him and some mocked his devotion.

 And how David responded, and how we see he handled the criticism, the contempt, and misunderstanding, is not only fascinating, but also deeply instructive for us today.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Hi friends, hi everyone, welcome to today's episode of the Bible Journey Daily Podcast as we continue our study series, not only through the Book of One Chronicles, but part of this amazing journey through the whole Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. If you're new to this or just discovered it recently, why not think about completing the entire project? Nearly 1500 episodes now, but all of them available in handy library format, sorted by each individual book of the Bible on my Patreon page. All freely available. You can sign up and follow me there without subscribing to one of the financial tiers, and you'll have access to the full project. It should also be available wherever you get your podcasts from, but some of the podcast platforms will only host a limited number of episodes at a time, a couple of hundred or a couple of years. So if you want to do the whole thing, then why not go back to the very beginning? And I recommend that you actually begin in season one, which is not Genesis. It's a season I call 66 Books, where I did 66 six-minute episodes of an overview of each book of the Bible before launching on the main season. Anyway, if you've been with me for a while and you're here now today, let's continue to work through chapter 15 of Chronicles. Now the question I'm going to ask today to kick things off is have you ever been criticized for your devotion to the Lord? Most believers I think have experienced that. But it can come in all shapes and sizes in many ways. Sometimes it's a sarcastic remark, sometimes it's just a raised eyebrow, sometimes it can be more serious, like a slow withdrawal of friendship, and sometimes in some parts of the world I know it can lead to severe persecution. Sadly for some it often comes from people closest to them, their family, their friends, their colleagues, even fellow believers who don't understand why obedience matters so much in principle and so much to you. So if you've ever felt that sting, if you've ever been mocked for choosing God's way over the world's way, if you've ever wondered how to stay faithful when others despise your devotion, well I would say to encourage you, you're in very good company, because David experienced the very same thing. In 1 Chronicles 15, the chapter we're looking at today, David is determined to honor the Lord and do it in the right way. Not to do it casually or carelessly or carelessly, and not according to popular opinion, but simply according to God's word. Now he's learned from the tragedy of chapter 13 when they brought the ark towards Jerusalem with a poor attitude, he's corrected his course, if you like, he's humbled himself, and he's led the nation into obedience. But not everyone approved. Some despised him for it, some simply misunderstood him, and others mocked his devotion. And how David responded and how we see he handled the criticism, the contempt, and the misunderstanding is not only fascinating, but it also can be deeply instructive for us today. This chapter gives us a roadmap for navigating a world where obedience to God is often ridiculed, where devotion is misunderstood, and where faithfulness is sometimes met with hostility. So today we're going to look at David's experience in this chapter. We're going to see how he was despised in the most surprising of places and how he responded. And we're also going to discover the spiritual lessons that can steady our hearts when obedience costs us something personal. So let's open our Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 15 and let's try to learn how to honor the Lord even when others don't understand why we want to do that. Welcome to today's episode of the Bible Journey Daily Podcast. Now notice that David is pitching a tent for the Ark here. He's not building a house. Why? Because that was the pattern God had established in the Mosaic Law. The Ark had always dwelt in a tent ever since the days of the Exodus, and David, now a little older, a little wiser perhaps, and more cautious after the tragedy of chapter 13, chooses to follow God's pattern precisely this time. The tent was likely constructed in the same fashion as the one described and instructed on how it should be done in Exodus 26. But at this moment the ark was the only piece of furniture inside the tent that David had created. The rest of the tabernacle, the things like the altar, the laver, the lampstand, the table for the showbread, all of those items remained at Gibeon until Solomon builds the temple. Verse 2 continues. Then David said, No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before him forever. So David has really learned from his earlier mistake, hasn't he? You'll remember a couple of chapters ago they had placed the ark on a cart, something God never commanded, and an ordinary man touched it, something God strictly forbade, and the result that day was judgment, fear, and confusion. But now David is determined to do things and to do them God's way. And these opening verses describe the preparation for moving the ark, and verse one says he prepared, and then verse two shows us how he prepared correctly, in that only the Levites were to carry this ark. It continues. From the descendants of Kohath, Suriel, the leader and a hundred and twenty relatives, after the descendants of Mirai, Asheah, the leader and two hundred and twenty relatives, from the descendants of Gershon, Joel, the leader and a hundred and thirty relatives, from the descendants of Elusapah, Shemonai, the leader, and two hundred relatives, and from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel, the leader, and eighty relatives, and from the descendants of Uzael, Aminadab, and the leader and a hundred and twelve relatives. So this you'll see is a real national moment. David gathers the people and the priests, he gathers the Levites, he gathers the children of Aaron, the descendants of the high priestly line. The Levites, you'll remember, came from three Levitical families, just as Moses had instructed, and David is now following the law carefully, reverently, and precisely. Leviticus eleven tells us David called for the priests and the Levites and said to them, You are the heads of the fathers of the houses of the Levites, sanctify yourself that you may bring up the ark of the Lord of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. So they were to sanctify themselves, to prepare spiritually and ceremonially for this holy task. That likely included ceremonial washings, avoiding ritual defilements, those described in Leviticus chapter eleven, and even abstaining for marital relationships for a period of time. It meant approaching the task with reverence and a sense of purity. And verse eleven explains why. So David is being honest here. He is humble, and most importantly, he admits the failure of chapter 13. He acknowledges that they did not consult the Lord. They did not follow the proper order, and they may have acted with enthusiasm, but not with obedience. He knows that. So this time David searches the law diligently, it says, He instructs the Levites carefully, and this time he follows the word of God precisely. And verse 14 says, So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. They obey, they prepare by consecrating themselves. And then in verse 15 it says the children of the Levites bore the Ark of God on their shoulders by its poles as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the Lord. That's the key right there. That the ark is now being carried by the right men in the right way, with the right attitude, and according to the word of the Lord. And because of that, this time the movement of the ark will be seen to be successful. So this opening section of the chapter shows us David's careful preparation, his renewed obedience and his determination to honour the Lord properly in this time. He's learned from his failure and he's corrected his course, and he's done that by humbling himself before God's word. But now in the second part of the passage it will tell us what happens as they begin to move the ark and how David's devotion was despised by someone and ironically by someone very close to him. Beginning in verse sixteen, the tone of the chapter will shift. The preparation is now complete, the Levites are sanctified, and the ark is being carried properly. So now the celebration can begin. Verse sixteen Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers, accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, cymbals, raising the voice raising their voices with resounding joy. So the opening verses one to fifteen describe the careful preparation, but verse sixteen we begin to see the joyful procession itself. You see, as the Ark is transported, as the Ark is transported, David orders the Levite leaders to appoint all these musicians, ARPAs, singers, cymbal players, stringed instrument musicians, all of them joining together in what is a great jubilant celebration. Now the Hebrew text doesn't actually contain the word resounding, but the translators would say that was taken to capture the idea well here. It is to raise a sound of joy, to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, to lift up joyful sounds. So the point is unmistakable. This is worship. This is a procession that is overflowing with joy. And David also provides a sort of equivalent full orchestra and choir of that day. It says he organizes the musical guilds and he arranges vocal leadership. He sets the musicians in place, the singers in place, all to accompany the Ark's movement. This moment actually marks the beginning of the Levitical singing ministry in Israel. Before this, Scripture had never mentioned the singing of praise. It would seem David instituted it here, and it now will become a defining feature of Israel's worship for generations to come, with David himself writing many songs. So verses 17 to 24 is the list of all those taking place. Herman, the son of Joel, and his brethren are mentioned. Eight other musicians are then added in verse 19. We're told about six harpists in verse 21, and Shania, head of the Levites, is put in charge of the vocal music in verse 22, then four gatekeepers to protect the ark in verse 23, and seven trumpeters to go ahead of the ark at the front of the procession in verse twenty-four. So this is a massive, organized, joyful celebration. And verse twenty five then tells us so David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed Edom with joy. So joy is the pervading theme here. Joy is the atmosphere of this entire event, and joy will fill the whole procession's progress. Verse 26. And so it was when God helped the Evites who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. So it seems that they felt encouragement along the way. I'm sure there were difficult parts of this transportation procession, but they knew God's encouragement in it, and they respond with sacrifice because of that. Seven bulls and seven rams are offered. This is in fact a perfect number, symbolizing completeness and gratitude. And then it says David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the arks, the singers, the music, the music masters, and David also wore a linen ephod. So everyone is dressed for worship, everyone is prepared, and everyone is participating. But some have pointed out that the description of David's clothing raises a bit of a question. How could David, who after all is not an ironic priest, wear a linen ephod, because that's a priestly garment. Well, one Bible commentator I read helpfully explains. It says David offered sacrifices on this day, not as an ironic priest under the Mosaic Covenant, but as a priest after the order of Melchizedek, fulfilling the provisions of the Abrahamic covenant. Now this is complicated but fascinating because Hebrews tells us that in fact Jesus himself is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was both king and priest, and David in that moment reflects that pattern because he is a king offering worship, and by doing so he takes on the role of a kingly priest, the priest of the order of Melchizedek, and it is for that reason he is offering worship in priestly garments. Verse 28 continues Thus all Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouting, with the sounds of horn, with trumpets, with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps. So there's shouting, there's horn blasts, there's trumpets tooting, there's cymbals crashing, there's stringed instruments and there's harps. This is worship in full colour loud, joyful, but reverent, and striking that difficult balance between being both reverent and exuberant. Okay, let's just pause there. So because so far the events of this chapter are fairly straightforward. In the first fifteen verses we saw the preparation, and then in verses sixteen to twenty-eight, where we are now, we've heard about the celebration itself. But now comes the third part, and this is where the story becomes deeply personal for David, because in the midst of all this joy, in the midst of all this acts of all these acts of obedience, in the midst of this great worship, David is criticized, and not by an enemy, not by a Philistine, not by some foreign king, but by his own wife. Verse twenty nine. As the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music, and she despised him in her heart. Now Michael, David's wife, as it says, Saul's daughter, is watching from a window, and she sees David leaping, dancing, and rejoicing before the Lord. Whirling, in fact, now the Hebrew word for whirl whirling actually means to skip about, to dance and to leap with joy. David really is overflowing with joy. But 2 Samuel chapter 6, in his description of this account of what happens here, adds another important detail for us, noting that he danced before the Lord. So what that is telling us is that this is not performance, this is not exhibitionism, this is just worship, pure, natural, joyful, unrestrained worship. Now we may not all be able to dance physically these days, but all of us can dance in our hearts, and we can dance with joy verbally with our words and our praises. David's heart here is overflowing with joy in the Lord. You could see it in his face, you could hear it in his voice, you could feel it in his presence. He was living in the moment and dancing and whirling in a state of worship before the Lord. David is doing that, dancing before the Lord, but Michal, his wife, sees it and despises him for it. Now the Hebrew word means to despise and to disdain, to hold in contempt. So there's an element here of her mocking him. She is misrepresenting his devotion, maybe willfully, but she is at least mistaking his holy zeal for something foolish, something that's causing her embarrassment. The concept of kingship for her had probably been shaped by her father Saul, a man who believed the king was the ultimate authority, who come to believe that he was the centre of attention, the one to be honored. David's humility here, in his priestly garments, his joyful dancing, all of that offended her sensibilities. This is the one sar note in this chapter. This is the one sar note in this symphony of worship. And it comes sadly from a person who is meant to be closest to David. And it says she despised him in her heart. And that is the core lesson of this chapter. David obeyed God, David honored the Lord, David worshiped God, and David celebrates, and someone despises him for it, and that someone is someone who should have been closest to him. So I began today by asking that simple question Have you ever been criticized for your devotion to the Lord? And when it's from someone you love, that can be really painful. Now sometimes the criticism is slight, it's just an ironic remark, a sarcastically raised eye bow, or some dismissive comment. But other times it can be severe, severe rejection, hostility, rejection from those we love or are even closest to it, and for some, sadly in our world today, even out and out persecution. But if you've ever experienced that, then this chapter today reminds you that you're not alone. David, David himself experienced it too. He was overjoyed, he was thrilled. The Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God's presence, was finally coming to Jerusalem in the right way with the right attitude. David danced before the Lord with all his heart and joy, and it says his wife despised him for doing that. So don't be surprised, friend, when you are despised for your devotion to the Lord sometimes. Scripture tells us repeatedly that this is part, that this is just part of the normal Christian life. Paul writing said this to Timothy. He said, You have been carefully following my doctrine, my manner of life, my purpose, my faith, my long suffering, long love, perseverance, persecutions, and afflictions. What persecutions I endured, and out of them, all the Lord delivered me. So he's trying to encourage Timothy that he might face the same thing that he did, and that's in the second letter, chapter three. You see, persecution often produces affliction, but affliction in itself can be a gift that helps produce endurance, which is why Paul makes it clear also when writing to Timothy a few verses later, a few verses later, and says that yes, and all who desire to live a godly life in Christ shall suffer persecution. Nobody doesn't say might suffer persecution, not may suffer, not possibly suffer, but shall suffer. So Paul and Timothy's experience was not unique. Persecution is not out of the ordinary, in fact, it should be expected. Jesus himself said, The world hated me. Because I testify that its works are evil. And he told his disciples, In the world you too will have tribulation. Paul, writing elsewhere, said, We must we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. And John the Apostle wrote, Do not marvel, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. Now I quote all these verses for one reason only. That being, if you desire to live a godly life, if you desire to live a life worshiping or Christ Jesus or in obedience to God's word, you should expect that somewhere, sometimes along the way, someone or some people will despise you. They'll look down on you, they'll mock you or misunderstand you or misrepresent you. But Paul goes on to say, evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, and they may even deceive, deceiving and being deceived themselves. But Paul concludes with this encouragement. But you continue in all the things which you have learned and be assured of that. And that's the bottom line. Do not be distracted, friends, do not be deterred, do not be discouraged when your devotion to the Lord is despised or rejected. In fact, simply expect it and continue and give thanks to God that He can teach you and encourage you through it. Thanks for being with me today. So as we close today, I'd just like to circle back to where we began. And we ask, what do you do when your devotion to the Lord is despised? David shows us the answer here. You simply keep worshiping, you keep obeying, you keep honoring the Lord, even when others don't understand you. And that is what is going to lead us directly into our next episode. Because tomorrow in 1 Chronicles chapter 16, David finally brings the Ark into Jerusalem, and what follows is one of the most beautiful scenes of worship in the entire Old Testament. It is a chapter that will be filled with further thanksgiving, praise, singing, blessing, and a public call to worship that echoes still across the generations. So if you've ever wondered, how do I worship when the world has mocked my devotion? How do I keep praising when others show disapproval? And how do I continue to cultivate a heart of worship in a hostile world? Then I would say One Chronicles has something very powerful to say to you. So I do hope you'll join me next time for the title for the episode I've currently titled A Call to Worship. But until then, friends, stay faithful, stay joyful, and keep dancing before the Lord, even if someone critical is watching you. Thanks for being with me today. Bye bye for now.