Today's Scripture Reading (July 14, 2025): 1 Chronicles 16
In
my little corner of the world, the long winter is over, and we are in the grasp
of a hot summer. The difference in temperature between the depth of winter and
the heat of summer can be around eighty degrees Celsius or over a hundred
degrees on the Fahrenheit scale. And so, we make the most of all kinds of weather.
Winter is a time for ice skating, hockey, skiing, and other snow or cold weather
activities. It is also a time for sitting beside a warm fire with something
warm in your hand to drink.
However,
when the temperature rises, a different set of activities dominates our
attention. Summer is time for sitting on a beach reading a good book; at least,
that is my preferred mode of activity on a hot day. Right now, I am reading a
Steve Berry thriller with a couple of other thrillers on deck to enjoy as soon
as I turn the last page of my current book. It is also the time for playing
games like football and baseball. Of course, it is also the time for the
ever-present barbeque. There is nothing better than the smell of dinner on the
grill when you are hungry at the end of a busy, or even not so-busy, day. This
is precisely how I desire to spend my days right now.
The
Book of Chronicles instructs us that David offered two sacrifices: a burnt
offering and a fellowship offering. And then he blessed the people in the name
of the Lord. It is an interesting thought. I am relatively certain that David
offered these sacrifices through a priest; that would have been the proper
procedure for any sacrifice. But blessing the people would also seem to be an
action of the priest. So, what does the author mean when he states that David blessed
the people?
Perhaps
we should take a moment to examine the sacrifices the King made. First, it says
that he offered a burnt offering. Burnt offerings were made for the
consecration of a person or object. Here, it seems likely that it was the Ark
itself that was being consecrated. Yes, it was seen as the seat of God, but it
had been removed from the nation's worship center for decades. The Ark was lost
to the Philistines at the Battle of Shiloh, which occurred around 1070 B.C.E. However,
it didn't remain with the Philistines for long; it was likely returned to
Israel that same year. But even after it was returned, it stayed on the edges
of Israelite society for about the next seventy years. As the Ark is brought to
Jerusalem, David wants to show God and the people that he has acknowledged the
error of the previous seven decades and moves to consecrate the Ark once more.
Then,
David offers a fellowship offering. A fellowship offering recognized the people's
need for fellowship with God, but it also celebrated the fellowship they
enjoyed with one another. And what was sacrificed in the fellowship offering
was shared with the community. As David blesses the people, he invites them to
come and eat the food that has been sacrificed in the presence of God and the
company of the rest of Israel. It was an ancient barbecue that was shared with
everyone present, a gesture of thanks to God and a blessing to the people.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Psalms 95 & 96
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