The Lord Jesus Gave His People And Now Us Rest

In the later years of David’s life, ¹“he made Solomon his son king over Israel.” (1 Chronicles 23:1) And he wasn’t slowing down one bit, for although he was old, he never gave up on God. The kingdom of Israel may be passing from him to his son, but still, the joy of the Lord was with him. And what he did before his time was up, showed how much he really loved God with all his heart. It is written that he called twenty-four thousand men as officers and judges for the new Temple of God. And ¹“moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.” (1 Chronicles 23:5) Wow, so David made enough instruments for four thousand people, for the purpose of praising the Lord. Now, if he had help with this big project, who knows, but all we know is that he did it without complaining and for the purposes of giving God glory. These people, ¹“David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.” (1 Chronicles 23:6) So out of these families came forth men of God, that only desired to serve the Lord and to praise His holy Name. This is absolutely amazing. To these men ¹“David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever: And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.” (1 Chronicles 23:25,26) This he knew because the Spirit of God was with him. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus also says that He comes to give us rest and that is what David said also.

One of the most often read verses from the mouth of Jesus is in Matthew, chapter 11. And this is because of the impact it makes upon every believer in Him. He said, ²“come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) My friends, life can be difficult and throw us curveballs, but Jesus is always there for us, especially when we need Him. As David and the Lord Jesus said, He comes to give us and to make our burdens light. It was time for the Israelites to no longer carry the ark of the covenant, for they were to dwell in Jerusalem now. No more would they have to wander around looking for the best place to place God’s tabernacle also, for His place was Jerusalem now. And one of their duties was ¹“to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even.” (1 Chronicles 23:30) How awesome is that? What David set up for the people to do for the Lord is something that we will once see in heaven, where myriads of people will be set apart for the purpose of praising God and giving Him thanks. It may come through instruments, singing, prayer and supplication, and much more. Now, we can be like David and also set up an orchestra of praise to God here. This is what I hope more churches will be doing. We don’t just sing a good song and give a good message in church but have it be Spirit-filled. So that many souls will be saved in God’s kingdom.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I give You thanks this day and forever for all that You do for my life. I am so blessed with the family I have. My wife is a wonderful spouse, who I trust in and love with all my heart. My kids are also too good for me like my wife is. I am so happy to see my whole family beginning to seek You daily. I love the guidance You have given me and my wife, in order to raise my children up correctly. There have been trials and hard times, because of job losses and other financial issues, but You have always found a way for things to get better. I am so grateful that I have never given up my trust in You, for You have continually come to my side and given me rest. Where I cannot get over my anxiety on my own, You are able to help me. I know that You will give us rest and make our burdens light, and I have experienced this first hand. Things are not getting worse, but better each day that I seek You. You are my rock and my firm foundation. Keep my eyes fixed on what needs to happen in my life, in order for Your will to be accomplished and not my own. I know the things I wish could happen, but I know that everything is according to Your will and purposes and not my own. For this reason, I ask that You keep me on the straight and narrow path which leads to heaven. I hope to take many souls with me to heaven through my evangelism efforts on earth. It breaks my heart to know of people dying and not having known You as their personal Savior and Lord. I don’t wish people to go to hell, but be saved by Your hand in heaven. All I know is that You are God and are more than a stature, but alive and well. I give You glory. I give You praise. If I lift my hands up to worship You, it is because I love You with all my heart, mind, and strength. It is my prayer that people will fall in love with their king, as I have. Thank You for everything, Lord. Amen.

Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.

1 Chronicles 23

¹1 Chronicles 23 (KJV)
1 So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
2 And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites.
3 Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand.
4 Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges:
5 Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
6 And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei.
8 The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
9 The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan.
10 And the sons of Shimei were, Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
11 And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father’s house.
12 The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
13 The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever.
14 Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer.
16 Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the chief.
17 And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
18 Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief.
19 Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
20 Of the sons of Uzziel; Micah the first and Jesiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish.
22 And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them.
23 The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward.
25 For David said, The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:
26 And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.
27 For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:
28 Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;
29 Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;
30 And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even:
31 And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:
32 And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the Lord.

Matthew 11

²Matthew 11 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.