2 Chronicles 31:9-21
Notes
Transcript
Song: Deacon Rockie Williams
Song: Deacon Rockie Williams
Prayer: Sister Yolanda Hawkins
Prayer: Sister Yolanda Hawkins
Scripture: Brother James Craig (1 John 2:15+16)
Scripture: Brother James Craig (1 John 2:15+16)
Give Scripture: 2 Chronicles 31:9-21
Give Scripture: 2 Chronicles 31:9-21
9 Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.
11 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord; and they prepared them,
12 And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next.
13 And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
14 And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the Lord, and the most holy things.
15 And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small:
16 Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the Lord, his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses;
17 Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses;
18 And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:
19 Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites.
20 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God.
21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
Give A Review
Give A Review
Hezekiah has gone ahead and begun making offerings on behalf of the people of God. He has even worked to include many people into his offerings. He even seeks to include his brothers and sisters in the Northern Kingdom that they may come to the Temple and make offerings. This is important because he attempts to unify the Kingdom but not religiously but instead seeks to unify the Kingdom around the throne of God by making offerings and supplication to him. Of course, he gets a tepid response and goes forward with the offerings. So the Israelites who came into Jerusalem to make offerings then went into the cities of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh to brake down the images, altars, and groves created for other Gods.
Hezekiah then reestablishes everyone in their proper place by restoring the various groups of Levites to their God assigned responsibility. Furthermore, he also re institutes regular offerings being made unto the Lord at the hand of the proper Levites.
However, Hezekiah also offers of his own reserves, wealth, and treasures into the offering to allow burnt offerings to not only be offered from the priests and the citizens but the King himself. He was truly after God’s will because he wanted to ensure that God received his due. This includes giving of his own material wealth.
He then ordered the continued actions on behalf of the people to give to the Levis to sustain them in the way that the law required and in a way that exemplified their commitment to priestly service.
And for FOUR MONTHS the people gave to the Levites in such volumes that their were heaps (or mounds or hills) of provision at the door of the Temple.
Three Key Points
We have a responsibility to give into and sow into our entire community.
This includes the Church, Our Leaders, Our Neighbors, the Homeless.
When we come to God we must be sure that we are always bringing our best as an offering to him that our gift be made worthy of him.
However, this gift need not be the most valuable thing but in all things give your best to God.
A word for our leaders (including myself) we have a responsibility to give not just unto God but we must always bless and sow into the people.
And while giving the people your gifts can be great, sometimes we must do more for where our heart is our treasure will be also.
Allow for Questions?
Allow for Questions?
Write some of the questions down if possible.
Scripture Study
Scripture Study
9 Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.
We see here the importance of Order… it was not just anybody who responds to the King but it is the High Priest
This does not mean that no one else can speak to the King but it shows the Kingdom returning to normalcy.
The priesthood had been restored such that their was a high priest of the correct mindset to properly respond to the King.
But here we also see the primary focus of this verse is that the High Priest give a progress report on the King’s command
When God places you in leadership it is not meant for you to do everything but allow people who can keep you updated to lead in the appropriate places.
Furthermore, we see that the priests and Levites have been blessed exceedingly in accordance with God’s law concerning the Priests and the King’s commandment concerning God’s law.
For the Levites had no major source of income but instead relied heavily on the gifts of they people.
Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord; and they prepared them,
And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next.
Good leadership makes things flow smoother, they do not get in the way.
Hezekiah steps in after several months and sees the things in front of the Temple and so he orders the items to moved and dedicated for service and use by the priests and their families.
Good leaders always have a backup.
Leaders are meant to have a backup. That does not mean someone called to take over your job as soon as you leave but you should have someone in place who can carry out the work should you leave… Someone who can keep business going should something happen to you. Amen.
And we see the scripture indicates Cononiah was over the storage and dedication of things but had a secondary appointee Shimei who served after him.
Only in the Church do we often do things with no sense of management. We collect the money without proper cash controls, we have no sense of planning, and it causes many churches to live paycheck to paycheck.
So you have people who are coming to the Church for help but if you are not too careful the Church is in more trouble than you are.
Good stewards payoff debts, take care of what you already have… Good stewards minimize debts and take steps to minimize costs. And most importantly good stewards have a plan; whether it involves Human Resource Management, Budgeting, Personnel, or something as simple as extra hands around for certain labor… have a plan.
God is a God of order and many of us are out of order because we have no sense of planning or timing as it relates to the things of God.
And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
So now we see the people who serve as the staff for the Temple safe if you will. They could in some ways be considered the Deacons or the Trustees for the Church.
And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the Lord, and the most holy things.
It is not enough to organize God’s gifts but we must also make sure we establish a way for God’s gifts to get to their destination.
It does no good for God to give something a place if no one is there to put it in place. So here we see that Kore the Son of Imnah bears responsibility for distributing God’s gifts.
Remember the man who gave his servants talents. He did not bless them because they stored the talents never to be used again (indeed he cursed the man who wasted the talent) but indeed he blessed those that invested it well.
Investment does not necessarily mean you get a return… but when it was spent did it go to a worthy cause. Will it benefit somebody.
A car is a type of investment but it cannot yield you any monetary return because cars only depreciate.
But if you buy the car and make good use of it, it is a worthy investment and can still be of benefit.
Be careful with the things of God that you do not face his wrath because of your actions.
This young man is responsible for watching over God’s things right after a previous King took them from their place and they had only recently been restored.
In many ways, this man served as one of the most important signs of Hezekiah’s efforts to restore God’s house.
And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small:
Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the Lord, his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses;
Much like Moses was told to appoint elders, we must establish a network for the distribution of God’s gifts.
Their was a network in each of the cities to actively manage the distribution to the priests in their various cities and areas of residence.
Be sure that the community receives its daily portion from God’s house.
Throughout the pandemic people spent time waiting on the government to send out stimulus checks but we as the Church must ensure that we occupy our role to distribute God’s blessings to the community because each person is their own priest and is therefore entitled to the blessings of the priesthood.
This is not to say that we need to be sending out stimulus checks but we must be sure people get their inheritance that comes directly from God’s Kingdom and NEWSFLASH the Church is God’s Kingdom.
Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses;
And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:
Leadership must rule well to be worthy of double honored, here we see the shadows of the Pastoral Epistles (Titus And Timothy).
While the priests were entitled to many of these blessings, we also see that they maintained holy lives and upheld their responsibility.
Their receiving blessings from the people was not contingent upon them serving well.
We try to determine in our own minds if those chosen by God to serve in leadership are worthy of being honored.
Indeed it is not up to you to determine if they are worthy to be honored because it is a fact of their position but it is instead your choice whether to say they are worthy of double honor.
You may disagree with the president of the missionary circle, but it is not your place to determine whether they would be worthy of honor.
You let God figure out their position but you concern yourself with honoring the man/ or woman of God.
Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites.
Honor is due to those beyond the pulpit. Every preacher is not preaching on Sunday. You have to honor those serving in the priesthood, even those who you may not see like you want to.
You cannot honor only him who preaches but we must also honor the ones in the field who help make operations possible.
However, we also see that even the pulpit must be called to the field sometimes. You being a preacher does not make you exempt from cutting grass, cleaning toilets, mopping floors, or anything else in the Kingdom.
Preaching does not mean your ministry beyond the pulpit shrinks but truly means that it should expand and grow.
The Levites were called to the Priesthood as a people but everyone in the priesthood cannot only stand behind the pulpit.
Put simply, leaders must be as effective in the field as they are at the altar. (Can you yield fruit)
And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God.
And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
Hezekiah did his work and did it to the glory of God.
And because of his faithfulness we see that he prospered during his reign.
Provide Key Takeaways
Provide Key Takeaways
Try to provide three key items we can take away from this text and where it applies today.
These would be items that tie the text back to the cross but also tie it into our daily lives in a real and profound way.
Try to pre-define these items but allow the discussion given to inform the takeaways
We see the importance of honoring leadership in this text as the priests indeed constitute leadership within the Kingdom.
The bible tells us that those who rule over you, especially well, are indeed worthy of double honor.
Furthermore, we see evidence like this that shows us the importance of honoring leadership not only as part of the Mosaic law but also out of respect for the call that God placed on the life of people who are positions of leadership.
Furthermore, the previous verses about Ahaz and other Kings shows us the value in sometimes letting God do the hard work and maintaining your honoring posture towards leaders until such a time as God sees fit to act against them.
This is not to encourage complacency but their are some times when it is not your role or calling to speak against leaders because if they become angry and strike your down or sit you down it can make it difficult for you to be in place when God wants to elevate you to that office yourself.
Think about if David had not fled from Saul’s wrath and furthermore allowed Saul to die in his own time, then it is possible David would have been killed or even found himself excommunicated from the Kingdom. As a result, he would be unable to serve as the head of Jesus’ Dynasty.
We also see the importance of leaders working diligently in the field to maintain God’s work and get beyond the glory of the altar/ or the pulpit.
Sometimes people can get so puffed up when they step into a calling or an anointing and they lose sight of the good work they are intended to do.
Finally, we see the value in Order as Hezekiah and the priests all worked to maintain order.
Everything from the palace, to the storeroom, along the supply chain, and into the hands of each priest and man.
Allow for Final Questions?
Allow for Final Questions?
Write some of the questions down if possible.
Roll Call & Prayer Requests
Roll Call & Prayer Requests
Prayer: Do yourself unless otherwise led
Prayer: Do yourself unless otherwise led