The One Year® Chronological Bible, NKJV (Tyndale, 2013), May 3
"For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above . . . by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the LORD" (1 Chron. 23:27,31).
Good leaders have a penchant for understanding and implementing effective structures so that their organizations function smoothly. Further, good leaders plan for the future, not merely for the present. David recognizes that the coming temple will require an organized, effective worship structure, so that daily, weekly, monthly, and annual services will never lack qualified workers. David's plan ensures that every Levite has the opportunity to serve and worship, that every singer has an opportunity to exercise his gifts, and that every priest has an opportunity to fulfill his calling. Such organization utilizes the gifts that God has put in place, eliminates any sense of competition, and ensures that everyone understands his role.
While today's text may seem a bit repetitive, this careful attention to detail develops a foundation for orderly temple worship that lasts for a millennium. The fruit of David's organization shows up hundreds of years later when Zacharias enters the temple to offer the sacrifices and encounters an angel. Had David not established this organization so many years before, Zacharias wouldn't have been at the right place at the right time.
"So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord . . . then an angel of the Lord appeared to him" (Luke 1:8, 9, 11). And the rest is history. What you do or don't do today matters tomorrow!
God uses organization. Things simply work better when they have order. Paul instructs new believers in the first century church to "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40). Order works! Order helps us to be better prepared to receive the blessing of God.
Questions from today's chronological Bible reading (1 Chronicles 23:1-25:31):
What does David's resuming of duties reveal about repentance toward God and restoration by God?
What does David's planning for the future temple and preparing the Levites for that future reveal about David's legacy?