Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

I Chronicles 23, the record of what happens at the end of King David's life and at the time he anoints his son Solomon to become King over Israel. You might remember that even though David wanted to build the Temple as a permanent worship center for the Jewish people, God had not allowed him to do so because of disobedience.

As in I Kings, the record is clear in I Chronicles 22 that King David prepared for the building of the Temple by gathering together the monies needed, plus the manpower and materials for the Temple including all the furniture of the Temple, I Chronicles 22:14.

David would also gather the Levites together to set them in "order" so that they might serve in the Temple at an allotted time of the year, as well as the times of the Jewish Feast Days. I Chronicles 24 is the schedule for the priest to serve in the Temple as set forth by King David.

In our extended reading we find some very significant information on the service at the Temple. Verse 3 states that the priests who serve at the Temple begin their "priesthood" at the age of thirty, having studied for twenty-eight years the priestly duties and responsibilities.

The number of Levites serving the Temple in one capacity or another is 38,000, verse 3. And of these, 24,000 of them were to "set forth the work of the house of the Lord", verse 4.

It's interesting to note that 4,000 of the 38,000 were "to praise the Lord" with instruments which King David had made to be used for "praising the Lord". It was the "harp" that King David had made and used to "praise the Lord". He also wrote many of the Psalms by using his harp.

As you read through the entire 23rd chapter of I Chronicles, you'll notice that in verses 7-23 King David sets certain families aside for service in the Temple. This is similar to the divisions of the sons of Aaron into the twenty-four orders to serve at the Temple, as found in I Chronicles 24.

From verses 24-32, David gives further instructions for service at the Temple. Please notice King David's statement in verse 25, it is very prophetic. Because of the Davidic Covenant, the promise from the Lord to David, the aged King of Israel, was that the Jewish people would dwell in Jerusalem, forever.

By the way, the word "forever" means forever, even into eternity future. There, in fact, will be a temple in Jerusalem, forever, Ezekiel 37:26 & 28.

One final word about what King David did to prepare for the first temple, Solomon's Temple. David selected the priest, set the number needed in place and even the four thousand to play the harps.

Today in Jerusalem there are men studying the "priestly duties" so that they can operate the next Temple. Even the harps have been made to use in the next Temple.

The next Temple could be built very soon. The only thing that must happen before the building of the Temple is the Rapture of the Church, and that could happen today.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me Lord, to live today as if this is the day that the Rapture will happen.