Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
In any attempt to read the Bible straight through, it seems I sail right along until I hit 1 Chronicles.
I mean, basically the first 9 chapters are genealogies, which is pretty dry reading, but it also is a retelling of everything that was just read in the first 7 books of the Bible, albeit from a slightly different viewpoint. So suddenly, I bog down, lol. It takes some pushing to get through the Chronicles.
I suddenly remembered that repetition about halfway through 1 Kings as I was working my way along looking at 'Heart/Hearts', and I wondered if I should have been also looking at the parallel passages in 1st and 2nd Chronicles as I went through the history of the United and Divided kingdom instead of just doing the books in order. Well, too late then.
So, here we are at 1 Chronicles, looking at the verses containing 'heart/hearts' and there's going to be some overlap of what we have already talked about. There are not many verses so I think I can make a coherent post of them all. Gonna give it a go, anyway.
First up...we have Michal's reaction to David's raucous celebration as the Ark of the Covenant is brought into Jerusalem
As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart. -- 1 Chron. 15:29 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3820 , Leb, which we have seen used repeatedly), which is an almost exact quote of 2 Sam. 6:17. Michal lost whatever respect she had for David that day. She didn't understand his zeal for the Lord, and I honestly don't think she cared to. But she had been through a lot herself, which I talked about in the post from 2 Samuel that mentioned this event. Her trauma may have influenced her actions and opinions. Michal had had very little say in what happened to her throughout her life...but ultimately her own choice to scorn her husband cost her whatever chance she had to have a significant place in history.
David wrote a psalm to commemorate the occasion, snippy wife aside; it's recorded in 1 Chron. 16: 8 - 36 and we see a reference to 'hearts' pretty quickly there-in:
"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice." -- 1 Chron. 16:10 ('Hearts' - Strong's H 3820 again) The whole psalm is full of praise and I encourage you to give it a read.
The other verses have to do with the transfer of power from David to Solomon, and the preparation David did for the building that Solomon was to do.
Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, "I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God." -- 1 Chron. 22:6-7. ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824, Lebab, which we have also seen repeatedly). But, David is told through the prophets that he has too much violence in his history and that his son Solomon would be the one to build the house. So David assembled the resources and the craftsmen, and instructed the leaders of the people to support Solomon in his building.
"Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God , so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD." -- 1 Chron. 22:19 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824 again).
That just struck me as I was typing it...I had kinda read it as 'set your heart and soul to building the temple' but that's not what it says. It says to set the heart and soul to seeking God. Because, apparently, seeking God will result in the leaders having the wisdom to build, the favor of the people, the ability, etc. to actually do the work. Don't start by building...start by seeking. THEN start building.
We read virtually the same account later in the book; David calls an assembly of all the officials of Israel.
King David rose to his feet and said: "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood." - 1 Chron. 28:2-3 ('Heart is Strong's H 3824 again).
David went on to relate that God had chosen Solomon to be king after him, and that Solomon would build the house for the Ark. He charged the Israelites to be careful to follow all the commands the Lord had given them. Then he turned to Solomon
"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever." -- 1 Chron. 28:9. ('Heart' is Strong's H 3820)
Whoa. Lookit that right there. 'The LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.'.
Read that again. And maybe again. We can fool others...we can even fool ourselves...but there's no fooling God. He knows EXACTLY what our motives truly are. "God knows my heart" is frequently a justification that someone will give to excuse behavior that may not exactly match up to the standard Jesus set for us...but the truth is, God DOES know the heart and he knows, better than that individual might, what's really going on. It's time for the people of God to be honest with ourselves and own our actions and attitudes that are based in self-deception.
David concluded his transfer of the kingship to Solomon with a prayer, and he reiterates that point again in that prayer:
"I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you." -- 1 Chron. 29: 17-18 ('Heart/ Hearts - Strong's H 3824)
God tests the heart; integrity (no deception of others or one's self) pleases him. So David's prayer is that the people would always have hearts loyal to God. Because a heart that's loyal will be a heart that does the right things.
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