Deeper Commentary
1Ch 16:1 They brought in the ark of God, and set it in the midst of
the tent that David had pitched for it. They offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings before God-
The usual pattern for the offerings was sin offering, burnt offering
[dedication to God on the basis of being reconciled from sin] and then
peace offerings, celebrating the resultant peace with God. I suggested on
2 Sam. 6:13 that the mass of animals sacrificed on the road to Zion were sin
offerings.
1Ch 16:2 When David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the
peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh-
As noted and discussed on 1 Chron. 15:27, this was again David acting
as high priest, blessing the people in Yahweh's Name.
1Ch 16:3 He dealt to each one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a
loaf of bread, a portion of meat and a cake of raisins-
See on 1 Chron. 15:12. 1 Chron. 16:8-22 is the Psalm written by David when the ark was brought
to Zion, but it reappears within Ps. 105:1-15, which is clearly an appeal
for the exiles to repent so that God's salvation history might continue
with them. So we see how David's original Psalms were reworked and
reapplied in later contexts, under Divine inspiration. By the time of the
exiles in Babylon, it seems the ark had been lost. But such external
religious symbolism was unimportant; the essence was that the people of
God were to come to Zion, just as the ark had done.
We see here an ancient anticipation of the bread and wine [raisins]
of the breaking of bread meeting. That meeting is essentially a peace
offering, a celebration of the peace with God achieved through the Lord's
sin offering, our promise of dedication to Him in the burnt offering, and
then the celebration of the resultant peace with God. See on :1.
Israel’s mixture of Yahweh worship with Baal worship is demonstrated by the reference to their being “lovers of raisin cakes” (Hos. 3:1). According to this passage, these cakes appear to have been part of the legitimate worship of Yahweh- and yet in Song 2:5 they are referred to as an aphrodisiac. There was a heady mix of Yahweh worship with participation in the sexual rituals of the Baal cult. It was this mixture which was so abhorrent to God- and time and again, in essence, we likewise mix flesh and spirit.
1Ch 16:4 He appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the
ark of Yahweh, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Yahweh, the God of
Israel-
The sense of the Hebrew behind "celebrate" is "to call to mind" or
remember (1 Chron. 16:12). David wanted this occasion to be recorded. The
production of psalms to be sung for perpetuity afterwards would be the
equivalent of our taking photographs or video recordings of such an
incident.
1Ch 16:5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel,
Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel, with
stringed instruments and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding
aloud-
Asaph is particularly noted, although he was just one many recorded
musicians in the company (1 Chron. 15:19). Perhaps special note is made of
him because he was the author of some of the Psalms which the exiles were
to sing at the restoration.
1Ch 16:6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually,
before the ark of the covenant of God-
Jahaziel is Eliezer of 1 Chron. 15:24. People had more than one name.
Perhaps one of these was his birth name, and the other that by which he
became known. Benaiah was also one of David's "mighty men". They would
have had one trumpet each.
1Ch 16:7 Then on that day David led the giving of thanks to Yahweh, by the
hand of Asaph and his brothers-
The idea is that David gave the following hymn into the hands of
Asaph and his brothers to sing. Hence Adam Clarke: "David delivered
first this psalm...".
1Ch 16:8 Oh give thanks to Yahweh! Call on His name. Make His deeds known
among the peoples-
The Truth of the Gospel of the cross is the only way to come to
salvation. All other religions apart from true Christianity will not give
salvation nor a relationship with God. Realizing this, David pleads with
his people to be a missionary nation: "Give thanks unto Yahweh, call upon
his name, make known his deeds among the people... for great is Yahweh,
and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For
all the gods of the people are idols; but Yahweh made the heavens" (1
Chron. 16:8,25,26). The more we realize the pathetic fallacy of human
religion, indeed the whole and utter vanity of life under this sun, the
more we will preach Yahweh's Truth to a tragically wandering, aimless
world.
This is an appeal to the Gentile "peoples" to hear about God's work and praise Him; and to praise a deity in those days meant to accept that deity. Not because they were forced to by military conquest, but because they had considered God's work which had now been told to them. 1 Chron. 16:8-22 is the Psalm written by David when the ark was brought to Zion, but it reappears within Ps. 105:1-15, which is clearly an appeal for the exiles to repent so that God's salvation history might continue with them. So we see how David's original Psalms were reworked and reapplied in later contexts, under Divine inspiration. By the time of the exiles in Babylon, it seems the ark had been lost. But such external religious symbolism was unimportant; the essence was that the people of God were to come to Zion, just as the ark had done.
1Ch 16:9 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him. Tell of all His marvellous
works-
Heb. 'His wonders'. Wonder leads to worship, to that flame of praise
which is the worship "in spirit and in truth" which the Father seeks. But
wonder adds awe and reverence to that worship. And we have to ask how much
of that there is in much popular worship today, be it in starchy hymns or
rock music. 1 Chron. 16:9 makes the connection between wonder and worship
quite plain: "Sing unto him, sing praises unto him; talk of all his
wonders". Likewise Ps. 9:1: "I will praise you O Lord; I will show forth
all your wonders".
David was very much involved in Israel his people. He saw himself as their representative. When he sung Psalms, he invited them to come and sing along with him (Ps. 105:2; 107:22; 111:1). And yet this can also be read as an appeal to the Gentile peoples of :1 to hear of Yahweh's works, believe them, accept Him as their God, and then in turn tell others of "His marvellous works".
1Ch 16:10 Glory in His holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh
rejoice-
The Bible continually stresses the critical importance of the heart,
the mind. Our minds should glory in God's Name which is His
characteristics, as articulated in His "works" (:9) in history. And this
leads us to "seek" Him and His face, which I suggest on :11 refers to
repentance.
1Ch 16:11 Seek Yahweh and His strength. Seek His face for evermore-
To seek Yahweh's face is an idiom for repentance (Hos. 5:15), and is
specifically used by Daniel in the context of the exiles (2 Chron. 7:14;
Dan. 9:3). This is therefore an appeal for the exiles to repent, so that
God may continue to lavish His saving grace upon them, as He had upon
their forefathers.
1Ch 16:12 Remember His marvellous works that He has done, His wonders, and
the judgments of His mouth-
The Hebrew idea of 'remembering' is not necessarily related to
'remembering' as opposed to 'forgetting'; rather does it have the flavour
of celebrating, and thus being aware of in gratitude and praise. As God was "mindful" of David and thereby all men in Israel through the
victory granted over Goliath, so David urged that in response, they should
be "mindful" of God (Ps. 8:4 s.w. 1 Chron. 16:12,15).
1Ch 16:13 you seed of Israel His servant, you children of Jacob, His
chosen ones-
1Ch 16:14 He is Yahweh our God. His judgments are in all the earth-
The exiles were to believe the prophetic word, that all the nations
in the eretz promised to Abraham were to experience God's
judgments; the judgments of "our God", Yahweh, the God of Israel.
1Ch 16:15 Remember His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a
thousand generations-
The real import of the covenant-relationship with God which we have is
brought out by David in 1 Chron. 16:15-18: “Be ye mindful always of his
covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of
the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; And
hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an
everlasting covenant, Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,
the lot of your inheritance”. The covenant, the promise that God’s people
really will inherit the land, becomes a law, a “word which he commanded”,
something which should be thought about all the time. The sure promise of
entering the Kingdom, the knowledge that by grace, according to the
covenant, ‘we will be there’, cannot be accepted passively. The
covenant-certainty of that great salvation becomes a command to action.
Jeremiah, Zechariah, Hosea and Ezekiel point out to Judah that they had broken the old covenant; their only basis of connection with God was therefore on the basis of the new covenant He was offering, which was based upon the promises to Abraham. That word of promise was unconditional, to all who wanted to believe it. It was therefore eternal, "to a thousand generations". It would therefore be abrogated, unlike the old covenant based on the law of Moses.
1Ch 16:16 the covenant which He made with Abraham, His oath to Isaac-
The "oath to Isaac" must refer to the repetition of the promises to
Abraham to Isaac in Gen. 26:3, where the same word for "oath" is used. But
the context of that repetition of the covenant oath to Isaac was in
commanding him not to seek material prosperity in Egypt, but rather to
remain in the famished land of Israel, then experiencing famine. This was
relevant to the exiles, many of whom preferred to remain in Babylon,
seeing that Malachi, Ezra and others record serious famine in the land of
Judah at that time.
1Ch 16:17 He confirmed the same to Jacob for a statute, and to Israel for
an everlasting covenant-
The "statute" doesn't refer to the law of Moses, but to the covenant
with Abraham of :16. The covenant with Abraham was an unconditional offer
of eternal inheritance of the land; all that was and is required is that
this great salvation be believed. But it became and becomes a "statute" or
"law" in the same way as grace reigns or is a ruler over us (Rom. 5:21).
If we believe in God's unconditional covenant of salvation, then this
becomes a law of our lives, the guiding principle in all our thinking,
worldviews and perceptions. It is in this sense that "the grace of God...
teaches us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright, and Godly lives" (Tit. 2:11,12). Grace is grace,
but the wonder of it, when believed, is such that it naturally elicits
changed behaviour, and in this sense is a "statute" or law.
God wanted to make a covenant with David, by His grace, rather than demand gifts and obedience for the sake of obedience. Yet grace of itself means that we cannot be passive to it. The covenants with Abraham and Isaac are spoken of by David as a law, in the sense that they required certain things of those within those covenants (1 Chron. 16:15-19). And those same covenants are binding upon all baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27-29), and the hope of the Kingdom which they bring likewise becomes a ‘law’ governing our behaviour. Ez. 20:37 speaks of "the bond of the covenant"- and "bond" is literally a fetter, a tie that binds, that restricts. To be in covenant relationship therefore means that we are not free to do as we like; there is an element of regulation in our lives, but of course it has a purpose- to bring us to God's Kingdom and keep us within the sphere of relationship with Him. But a covenant is a two way thing. This tie that binds applies to God too; hence the wonderful, oft-repeated idea of His chesed, His covenant faithfulness to us His people. He likewise carries a kind of responsibility to us.
1Ch 16:18 saying, ‘I will give you the land of Canaan, the lot of your
inheritance;’-
As discussed on :17, the promise of eternal inheritance of Canaan was
unconditional, by grace. It just had to be believed.
1Ch 16:19 when you were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and
foreigners were in it-
God rejoices to work with the small and feeble. The "few men" must
refer to how Jacob's family only numbered about 70 people when they went
into Egypt. The same phrase "few men in number" is exactly that used by
Jacob in lamenting how very small his tribe was compared to the aggressive
tribes amongst whom they lived in Canaan (Gen. 34:30). And it is the
phrase used of how when Israel were to be judged for their sins in exile,
they would be left "few men in number" (Dt. 4:27). The exiles are being
encouraged to see the similarities between them and Jacob's family in
Egypt, the original 'Israel' at its first beginnings.
1Ch 16:20 They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to
another people-
This seems to refer, in the context, to the journeyings of the
patriarchs amongst the peoples of Canaan, Philistia and Egypt. Although
they suffered at the hands of those peoples, they were miraculously
preserved; and so would God's people be despite their current exile in
Babylon / Persia.
1Ch 16:21 He allowed no man to do them wrong. Yes, He reproved kings for
their sakes-
In this we see God's absolute grace. For both Abraham and Isaac were
rightly reproved by the Abimelech kings for lying about their wives, and
yet God reproved those kings. He was openly showing His passionate love and
preference for His people; they were rightly reproved by the kings (Gen.
20:16), but those kings were reproved by God for their sins of ignorance.
And it was this same grace which was available to the exiles. "Wrong" was
indeed done to the exiles (s.w. Jer. 50:33; Hos. 5:11), as it was done to
the historical Jacob; but the point is being made that it was not
ultimately allowed because there was the final restoration of Jacob's
fortunes, as there would be ultimately for God's people- but in God's own
way and time.
1Ch 16:22 Don’t touch My anointed ones! Do My prophets no harm!-
This refers to how Abraham and Isaac were not harmed despite lying to
Abimelech (see on :20). It definitely doesn't mean that God's visible
public servants are beyond criticism;
for Abraham and Isaac most definitely are reproved for their actions
in the Biblical record. The point is that they, weak as they were and
deserving of "harm", were preserved from ultimate harm by God's grace. And
they are cited as an example to the exiles, who were all "anointed ones"
(Lam. 4:21), they had a special purpose before God; just as all in Christ,
the anointed one, are likewise "anointed ones" (2 Cor. 1:21). So
this doesn't give pastors or church leaders special privilege of being
beyond criticism, as this verse is misused to teach.
1Ch 16:23 Sing to Yahweh, all the earth! Display His salvation from day to
day-
The
LXX uses the word
evangelion concerning how daily we should “show forth his
salvation” (here and in Ps. 96:2). Witness is therefore a daily feature in the life of
those who have known salvation; it is not something done solely by
attending an ecclesial gathering once per week. This explains why
frequently Paul uses the word "Gospel" as meaning 'the preaching of the
Gospel'; the Gospel is in itself something which
must be preached if we really have it (Rom. 1:1,9;
16:25; Phil. 1:5 (NIV),12; 2:22; 4:15; 1 Thess. 1:5; 3:2; 2 Thess. 2:14; 2
Tim. 1:8; 2:8). The fact we have been given the Gospel is in itself an
imperative to preach it.
Many of the Psalms reflect David’s realization that confession of sin
is the basis for powerful preaching. The LXX often uses the verb
euangelizesthai to describe his preaching after the Bathsheba
incident (Ps. 96:2). Because God has mercifully forgive His people and His
face shines upon them in renewed fellowship, His way is thereby made known
upon earth to all nations (Ps. 67:1,2). He utters forth the mighty acts of
God with the preface: “Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, who can
shew forth all his praise?” (Ps. 106:2)- and then proceeds to do just
that. He did so with a clear recognition of his own inadequacy. The Psalms
of praise are full of this theme. David exhorts all those who have been
redeemed to show forth God’s praise (Ps. 107:2,22,32). He wanted all
Israel to be a joyful, witnessing people. And even though it seems God’s
people didn’t respond, David went on undeterred. Time and again he
fearlessly sets himself up as Israel’s example. He speaks of how he
trusts in the Lord’s grace, and then appeals to Israel to do just the same
(Ps. 62:7,8). The strength of his appeal was in the fact that his sin and
experience of grace was the bridge between him and his audience.
1Ch 16:24 Declare His glory among the nations, and His marvellous works
among all the peoples-
In Lk. 24:45-47 we read how Christ explained to the disciples
that their preaching of the Gospel "among all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem" was foretold in the Psalms and prophets. So the Bible student
asks: Where in the Psalms and prophets? The Lord spoke as
if the prophecies about this were copious. There do not seem to be any
specific prophecies which speak of the twelve spreading the Gospel from
Jerusalem in the first century. Instead we read of the Gospel being spread
from Jerusalem in the Kingdom, and often the phrase "all nations"
occurs in a Kingdom context, describing how "all nations" will come to
worship Christ at Jerusalem (Ps. 22:27; 67:2; 72:11,17; 82:8; 86:9; 117:1;
Is. 2:2; 66:18,20; Jer. 3:17; Dan. 7:14; Hag. 2:7; Zech. 8:23). This
selection of "Psalms and prophets" is impressive. Yet the Lord Jesus
clearly interpreted these future Kingdom passages as having relevance to
the world-wide spreading of the Gospel. "All nations" also occurs in many
passages exhorting us to praise Yahweh among all the nations of this
world. The reason for this is that God's glory is so great it should be
declared as far as possible by us. 1 Chron. 16:24,25 is typical of many
such verses: "Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works
among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be
praised... for all the gods of the people are idols". World-wide preaching
is therefore an aspect of our praise of Yahweh, and as such it is a
spiritual work which is timeless.
1Ch 16:25 For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised. He also is to be
feared above all gods-
David's focus of all his praises upon Yahweh as alone "worthy" (Heb.;
Ps. 96:4) of praise
was what he now wanted his people to follow (Ps. 18:3; 22:3). The implication
of "worthy" could imply a contrast with other gods. This would confirm the
hints we have that Saul had been an idolater (see on Ps. 12:8; 16:4), and
that idolatry was prevalent in Israel at the time.
1Ch 16:26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the
heavens-
The gods / idols aren't in so many words criticized as not existing,
but rather, Yahweh is so exalted above them as creator of all that even if
they do exist, they are so relatively powerless that they are show to have
no effective existence. It's the same with how the language of demons is
used in the New Testament; the Lord's miracles demonstrated that God's
power was so infinitely greater, that effectively demons don't exist.
1Ch 16:27 Honor and majesty are before Him. Strength and gladness are in
His place-
See on :28. This is a reference to the Most Holy Place; the reference
to His "strength and beauty" going into captivity may refer to the ark
(Ps. 78:61 s.w.). See on :28.
1Ch 16:28 Ascribe to Yahweh, you relatives of the peoples, ascribe to
Yahweh glory and strength!-
The very same Hebrew words used about how David personally felt he wanted to give glory and strength [honour] to the Lord (Ps. 62:7).
"Families of nations" or "relatives of the peoples" recalls the promises made to Abraham of his seed. He
wished for the whole world to share his relationship with God. The radical
nature of what is being suggested here and in Ps. 96 and many
similar Psalms can easily be overlooked. The Psalmist is urging Gentiles
to come and worship with Israel, proceeding into the tabernacle courts and
thence into "the beauty of holiness" (:27 Heb.), i.e. the Most Holy Place
['holiness' being read there as a noun rather than an adjective- it is the
same Hebrew word elsewhere translated "sanctuary" and related to the
Hebrew word used for "sanctuary"]. The Psalmist is inviting
Gentiles to come in to the worship of Israel and proceed where only the
High Priest could venture once / year. It was the equivalent of
proclaiming an open table policy in the most exclusive of churches.
The common assumption of expositors is that the Psalmist has in view the
Kingdom age, but this seems precluded by his appeal to the Gentiles to
come and worship exactly because of the good news that the Lord is coming
to judge the earth in righteousness (:33)- which is quoted about the
return of Christ to earth in Acts 17:31. The holiness boundaries taught by
the Law were only teaching mechanisms, which is why they were removed by
the open Christ. David for one got to this point well before most other
Israelites did, acting as the High Priest (1 Chron. 16:3), entering the
sanctuary when not a Levite (Ps. 63:2) and experiencing forgiveness and
salvation quite outside the Law rather than the Law's penalty of death.
David uses the words and spirit of this Psalm, especially about his vision
of his outreach to the Gentiles, in the later
Bathsheba Psalms, where he vows to tell the whole world of God's grace.
It's not that the experience of sin and forgiveness makes a person somehow
weak and wishy washy acceptant of anyone and anything. The experience of
God's grace at close quarters leads us to realize how radical was His
acceptance of us and thereby we should proactively seek to be acceptant of
all those who are afar off. And so David perceived that God's Name (His
characteristics, of which grace is uttermost) deserved glory to be given
to it- simply for what it was (:29). And that glory is "due" from all,
including the Gentiles- and so they should be invited across all holiness
boundaries to come with their offerings to God. Thus Yahweh's greatness
above all other gods was what led David to appeal to "all you gods"
[perhaps put by metonymy for the idol worshipping peoples] to come and
worship before Yahweh (Ps. 97:7).
The appeal was to be global and not just to Israel because David perceived
that actually the truth of God is proclaimed by "the whole earth" and
"heavens" (Ps. 97:5,6). Of course, the call is for the Gentile idolaters
to "come" to Yahweh's sanctuary, and not for God's people to leave Yahweh
and go to them. And they were to "bring an offering", to make a commitment
to the God they were being invited to come close to (:29). Ps. 98:3-5
continues this radical appeal to the Gentile world, but it urges them to
come and worship (which involved coming to the sanctuary in Israel)
exactly because God has been so gracious to sinful Israel. Israel's
extreme sin and God's radical grace and patience with them for not being
good witnesses to the Gentiles... was to serve as encouragement for the
Gentiles to come to Israel's God and praise Him, confident that their sins
too could be forgiven.
The same idea is found in Ps. 99:1-5- because of God's grace to Jacob /
Israel, an undefined group are bidden come to Zion, to the very cherubim
(in the Most Holy Place) to exalt and praise God at His footstool. This
group, in line with the preceding Psalms, are surely the Gentile world.
"Let them praise Your great Name" (Ps. 99:3) would surely make most sense
if it referred to the Gentiles, seeing that David or the Psalmist was
Israelite. We see the same idea in Ps. 97:1; it begins with an appeal to
the islands of the Gentiles to 'rejoice' and 'be glad', but the same two
Hebrew words are used in Ps. 97:8 about how Zion- those in the very temple
mount- likewise rejoice and are glad. The very "ends of the earth" who saw
God's salvation of His people are invited to praise Him for it (Ps.
98:3,4)- the invitation to join in praise was effectively an invitation to
join in worship, and thereby to become part of God's covenant people.
1Ch 16:29 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to His name. Bring an offering,
and come before Him. Worship Yahweh in holy array-
See on :28. This and the next verses confidently anticipated the
coming of Messiah there and then, with :33 quoted about the second coming
of Jesus in Acts 17:31. But that was to be delayed; for Israel and the
Gentile world weren't going to respond to David's invitation here. For he
is asking the Gentiles to dress up as priests and come and worship Yahweh
and even enter the most holy place (:28). David was way ahead of his time
in thinking in these terms.
As it was God’s intention that Israel were to be a nation of priests to the rest of the world, so the new Israel likewise are to all discharge the priestly functions of teaching their brethren (Ex. 19:6 cp. 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 1:6; 5:9,10). Under the new covenant, we should all teach and admonish one another (Col. 3:16). Indeed, God told Israel [unrecorded in the historical records]: “Ye are gods [elohim] and all of you are sons of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6 RV). Further, Ps. 96:9 makes the paradigm breaking statement that even the Gentiles could come before Yahweh of Israel in holy, priestly array- they too could aspire to the spirit of priesthood (Ps. 96:9 RVmg.). Moses spoke of how all Israel should pray that God would establish the work of their hands (Ps. 90:17)- but this was in fact his special request for the blessing of Levi, the priestly tribe (Dt. 33:11). Ps. 135:19,20 parallels all Israel with the priestly family: “Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O house of Aaron: bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord... praise ye the Lord”. All Israel were to aspire to the spirit of priesthood. Indeed, the Psalms often parallel the house of Aaron (i.e. the priesthood) with the whole nation (Ps. 115:9,10,12; 118:2,3).
1Ch 16:30 Tremble before Him, all the land. The world also is established
that it can’t be moved-
The invitation to the entire eretz promised to Abraham to
"tremble before Him" is an invitation for them to accept Yahweh as their
God. The idea is that all of the planet, the sea representing the peoples
(:32),
would rejoice at the prospect of the coming of Israel's Lord
in judgment (:33). This is not therefore speaking of the Kingdom; but
rather of David's desire that before the Lord's coming, the Gentile
peoples would come to such relationship with Him that they rejoiced at the
prospect of His coming in judgment, knowing by faith that they would not
be condemned. And yet as will be discussed on :31, he seems to think that
the ark as God's throne meant that God was now king in Zion and the
Gentile world should accept that. And he may be liking to think that this
kingdom "can't be moved", when in fact it would be. For the kingdom was to
be overturned. It was this wild over interpretation of the significance of
his own kingdom which led him to wrongly assume that Solomon would be the
promised Messianic king, and this led Solomon to have no sense of possible
failure, so that he became proud and turned away from Yahweh.
1Ch 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! Let them say
among the nations, Yahweh reigns!-
This again is an invitation to the Gentiles to accept Yahweh as their
king and thus become His 'kingdom' before His final, open manifestation in
the earth. And that is likewise our call. However in the immediate
context, David sees the ark as God's throne, and His reign as therefore
now beginning in Jerusalem. It could be that David is seeing this as a
foretaste of His future Kingdom coming on earth, based also in Jerusalem.
But he could also be over interpreting, and seeing God's Kingdom as fully
come in his kingdom, rather than recognizing that this was but a foretaste
of that which was yet to come.
1Ch 16:32 Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field exult, and all
that is therein!-
The sea is again a symbol off the Gentiles, and David sees the coming
of the ark to Zion as the enthronement of God in the earth (:31), and
therefore he is inviting the Gentiles to come and worship there.
1Ch 16:33 Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before Yahweh,
for He comes to judge the earth-
1Ch 16:34 Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, for His grace endures
forever-
Ps. 106:45 connects this eternal grace with God's covenant. The
covenant in view is that with Abraham made in Gen. 15, which featured God
making unilateral promises whilst Abraham was incapacitated and unable to
do anything in response. Neither was there any clause added making it
conditional upon his obedience. This is in sharp contrast with the law of
Moses, the old covenant, and David seems to have seen beyond this.
Jeremiah, Zechariah and Ezekiel all make the point to the exiles that they
had broken the old covenant, and therefore they could only be saved by
reaffirming their part in the new covenant.
1Ch 16:35 Say, ‘Save us, God of our salvation! Gather us together and
deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph
in Your praise’-
Verses 35 and 36 are quoted in Ps. 106:47,48. But the inspired
Psalmist in Ps. 106:47 makes a slight change because he was using this
Psalm in the context of the exiles wanting to be restored: "Gather us
together and deliver us from the nations" is changed to "Gather us from
among the nations". The ark was lost; it was the Jews themselves who were
to come to Zion. The exile brought them to realize that the box called
"the ark" was mere religion; the essence of it was that the dwelling place
of God was no longer a box of acacia wood, but God's own repentant people.
1Ch 16:36 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to
everlasting. All the people said, ‘Amen’, and praised Yahweh-
See on :35. The people are asked to say "Amen!" to it all,
recognizing their sinfulness as a people and as individuals; and yet with
the confession, to also praise God for His abiding grace to His people. As
noted on :35, these words are slightly adapted in Ps. 106:48. The people
were asked to understand that their return to Zion was
to be like the return of the ark after a period in Gentile captivity. The
dwelling place of God was no longer to be over a box of acacia wood, but
over God's own repentant people.
1Ch 16:37 So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh,
Asaph and his brothers, to minister before the ark continually, as every
day’s work required-
The idea is that Asaph and his brothers were now to be permanently
stationed in Zion to perform the required rituals there every day.
1Ch 16:38 and Obed-Edom with their brothers, sixty-eight; Obed-Edom also
the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers-
"Their brothers" may mean that Asaph and his brothers (:37) are in
view. 1 Chron. 26:8 speaks of a group of 62 relatives of Obed-Edom,
whereas 1 Chron. 16:38 speaks of 68. The extra six may refer to "Asaph and
his brothers, who are referred to in the otherwise strange reference in 1
Chron. 16:38 to "Obed-Edom with their brothers". The preceding verse (1
Chron. 16:37) has spoken of "Asaph and his brothers".
1Ch 16:39 and Zadok the priest, and his brothers the priests, before the
tabernacle of Yahweh in the high place that was at Gibeon-
Zadok cared for the tabernacle at Gibeon, which was "the great high
place" (1 Chron. 16:39; 1 Kings 3:4), and so it is another example of
correlation within the inspired records that he had access to that horn
and the oil with which to anoint Solomon (1 Kings 1:39).
1Ch 16:40 to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of burnt
offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is
written in the law of Yahweh, which He commanded to Israel-
We wonder whether these regular daily offerings had been made at
Gibeon before this time. We note that at this point, the ark is in Zion,
but the altar of burnt offering is still at Gibeon (:39). This seems
rather typical of how David perceived the spirit of the law to such an
extent that he apparently broke the letter of the law by allowing this
situation to continue. For surely he ought to have united the sanctuaries
of Gibeon and Zion. Perhaps he allowed it to continue because of the
political difficult in deciding which of the two high priests to appoint
as singular high priest (Zadok or Ahimelech). And so he allowed the two
sanctuaries to continue, although this was contrary to the law's
insistence upon one sanctuary. Hence Solomon sacrificed both at Gibeon and
before the ark at Jerusalem (2 Chron. 1:3,6). It was only when Ahimelech
was deposed by Solomon that he brought the brazen altar from Gibeon to
Jerusalem (2 Chron. 1:5 AV; see note there). This suggests that David's
operation of two sanctuaries was politically motivated.
1Ch 16:41 With them were Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen,
who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to Yahweh, because His grace
endures forever-
These were to serve in Gibeon (:39), offering praise at the times the
daily burnt offerings were made (:40), whilst Asaph and his group did this
in Jerusalem (:37).
1Ch 16:42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for
those that should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God;
and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate-
LXX omits "and with them Heman and Jeduthun", making it read more
smoothly with :41.
1Ch 16:43 All the people departed each man to his family; and David
returned to bless his family-
David is to be commended for not simply blessing Israel, but turning
his attention privately to his own private household, and wanting to hold
a private ceremony with them. But it was this which elicited the angry
retort of Michal, whom I suggested on 2 Sam. 6:16 may still have been an idolater
and despised not only David but also Yahweh.
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