Return home and bless your family
By Julia Fowler, Worship Arts Pastor
Text: 1 Chronicles 16:37-43
"David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister there regularly, according to each day's requirements. He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers.
David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon 40 to present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the LORD, which he had given Israel. With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the LORD, "for his love endures forever." Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.
Then all the people left, each for his own home, and David returned home to bless his family."
This may seem like a crazy passage to look at today and yet there was something very important that stood out to me at the end. What we don't see here is all that came before this particular passage in the book of I Chronicles.
Prior to this passage, this book introduced us to historical records outlining the genealogy from the life of Adam through Abraham and then begins a more in-depth look at the person of King Saul, followed by David's story which finishes up the book. Through chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 we're told about David's process to bring the Ark of the Covenant to
I felt convicted today by the final verse of our text. Yes there was lots of work, and lots of people were assigned to do many different tasks and they had some seriously responsible duties and yet and the end of the day the people left, they went home, and David returned to bless his family.
Now how many of us can honestly say that after a long project, or even a hard days work that our priority is to return home to "bless our family"? I confess I'm usually pretty burnt out, and am thinking about dinner, perhaps what chores and tasks still need to be done at home (the 'more work' that lies ahead), but I'm confident purposing to have my mind set on blessing my family has not been a priority before now.
David is not our perfect example, we know he had hundreds of wives and concubines, had a man killed in fact so he could have his wife for himself, YET in Acts we learn that David was considered a man after God's own heart (13:22) He did do many things correctly and many things we should take note of. I think our passage is a great example of something that David did right. His priority in this instance was to leave His work at the office and go home to be God's arms to his family. I think we should aspire to such a challenge!
I wonder how it might change the dynamics in your home if you purposed to leave the office each day with the intend of blessing the socks off your family when you got home! Can you image what might happen if that was the intend of your entire family - that each one, whether leaving their places of employment, their tasks, their schools, that their intention was to be a blessing to their parents, siblings, spouses. This type of intention would radically transform the concept, no command of Jesus to love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34)
Give it a try!
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