1 Chronicles 9. I want to go with the kids tonight. That would be my choice. Let's go ahead and stand, please. And our passage this evening, and I say this in sincerity for your physical well-being, will be 9 and 10. Not terribly long, but certainly not short. So at some point in time, you need to be seated. Feel free to do that. 1 Chronicles 9. So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies. And behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression. Now the first inhabitants that dwell in their possessions in their cities were the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethanyims. And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh. Uthai, the son of Amahud, the son of Amri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the children of Phares, the son of Judah, and of the Shilonites, Esaiah the firstborn and his son, and of the sons of Zerah, Jewel, and their brethren, 690, and of the sons of Benjamin, Salu, the son of Meshulam, the son of Hodeviah, the son of Hesanua, and Ebnea the son of Jeraham, and Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Micri, and Meshulam the son of Shephathiah, the sons of Reuel, the son of Ebniah. And their brethren, according to their generations, nine hundred and fifty and six. All these men were the chief of the fathers in the house of their fathers. And of the priests, Judea, and Jehorib, and Jacob, And Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshulam, the son of Zadok, the son of Merioth, the son of Ahitab, of the ruler of the house of God. And Adaiah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Pasher, the son of Melchijah. And Maasaiah, the son of Adiel, the son of Jazera, and the son of Meshulam, the son of Meshulameth, the son of Emer, and their brethren, heads of the house of their fathers, 1,703 score. very able men for the work of the service of the house of God. And of the Levites, Shemaiah the son of Hasab, the son of Azraqam, the son of Hashebiah, are the sons of Merari. And Bakar, Harish, and Galel, and Madani, the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph. And Obadiah, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galel, the son of Jeduthun. And Barakai, the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwell in the villages of the Netaphathites. And the porters were Shalem, and Aqab, and Talmon, and Ahimon, and their brethren. Shalem was the chief who hitherto waited in the king's gate eastward. They were porters in the company of the children of Levi. And Shalem, the son of Korah, and Abiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service. keepers of the gates of the tabernacle, and their fathers, being over the host of the Lord, were keepers of the entry. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was ruler over them in time past, and the Lord was with him. And Zechariah, the son of Meshalamiah, was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were 212. They were reckoned by their genealogy and their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office. So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the Lord, namely the house of the tabernacle by wards. In four quarters were the porters toward the east, west, north, and south. And their brethren, which were in their villages, were come after seven days from time to time with them. For these Levites, the four chief porters were in their set office and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. And they lodged round about the house of God because the charge was upon them and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them. And certain of them had the charge of the ministering vessels that they could bring them in and out by tail. Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels and all the instruments of the sanctuary and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices. And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices. And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shalom the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were made in the pans. And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the showbread to prepare it every Sabbath. And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free, for they were employed in that work day and night. These chief fathers of the Levites were chief throughout their generations. These dwelt at Jerusalem. And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife's name was Maacah, and his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, then Kish, and Baal, and Nur, and Nadab, and Gidor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth, and Mikloth begat Shimeam, and they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem over against their brethren. Nir begat Kish, Kish begat Saul, Saul begat Jonathan, and Melchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. And the son of Jonathan was Meribale, and Meribale begat Micah, The sons of Micah were Python, and Melech, and Teriah, and Ahaz. And Ahaz begat Jerah, and Jerah begat Alameth, and Asmeth, and Zimri, and Zimri begat Mosah, and Moses begat Binah, and Rephahiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son, and Azel had six sons whose names are Azraqam, Bakaru, and Ishmael, and Shariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel. Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. Then said Saul to his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword and died. So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together. And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in Mount Gilboa. And when they had stripped him, they took his head and his armor and sent into the land of the Philistines round about to carry tidings unto their idols and to the people. and they put his armor in the house of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, there arose all the valiant men and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days. So Saul died for his transgression, which he committed against the Lord. even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit to inquire of it, and inquired not of the Lord, therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse. And we will stop there, and we will pray. Father, always we are utterly dependent upon you and the ministry of your spirit to us to make true understanding of your word. And we ask that tonight. Instruct us from this historical event, please, in Jesus' name, amen. And you may, of course, be seated. Well, there is a sense in which, at long last, the chronicler has reached his purpose in explaining to us all of the genealogies. He has, in chapters nine and 10, woven together the roles of the Levites and the descendants of Judah, religion and reign. The religion is preserved and the reign is preserved as well. And I mean R-E-I-G-N not R-A-I-N. Let's take just a couple of moments to kind of walk through briefly the structure of the passage. Chapter 9 verses 1 through 34 are a listing of those who return to Jerusalem after the These are the people who actually made the pilgrimage that Nehemiah implemented, went to the land, and began to renew the practice of the religion of Judah. And so you have detail about elements of worship and things that would be necessary in the worship. It follows along kind of this trajectory. There's just first the general mention of the people, the Israelites, then there are the priests, then there are the Levites, then there are the porters or the gatekeepers, kind of the guardians. Men who have some physical responsibility, but who also function to protect these sacred elements. The list in verses one through 34 is very similar to the one found in Nehemiah 11. These are the people that actually went into the land. Beginning then in chapter 9 and verse 35, you have the genealogy of Saul's family. And Saul is, of course, the first king of Israel. And Chronicles is very much concerned with the religious practices of Israel and the rightful king of Israel. Chapter 10 verses 1 through 14 is an account of Saul and his family's loss of the monarchy and its transition to David. And yet there is, folks, you have what appears to be these two completely separate things. You have a list of all the Israelites who went into the land after the captivity, and then it's like we press the stop button on the clock and we walk many, many years, we walk centuries backwards, centuries backwards, to work our way through the genealogy of Saul, Israel's first king. But there is, I would propose to you, a common denominator. There is something that binds these two passages together, apart from the fact that God rules his people and God has a religion for his people to practice. But the binder I would propose to you is this, chapter nine and verse number one, so all Israel were reckoned by genealogies. We've worked our way through the 12 tribes. Everybody's been mentioned at least once. And behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. who were carried away to Babylon, here's our first clue for their transgression, for their transgression. And then again, because as we read the book, we are actually working our way backwards. We go all the way back to King Saul, chapter 10 and verse number 13. So Saul died for his transgression. So Saul died for his transgression. What happened to Saul? He transgressed. What happened to the Israelites? They transgressed. This is, again, I propose to you, part of what binds these two passages together. They are woven in a way that cannot be separated. You cannot really separate in the nation of Israel the practice of its religion from the practice of its politics. This is something that has caused us in the church no shortage of distress and confusion trying to figure out if we are to imitate and duplicate that model. But there is no confusion about Israel in the Old Testament. It was both a political entity under a king and a religious entity under a priest. Let me suggest to you four noteworthy things from the passage. And I am building, of course, upon the beginning and the end, the idea of transgression. Number one, it is a righteousness on God's part to judge our sin. It is a righteousness on God's part to judge our sin. Both Saul individually and Israel collectively suffered for their transgression. And the word that is translated here, transgression, is often translated trespass in the Old Testament. And it is a very serious word. The Old Testament Hebrew word trespass or transgression carries with it the idea of an act of treachery. All right, trespass to us is as simple as I cross, leave my yard and stand in your yard and you don't want me there and I'm trespassing. But for instance, in the book of Joshua, we read that Achan committed a trespass and the accursed thing, an act of treachery that cost he and his family his life. He stepped over a sacred line. He violated a clear command. And both Saul and the nation of Israel suffered God's judgment upon their transgression. For the nation of Israel, it was this captivity. And we have been reading in the book of Lamentations that this was not a minor military setback to the nation of Israel. It was their complete collapse. It was the end of Israel. It's not a recession, folks. It's not even a depression. It is the eradication of a people to captivity. And with reference to Saul, he died. And I think we all know, and perhaps we ourselves have been tempted to think this way at times, that God is being unreasonable or unrighteous when he reaches out and judges sin. that it is not really as bad as he claims it is and that his actions are harsh and unwarranted. But the perspective of Bible writers is actually the opposite of that. We have seen that. We saw that Wednesday night when Jeremiah reached the point where he came to this conclusion. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. The only reason we live is because God has shown us some mercy. Up until the day of eternal condemnation, folks, God deals with people far less seriously than our sin warrants. Job 11 6, and that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. That was one of Job's friends. Now, Job wasn't as guilty of sin as the man said, but his perspective was, know that God exacteth of thee less. And not deliberately, but I read it again this morning, Psalm 103, 10, he hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. As the psalmist one time contemplated, if thou, O Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who would stand? Who would stand? So there's a sense, folks, in which, as we read through this, we are facing the age-old question, is God as evil as people say He is, or we as evil as God says that we are? And I would point out to you that the way that we answer that question is reflected in how we think and are ourselves. Psalm 18.26, with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure. And with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward. God is a bit of an optical illusion to people. He is a reflection in our eyes of the way we are ourselves, righteous or evil. So we begin by noting, folks, that it is an act of righteousness on the part of the Lord to judge sin, whether it be the national sin of Israel or the individual sin of Saul. He is righteous. Secondly, it is an act of kindness on God's part that he explains what he requires of us. Solomon once noted that the curse causeless does not come. It is an act of kindness on God's part that he tells us what he requires of us. We're all sinful by dint of Adam, so we're all twisted and perverted by our very nature. But it is equally true that God remembers our frame, that we are just dust, that this is all that we are. When it comes, for instance, to the nation of Israel and this destruction of its systems and the vast majority of its people and the loss of its homeland, this did not come out of the blue. It should not have come as a shock to anyone. For centuries, God had been telling the people what they were doing wrong and what they needed to do to address it. In Exodus chapter 18, 19, and 20, which we will not take the time to read this evening, but in Exodus 18, 19, and 20, those are really important, folks, because Israel was given the opportunity as to whether or not to accept the covenant. Here is the covenant. I will be your God and you will be my people. Would you like that arrangement? The choice is yours. Yes, we would like that arrangement. Then you have Leviticus 26, a recitation of the covenant, its terms. In Deuteronomy 27 and 28, prior to the nation entering the promised land, they were all assembled. They were gathered on two mountains. The blessings and the cursings were read aloud, recited by everybody. Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 7, 13, and now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I speak unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard me not, and I called you, but ye answered not. And he said in Jeremiah 32, 33, they have turned unto me the back and not the face, though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. 11 times, simply in the book of Jeremiah, God told them that he had sent them prophets early. Early. The prophets were on the job early. There was no excuse for the people not to know. So it is a righteousness on God's part to judge our sin. It is a kindness on God's part to tell us what he expects of us. That's with reference to Israel. What about Saul? So Saul died for his, And if you look at 1 Chronicles 10 verses 13 and 14, so Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord. Against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not. There's charge number one. And also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit to inquire of it. and inquired not of the Lord. Therefore he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse. So his transgressions are twofold. He did not keep God's word and he inquired of the witch and not of God. Now, if we were to go back to 1 Samuel chapter 28 and read that story in its entirety, We would note that at some point in time, Saul did ask of the Lord. He did pose a question to God. And God refused to answer. But folks, don't put God on the defensive there. God is not at fault there. He had already made his position on which is known. Deuteronomy 18, nine through 14. You may not consult with witches. And the reason for that, folks, do we understand this? One of the reasons that the Israelites, and by the way, by extension, we, are not permitted to go out and actively try and engage with the spirit world is not because it is mythological, but because instead it is real. It was the reality of the other world that became part of the prohibition, not the mythology of the other world. Paul himself said this to the church in 1 Corinthians 10. The idol is nothing. That's true. The statue is nothing. But the demons behind the statue are very real. Don't mess with them. God had already decreed that Saul would lose the kingdom. You can read about that, by the way, in 1 Samuel 13, when Saul did not keep the word of the Lord. When Saul committed the grievous sin of intruding into the priest's office, something that God always kept separate, God had a political leader, the king, and God had a religious leader, the priest, And under the Old Testament system, they were two men, two offices, and they didn't do each other's jobs. Now, you probably are aware, folks, that there's a long history of debate about whether or not Saul was a true believer. I personally am of the opinion that he was not a true believer, that Saul was an unbeliever. a man who was chosen to be the king. Saul has a lengthy history of being completely disinterested in God, and it's not only a lengthy history, it is a public history of being disinterested in the Lord. 1 Samuel 9.18, then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and said, tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. Tell me where the prophet lives. Samuel is, folks, the most famous man in the land of Israel. He travels the circuit as God's mouthpiece. When Saul showed up, people went into a panic. What have we done? Why are you here? Saul didn't even know who he was. Saul didn't even know who he was. We will get to this statement that David said in 1 Chronicles 13.3, let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul. Saul had no interest in the Lord. And sometimes we say, yeah, but remember Saul prophesied. Yes, I do remember that Paul prophesied. And you remember what happened when Saul prophesied? Everybody that knew Saul said, Saul? Is Saul a prophet? Saul can't be a prophet, he has no interest in God. And by the way, folks, for all that God did for Saul, he still had no interest in him. That's part of the point of the story. God was kind to Saul. God empowered Saul. God directed Saul. And for all of that, Saul was not really interested in doing anything that the Lord really wanted done. And so Saul dies for his transgression because he wouldn't listen to God speak. And he went out and consulted a demon and got their advice. There is, folks, really a simplicity to God's demands. Be holy, be righteous. He has showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee? What does the Lord really want of us? But to do justly, to do that which is right, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with him. What does he really want? And so we have, folks, the righteous judgment of God and the kindness of God in explaining to us what we want, what he wants. And Israel knew what God wanted and refused to do it, and Saul knew what God wanted and would not do it, took matters into his own hands, disobeyed the word of the Lord. Thirdly, God is merciful even to the wayward. God is merciful even to the wayward. Back to chapter nine, verses one and two. So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies and behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression. Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in the cities were the Israelites. taken into captivity, reduced to abject poverty, brought under the thumb of an unbelieving government, and yet spared. And yet spared. The remnant was allowed to return. Jeremiah 29.1, these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem under the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, Jeremiah 29.10, for thus saith the Lord, that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil to give you an expected end. And folks, this is not just boring prophecy. This is God's pattern with people. This is the way God deals with us. Paul would put it this way, Romans 8, 18, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. God is merciful to the wayward. And finally, folks, fourthly, from this passage, we note that the world is governed by God's providential pattern. The world is governed by God's pattern. God is providing for himself and for us through the normal activity of humanity. All of this time, all of these people, all of these events, they are working towards one conclusion. They're working towards one good end. If we would go back, and we're not gonna go back and read through the genealogies, but we would notice that we begin at Adam, 1-1, and then Abram 1-27, and then Isaac and Ishmael 1-28, and the sons of Isaac, Jacob and Esau, then the sons of Israel, Jacob, then the sons of David, then the sons of Judah. We've talked about the prominence, the preeminence of Judah, the tribe which would bring the ruler, And yet, folks, if you'll notice, Saul is not from Judah. Israel's first king is not from the tribe of Judah. How is this? Chapter 10. I'm sorry, not chapter 10. We don't want chapter 10 there. 1 Samuel 9, verses one and two. You don't need to turn to it. Saul was from Benjamin. And I would suggest to you that a Jew who is contemplating what was going on, a man who is really attentive to what the Lord had said, who is really attentive to the Bible, A man who was familiar with the passage in Genesis 49, Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. That when God chose a man from Benjamin to be the king, he probably said to himself, well, that's interesting. What is a Benjamite doing being king? And what is a Benjamite doing being king? And I don't know that I have the full answer to that. That is something that is, reserved for the counsel of God. But I do think it fits with the pattern that we have already seen, that God instructs us and judges us in our rebellion and is merciful to the wayward when they return and has his purposes when what he is doing. Saul is very much presented to us as the man who outwardly looks like the right kind of king. 1 Samuel 9, 2, and he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and goodly, and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he. From his shoulders and upward, he was higher than any of the people. Our first introduction to Saul is that he is a young man who looks like he ought to be a king. He stood out, we still use the language folks, he stood out head and shoulders above his peers. He ought to be the king. And from the very beginning, David is characterized as just the opposite. He is the youngest in his family. He is not even considered by his father as a possibility. He's off doing chores, and Saul, Samuel says, well, we're not gonna sit till we meet everybody, go get him. And when Samuel saw him, he didn't think much, but the Lord said, look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, for I have refused him, that's of David's oldest brother, for the Lord seeth not as man seeth. For the man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. There's a pattern, folks, there is a pattern that we experience in this life that goes all the way back to creation. God created the heaven and the earth and it was dark and then there was light. And God created the heaven and the earth and there was chaos and then there was order. Israel experiences captivity And then comes the great deliverance. And I would just reference you to Haggai chapter number two, in which many of the Israelites are very much discouraged that the day that they are experienced is nothing compared to Solomon's day. And the Lord says, well, wait a minute, Solomon's day is nothing compared to what's coming. And I think folks, I would encourage you to think of that when Jesus said, greater than Solomon is here. Pattern is darkness and then light, chaos and then order, suffering and then glory, Saul and then David. It fits the pattern. It fits the pattern. God is working all things towards his glory. And when God's glory is reached to its maximum, we will receive the maximum benefit that we can receive. Something in it for us, but this is consistent. There is a consistency to what God is doing. This was something that was kind of lost on the Israelites when the Messiah showed up, right? They didn't want to hear anything about suffering. They wanted to get to the good part, the ruling part. This is one of the things that we do in an unjust manner to people. who are newly saved as we kind of present all the wonderful things that God will do, and kind of gloss over the fact that it may be an entire lifetime before He does them. But that is the pattern that God chooses there as a providence to His actions. Let's pray together this evening. Our Father, from the very beginning until the very end, and we are Well, we don't know where we are in that trajectory. You have been consistent. You have informed us what you want. You have judged us righteously. You have provided mercy. And you are operating consistently, Father. There is a glorious day, your glorious day coming. Much to our benefit. May our faith in you be strong and may our lives reflect our understanding of your ways. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, well, thank you as always for your attentiveness this evening. Just a couple of announcements. Again, we are asking for all of your adoptive family contributions by today. That just helps us and helps us with our commitment to Salvation Army. As far as I know, we have a missionary Wednesday night, and again, it's been just kind of a long exchange of emails, but he gave me the date of the 15th. I responded that it would work. I'm waiting to hear confirmation back from him, but we're gonna plan like there's one. So anyway, as far as I know, there will be a missionary. If not, it'll just be me. But we'll be ready for church one way or the other. And then on the 3rd of December, Patch sings. Of course, there's much going on, holidays coming, Christmas, Banquet. We'll get into some of those announcements later. Let's go ahead and stand and we'll pray. We'll have our closing song.