1 Chronicles – Chapter 24

These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him. 1 Chronicles 24:19 – So this chapter, and all its names, may take a second to figure out what’s going on, but it’s pretty simple actually. The task was to be over the weekly care of the temple and they were choosing the order for the priests when to come. When it was their turn, they’d go on a sabbath and remain there till the next sabbath when the next priest came to relieve them. What’s special about this is that even then God knew the importance and weight the responsibility of serving Him so He gave support for those doing it. It wasn’t all on the shoulders of one person, nor is the mission we have today. Yes we are called to share the love of God with the whole world, to love the broken, help the helpless, and be God’s tools in this world. But it’s not all on you alone to get it done. Even in the calling to take care of your own family you are given support to help you in that. Lean then on the support given to you by God. The weight of your calling was never meant for you to tackle alone. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1387

But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests. 1 Chronicles 24:2 – Aaron, the brother of Moses, had four sons, the names we see in the passage above. We also see in chapter 24 how the sons of Eleazar and Ithamar were blessed with the honor of being the sacred officers, or priests, working in the innermost parts of God’s temple. Why though were the sons of Nadab and Abibu not allowed to serve in this role? Because they had no sons, and that was because they had sinned against God (you can read about their story in Leviticus 10:1-2). Their sinfulness not only impacted their ability to serve the Lord, but also kept any children that may have come from them that blessing as well. Let us be willing to ponder the long-term repercussions of our sinful choices. How will it affect my ability to serve the Lord in the future? Are my choices today helping or hurting the ones that come after me in their serving of their Lord? How can I today live in such a way that will set my grandchildren up for success in the Lord? I know these are such big picture questions, ones that were likely not on anyone’s radar today (they sure weren’t on mine until I read this scripture today!). Yet my heart is that those around me and those after me follow the Lord even better than I do. What then am I doing today that may hinder them from doing just that? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2577