Everything Under the Son

I Chronicles 23:1–6

“When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of the LORD and six thousand are to be officials and judges. Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.” David separated the Levites into divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.”

God likes order, for out of the initial chaos He created the world, from a formless and empty earth, from darkness over the surface of the deep, the Spirit of God hovering over the waters brought forth light and rational assembly (Gen 1:2), and He was pleased and called all this good. In our communities today God still values order, and so across the Old and New Testaments we see relationships, roles, and responsibilities defined in the family, the church, nations, and ultimately the world, the entire universe under Christ, everything under the Son. King David, as the sun sets on his life made arrangements foremost for the continued public worship of God in Israel, service to the LORD first assigning Levites and priests specific tasks for the temple. The Living Life writer notes “each person has a role to play in building up God’s house. We should therefore consider ways in which we can contribute our skills and talents and be a blessing in our churches and in our communities… each task is meaningful in blessing the church. May we appreciate the small things and give thanks to those who faithfully serve God and His people. ” Amidst the seeming chaos of today’s alternative order (similar to cultures in the past, the Early Church, and the early centuries of Christianity), in our families, and churches, our Christian community, what we lobby and vote for within a democracy that may not share the values we subscribe to, in all this may we preserve God’s desired order of things, may we serve each other, “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph 5:21).”