1 Chronicles 26 - Gatekeepers and Other Levites | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church
The Bible by David Alley · David Alley
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Show Notes
In this video listen to 1 Chronicles Chapter 26, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.
In 1 Chronicles 26 we discuss doorkeepers. In some bible translations, the doorkeepers are called the porters. Regardless, they have the task of guarding the ports, of being security for the temple and have some basic level of logistical responsibility. Of great interest here is the inclusion of Obed-Edom in the list of doorkeepers.
This man was a Gittite, (a Philistine from Gath) who had the ark in his home for three months and was blessed as a result. (2 Sam 6:11) Now, he and his family are to be in the Lord’s home, just as the Lord was in his home. This is how it works … if you make a place for God, the Lord makes a place for you. And of course he is the only non Levite in all of the lists of rosters, and a non Israelite. Because he opened his home to God, he was included in Israel.
Many people make the mistake that God has to accept them first, but he has already done that… he has. To have God’s presence in your life, you must accept him and then experience what comes as a result. The breakup for gatekeepers is different because it reflects rostered locations - the gates. It seems that rather than having 24 courses as for the priests and the musicians, they obtained a location to guard. Obed-Edom and his 62 sons were to guard the south gate and the storehouse in turn.
This section reminds me of Psalm 84:10. “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” It is better to be at the door of the temple for a small time, than outside for any amount of time. In a sense, we are all called to be doorkeepers and guardians of the Lord’s treasures.
We are not supposed to watch them be eroded around us by culture, but to guard them in our hearts, and guard them for our children, and guard them for society and culture. We can guard them through our prayers, and our moral upright stance, and our resistance to cultural drift.