Practical Lessons From 1 Chronicles (Part 1)
Since we have observed many practical lessons from the twelfth book of the Bible, let us now move on to the thirteenth book, I Chronicles.

The Chronicles provide much of the same information we have already seen in the books of Samuel & Kings. Thus, there are many lessons we will skip over that would be repeats of what we have already mentioned previously.

1. OUR REQUESTS SHOULD GO DEEPER THAN MERE REQUESTS FOR MATERIAL BLESSINGS.
I Chronicles 4:10 - "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested."

Jabez asked God for more than just material blessings, and God granted his requests. Our existence is not exclusively physical, and this should be reflected in the content of our prayers. God wants us to petition Him in prayer--with thanksgiving (cf. Phil. 4:6)--and he wants us to be mindful of more than just physical needs (e.g., Matt. 6:9-13). God still grants requests today of His faithful ones (cf. I John 3:22).

2. WHAT MAN MIGHT ATTRIBUTE TO HIMSELF IS ULTIMATELY A WORK OF THE LORD.
I Chronicles 10:13,14 - "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse."

The text says that God "killed him"--but how? According to I Samuel 31:3-5, the archers shot him and he then committed suicide. One might ask: How then was God involved? God knew that Saul was going to die that day (cf. 28:19). He allowed the time and the place to be right, and He allowed fatal arrows to hit Saul in battle. If God had wanted Saul to live another day, He certainly could have arranged for him not to suffer any fatal wounds. The implications here are far-reaching (cf. Rom. 8:28 and consider its inverse implication for the evil). How often does man attribute to his own activity today that which should more accurately be described as a work of the Lord?

3. GOD HAS ALWAYS EXPECTED A PROPER ORDER FOR SERVING & WORSHIPING HIM.
I Chronicles 15:2,13-15:

"Then David said, 'No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever'...'For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.' So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD."
There was a proper way to move the ark of the covenant, and David learned that lesson at the cost of Uzzah's life (cf. 13:7ff). They had not consulted God (or His laws) regarding the "proper order" or appropriate means. Many mistakes are made today in the name of serving God and worshiping Him because people don't consult the Lord! And how are we to consult the Lord today? Through His inspired word (cf. II Tim. 3:16,17)!

4. EVEN SPOKESMEN FOR GOD SPEAK INCORRECTLY SOMETIMES.
I Chronicles 17:1-4 - "Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains.' Then Nathan said to David, 'Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.' But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 'Go and tell My servant David, "Thus says the LORD, 'You shall not build Me a house to dwell in.'"'"

The prophet got a little ahead of himself here and made a false assumption. Man simply cannot read God's mind, no matter how much he may think he can. We cannot know whether a thing will please God unless He reveals it to us! The applications for this truth are broad. When a man after God's own heart (David) and a true prophet from God (Nathan) make an incorrect assumption regarding what God would like, what makes us think that our judgment is infallible? Indeed we are not infallible, particularly where we rely on our own preferences instead of the revealed will of the Lord. May all Christians and particularly preachers beware (cf. I Pet. 4:11)!