One Year Bible
Old Testament passage for Saturday, July 13, 2013: I Chronicles 15:1-16:36
12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 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.” I Chronicles 15:12-13 (NKJV)
God knows how to build a marriage. God knows how to build a church. He knows what makes a business work. He can make a nation strong. He knows how to rebuild broken lives.
David’s initial attempt to put God first resulted in disaster (see yesterday’s blog: “Why God Killed a Man”). Like many of us, he had the right idea, but went about it the wrong way. He knew the WHAT (bring back the ark of the covenant), but he did not know the HOW (men instead of machines should carry God’s presence).
God’s Word tells us not only what God is like, it also instructs us how to live. It is amazing to read the intricate details God prescribed for the building of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. His details are not meant to restrict us but rather to direct us to our highest possibilities.
When David found and followed “the proper order” according to the Bible, the result was a celebration. God gave David a second chance. I, for one, am so glad our God does not disqualify any of us because of our foolish failures. Instead, He meets us like the dawning of a new day offering a second or third or …….. chance to follow Him and fulfill the dream He spoke so clearly. Like all great endeavors, success requires many attempts. We all need a second chance. And our God isTHE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE.