I Chronicles 23:1 "So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel."

David was born about the year 990 B.C., and this chapter is pertaining to the time when David was in his seventieth year. By the term; "full of days", refers to the fact that he was satisfied with those years that God had given him in his life. For the house or nation of Judah, it was the king that designated his son that was to become king after him; however at this time of David and Solomon's life the nation of Israel had not split into two houses yet at this time. The northern kingdom came into being later, after the death of Solomon and was called the house of Israel; Israel then became a separate nation from the house or nation of Judah. Many of the kings of the house of Israel were not appointed by their fathers, but came to power my other means, such as after the murder of the king, or by military force. Much like third world nations of today.

I Chronicles 23:2 "And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites."

Again, all the 12 tribes were bound together as a single nation during the time of King David and Solomon, with the Levites scattered amongst all the tribes.

I Chronicles 23:3 "Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand."

Don't get this numbering of the Levites and priests mixed up with the numbering of Aaron's sons and the Levites back in the wilderness. That numbering took place about 1490 B.C., two years after the coming out of Egypt, while the Israelites were encamped at the base of mount Sinai. Numbers 3:6 - 8 tells us exactly why the numbering was to take place. This numbering by Moses was ordered by God, while the numbering by David was considered a sin, as we saw in I Chronicles 21. The first numbering was establish to give order for the travels of the next thirty eight years, and establish a line of communication between God and the congregation.

Numbers 3:6 "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him."

Numbers 3:7 "And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle."

Numbers 3:8 "And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle."

Remember that there were continuous times of setting up the tabernacle and dismantling it for movement for that movement in the wilderness. This appointment of assigning jobs of responsibility to the families of the Kohathites, Merarites, and Gershonites made sure these tasks would be tended to properly and godly manner.. However, the sons of Aaron were the only ones that were to touch and handle the sacred things, such as the ark of the covenant, the table of shewbread and so on, and until these instruments were packed away and prepared for movement, the Kohathites could not enter into the area where this preparation work was being done.

Numbers 3:43 "And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen (22,273 males over the age of one month)."

The purpose of the numbering of the Levites in the first place was for the sake of buying back the obligation that all the firstborn sons from all the tribes had to be given in service to God in the Sanctuary. This requirement or obligation of the firstborn sons became an obligation to God and was established the night that the death angel passed over the homes of the children of Israel in Egypt. Each firstborn son of the Levites paid a price that matched one count of the firstborn men in the rest of the tribes. And thus as each levite was assigned duties in the tabernacle, it would free a first born man 20 and older to the duties of the military. and the protection of Israel. The Levites males were not obligated to military service, but to the service of the Lord, and the ministering and service to the congregation from early childhood.

I Chronicles 23:4 "Of which, twenty and four thousand were to set forward the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were officers and judges:"

So with the review of the numbering from the book of Numbers, we see that these men were now from one month, and for the sake of life commitment, but for the sake of assigning them officers and judges to be scattered amongst the people of all the tribes, as well as giving service to the tabernacle and congregations scattered in all the tribal lands. So we see that of the 24,000 in the numbering, 18,000 would be assigned priestly duties, and that within the tabernacle area, and 6,000 were to be assigned as officers and judges of David's kingdom. David took the numbering that God required for a lifelong commitment to the Lord from age one month, and made it nothing more that assigning a job in their adulthood. The nation would now look to this army for their protection, and the Levites for service as a job, rather than a complete commitment to our heavenly Father for their protection and guidance.

I Chronicles 23:5 "Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments "which I made", said David, "to praise therewith."

This gives us an even greater breakdown of those 18,000 that were listed in this numbering by David. The job of these Levite men was given to service and was assigned by the government, not given as a voluntary commitment to service by the individual to the Lord. David is setting up the form of worship, the songs to be sung, and the words to be spoken by the people. The courses by the Levite priests given at the altar of sacrifice and offerings were to remain as God set for at the hand of Moses.

I Chronicles 23:6 "And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari."

This is the same family division that the numbering in the wilderness made; the families of the Gershonites, the Kohathites and the Merarites. Remember that Aaron and his sons were not in these divisions but separated to tend to the duties within the tabernacle, that of doing the offerings and sacrifice at the altar, and going into the holy of holies to commune with the Father. Those offerings and sacrifices are all listed in our Appendixes 43 and 44 in the Companion Bible, stating their names, what each was given for, and the method and animal sacrifice that was to be made.

At the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, all these blood offerings and sacrifices were fulfilled when our Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross.

Hebrews 10:5, 6 "Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, "Sacrifice and offerings Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me:" [5] "In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure." [6]

This of course was taken from Psalm 40:5-11, for it will only be through Christ and His Spirit that our spiritual eyes and ears will be opened to the truth from God's Word. Paul quoted only part of Psalm 40:6 because at that time of David's writing of the Psalms, their spiritual eyes and ears were not opened yet. However Paul's spiritual eyes and ears were opened to the truths of God's Word. God did not want those burnt offerings, but He wanted the love of those that loved Him; He wants your love.

Hebrews 10:7 "Then said I, Lo., I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God."

Everything that Jesus did and said while walking in his flesh body on the earth was written before-hand in the Old Testament. This is why Jesus said over and over, "Haven't you read;" "It is written... and so on". From the earliest time from the Garden of Eden, His coming and death was prophesied, even to the point that it would be at the hand of the Kenites, the sons of Satan through the womb of Eve in Genesis 3:15. His birth, baptism, mission, death and resurrection were all prophesied.

Hebrews 10:8 "Above when He said, "Sacrifices and Offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein;" which are offered by the law;"

Again, this is a quote from Psalm 40:6-8.

Hebrews 10:9 "Then said He, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God," He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second."

God did take away the ordinances dealing with the first; the blood sacrifices and offerings. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, went to the cross to die, and rose from the tomb was when the second was established. He took those blood ordinances away because the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ paid the price in full for once and all times for the sins of any person that repents, and comes to the Lord by their faith. When you pray in "Jesus Name", you are telling the Father that you believe the blood of Jesus Christ paid the full price. Jesus Name is the only way to the Father, and that is what become a mental road block to those that like to mess around with other religious forms. For mankind has always tried to form another way to the Father, to seek forgiveness for their sins they know they have committed sin against God, and this is why there are so many different religions in the world today.

Jesus gave us that way; "I am the way the truth and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by Me." Is that hard to understand. That way is opened to every man living in his or her flesh body, that will come to the Father in Jesus name, and in repentance under the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:10 "By the which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Paul reminded us of this in I Corinthians 5:7, 8; "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:" [7] "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavend bread of sincerity and truth." [8]

I Chronicles 23:7 "Of the Gershonites were, Laadan, and Shimei."

I Chronicles 23:8 "The sons of Laadan; the chief was Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three."

I Chronicles 23:9 "The sons of Shimei; Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the chief of the fathers of Laadan."

I Chronicles 23:10 "And the sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei"

I Chronicles 23:11 "And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second: but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons; therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their father's house."

I Chronicles 23:12 "The sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four."

I Chronicles 23:13 "The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy thing, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name for ever."

I Chronicles 23:14 "Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi."

I Chronicles 23:15 "The sons of Moses were, Gershom, and Eliezer."

I Chronicles 23:16 "Of the sons of Gershom, Shebuel was the dhief."

I Chronicles 23:17 "And the sons of Eliezer were, Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had none other sons; but the sons of Rehabiah were very many."

I Chronicles 23:18 "Of the sons of Izhar; Shelomith the chief."

I Chronicles 23:19 "Of the sons of Hebron; Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth."

I Chronicles 23:20 "Of the sons of Uzziel: Micah the first, and Jesiah the second."

I Chronicles 23:21 "The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi, The sons of Mahli; Eleazar, and Kish."

I Chronicles 23:22 "And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but daughters: and their brethren the sons of Kish took them."

I Chronicles 23:23 "The sons of Mushi; Mahli, and Eder, and Jeremoth, three."

I Chronicles 23:24 "These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers; even the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from the age of twenty years and upward."

I Chronicles 23:25 "For David said, "The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto His People, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever:"

I Chronicles 23:26 "And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor the vessels of it for the service thereof."

I Chronicles 23:27 "For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:"

Again, this numbering was for the purpose of assigning the duties to each man by the government. This took away the commitment from the age of one month for lifetime service and duty, as was set back in Leviticus.

I Chronicles 23:28 "Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God;"

I Chronicles 23:29 "Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size;"

I Chronicles 23:30 "And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even;"

I Chronicles 23:31 "And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the Lord in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the Lord:"

After the life of Saul as king over Israel, David was trying to revive the worship of the people to God. Remember under Saul, the ark of the covenant had been taken into the hands of the Philistines, and the people had strayed.

I Chronicles 23:32 "And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the Lord."