1 Chronicles 24:1-31

content/bible_journal/1chronicles_24:1-31.md

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+title = "1 Chronicles 24:1–31"
+date = "2024-06-17"
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+
+### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/1Chronicles24.1-31)
+
+Having numbered the Levites, the Chronicler tells us of the organization of the priests.
+Only the descendants of Aaron were appointed to be priests, and only two of his four sons survived to have children: Eleazar and Ithamar.
+Nadab and Abihu were consumed by fire from the Lord because they were not careful to do as He commanded and to treat Him and his service as holy.
+By David's time, there were apparently twice as many priests able to serve in the tabernacle from Eleazar's line than Ithamar's.
+Therefore, they were scheduled twice as much time to serve.
+It makes me wonder if this arrangement was ever rebalanced as the priestly demographics changed over the centuries.
+
+The twenty-four divisions of the priests are listed.
+Probably, the only one that would be familiar is the eighth division, Abijah.
+This is the division that Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, belonged to.
+It is not recorded here how often the divisions rotated through there temple service, though we know from Luke 1 that the individual priest's duties within each division were chosen by lot.
+
+From verse 20 we are givien a list of the descendants of Levi again.
+This time the emphasis is that the Levites were sorted into divisions just as the priests were.
+The labor of caring for the tabernacle and temple and supporting the service offered to the Lord is organized along family lines.
+The details of this division follow in later chapters.
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+* * *
+
+You care for us by establishing order and giving us both work and rest in their due time.