1 Chronicles 23 Devotional

Rest That Turns to Praise

“They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening.”1 Chronicles 23:30 (BSB)

David is old, Solomon is king, and the Levites are counted and organized by family (23:1-6). David explains that the LORD has given rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or its articles (23:25-26). Their work had long been carrying God's dwelling from place to place. Now God has settled among his people.

So their duties shift. They help the priests, care for the courts and chambers, prepare the bread, and keep the measurements (23:28-29). And one duty frames every day: they are to stand each morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the evening (23:30). When God gives rest, the labor of carrying gives way to the labor of thanks. A psalm calls it good to declare God's loving devotion in the morning and his faithfulness at night (Psalm 92:1-2). Because he has drawn near, your day can begin and end the same way, with thanks.

To think about: What would it look like to begin and end tomorrow with a few honest words of thanks to God?