I Chronicles 28
Reason David is not building the Temple verse 1- 3
And David assembled all the princes of Israel
the princes of the tribes
and the captains of the companies
that ministered to the king by course
and the captains over the thousands
and the captains over hundreds
and the stewards over all the substance and
possession of the king – and of his sons
with the officers – mighty men
with all the valiant men unto Jerusalem
Then David the king stood up upon his feet
and said
Hear me – my brethren – and my people
As for me – I had in mine heart to build a house of rest
for the ark of the covenant of the LORD
and for the footstool of our God
and had made ready for the building
BUT God
said to me
You shall not build a house for MY name
BECAUSE you have been a man of war
and have shed blood
David informs Israel regarding Solomon verse 4- 7
Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the
house of my father to be king over Israel for ever
for HE has chosen Judah to be the ruler
and of the house of Judah – the house of my father
and among the sons of my father HE liked me to
make me king over all Israel
and of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons)
HE has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the
throne of the kingdom of the LORD
over Israel
And HE
said to me
Solomon your son – he shall build MY house and MY courts
for I have chosen him to be MY son
and I will be his father
Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever
if he be constant to do MY commandments
and MY judgments as at this day
David warns Israel to obey the LORD verse 8
Now therefore – in the sight of all Israel
the congregation of the LORD
and in the audience of our God
keep and seek for all the
commandments of the
LORD your God
that you may possess this good land
and leave it for an inheritance
for your children
after you for ever
Israel warned that the LORD sees their heart verse 9- 10
And you – Solomon my son – know you the God of your father
and serve HIM with a perfect heart – willing mind
for the LORD searches all hearts
and understanding all
the imaginations of the thoughts
IF you seek HIM – HE will be found of you
BUT IF you forsake HIM – HE will cast you off for ever
Take heed now – for the LORD hath chosen you to build a house
for the sanctuary – be strong – and do it
David gives Solomon preparation work he has done verse 11- 13
Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch
houses thereof – treasuries thereof – upper chambers thereof
inner parlors thereof – place of the mercy seat
And the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit
of the courts of the house of the LORD
of all the chambers round about
of the treasuries of the house of God
of the treasures of the dedicated things
Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites
for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD
for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD
David specified the pattern the LORD gave him verse 14- 19
He gave of gold by weight for things of gold
for the instruments of all manner of service
Silver also for all the instruments of silver by weight
for all instruments of every kind of service
even the weight for the candlesticks of gold
and for their lamps of gold
by weight for every candlestick
and for the lamps thereof
and for the candlesticks of silver by weight
both for the candlestick – also for the lamps thereof
according to the use of every candlestick
And by weight gold for the tables of showbread – for every table
and likewise silver for the tables of silver
also pure gold for the fleshhooks – and bowls – and the cups
and for the golden basins he gave gold by weight for
every basin
And likewise silver by weight for every basin of silver
and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight
and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubim
that spread out their wings – and covered the
ark of the covenant of the LORD
All this said David
The LORD made me understand in writing by HIS hand on me
even all the works of this PATTERN
David repeats promises of the LORD verse 20- 21
And David
said to Solomon his son
Be strong and of good courage and do it – fear not – nor be dismayed
for the LORD God – even my God – will be with you
HE will not fail you – nor forsake you
until you have finished all the work for the service of the
house of the LORD
And behold the courses of the priests and the Levites
even they shall be with you for all the service of the house of God
and there shall be with you for all manner of workmanship
every willing skilful man – for any manner of service
Also the princes and all the people will be wholly at your commandment
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 But God said to me, You shall not build an house for MY name, because you have been a man of war, and have shed blood. (1129 “build” [banah] means establish, cause to continue, develop buildings, to make something by combining materials and parts, fortify, or work on)
DEVOTION: Our desires need to match God’s blessing. David had a desire to build the Temple but the LORD said NO! The LORD gave David a reason why HE didn’t want David to build the Temple.
David was a man of war and Solomon whose name means “peace” was going to have a time period of peace during his reign over Israel. The LORD knew that HE would supply Solomon with a time period of peace in which he could build the Temple without any problems.
God communicated with both David and Solomon and HE communicates, with us today, through HIS Word, the Bible. HE gives us time periods of peace and HE gives us time periods when we have to fight for our freedoms to believe in HIM.
What is the LORD telling you through HIS Word to do for HIM today? How are we to build HIS church in your local setting? How are we to train HIS people properly to serve HIM in your local setting?
We need a blueprint that honors HIM in our world. Many local churches are not honoring HIM with their practices and beliefs. They have left the blueprint that HE gave them and followed their own blueprint which is dishonoring to HIM.
Our present nation is shedding innocent blood on a regular basis and so it is hard to build a church that is not honoring HIM in this area. We have to present HIS truth and make sure that we practice what HE is teaching for HIS own children.
We need to train our children in proper worship in the daily life by the blueprint that HE has given where the family trains the children in the Word of God. If this is practiced then the church will be full of children who know what the Bible teaches and LORD willing will practice what they have been taught.
If we are not training our children properly, the local church will fail to serve the LORD faithfully. We will raise a generation of children who have not been taught the standard God expects of them. This will cause confusion and God is not the author of confusion.
Christians should value life and marriage in a way that is taught in the Word of God and not by what society is teaching.
CHALLENGE: We need to tell our children that God has a standard and we need to keep it no matter what society teaches.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, IF he be constant to do MY commandments and MY judgments, as at this day. (2388 “constant” [chazaq] means to be/grow/make strong. To dedicate or trust entirely to a specific person or activity or cause, strengthen, or to prevail)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants consistency in our lives once we become a believer. Here we find that the LORD wants consistency in the life of the king of Israel. HE wants them to obey HIS commandments and judgments. It is not as if HE didn’t tell them what was expected of them. HE gave instructions through HIS communication with David. HE gave instructions through HIS instructions through the priests. HE didn’t leave anything out that HE expected of those who wanted to be HIS people in the Old Testament.
HE wanted to be the only God they would serve. They had a problem with serving other false gods while they were in Egypt. They had a problem with consistency in the area of following HIM.
While in the wilderness they worshiped false gods. While in the Promised Land they were worshiping false gods. Even to the point that HE had to judge them for their actions.
Now HE was establishing a capital for the nation. They had to make sure that they were faithful to HIM to receive the blessings HE wanted to give them.
However, we find that like them we have a problem being consist in our obedience to HIM even today. We have the blessing of the New Testament and all the promises given to us but we still don’t obey as we should.
Obedience takes work on our part. HE wants us to be consistent in our daily walk with HIM. HE knows that we are tempted day in and day out but HE has given us a way to escape the temptation if we will lean on HIM.
Learning to lean on HIM each day is not easy but is what is expected of us. We can confess our sins and HE will restore us to fellowship with HIM. Israel struggled and so do we.
CHALLENGE: Remember to keep short accounts with HIM!!!
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: 8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that you may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you forever. (241 “audience” [‘ozen] means ear, the range within which a voice can be heard, listening, to uncover the ear to reveal, the receiver of divine revelation)
DEVOTION: As David continues to give the children of Israel information regarding why he is not building the Temple and why his son, Solomon, is building the temple he is also giving a warning to the rest of the nation.
He has explained why he is not building the Temple and that is because he was a man of war and not of peace like his son Solomon is going to be. He wants the people to understand that he understands the LORD’S purpose in not allowing him to build the Temple.
Part of his understanding is that the next generation has to be “careful” regarding the commandments of the LORD. If they turn away from the LORD the nation will be chastened and the throne of David could be stopped. If they are obedient the throne of David would continue forever. This didn’t happen because even Solomon at the end of his life was not faithful.
However, we know that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah and it was promised that HE would return to set up HIS kingdom in the future. At this present time there is no king in Israel. The LORD is going to return and set up a new kingdom during a time period called the Millennium where HE will reign for a thousand years of peace from Jerusalem.
Now we have to look forward to that day. There will be a time period of judgment for Israel that will show that HE has not rejected them completely. They will realize in the future that Jesus is their Messiah. Right now they are blinded to this fact.
We are to share the message with them regarding Jesus Christ. We are to share this message with Jews and Gentiles alike as the disciples did after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.
Our responsibility is to spread the truth of the Word of God to every nation. There will be no individual who will have an excuse that they didn’t have an opportunity to accept or reject the truth of who Jesus Christ really was. We are going to lose rewards if we are not busy spreading the message of truth in our world to those we know and meet on a regular basis.
CHALLENGE: Are we leaving a rich heritage behind to our children of sharing the truth of the Word of God?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by HIS hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern. (8403 “pattern” [tabniyth] means likeness, form, similitude, plan, construction, figure, model, replica, resemblance or exemplar)
DEVOTION: Moses received instructions from the LORD regarding the building of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. God gave exact details for the building of the Tent and all the articles in the Tabernacle. HE didn’t leave anything to guess work. It was shown to Moses and he followed the blueprint exactly. Now we have David receiving a blueprint from the LORD regarding the Temple that was to be built in Jerusalem. It was exactly what the LORD wanted it to look like. David gave the blueprint to Solomon.
The Holy Spirit was the one who gave David the likeness of the Temple. HE was active in the work that was done on the Temple. HE made sure that there was no question regarding any aspect of the building of the Temple.
David started gathering material for the Temple as soon as he saw the blueprint. He knew just exactly what was necessary to build what the LORD wanted.
We have a blueprint for the local church that the LORD expects us to build on. It is given throughout the New Testament. Each Christian is a part of the building. We are to live a life that is pleasing in HIS sight and this will make the appearance of HIS church to be just like HE designed.
Sometimes we find that we think we know better than God what is necessary for a successful church. We like to add things, that HE didn’t think, were necessary because it looks good to us. We can add more rules or standards than HE adds. We can add different doctrines that are not found in the Word of God.
Our standards need to be HIS standards that are found in the Word of God. We need to make sure we are not acting like the Pharisees of Jesus day who made up over 365 negative rules for people to follow which they didn’t even follow themselves.
CHALLENGE: It is easy to judge others by our standards but that is not what the LORD expects of genuine believers. Follow only the New Testament blueprint for the local church.
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: 20 And David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fall thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD”. (3615 “finished” [kalah] means to end, to complete, accomplish, be done, or fulfill)
DEVOTION: How many of us have projects that need finishing. How many of us started projects many times but never get them completed? We think we can. We sometimes even try.
Here we find that the LORD has promised David that his son, Solomon, is going to complete the building of the temple. It seems like a project that could cause people to be discouraged. However, David relayed the pattern that the LORD had given him for the temple.
David gave all the instructions needed to have the Temple built the way the LORD wanted it built. He even gathered the material for the temple. He even gathered the workers for the temple. He even set up the schedule for the priests and the Levites as they served the LORD in the temple.
The details were under control. Once he had gathered everything together for the work to be done, he gathered all the people to tell them what was going to happen and why.
The LORD told David he couldn’t build the temple because he was a man of war. The LORD has certain responsibilities for certain people. We are not to work outside of our God given responsibilities. We can help those who have certain responsibilities but we should take it over.
The steps of Solomon were in the hands of the LORD. He was going to build the temple. The LORD had told David this fact. Solomon had choices to make in his life but he was going to complete the temple with the LORD’S help and direction.
David gave all the instructions necessary for Solomon to accomplish the building of the temple. One of the instructions dealt with the fact that Solomon needed to obey the commandments of the LORD. David showed Solomon the pattern that the LORD showed him for the temple. David told his son to be strong and of a good courage.
It was going to take a lot of effort to complete his task. It was going to take a lot of obedience to complete the task. We have choices to make in our lives. We have a calling of God to do a special work for HIM. HE will make that calling known as we yield to HIM.
The LORD is the same today as HE was in David’s day. All the comments to Solomon are comments to us as we do the LORD’S work. Serve HIM with a perfect heart and a willing mind. Does this describe our service to the LORD today? Each day we have to make a choice. We are building our temple for HIM in our daily lives.
Our bodies are the temple of God today. HE wants complete control over our lives. IF we give him control, HE can bless us. Is the LORD controlling our life or are our circumstances controlling our life? Which should it be?????
CHALLENGE: We need to complete the work the LORD has given us to do while we are here on this earth!!! HE is with us each step of the way. Praise HIS name!
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Ark of the Covenant verse 2
House for the sanctuary verse 10
Mercy seat verse 11
House of the LORD verse 12, 13, 20
House of God verse 12, 21
Treasuries of the dedicated things verse 12
Courses of the priests and Levites verse 13, 21
Vessels of service verse 13, 14
Lamps
Candlesticks
Tables of Shewbread
Fleshhooks
Bowls
Cups
Golden basins
Altar of incense
Pattern of the chariot of the cherubims
covered the ark of the covenant
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandments verse 7, 8, 21
Judgments verse 7
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 4, 5, 8- 10, 12, 13, 18- 20
Ark of the covenant of the LORD verse 2
God – Elohim (Creator) verse 2- 4, 8, 9, 12,
Footstool of our God verse 2
LORD God of Israel verse 4
MY commandments verse 7
MY judgments verse 7
Congregation of the LORD verse 8
Audience of our God verse 8
LORD your God verse 8
LORD searches all hearts verse 9
LORD understands all the imaginations of
the thoughts of men verse 9
House of the LORD verse 12, 13, 20
House of God verse 12, 21
Ark of the covenant of the LORD verse 18
LORD God, even my God verse 20
Will not fail Solomon
Will not forsake Solomon
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Gave David the pattern of the temple verse 12
Holy Spirit called LORD verse 19
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Cherubim verse 18
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Forsaking the LORD verse 9
Fear verse 20
Dismayed verse 20
Thinking the LORD will fail verse 20
Thinking the LORD will forsake verse 20
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Chosen verse 4- 6, 10
Constant verse 7
Keep the commandments verse 8
Seek the commandments verse 8, 9
Inheritance verse 8
Serve with perfect heart verse 9
Heart are searched by the LORD verse 9
Willing mind verse 9
Take heed verse 10
Be strong verse 10, 20
Pattern verse 11- 12, 18, 19
Ministry of Holy Spirit verse 12
Service verse 13, 14, 20, 21
Good courage verse 20
Fear not verse 20
Be not dismayed verse 20
Presence of the LORD verse 20, 21
Finished verse 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
David verse 1- 21
Spoke to company
Not able to build because
a man of war
Shed blood
Tells Solomon to be strong
Gave Solomon a pattern
Porch
Houses
Treasuries
Upper chambers
Inner parlors
Place of the mercy seat
Told Solomon to be strong and of
good courage
Princes of Israel verse 1, 21
Captains of the companies verse 1
That ministered to king
Captains over thousands
Captains over hundreds
Stewards over all the substance verse 1
Jerusalem verse 1
Judah chosen to be ruler verse 4
Solomon verse 5, 9- 21
Will build the house of LORD
Know God of your father
Serve HIM with perfect heart
Willing mind
Chosen to build house for the sanctuary
Be strong and do it
Seek the LORD and HE will be found
Need to be consistent in obedience verse 7
to commandments and judgments
Keep and seek commandments verse 8
to keep the good land
Willing skillful men verse 21
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Wherever tabnît refers to structures it is best understood as “plan,” e.g. David supplied Solomon with tabnît (“specifications,” “blueprints”) for temple items …. The tabernacle and its furnishings were to be made according to the tabnît (plan) God had shown Moses in the Mount (Ex 25:9, 40). Specifications for the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, the table for the bread of the presence, etc. included dimensions, material, design, and even color (Ex 26:1) though not always were measurements indicated (cf. lampstand, Ex 25:31). (I Chr 28:11, 19). (Waltke, B. K. (1999). 255 בָּנָה. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.) Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.)
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20–21 David’s final charge to Solomon (cf. vv.9–10; 22:11–16; Pss 27:13–14; 31:23–24), that he should “be strong and courageous” because the Lord would “not fail … or forsake” him, reflects the stirring charges of Moses to Joshua (Deut 31:7–8, 23), and of the Lord himself (Josh 1:5–9, 18). Paul gives a similar closing admonition in 1 Corinthians 16:13. (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 437). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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28:11–21. In a most remarkable declaration David shared with Solomon the plans and specifications for the temple and its furnishings which the Spirit of God had revealed to him (vv. 11–12, 19). The construction would be done by human hands but the plan and significance of the temple were from God. This also included the ministry of the priests and Levites (v. 13) and the weight of the gold and silver from which the sacred temple furnishings were to be made (vv. 14–18). Not wanting to leave anything to chance, David wrote down every detail of the heavenly revelation (v. 19). He encouraged Solomon to be strong for the task (cf. v. 10), courageous, and not fearful because God was with him (v. 20) and the workers would willingly assist him (v. 21). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 616). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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28:9–21 David turns his words to Solomon with 4 perspectives: 1) spiritual devotion (28:9, 10); 2) architectural execution (28:11–19); 3) divine intervention (28:20); and 4) human participation (28:21). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Ch 28:9–21). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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David now turns his plans over to Solomon (28:11–21). No detail is too trivial for David’s concern. David attributes his planning to divine guidance (v. 19), and in recording the matter, the Chronicler confirms the inspiration and divine authority of these details. This, in effect, gives the details of the temple the same divinely ordained status as that possessed by the ritual prescriptions of Moses.
Solomon is challenged to complete these divinely ordained details. As in all other matters of covenant obedience, Solomon is to be “strong and courageous” (v. 20) in building the temple. God’s faithfulness to Solomon will not fail. The national scope of the effort is again emphasized; the preparations have been made, and the officials and all the people will help Solomon in this great effort. (Bowling, A. C. (1995). 1-2 Chronicles. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 277). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
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Ver. 21. And, behold, all the courses of the priests and the Levites, &c.] Which David had lately fixed to take their turns in the temple, when built: even they shall be with thee for all the service of the house of God; to advise and assist him in every thing relating to the service of the sanctuary, which they might be supposed best to understand: and there shall be with thee, for all manner of workmanship, every willing skilful man for any manner of service; men that were not only well-skilled in all manner of curious work that was necessary for the service of the house, but were willing to employ their skill to the uttermost for it, and such David had provided, ch. 22:15. also the princes and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment; to do whatever he should order, whether to overlook the workmen, or to contribute to the expenses of the work. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 45). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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On Being A Pastor by Derek J. Prime & Alistair Begg
I believe God helps us remarkably when we are under pressure, but I find that I cannot call upon Him for help in the same way when the pressure is of my own making. (p. 110)
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Books play a vital part in study. They are necessary equipment for ministry. … We should read books that will exercise our minds and stretch our mental powers. (p. 111)
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Our starting point must be books that help us to get to grips with the text, such as Hebrew and Greek lexicons, Bible dictionaries, and theological word-books. Second, we need to give priority to obtaining single volume commentaries on all the Bible books, starting with those we are currently studying with our people. Third, we need to build up a basic library of books dealing with the doctrines of the faith, beginning with a book of systematic theology. …
Our fourth priority is our need to know the Christian classics, the books that have proved themselves and made an impact upon Christians over a long period of time. Fifth, we need books that deal with the practicalities of the Christian faith – Christian ethics and conduct, missions and evangelism. Sixth, we need to read Christian biographies, for besides stimulating faith, they illustrate from human experience so many of the truths we teach. Finally, we need to read secular books that stretch our minds and keep us in touch with contemporary life and thought. (p 112)
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1 Kings 19
Elijah flees from Jezebel, and the Lord ministers to him after saving him.
INSIGHT
On the heels of the stupendous victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah falls into despair. He fears for his own life in the face of Jezebel’s threat and flees to a lonely mountain for safety–to lick his wounds and mourn his fate. How shameful that this great prophet would call down fire from heaven one day and flee for his life the next. We all have feet of clay. Notice though that God does not berate him. Rather, He ministers to him quietly, restoring his spirit and strength. Then God calls Elijah back into His service again. God cares when we are hurt and discouraged and gently calls us to Himself for new strength.
(Quiet Walk)
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THE FIRST STAGE IN REVIVAL
And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people…for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiff-necked people: lest I consume thee in the way. Exodus 33:1,3
God’s reply to Moses is in effect, “I have given this promise to these people, that they shall go to that land of promise, that land of Canaan, which is flowing with milk and honey. And, therefore, I tell you now, you lead them up. You take them to the land of promise. In view of what they have done, I am no longer coming up with you.”
That, then, is the position. And what is of such great interest to us is the reaction of Moses and the church to this. This is always the first stage in revival. You see the position they were in—their sin, God’s pronouncement, God’s judgment upon it. And the first stage, the first step, in revival is, as we see here, a realization of the position.
These people who had rebelled and turned their backs on God, who had blasphemed His name and had criticized His servant Moses, who had caused Aaron to make the calf and had worshiped it, and who had sinned, suddenly they were stopped short. They realized something, at any rate, of the situation they were in. Now obviously this is a matter of final importance. There is no hope of revival apart from this. It is an awakening to the situation. It is an awareness of the implications of what God has said: “He is going to withdraw His presence from us, and He has done so. The cloud has disappeared. The pillar of fire is no longer in evidence. God said He would withdraw, and God has withdrawn.”
There is a consciousness and a realization of His displeasure. I defy you to read the history of the revivals—you will find at once that without a single exception this always happens.
A Thought to Ponder: The first step in revival is a realization of sin.
(From Revival, pp. 152-153, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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