1 Chronicles 24 Explained - 5 Minute Bible Study

1 Chronicles 24 Short Summary:

In the 24th chapter of 1 Chronicles, David divided up the priests into groups to serve at the Temple. Having assigned groups and an assigned schedule ensured there were always priests at the Temple to help complete the daily worship that was commanded in God’s law.

What is 1 Chronicles 24 About?

WHEN:

• The Book of 1 Chronicles was written several hundred years after King David’s reign.  

• David became king of Judah in approximately 1055 B.C, the year Saul died. David’s reign spanned approximately 40 years (1055-1015 B.C.). He reigned over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, before becoming king over all Israel. His reign over all Judah and Israel lasted 33 years.

• The final chapters of 1 Chronicles document events that occurred at the end of David’s life.

CHARACTERS:

• David – The second king over all Israel and Judah.

• Levites – The descendants of Jacob’s son Levi. They were a special tribe dedicated to the service of the Lord. They helped the priests with worship and the holy things.  

• Priests – The priests were the descendants of Aaron, Moses’ brother. They were in charge of offering sacrifices in the Tabernacle/Temple. Aaron was the first High Priest, and he was followed by his sons. The priests were a special subsection of the Levites.

• Zadok and Ahimelech – Leaders among the priests who helped David divide the priests into groups.

WHERE:

• David and Solomon were planning to build a temple to the Lord in Jerusalem. The priests and Levites would travel to Jerusalem to participate in the work at the temple.

OUTLINE:

• DAVID ORGANIZES THE PRIESTS FOR SERVICE IN THE TEMPLE (24:1-31):

  • With the help of Zadok and Ahimelech the priests, David divided the priests by their father’s houses. They were divided up based on with of Aaron’s sons they descended from.  

  • Aaron had 4 sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, but two of them (Nadab and Abihu) died without having children.  

  • David organized the sons of Eleazar and Ithamar according to their duties in the Lord’s service.

  • There were 16 groups within the sons of Eleazar and 8 groups from the sons of Ithamar.

  • The groups were determined by casting lots.

  • The heads of the 24 groups are recorded in verses 7-18.

  • Verses 20-31 record further divisions of the Levites (non-priests) by their father’s houses. These divisions were also made by casting lots.

EXPLANATION:

• Why did the priests and Levites need to be divided up into groups?

• Remember that the Levites didn’t receive a portion of land like the other tribes when Joshua conquered the Promised Land. Instead, they were given cities scattered throughout the territory of Israel.

• Since the Temple was going to be in a fixed location, Jerusalem, Levites and priests had to be assigned a specific time to travel to Jerusalem to participate in their portion of the work. When their duties were fulfilled, they could return home to their cities.

• Having these assigned groups and an assigned schedule ensured there were always priests and Levites at the Temple to help complete the daily worship that was commanded in God’s law.