Able Men With Strength

-May 30, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday

“All these were the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, able men with strength for the work: sixty-two of Obed-Edom.”

(1 Chronicles 26: 8).

When you read the whole Bible, especially in one year, it is such a great blessing. You will come across quite a few genealogies. Many people skip over these sections and miss rich treasures found in them. Today’s verse is a great example.

1 Chronicles 26 lists all the various Levites and their duties in the tabernacle. They were the servants, the gatekeepers, the singers, and the treasurers in the house of Lord. They were the worker bees of the hive. They never stopped.

I often think if I were a Jew living in those days, I would loved to have been a Levite. These men and their sons and brothers left a great legacy. Obed-Edom mentioned here in our text was one of four men by this name. All of them were Levites.

The name Obed-Edom means a servant of Edom or laborer of the earth. He and all his family were able men with strength for the work. God is the one who gives us the gifts and abilities to serve Him. We can’t serve by our own strength or wisdom, we need the Lord’s help. The phrase, “able men” is found eight times in the Scriptures.

I recently read a quote by Phillips Brooks, the great preacher, writer, and hymn writer of years gone by. He wrote the familiar Christmas hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” He once said, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your task.”

May the Lord help each of us to be able men and women with strength to serve the Lord until He calls us home to glory. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Doing our best with the strength from above, to labor for Jesus out of hearts with great love.

Dean