“In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered.”
– 2 Chronicles 8:14
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you intrigued with family trees? Do you know your family history? What do you know about your dad’s ma? Your grandmaa was born on November 19, 1943 in Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. This is the same hospital where your dad was born. Your grandmaa’s grandpa and grandma on your grandmaa’s side lived in Wilmington all their lives. Your grandmaa’s grandpa on your grandmaa’s dad’s side began a business that first made horse drawn carriages. When your grandmaa’s grandma on your grandmaa’s dad’s side got older, your grandmaa’s grandma on your grandmaa’s dad’s side had to stay in a place that that took care of guys and gals who had mental illnesses. After your grandmaa’s grandma on your grandmaa’s dad’s side was ‘institutionalized’, your grandmaa had to go every Saturday with her dad and ma to visit her. Your grandmaa’s dad did not have any bros and/or sisters. Your grandmaa’s grandpa and grandma on your grandmaa’s ma’s side lived all their lives in Queens Anne County in eastern Maryland near the towns of Centerville and Crumpton. Guys and gals who live in Queens Anne County speak with a strong twang. Your grandmaa’s ma had seven bros and sisters. Your grandmaa’s ma and dad met after your grandmaa’s ma moved to Wilmington to go to Goldey-Beacom. Goldey-Beacom is a small college that is in Wilmington. Your ma went to Goldey-Beacom, too. Your grandmaa’s dad went to the University of Delaware. After your grandmaa’s dad graduated from the University of Delaware, your grandmaa’s dad began to work for Hercules. Your grandmaa’s dad and ma made a couple of moves during the years when your grandmaa was in school. When your grandmaa’s dad and ma moved to another house, they would move to another house that was within walking distance of P.S. DuPont High School – which is where your grandmaa went to high school. When your grandmaa was a kid, your grandmaa’s dad and ma did not own a car. When your grandmaa was in high school, she was active in Youth for Christ. Your grandmaa’s dad and ma were members of Eastlake Orthodox Presbyterian Church when this Orthodox Presbyterian Church was located on Market Street in Wilmington. After your grandmaa graduated from high school and because your grandmaa’s ma wanted her to go to a Christian college, your grandmaa – after Rev. Eckhardt – who was the pastor at this time at Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, told her about Dordt College – which is in Sioux Center, Iowa, your grandmaa applied to Dordt College. A couple of months after your grandmaa began studying at Dordt College, a roommate – who is your dad’s Aunt Kate, of your grandmaa in the house where she was living in Sioux Center, invited your grandmaa to go to her home to spend a long weekend with her. It was during this weekend in October of 1961 – almost 48 years ago, (over 63 years ago now as of the editing of this missive) that your grandmaa and grandpaa began to get to know each other.
What do you know about Solomon? Solomon was born about 3,000 years ago. Solomon’s dad and ma were David and Bathsheba. Solomon became the Israelite people group guys and gals third positioned king. When God told David – because David’s ‘hands had become so bloody’ from the years that he warred against the enemies of God’s specially chosen guys and gals, that He did not want him to build a temple in the city of Jerusalem for His presence, David mandated his kid Solomon to build a temple in the city of Jerusalem for God’s presence. After Solomon finished seeing to the building of a magnificent temple in the city of Jerusalem for God for His presence and after Solomon had finished seeing to the building a spectacular palace for himself – which Solomon did in the first 20 years of being king over Israel’s people group guys and gals, Solomon led the Israelite people group guys and gals over the next 20 years to a superpower status. The chronicler reports in 2 Chronicles 8 several things that Solomon did after he saw to the building in the city of Jerusalem of a glorious temple for God’s presence and the building of an extravagant palace for himself. Solomon rebuilt and resettled the villages that Hiram – who was the king over the guys and gals who lived in the city of Tyre, gave to him. Solomon captured Hamath Zobah and he fortified the cities that were in Upper and Lower Beth Horon as well as Baalath. Solomon conscripted Perizzite, Hittite, Amorite, Hivite and Jebusite guys – whose great, great, great . . . had somehow escaped God’s directive to His specially chosen guys to purge them from the Canaan land area when they entered this land area which they were told they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . ., to be slaves. Solomon amassed a huge army that was composed of fighters, commanders, captains and charioteers. Solomon moved one of his wives – a Pharaoh’s daughter, away from the city of Jerusalem because the city of Jerusalem had become a holy place.
Solomon did not forget what his dad told him to do. Verse 14 says, “In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered.” What advantage or benefit to you think that a kid has who grows up with a dad who is a man of God – like Solomon did? Your grandpaa sees your grandmaa as being a woman of God.
2 Chronicles 8 (1021)