1 Chronicles 27:25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers.
One of the things I miss about being in the Army is that everyone knew their job. And if you needed something done, you knew exactly where to go to get it done. Every job had clear expectations and clear lines of responsibility. That structure was the same no matter what specific unit you were assigned to, so there wasn’t much of a learning curve when you changed units.
If there aren’t clear job expectations and a known structure, then confusion happens. Then lots of things get thrown on people’s plates that just don’t belong. Too many people end up doing too many things that aren’t really part of their job. Frustration goes up as they realize they aren’t doing what they were hired to do. People leave.
As David is getting ready to hand off the kingship to his son Solomon, he sets up a clear structure for the activities in the Temple to be built. This brought order to chaos. Now each person had their job, and all they had to do to have a smooth running Temple worship was to do their jobs. Not too much to ask.
Our text is the first in a series of twelve different assignments of role and responsibility that David lays out. He wants clarity when it comes to the functioning of the Temple. These newly specified roles needed defining in order for things to go smoothly.
One of the things I found interesting is that the people who were in charge of setup and teardown of the Tabernacle, the carrying of all the tents and poles and objects used in worship, they would be out of a job since the Temple would be stationary. But they were assigned new jobs. They would be in charge of all the side rooms, the store rooms, the accessory areas of the Temple.
And as history went on, those were the areas that seemed to slip first. Part of their new duties was to inspect the Temple sacrifices and give approval. This meant they had power, power over people’s ability to honor the LORD with their obedience.
So over time, accepting and rejecting of sacrifices turned into a side business, a profit potential. Unfortunately, these people yielded to the temptation. By the time Jesus arrives on the scene, they are buying and selling in the Temple area. How the mighty have fallen.
You see, even the best plans of kings like David have unexpected consequences. Since the permanent structure was never part of the LORD’s plan, He preferred the Tabernacle, His design, His will. So in the concession made to allow the Temple to be built, there were other compromises, other ways that sin could creep into the process.
There might be some structures in your life that allow sin to creep in. The more complex the structure, the more chance flexibility and wiggle room will exist. Ask NASA! The complexity of the things we send into space and the zero tolerance for error makes the missions very difficult.
I would advise having clear conversations about who does what in your work arena. Put it down on paper. Take the time to clearly define and then stick to the definitions. Changes to duties and responsibilities need to be discussed ahead of time, put in writing and then carried out.
Families can benefit from clear roles and responsibilities as well. Who takes out the trash? Who takes care of the yard? Who does the grocery shopping? Who picks up the kids after school?
The clearer the expectations the easier it is to fulfill them. No mind reading allowed!
The Arnold Journey 