And also unto the Levites; they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof.
The verse stands in chapters 21-23, which cover the prosperous years of David's reign. It belongs to the closing chapters of 1 Chronicles that establish worship under David, prepare for building the temple, and place Solomon on the throne under God's special blessing. As part of the history of David in Chronicles, it supplies new and important facts left out of Samuel and Kings while taking knowledge of those earlier books for granted.
The genealogies and arrangements for temple service in this context gave legal proof of hereditary descent needed after the exile, when land was assigned to its hereditary owners and temple service was taken up by those whose hereditary duty it was, with officials in their proper places. The verse means that once the temple was built the Levites would no longer carry the tabernacle or any of its vessels, but would wait on the priests in the sanctuary service, including preparing the showbread, often leading the singing, collecting the tithe, and doing a large amount of other work for the Lord. In David's time the Levites began that sanctuary service at twenty years old and at fifty stepped back from its hard labor without being discharged, while still having charge of the work. Their work, largely confined to the court, typifies the work of the gospel ministry in the present day.
The verse stands in chapters 21-23, which cover the prosperous years of David's reign. It belongs to the closing chapters of 1 Chronicles that establish worship under David, prepare for building the temple, and place Solomon on the throne under God's special blessing. As part of the history of David in Chronicles, it supplies new and important facts left out of Samuel and Kings while taking knowledge of those earlier books for granted.
The genealogies and arrangements for temple service in this context gave legal proof of hereditary descent needed after the exile, when land was assigned to its hereditary owners and temple service was taken up by those whose hereditary duty it was, with officials in their proper places. The verse means that once the temple was built the Levites would no longer carry the tabernacle or any of its vessels, but would wait on the priests in the sanctuary service, including preparing the showbread, often leading the singing, collecting the tithe, and doing a large amount of other work for the Lord. In David's time the Levites began that sanctuary service at twenty years old and at fifty stepped back from its hard labor without being discharged, while still having charge of the work. Their work, largely confined to the court, typifies the work of the gospel ministry in the present day.