TODAY’S READING: I CHRONICLES 10-13
OVERVIEW:
The death of Saul and his sons; David made king overJudah;Israelanoints David king; David takes Jebus (Jerusalem) as the capital city of the kingdom; David’s first attempt to bring theArkintoJerusalem.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
The seemingly endless genealogy ended in chapter 9, and now God wants to bring us to the Reign of David. To do so, however, He must make the transition from the Reign of Saul. Chapter 10 makes that transition, as it gives us the record of Saul’s death. The parallel account of the death of Saul and his sons is found in I Samuel 31:1-13. The reason for Saul’s death is found in verses 13 and 14 of I Chronicles 10:
- He was not obedient to the Word of God (I Samuel 13 and 15 provide the details).
- He consulted a medium (I Sam. 28 provides the details).
In chapter 11, David is anointed asIsrael’s king inHebron. This is a classic case of, “the third time is the charm,” as this is now the third time David has been anointed. The first anointing was done privately by Samuel (I Sam.16:13), and the second was done publicly as king over Judah (II Sam. 2:4).
Note David’s key responsibilities given to him by God asIsrael’s leader in chapter 11 and verse 2: “Thou shalt FEED my peopleIsrael, and thou shalt be RULER over my peopleIsrael.” In simple terms, David’s responsibilities are much like those given to those who are called to provide oversight of God’s people in the church: FEED and LEAD! (See Acts20:28; I Peter 5:1-3)
The first item on David’s agenda after being anointed king was to secure a capital for the kingdom. Chapter 11 verses 4-9 explain howJerusalemwas taken, and how that in accordance with David’s promise for whoever was instrumental in removing the Jebusites out ofJerusalemwould be promoted to the captain of David’s army, Joab was installed as the commander. Verse 10 of chapter 11 begins a long list of the “mighty men” in David’s army. It is interesting to note the accomplishments of the various men who comprise this list.
Whereas chapter 11 identifies the INDIVIDUALS who were key in David’s army, chapter 12 identifies the number of mighty men from each of the TRIBES. Chapter 12 and verse 38 lets us know why all of these men were so “mighty” and so mightily used in David’s army: “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel.” The four qualities provide a great list for what every church should be looking for when filling the positions of leadership within the church:
- Men who understand SPIRITUAL WARFARE (“all these men of war” – 12:38a).
- Men who understand SPIRITUAL TEAMWORK (“that could keep rank” – 12:38b).
- Men who manifest SPIRITUAL MATURITY (“came with a perfect heart” – 12:38c).
- Men who manifest SPIRITUAL SUBMISSION TO LEADERSHIP (“to make David king over allIsrael” –12:38d).
Chapter 13 records David’s first attempt to bring theArkback into his newly acquired capital,Jerusalem. TheArkhad been completely neglected during the reign of Saul. TheArkrepresented God’s presence. What is sad is that for 20 years, nobody seemed to miss it! David is zealous to see God’s presence, represented in theArk, restored to its rightful place inIsrael’s camp. It is, however, a great lesson on how doing the right thing with the right motives, but done in the wrong way will always be disastrous, and in many cases, as in this one, deadly!
TheArkwas placed on a “new cart.” Apparently, David wanted it to be “special” because of what it represented. But the cart hit an uneven place in the road, theArkbegan to tip, and when well-meaning Uzza reached out to steady theArk, he was immediately zapped, just as Num. 4:15 said he would. God had specifically givenIsraelinstruction concerning transporting theArkso that this very thing would not happen! What began as a glorious celebration at the beginning of this chapter, ends like a funeral procession, with David very discouraged, disappointed, and even somewhat disillusioned. Again, a great reminder that God says what He means, and means what He says, and no amount of good intentions override obedience to what He has specifically spoken in His Word!
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
In DAVID, the ANOINTED KING – I Chron. 11:3 – (Christ is the “Anointed of God who will sit on the Throne of David as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS – Rev. 19:16; Luke 1:32)