OVERVIEW:
The death of Saul and his sons; David made king over Judah; Israel anoints David king; David takes Jebus (Jerusalem) as the capital city of the kingdom; David’s first attempt to bring the ark into Jerusalem.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
The seemingly endless genealogy ended in chapter 9, and now God is wanting to bring us into the reign of David as Israel’s king. 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 1st Samuel 31:1–13. The reasons for Saul’s death are found in verses 13 and 14 of 1st Chronicles 10:
- He was not obedient to the word of God. (1st Samuel 13 and 15 provide the details)
- He consulted a medium, or witch. (1st Samuel 28 provides the details)
In chapter 11, David is anointed as Israel’s king in Hebron. This is a classic case of “the third time being the charm”, as this is now the third-time David has been anointed. The first anointing was done privately by Samuel (1st Samuel 16:13), and the second was done publicly as king over Judah (2nd Samuel 2:4).
Note the key responsibilities God gave to David as Israel’s leader in chapter 11 and verse 2: “Thou shalt FEED my people Israel, and thou shalt be RULER over my people Israel.” 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 Acts 20:28; 1st 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 how Jerusalem was taken and how that, in accordance with David’s promise for whoever was instrumental in removing the Jebusites out of Jerusalem being 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 why they were 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.” These four qualities provide a great list for what every church should be looking for when filling 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 all Israel” – 12:38d)
Chapter 13 records David’s first attempt to bring the ark back into his newly acquired capital, Jerusalem. Remember, the ark had been completely neglected during the reign of Saul; and keep in mind that the ark represented God’s presence. What is sad, is that for 20 years, nobody seemed to miss it! David, however, is zealous to see God’s presence, as it was represented in the ark, restored to its rightful place in Israel’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!
Notice that the ark was placed on a “new cart”. (13:7) Apparently, David wanted it to be “special” because of what it represented. But the cart hit an uneven place in the road, the ark began to fall, and when well-meaning Uzza reached out to steady it to keep it from hitting the ground, he was immediately zapped; just as Numbers 4:15 said would happen! God had specifically given Israel instruction concerning transporting the ark so that this very thing would not happen! (Exodus 25:12–14; Numbers 7:9) What began as a glorious celebration at the beginning of this chapter, ends like a funeral procession; with David very discouraged, disappointed, and somewhat, disillusioned. Again, a great reminder that God says what He means, 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 — 1st Chronicles 11:3 (Christ is the “Anointed of God” who will sit on the throne of David as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” – Luke 1:32; Revelation 19:16)