This week,
we shall continue the study of I Chronicles of the Old Testament.
This chapter appears to sum up the victories of David over the surrounding enemies of Israel, likely during his entire reign, and chapter 19 would recount his battles with the Ammonites and their allies the Syrians.
(1) If you have access to a biblical map of David’s reign, it would be helpful for you to attempt to locate the Philistine and other territories like Moab, Zobah, Aram, Edom, plus lands of other enemies of David like the Amalekites and Ammonites. In terms of direction, what areas around Israel had David gained victory over and subjected to his control?
(2) Which of the enemies that David defeated had the greatest number of casualties?
(3) Which of the enemies that David defeated were best equipped?
(4) What was David’s strategy in securing continuous control over some of the enemies? (vv. 6, 13)
(5) What is the point the biblical author tries to make by reporting to us the geographical extent of David’s conquest, the size of the army he captured or defeated, and the plunder that he took?
(6) In spite of David’s great success, what does the biblical author attribute his success to? (vv. 6, 13) Why is it mentioned twice in this short chapter?
(7) What did David do with many of the articles of silver, gold and bronze that he captured or was given as gifts from the surrounding nations? What could he have done with these valuables?
(8) What did his action (of dedicating these articles to the Lord) show?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. David reigned over all Israel, doing what is just and right for all his people.” (1 Chr. 18:13-14)
Ever since the delivery of the people out of their bondage in Egypt, it had been God’s desire that Israel would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod. 19:6). After many years of tolerating the waywardness and idol worship of the people, the Lord eventually found a king after His own heart who would reign over His people in justice and righteousness, so that He could honor His promise to give His people an undisturbed home, free from the oppression of wicked people and rest from all their enemies (1 Chr. 17:9-10; 2 Sam. 7:10-11).
No matter how short this period of just and righteous reign under David was, it must have been a great delight to the Lord, because finally Israel, though under a monarchy in structure, was really under theocracy in essence.
While “David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people” (18:14), “The Lord gave David victory wherever he went” (18:13). As chapter 18 of 1 Chronicles details the great victories of David, where he basically defeated and subdued enemies to the south, west, north and east, it is a clear echo of Psalm 33 in that, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance” (Ps. 33:12). It was true then, it is still true today!
(1) When God promised David rest from all his enemies (2 Sam. 7:11), it obviously does not mean that he would not have enemies, but that he would prevail over his enemies. This chapter shows us the reality of God’s promise in this respect. How then may you apply this truth in your life about being able to “rest” in the Lord?
(2) Ammonites were a traditional enemy of Israel (see 1 Sam. 11). Why would David wish to show kindness to the son of a former enemy? How unusual was such an act by a king?
(3) How was his kind gesture received? Should it be a surprise? Why or why not?
(4) What do you think was the intention behind the advice of the Ammonite nobles to their king?
(5) If the Ammonites knew that they were no match for the army of David, why then would they insult David’s messengers?
(6) How many mercenaries had the Ammonites hired? (Refer also to your own count of the size of David’s army in the answer to question 12 of the Scriptural Reflection for 1 Chronicles 12:1-40, Year 5 Week 15 Day 105.)
a. What then, in your opinion, would be the deciding factor in the outcome of the battle?
b. What strategy did Joab employ? (vv. 10-11)
c. How does Joab’s attitude in battle define his faith in God? (v. 13)
d. Did the Arameans give up upon Joab’s victory?
e. What was the eventual outcome of the second battle?
(7) What did this battle mean to the neighboring nations?
(8) What did this battle mean to David?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Be strong and let us fight bravely, for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight.” (1 Chr. 19:13)
Joab was certainly far from a
godly example to us and his brutality had caused David to caution his son
against him in his last words (1 Ki. 2:5-6). However, his long association with David appeared to have influenced his
faith in God, and it was beautifully depicted in his “strategy” in the battle
against the Ammonites and their mercenaries in the following ways:
- In spite of the formidable size of their well-equipped enemies (with at least 32,000 chariots and charioteers, not counting foot soldiers), he encouraged his people to be strong and fight bravely (v. 13).
- But he added that the goal of their fighting was not only for their own people, but for “the cities of God” (v. 13)—This meant that he understood that the name of God was at stake in this battle.
- As much as his army was surrounded (in front and behind) and that he devised the best plan he could think of (to select “some of the best troops in Israel and deploy[] them against the Arameans”—the stronger of the two camps of the enemy), his ultimate strategy was to put their lives into the hand of God—“The Lord will do what is good in His sight” (v. 13).
Indeed, in all battles in life, we still need to use the best of our wisdom, resources and effort, but we do not depend on any of these, but on God and God alone.
20:1-3—War with the Ammonites
(1) While the previous battle saw the active involvement of David, why does the Bible point out that he remained in Jerusalem during such a time “when kings go off to war” (20:1)?
(2) Take a look at the account in 2 Samuel 11:1ff to see what the result was of David’s having too much time in his hand?
(3) While the Chronicler has abridged the whole event of the taking of Rabbah, it is helpful to compare this account with the more detailed account in 2 Samuel 12:26-31, paying particular attention to 2 Samuel 12:26-28:
a. Why did Joab send a rather rude message to David in the battle against the Ammonites?
b. Joab must have known about the affair David had with Bathsheba because he was asked by David to have Uriah killed (2 Sam. 11:14-15). What did Joab now think of his king, David?
c. How great was this victory over the Ammonites?
d. Given the sins of David committed preceding this battle with the Ammonites, do you think this great accomplishment by David all of a sudden sounded quite hollow? Why or why not?
e. Why do you think the Chronicler chose to skip over the sins committed by David of 2 Samuel 11? (It is quite obvious that his immediate audience all knew about David’s affair with Bathsheba.)
20:4-8—War with the Philistines—These battles appear to be a collection of battles between the four descendants of Rapha (i.e. Rephaites) in Gath and David, and they were presumably known for their gigantic stature:
(4) Who was Sibbecai? (see 1 Chr. 11:29) What was the impact of his killing of Sippai? (v. 4)
(5) Who was Elhanan? (see 1 Chr. 11:26) What made this particular killing of Lahmi so special? (v. 5)
(6) Who was Jonathan? (v. 7; see also 1 Sam. 16:9—Shimea is a variation of Shammah)
(7) What was the common theme of these three accounts?
(8) What does the Biblical author intend to tell us?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“In the spring at the time when kings go off to war…but David remained in Jerusalem.” (1 Chr. 20:1)
Although the Chronicler chooses not to highlight the sins of David in having an affair with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah (2 Sam. 11), he still chooses to highlight the fact that while the nation was threatened by attacks from neighboring kings, David chose to remain in Jerusalem instead (20:1). This obviously highlights the fact that with all the successes David had achieved, and as much as he knew that God was the one who had given him all his successes, he had lost a sense of mission, and thought that he did not need to engage in leading his people in any warfare. The results were most tragic: He not only slipped into the sins of adultery and murder, he lost the respect of his general, Joab, who mocked his complacency by saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city and it will be named after me” (2 Sam. 12:27-28).
Obviously, the relationship between David and Joab had never been good, yet when Joab committed the cold-blooded murder of Abner (2 Sam. 3:22ff) and later Amasa (2 Sam. 20:8ff), David could not bring him to judgement, partly because of his fear of Joab’s influence over his troops (2 Sam. 3:39), partly because he was the one who master-minded the murder of Uriah through Joab. Indeed, his own sins of adultery and murder had effectively robbed him of the kingly office in administering justice in the nation—a grave reminder to all Christian leaders that there are sins that we cannot afford to commit, or else, we will be robbed of our office in ministering to the church of God.
(1) The Chronicler says that this census was taken by David because, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David” to do so (21:1) and yet 2 Samuel 24:1 says that it was the Lord who incited David to do so because His anger “burnt against Israel”.
a. How can you reconcile the two apparently differing accounts? (Can the incident in Job 1 provide an explanation?)
b. If the Lord’s anger had already burnt against Israel before this incident, what might be the cause? What purpose did this census serve then?
(2) Joab obviously saw through the evil motive of David:
a. From the words of Joab, what was the reason for David taking such a census?
b. Why did Joab, a ruthless warrior himself, see that he must confront David?
(3) In spite of the advice of Joab (and the army commanders, according to 2 Sam. 24:4), why did David still insist on the carrying out of his order?
(4) 2 Samuel 24:8 tells us that the census covering the entire area basically from the southern tip to the northern end of the kingdom, had taken a full 9 months and 20 days:
a. How large was the army that David could mobilize in case of war? (v. 5)
b. Why was David’s conscience not stricken when confronted by Joab? Why was his conscience stricken only now?
(5) Why did David consider his action a great sin?
(6) Was it? Why or why not?
(7) Taking a census of the army is only a prudent thing to do for any nation, especially in war time. Why then was David’s action such a serious offense to the Lord? (see the law governing the conducting of a census in Exod. 30:11-16)
(8) Now that David had shown his remorse and repented, why did the Lord still choose to inflict punishment on him? Has God not forgiven him then?
(9) God gave three options of punishment for David to choose:
a. Why did God give him options?
b. Which option did David choose and why?
c. Which option would you have chosen and why?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The king’s word, however, overruled Joab...” (1 Chr. 21:4)
Israel did not have a large full-time army under David; the fighting men were only called upon when a war broke out. As a result, David did not have a clue as to the exact number of fighting men he could muster should a major war happen. So it is only prudent for any ruler or government to ascertain in advance the size of the army. In David’s case, he also wished to ascertain where the strength of his army laid, except that he was not just any ruler. He was a king anointed by God to rule over His people; as a result, according to his own words to Goliath, “it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:47). To number his fighting men could only be both a matter of pride and a sign of not trusting in the Lord, but in the strength of men.
David’s pride was further displayed in not listening to the advice of Joab. Spiritually speaking, Joab was certainly no saint and so David did not respect him, especially when it came to things spiritual. If it were Gad who came to rebuke him in the first place, David might have listened, but his pride prevented him from listening to a man like Joab.
It is indeed hard for a person in a high position to accept rebuke, but thankfully David did have a conscience that could be awakened, although the resulting calamity proved to be very disastrous, the loss of 70,000 lives. The warning in Proverbs 16:18 is something we all need to take seriously, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
(1) How many men were killed in Israel? What had it done to the army of David?
(2) Why did the Lord stop the angel from further killing of the Israelites?
(3) What does this tell you about the Lord? (see David’s view of the Lord in v. 13)
(4) Do you think the angel had already carried out the killing for three full days? Why or why not?
(5) In an effort to save his people from such a calamity, what did David do? Would you have said the same to the Lord? (v. 17)
(6) Why didn’t David say so earlier?
(7) Why didn’t the Lord simply forgive David and stop the plague, but instead He asked David to offer a sacrifice?
(8) Why did David insist on paying Araunah for the threshing floor and the oxen:
a. Would the Lord not have accepted his sacrifice?
b. What did he mean by “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offering that cost me nothing”? How does this define what a “sacrifice” should be?
(9) What is the main message to you today, and how may you apply it to your life?
“Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” (1 Chr. 21:13)
David knew his numbering the fighting men in his nation was a great sin, because he followed the practice of the kings of his neighboring nations. On the one hand, it was certainly a sign of pride, desiring to take satisfaction in flaunting the huge size of his army, a total of 1.1 million fighting men in all (v. 5). On the other hand, it was a blatant act of rejection of the Lord as the true king of Israel. If he put his trust in the size of his army, he did not have to trust in the Lord. It took this otherwise godly king nine months and twenty days to come to be “conscience-stricken” (2 Sam. 24:8, 10). At least, he came to repentance before the prophet Gad was sent to declare to him the punishment. So, his repentance had nothing to do with the severe punishment that followed.
It is interesting to note that the Lord gave him three options to choose from: three years of famine, three months of fleeing from the enemies or three days of plague. Well, he had experienced three years of famine already (2 Sam. 21). Although we have no idea how many people had died in those three years, the number must have been significant, and it was only natural that those who died from famine first were the children and the aged. David had already spent a good part of his life fleeing from his enemies; not only was he tired of fleeing, he knew first-handed how painful that experience was and the shame that had been brought to the glory of the Lord. As much as a plague was equally horrific, at least it would only be for three days, and as David put it, he would rather fall into the hands of the Lord—that is what a natural disaster amounts to!
And David was right. Although the Bible says the plague lasted from that morning until the end of “the designated time” (2 Sam. 24:15), many commentators opine that because of the lack of an article before “designated time” (K&D, 709), it does not necessarily refer to the three days of “appointed time”, but perhaps the designated time for evening sacrifice which would have coincided with the offering made by David subsequently on the threshing floor of Araunah. Further, since God stopped the angel saying, “Enough! Withdraw your hand” (v. 15), it is likely that the plague did not even last a complete day, although 70,000 lives had been lost already.
There was a time in my life when I had to make a very difficult decision. It was the result of some foolish action that I took. One morning I was reading this particular passage and I underlined these words in v. 14, and I made a decision that put myself at the mercy of God. Looking back, like David, although I did suffer much because of my own folly, that decision I made has led me to experience nothing but grace — indeed, mercy upon mercy. Therefore, whatever choices we may have to make, “let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is great” (2 Sam. 24:13; 1 Chr. 21:13).
22:1—The Future Temple’s Site
(1) It is best to link 22:1 with 21:29-30:
a. Which site did David pick for the building of the future temple?
b. What was the reason given in 21:30?
22:2-4; 14-16—Preparations Made by David
(2) David was prevented or prohibited by God from building the temple himself
(17:4). Consider the following:
a. What was the next best thing David could do in this respect?
b. How does this reflect his heart for the Lord?
(3) What were the provisions he made for the building of the temple? (vv. 14-16)
22:5-13—Instructions to Solomon
(4) What were the other reasons that caused David to make such lavish preparation for the building of the temple? (v. 5)
(5) What was the reason he told Solomon that God would not let him build the temple himself? (v. 8)
a. Since the battles by David were not only necessary in the building of the nation as commissioned by God, they were in essence battles that belonged to the Lord and were necessary in the procurement of “peace and rest” for the nation. Why then God would use it against David?
b. What does this reveal about the heart and the character of God?
(6) While David was not qualified to build the temple, why was Solomon qualified? (vv. 9-10)
(7) What, in particular, did David pray for his son? (v. 12)
(8) What were the conditions attached to Solomon’s success?
(9) While David prayed for “discretion and understanding” for Solomon (in other words, “wisdom”), how is true wisdom defined in this exhortation by David? (vv. 11-13)
22:17-19—Instructions to the Leaders
(10) In instructing the leaders to assist Solomon, in what forms would their assistance be given logically? (see 29:6ff)
(11) What did David remind them of, with respect to what God has done for them? (v. 18)
(12) What then should they do? (v. 19)
(13) What did the building of the temple have to do with their devotion of heart and seeking God with their soul?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight'.” (1 Chr. 22:8)
In the earlier account of the reply by the Lord to David through Nathan, no reason was given with respect to why God would not let David build a house for Him (1 Chr. 17:4). However, in his instruction to Solomon to build the house for the Lord, David mentioned that the reason given by God was, “You have shed much blood and fought many wars” (22:8).
On the
face of it, such a reason does not make a lot of sense. Consider the following:
- David was chosen by the Lord to be king over Israel; David did not choose Him, but He chose him (17:7).
- As the king of Israel in a very hostile environment, he had no choice but to defend the nation and at times wages wars against the hostile neighbors (see the summary of wars by David in chapters 18-19).
- In all the battles he fought, it was the Lord who gave him victory (18:6). In other words, he received blessings from the Lord and the battles essentially belonged to the Lord.
- The battles fought by David directly contributed to the establishment of peace in the land.
Why then did God prohibit David from building the temple because of what he was commissioned by Him to do?
The reason was not only important to David, but important to all humankind created by and in the image of God:
- As Keil points out,
“War and bloodshed, however, are unavoidable and necessary in this earth for the establishment of the kingdom of God in opposition to its enemies, but are not consonant with its nature, as it was to receive a visible embodiment and expression in the temple. For the kingdom of God is in its essence a kingdom of peace; and battle, or war, or struggle, are only means for the restoration of peace, the reconciliation of mankind with God after the conquest of sin and all that is hostile to God in this world” (K&D, 536), and
- Ultimately, it is our Creator God who gives life; as a result, He is also the only one who can take life! Therefore, although David (as well as other earthly authorities given by God to “bear the sword” for just punishment [Rom. 13:1-4]) could legitimately take life as he battled for the Lord, he should do so gingerly and fearfully and only as a last resort in restoring peace to the land which together with every human life, belongs to God!
Chapters 23-26 give detailed accounts of how David sought to establish a permanent temple worship by enumerating and assigning duties to the Levites, beginning with counting and naming the family heads of the descendants of Levi (ch. 23), the priestly divisions (ch. 24), the musicians (ch. 25) and the gatekeepers (ch. 26):
23:1-6—Introduction
(1) How many years did David reign and how old was he when he died? (see 2 Sam. 3:45; 1 Ki. 2:10-11)
(2) What was the significance of David establishing a permanent temple worship organization before he handed over his reign to Solomon?
(3) How many Levites of thirty years or more did David enumerate at that time? What general groupings where they subdivided into?
(4) Who were the three sons of Levi? (v. 6)
23:7-11—The Gershonites—it is perhaps necessary to point out that the list of family heads here recorded differs quite significantly from the earlier list in 6:16, 20-21 in that the list here reflects those in David’s time, while the list in chapter 6 reflects the heads of family that had chosen to return from exile. I suggest that you may wish to read the two lists side by side, simply to get an idea of their differences.
23:12-20—The Kohathites— a far more detailed record is given in 6:2-15; 50-53.
(5) The descendants of Aaron are essentially priests, as distinct from other Levites, and “Aaron and his eldest sons” (JFB, 298; i.e. the descendants of the eldest son) assumed the office of the high priest in succession:
a. What were the sacred duties assigned to these priests? (v. 13)
b. What does the fact that the descendants of Moses were not counted as priests and simply treated as ordinary Levites tell us? (v. 14)
23:21-23—The Merarites—Again, you may wish to read this list together with that of 6:29-30 and observe the differences.
23:24-27—David Made Changes to the Age Requirement
(6) What was the age requirement set by Moses? (see Num. 4:3, 23, 30, 39ff)
(7) What was the age requirement subsequently changed to? (Num. 8:23-26)
(8) Why did David choose to further lower the entrance age requirement? (vv. 25-26)
23:28-32—The Duties of the Levites—The duties were to assist “Aaron’s descendants”, i.e. the priests:
(9) It is helpful to list these duties one by one.
(10) Compare this list with that of the priests in v. 13: What is the main difference in their duties from that of the priests?
(11) What were the physical areas of their ministries? (v. 32)
(12) Where was the one place within the temple they could not enter?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.” (1 Chr. 23:14)
It is interesting to read that the Chronicler, in explaining the duties of Levites, points out in particular that only Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to serve as priests, while all other descendants of Levi could only serve as Levites to assist the priests in their service of the temple of the Lord.
Why then, did he feel necessary to point out that “The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.”? (23:14)
Obviously, with the spiritual stature of Moses, the man of God, one would assume that such a holy role of the priests should fall under his descendants. However, such was not the case. God has determined that this priestly role would fall upon the shoulders of the descendants of Aaron.
This, to me, speaks to at least the following spiritual truths:
- The ministry in the kingdom of God is a shared ministry. As great a man of God as Moses was, he felt that he was inadequate in his speech, and thus God provided his brother Aaron who “can speak well” (Exod. 4:14).
- While Aaron had subsequently proved to be a man quite flawed, it does not mean that the descendants of Moses would necessarily be better that Aaron’s. Ultimately, God does not have “grandchildren”; everyone has to be held accountable to God for their own deeds irrespective of their ancestral lineage.
- God is sovereign; He alone decides whom to use, whom not to use, just as the Apostle Paul affirms, “There are different kinds of gifts…different kinds of service…different kinds of working…and He [the Holy Spirit] gives them to each one, just as He determines" (1 Cor. 12:4-11).
As a result, those descendants of Moses could not claim any special privileges over other Levites or demand any special treatment in the time of Ezra. They had to submit to the role assigned by the Lord through Moses—nothing more, nothing less!