Bible 101 - 1 Chronicles Chapters 18-22

Presented April 25, 2005 by Phyllis Gilbert

Review: David is king, and has been busy uniting the various pieces of tribal territory to make a whole nation. And we're seeing David's history from God's point of view (rather than the human POV recorded in I/II Samuel). Ezra, the priest and writer, therefore emphasizes the parts of David's work that bring people into clearer spiritual focus as well as to a political unity. One of David's first acts is to set up the capital in Jerusalem, not only a central location, but one that was defensible and which had significant history - the place where the Temple is built is said to be where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him. And then David brings the Ark to Jerusalem, and in so doing, brings the greatest symbol of the nation's religious system to the capital. David is also bringing music to worship, and we read two of David's hymns or psalms of thanks and praise (ch. 16 and 17), examples of what that music was like. His hymns are models for many of the older hymns, which fill our hymnbook. God's covenant with David, an eternal promise to establish the house of David, is one of the two OT hinges of salvation - the first is God's covenant with Abraham to create through his descendants a new nation, one that would serve God and God alone, and to be a model to other nations, attracting them to a belief in God. And then in God's promise to David, one of Abraham's sons, he gives a further covenant of love, making it clear to David, and to us, that the Messiah would come from Abraham, yes, but more specifically, from David's line (Luke 1:32).

I Chronicles 18: This chapter and the two that follow concern David's military campaigns. We've already been introduced to David's mighty men, their exploits and experience with him; now there are new battles to be fought. First he "subdues" the Philistines, a nation who'd been troubling Israel from the time of the Judges: remember Samson? Saul also fought them; now it's David's turn to "subdue" them. And he does. Then he turns to the west and makes a vassal state of Moab, and finally, he turns north to first defeat King Hadadezer and then the rest of the Arameans (recall they are one of two nations who finally defeat the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.) So on all sides, David is gaining peace. In v. 13, we read that he'd subdued Edom, Ammon and Amalek, too. For evidence, we're told Abishai, one of the top three mighty men, had destroyed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. (Edom was down at the southwestern edge of the Dead Sea).

I Chronicles 18:14: Here we read something of the way people perceived David's reign: "he was fair to everyone." And then his top officials are named: Joab as commander of his forces; Zadok and Ahimelech, priests; Seriah the court secretary, Benaiah the captain of the body guard, and "David's sons served as the king's chief assistants." In this account of David's reign, we do not read of these sons' poor behavior as we did in I Samuel. By contrast in I Chronicles, we see that David had given them responsibility.

I Chronicles 19: Here is an account of a humiliating incident we read of in II Samuel 10. David sends a sympathy note to the Ammonite king Hanun, expressing his sorrow at the new king's father's death. But Hanun and his officials think the message and the messengers have come to spy on the Ammonites. Recall that the Ammonites and the Moabites (the latter under subjection to Israel and paying tribute to David) are descendants of the two incestuously conceived sons of Lot and his daughters. The two groups of people have been a constant threat and problem to Israel from the time they were in the wilderness. Here again the Ammonites prove to be a nuisance: they cut off the beards and robes of the messengers, thus making them objects of public scorn. David sends word to stay in Jericho until their beards grow out. Gradually, it dawns on the Ammonites that their act will have consequences: they've thumbed their noses at a much larger, more powerful nation. So Hanun hires an army from Aram (Syria), and David sends Joab and his troops to war with them. Joab uses divinely-inspired strategy, dividing his army into two groups so that one could rescue the other if needed. But God fought for Israel, and both the Ammonites and Arameans fled before them. Soon David goes to fight the combined forces, now fortified with additional troops from Aram. Once again, God fought for Israel, and the enemy was destroyed. Hadadezer's representatives surrendered to David and Aram paid tribute to Israel. And note the last verse: "The Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore." David has proved to be equal to any threat. Why? God is on his side and giving him success.

I Chronicles 20: The Ammonites remain unimpressed, and in the spring, Joab led Israel's forces once again into battle with them. They'd run from Israel earlier, regrouped, and were, they thought, ready this time. But "Joab laid waste the land of the Ammonites," and they are defeated. Joab and the army march on and attack their capital, Rabbah, leaving it in ruins. The crown of Hanun along with other spoils of war is taken back by David, who has apparently come to do the mop-up. The Ammonites were turned into slaves for Israel. David returns to Jerusalem once again the victor.

The parallel passage to this one is in II Samuel 11 - that chapter which describes the turning point in David's life. II Samuel 11 also begins "In spring, when kings march out to war," but adds "David remained in Jerusalem." And while there, he saw Bathsheba, brought her to the palace, took advantage of her sexually, and then, when she sent word she was pregnant, David brought Uriah, her husband, home from the battle front. Uriah wouldn't cooperate with David's cover-up plans, so David sent him back with orders that he be put in the front line. There he was killed just as surely as if David had shot an arrow into him or struck him with his sword. The omission in I Chron. 20 of this incident, so crucial to David's life and the life of his family, is significant. Once again, it shows us the Chronicler is viewing the events of David's reign from God's perspective.

I Chronicles 20:4: The chapter concludes with battles against the Philistines - perhaps fought earlier, and here, the bravery of certain of David's men is in the spotlight. Of importance here are the names of giants, relatives of Goliath, killed in these skirmishes. At last, the Philistines are well and truly defeated; Samson began their subjugation; David continued it, humiliating them with the killing of Goliath in I Samuel 17; Saul fought them and was ultimately killed by them; David has had numerous battles against them, and now, they are defeated. If we date Samson in the 1300s, it's now about 1000, so it took well over 300 years and many battles, but it's done $hellip; for now.

I Chronicles 21: Now we read of David's sin, taking a count of his fighting men (not just the Mighty Men, but all the men ages 20-50 who were available). In II Samuel, we're told "God incited David" but here, it's Satan who's responsible. Joab resists David's order to take this census, but David insists, and Joab and his men comply. The numbers are impressive: 1.1 million--not including the men of Levi and Benjamin. The Levites would never be counted as fighting men since their job was to serve God as priests and in other Tabernacle/Temple duties (gate keepers, singers, etc.) God punished Israel, and David repents of his sin. God forgives him, but tells the prophet Gad to offer David three choices of punishment as a consequence of this sin: three years of famine, three months of enemy defeats or three days of plague. David asked to "fall into the hands of God" allowing him, in his mercy, to inflict the punishment he chose. So God sent a plague, killing 70,000 men, and we can be sure each was between the ages of 20 and 50, thus reducing the number of available men. The sin was David's pride in his fighting men rather than acknowledging that God was the author of their victories. Recall that in I Chronicles 17, when God speaks to David about establishing his house, he reminds David "I took you out of the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies before you." It is this last statement which David has forgotten: God has given him the ability to fight, the men to fight with, and the leadership to inspire them. These are God's conquests, not David's. Counting the men exhibits more faith in men than in God.

I Chronicles 21:15: The plague ends when the sword of the Angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ), ready to destroy Jerusalem, is halted. But David sees the Angel with his drawn sword and recognizes the city's vulnerability; indeed, he sees his own weakness. He repents in sackcloth and ashes, as do his officials with him. And David cries out to God to punish him and not his people because the sin was David's. Leadership, as we discovered in I and II Kings, is vital. Without God-centered, spiritual leadership, both nations sank. The people followed the kings' examples. Over and over, we read of others copying "the sins of Jereboam, son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit." Jereboam in 930 B.C. built two new worship centers in Dan and Bethel, erecting altars there to golden calves; idol worship never departed from Israel, and God's punishment was to cause their utter defeat in 722 B.C. In Judah, Manasseh's sin was the final cause of their exile in 586 B.C.

I Chronicles 21:18: David is told to build an altar and make a sacrifice, and he does. He buys a threshing floor from Araunah, a site, which on which the Temple is eventually built. Araunah offers to give it to David, but he replies that he will pay the full price, saying "I will not offer a sacrifice to the Lord that costs me nothing." He paid 600 shekels of gold (in II Samuel 24, the amount is 50 shekels of silver, a much smaller amount). A footnote in the NIV Study Bible explains the difference in this way: the smaller sum covered the threshing floor itself and the oxen for the sacrifice; the larger amount paid for the entire property - encompassing more than the threshing floor - which then was offered to Solomon as the Temple site.

I Chronicles 22: In fact, David states in the first verse of this chapter, that this land will be the location of God's Temple. Fittingly, at this place, David offered a sacrifice to atone for his sins; recall that in Leviticus it would have been followed by a couple of additional offerings: a burnt offering of total dedication and a fellowship offering of thanksgiving. In this chapter, the focus is on the Temple. David plans for its construction, and he continues planning until the end of his life. In I Chron. 28-29, he hands all these plans and materials to Solomon.

I Chronicles 22:6: We know Solomon will be the builder, and here David "charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel." David then tells Solomon of his own desire to be the builder, but God's denial of this privilege because David was a man of war (and of the blood of Uriah's murder). David tells Solomon all that God promised - peace and rest for his reign, and the responsibility of building the Temple. David adds a blessing, and a prayer that God will give Solomon understanding. This is echoed in Solomon's request that God give him "an understanding heart and wisdom to lead" (I Kings 3). David reminds Solomon that only with God's help will he be a success, and that he must study and apply the precepts of the law. And he adds "be strong and courageous," an encouragement, which Moses gave Joshua and God himself gave Joshua as he was about to lead the people into the conquest of the Promised Land. Then David reveals the many treasures he's collected to finance and furnish the Temple, and the craftsmen ready to construct it. David then orders the leaders to support and help Solomon. This passage opens to us the heart of David: he truly loved God and had badly wanted to do this work himself. But he submitted to God's plan: it was God's will that Solomon be the builder. So David, a concerned father here, gives Solomon a pep talk. Perhaps he knows Solomon will never be a warrior (be strong and courageous), but it's not a soldier's skills he'll need: it's administrative and spiritual leadership he'll need, and that is what God gives him.

Next week, we'll finish I Chronicles: David's plans for the Temple are handed over, and he dies. Then begins the next chapter in Solomon's life.

Homework for those who want to go deeper:

Let's close in prayer.