Day 116: 1 Chronicles 19-21

(The previous post covered the Davidic Covenant, David's victories in war, and David looking to keep his Covenant with Jonathan by showing kindness to Jonathan's descendants.)

(The three chapters in this post continued king David's story.)

1 Chronicles 19
¹ And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

(Ammon was from Lot. This story was covered in 2 Samuel 10, and concerned king David's actions as king.)

² And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

(David showed kindness to Hanun because of Justice. David received kindness from Hanun so he showed kindness back.)

³ But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, in that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?
⁴ So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

(Hanun’s princes convinced him that David was being deceptive. Hanun returned evil for good. David's good gesture resulted in embarrassment for David's servants. The shaving of their beards and cutting their clothes were insults of grave proportion. Since these men were servants of David, it was as if these insults were done to David himself.)

⁵ Then there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.
⁶ And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Arammaacah, and out of Zobah.

(The Ammonites recognized they had made themselves "odious" to David and began preparing for battle. Odious meant "to have a bad smell, stink, smell bad." This was representative of these men having an evil nature. The Ammonites knew they messed up and they were trying to get ready for what they knew would come.)

⁷ So they hired them thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.
⁸ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

(David sent his general, Joab, when he heard of the gathering of the Ammonites.)

⁹ And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.
¹⁰ Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.

(Similar to the term "select" or "elect" in the New Testament, the term "choice" referred to the quality of these men. They weren't excellent men because they were chosen, they were chosen because they were excellent men. It is easy for people to abuse the Principle of Causality here and it damages the correct interpretation of scripture:
-Cause: "choice" men
-Effect: were "chosen.")

¹¹ And the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and they put themselves in array against the children of Ammon.
¹² And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.
¹³ Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good.

(Joab came up with a great strategy that would help him and Abishai if either of them were in trouble. This passage gave the definition for being a man. The phrase "play the man" meant they would focus on the causes (the battle) regardless of the effects (the outcome). In fact, they specifically stated they would leave the effects to God.)

¹⁴ So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.
¹⁵ And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
¹⁶ And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head.
¹⁷ And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.
¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.
¹⁹ And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.

(After David defeated the Syrians to the point they fled, king Hadarezer of the Syrians sought peace with David.)




1 Chronicles 20
¹ And it came to pass, at the time of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led forth the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and overthrew it.

(The times that kings went out to battle, David stayed in Jerusalem. This was when David saw Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:1. Again, David's actions with Bathsheba were not king David as king. They were the individual David being about himself (committing adultery and murdering Uriah). Consequently, these actions were not covered in the Book of Chronicles.)

² And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much.
³ And he brought forth the people that were therein, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. And thus did David unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
⁴ And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai, of the sons of the giant; and they were subdued.

(Sippai, the son of Goliath, was killed.)

⁵ And there was again war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

(Lahmi, the brother of Goliath, was killed.)

⁶ And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot; and he also was born unto the giant.

(Another son of Goliath’s, this one with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, was killed.)

⁷ And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.
⁸ These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.




1 Chronicles 21
¹ And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

(Satan provoked David to number Israel. This was the first time the word Satan was used in the Bible. This did not mean he was not present until now (e.g., The Book of Job). Also, the word devil did not occur in the Old Testament.)

² And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know the sum of them.

(David told Joab to number the people so he would know the number. Notice, this story was the same as 2 Samuel 24:1 when it was stated the Lord moved David to number Israel.

Two points need to be made:
1) This explained better that God can use Satan to bring about destructive results. For example, in 1 Kings 22:22, God used an evil spirit to lie to Ahab through the prophets. An even more clear explanation for how this worked was in the Book of Job.
2) The previous chapter covered the events from 2 Samuel 11. This chapter covered the events from 2 Samuel 24. The events that have been skipped over (Amnon raping Tamar, Absalom's exile, Absalom's rebellion, Absalom's death, David's exile, Joab's maneuverings, etc.) were not concerned with king David as king.)

³ And Joab said, Jehovah make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel?
⁴ Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

(Joab tried to convince David not to do this but David’s authority overruled Joab.)

⁵ And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
⁶ But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.
⁷ And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
⁸ And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

(God was angry regarding the numbering that David commanded. David immediately confessed.)

⁹ And Jehovah spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,
¹⁰ Go and speak unto David, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

(God gave David three options of judgment against Israel: 2 Samuel 24:12.)

¹¹ So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt:
¹² either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before thy foes, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

(The choices were:
1) Seven years famine
2) Flee three months before your enemies
3) Three days plague in your land.)

¹³ And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

(David chose pestilence at the Hand of God because He was merciful.)

¹⁴ So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
¹⁵ And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
¹⁶ And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

(David saw the angel that God had sent to destroy Jerusalem.)

¹⁷ And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against thy people, that they should be plagued.

(David prayed that the punishment would fall on him and not the people. David called the people "sheep." David recognized this decision was made as shepherd, as king.)

¹⁸ Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
¹⁹ And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah.
²⁰ And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
²¹ And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
²² Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto Jehovah: for the full price shalt thou give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
²³ And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all.
²⁴ And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost.

(2 Samuel 23 showed that David understood right and just. David knew it would not be right or just for him to offer something to God that had cost him nothing.)

²⁵ So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
²⁶ And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering.
²⁷ And Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

(God commanded the angel to put away his sword.)

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
²⁹ For the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.
³⁰ But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.

(2 Samuel concluded with God stopping the pestilence. However, the Book of 1 Chronicles still had more chapters...)

(This post covered the same events that concluded 2 Samuel while skipping over many events that occurred after the Davidic Covenant: Amnon raping Tamar, Absalom's exile, Absalom's rebellion, Absalom's death, David's exile, Joab's maneuverings, etc.)

Day 117