1 Chronicles Chapter 11

David Anointed King

  • 1Chronicles 11:1  Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 
  • 2  And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel. 
  • 3  Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel. 

This is recorded also in 2 Samuel chapter 5 where the people recognized from the word of Samuel the prophet that God chose David to be king in place of Saul. He was actually anointed king by Samuel years before after God rejected Saul for his disobedience. It was quite a story. It was in 1 Samuel chapter 16 where God sent Samuel to Jesse to choose a future king from among his sons.

  • 1Samuel 16:7  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 

Samuel surely thought the Lord would pick Eliab one of the older sons of Jesse but God rejected all seven and Samuel had to inquire whether there was another one around.

  • 1Samuel 16:11  And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 
  • 12  And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 
  • 13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

David loved the Lord, kept the sheep and worshipped God continually.

David Takes Jerusalem

  • 1Chronicles 11:4  And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 
  • 5  And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. 

The Jebusites occupied Jerusalem and told David he wouldn't be able to come there and wouldn't be able to defeat even the lame and the blind. I guess they were sort of making fun of David. More about this is in 2 Samuel 5:6.

  • 1Chronicles 11:6  And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 

This is how Joab became the captain of David's army.

  • 1Chronicles 11:7  And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. 
  • 8  And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 
  • 9  So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him. 

So the captial was moved from Hebron to Jerusalem and called the city of David.

David's Mighty Men

  • 1Chronicles 11:10  These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 
  • 11  And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time. 

David gives God the glory for his defeating those that opposed his ruling as king. Slaying 300 at one time shows a strong and mighty person in Jashobeam. He was a descendant of Hachmoni.

  • 1Chronicles 11:12  And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties. 
  • 13  He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines. 
  • 14  And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great deliverance. 

The Ahohites were from Bela the son of Benjamin. Eleazar helped defeat the Philistines but is was by the help of God. 2 Samuel 23 tells more about this event.

  • 1Chronicles 11:15  Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 

Rephaim was one of the tribes of the giants also called the nephiliym. 2 Samuel 5 and 23 mentions the Rephaim. Also mentioned in Isaiah 17.

  • 1Chronicles 11:16  And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem. 

After Saul's death and defeat by the Philistines, the Philistines set up a garrison at Bethlehem. David and his men defeated them.

  • 1Chronicles 11:17  And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate! 
  • 18  And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD, 
  • 19  And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest. 

This is a touching heart rending story but sounds just like David. Sometimes he was quick to make comments like many of us do but when he stops to think about it later, he realizes what he said and how many lives could have been lost by expressing his own desires loud enough for them to hear. It is interesting too that David previously knew about the well water at Bethlehem.

  • 1Chronicles 11:20  And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three. 
  • 21  Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three. 

Abishai was a mighty warrior. He was the brother of Joab and Asahel. He was the one that wanted to kill Saul in the cave in 2 Samuel 26 but David refused because he recognized Saul as the Lord's anointed. Joab and Abishai later killed Abner who was Saul's captain, because Abner killed their brother Asahel. 2 Samuel chapters 2 and 3 tells of these events.

  • 1Chronicles 11:22  Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. 
  • 23  And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. 
  • 24  These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties. 
  • 25  Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard. 

The Egyptian was over 7 feet tall and even held a spear. Benaiah even slew a couple of men that had the strength of lions.

  • 1Chronicles 11:26  Also the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 

Abner killed Asahel when Asahel pursured after him and refused to stop when Abner tried to get him to stop pursuing him. So it seemed to be self defense but later Joab and Abishai killed Abner which grieved David. 2 Samuel chapter 3 tells of the death of Abner and David's grief over it.

  • 1 Chronicles 11:27  Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 
  • 28  Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite, 
  • 29  Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 
  • 30  Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 
  • 31  Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, that pertained to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 
  • 32  Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 
  • 33  Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 
  • 34  The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite, 
  • 35  Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 
  • 36  Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 
  • 37  Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 
  • 38  Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri, 
  • 39  Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 

Here we see an armour bearer was named as part of the mighty men. I notice that in the bible they didn't have last names like we do today so they described people by whose son or daughter they were. Sometimes people existed with the same name so naming a father helped them to know the difference. It would be interesting to research when and where the beginng of have first, middle and last names started in history.

  • 1Chronicles 11:40  Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 
  • 41  Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 

I never noticed before that Uriah was among the mighty warriors. He was the wife of Bathsheba the woman that David married after Uriah was killed in battle. David had Joab set him at the front of the battle to make sure he would die to cover up the sin of adultery with Bathsheba when he found out she was pregnant. Although David repented and mourned over this sin and God forgave him of it, it started a real mess among his kids later. We do reap what we sow. David's child by Bathsheba died because of this sin after Nathan the propet pointed out his sin.

When we read the New Testament the sins of David is not mentioned because when God calls someone, forgives someone, salvation comes, it is done. The consequences may cause trouble in this world but when repentance is genuine, God makes us new creatures. We who believe will see David one day. He was one king who always loved God and never once worshipped idols or fell away from the worship of God.

  • 1Chronicles 11:42  Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 
  • 43  Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 
  • 44  Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite, 
  • 45  Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 
  • 46  Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 
  • 47  Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite. 

1 Chronicles Chapter 12

 

 
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