1 Chronicles 12
Before recognizing David at Hebron (1 Chron. 12:23-27), a few of the tribes—sad to say, the minority—had in part joined themselves to him while he was still the rejected king. The mistakes he made at this period of his history, the lack of faith which had prompted him to flee to Achish, the results that came upon him from this at the battle with the Philistines and his stay at Ziklag (see 1 Sam. 29;30), are not mentioned in Chronicles. According to the principle of this book, divine grace covers a multitude of sins; whereas in the second book of Samuel and in the Psalms we see David turning from his wicked path and confessing his faults.
What we find in this chapter (1 Chron. 12:1-22) is the faith of many, precious fruit of grace. This faith submits to the Lord's anointed, the king according to God's counsels, and acknowledges him at a time when the eye of flesh was not able to discern him in his lowly condition. It is the same today for believers. Our David has not yet received a visible kingdom, but those who acknowledge Him while He is still the rejected king have a special place in the divine annals and are "more honorable than their brethren." in like manner, men of Benjamin and Manasseh joined themselves to David at Ziklag (1 Chron. 12:1, 9), and men of Gad, Judah, and Benjamin joined him in the stronghold in the wilderness (1 Chron. 12:8, 16) before all the tribes hastened to him at Hebron.
In all these cases, whether it be at Ziklag, in the hold, or at Hebron, Benjamin is first (1 Chron. 12:2, 16, 29) and does not miss a single opportunity to acknowledge its king. This was an act of faith all the more remarkable in that Benjamin and especially "the brethren of Saul" had every reason according to nature to hesitate and not to make a decision until after all the others. But their faith could vanquish obstacles, for it is associated with "virtue" (2 Peter 1:5) and cannot be separated from it once called into action.
This little tribe of Benjamin, once nearly annihilated after their sin (Judg. 20-21), now holds a distinguished place in the testimony. As to them, God notes with approval (1 Chron. 12:1-7), the fact that they were "of the brethren of Saul." Theirs was the fervent faith of that first hour preceding the dawn of the kingdom. How can we fail to trace out this faith, for which the personal presence of David alone sufficed, at the very moment when according to man's judgment everything seemed to be lost forever for the Lord's anointed. Driven away by Saul, rejected by the Philistines, he had only Ziklag and even this place fell to the power of Amalek (1 Sam. 30)!
What a help these men would have been to the Philistines, enemies of God's people! But, on the other hand, what a help they would have been to Saul, these men "armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left with stones and with arrows on the bow!" (1 Chron. 12:2). Saul's lack of archers to oppose against the Philistines was the immediate cause of his ruin. We are told that he was much terrified when he saw that he could not measure up to the Philistine archers. Nevertheless David did not use this unanticipated help against Saul. He let God Himself direct the circumstances and pronounce judgment in his favor and would in no way fight against His people. How often Christians are presented with similar occasions, Satan succeeding in engaging them in conflict with one another. If they do not learn then that "in quietness and confidence shall be your strength," they will of necessity come into new difficulties.
The Gadites who joined David in the "stronghold" were "mighty men of valor, men fit for the service of war, armed with shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as the gazelles upon the mountains" (1 Chron. 12:8). They could engage in hand to hand combat with the enemy, being vigorous and fleet as is proper in such a situation. These men of Gad, whom we have seen above so careful of their genealogy which joined them to God's people, are prompt to acknowledge this people's leader. The obstacles to joining him, though of another kind from those of Benjamin, did not stop them. The Jordan, on the other side of which they dwelt, was as insurmountable an obstacle as in the days when the people had arrived opposite Jericho. "These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it overflows all its banks" (1 Chron. 12:15). There was now no need of a miracle to allow them to pass over; they knew that the Jordan had had to yield before the people of God, and strong with the conviction of faith, they prevailed over this obstacle in order to join the one who drew them like a loving sovereign.
In 1 Chron. 12:16-18, Benjamin appears for the second time but associated with Judah to go to David in "the stronghold." Here they act not only in simple faith, but in the power of the Spirit of God. "And the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and with thee, thou son of Jesse: Peace, peace be to thee! and peace be to thy helpers! for thy God helps thee." (1 Chron. 12:18). Love and admiration for the person of David animate these men. His personal merit and the assurance that God is with him suffice them. By virtue of this devotion they receive a privileged place from the king: "And David received them, and made them chiefs of bands."
Manasseh (1 Chron. 12:19-22) displays neither the faith of Benjamin nor the energy of Gad nor the power of the Spirit as Judah and Benjamin. These men arrive at Ziklag at the last hour, before the battle; they are all strong and valiant; they share with David the not insignificant honor of being rejected by the Philistines.
Like them, let us hasten to gather around Christ while it is still the day of His rejection; let us hasten to acknowledge Him before all shall be obliged to submit to Him when He is manifested in his kingdom. His heart finds a special satisfaction in our voluntary submission in the day of his being disowned by the world. He loves to declare that they who cleave to Him will be His peculiar treasure in the day of His reign!
We have seen that each segment of the people served David with the various gifts that God had distributed among them. The company of those who do battle for the Lord today must do the same. There is not, as some would have us believe, a "Salvation Army" destined to spread the gospel throughout the world, although the gift of evangelist itself is a gift of prime importance. The Christian army is ordained to combat spiritual powers to defend the Lord's rights and not, as does the evangelist, to cause His grace to triumph by making it penetrate consciences. The little army which gathers around David does so as "helping him in the conflict" (1 Chron. 12:1), in order to introduce, through combat, the establishment of His kingdom. Now the kingdom of Christ is not the gospel. In this respect the people of Benjamin had great faith: they expected of David brilliant deeds and a glorious reign at a time when the Lord's anointed counted for nothing in the eyes of men.
Let us now follow David to Hebron (1 Chron. 12:23-40), where he is no longer acknowledged by some, but by all the tribes.
The number of men from each tribe is noted. Each comes with his own special qualities to take his place in the king's army.
This reminds us of what is said of the body of Christ in Rom. 12. "All the members have not the same office"; all have "different gifts"; they must use them according to the manifold grace of God and "as God has dealt to each a measure of faith." Thus the Lord's army can work together for a common purpose, each exercising the function entrusted to him. Judah bears shield and spear; Simeon is mighty and valiant for the war; Levi is, as we have seen (1 Chron. 9:13), for the service, for, although each took his place in the army (1 Chron. 12:27-28) they were not called to combat. Benjamin, freed from the service of Saul, whose house they had once guarded (1 Chron. 12:29), had left this honorary post en mass, esteeming it as worthless, in order to occupy the true post of honor with David.
Faith alone had directed the first Benjaminites. The example they had given was followed by the rest of the tribe. This observation is not an unimportant one, for it is not every one's portion to display the same energy of faith through the Spirit. This is why Paul could say: "Walk thus as you have us for a model," and to the Hebrews he could say: "Imitate their faith."
Those of Manasseh had been "expressed by name" by their brethren "to come and make David king." There was a full fellowship among all of them. Participating by their empathy in sending forth their brethren, they recognized those among them who were most capable of carrying out their commission.
The children of Issachar "had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do" (1 Chron. 12:32), and this faculty was a precious benefit for the people of God. Have we not often proven that we were lacking this wisdom to press on through the problems of these difficult days? More readily do we find Christians marked by brotherly love, like the half-tribe of Manasseh, or power, like the mighty men of valor in other tribes, but the spirit of "wise discretion" (2 Tim. 1:7) is often wanting and we approach difficult situations without the discernment necessary. Moreover, times change, and we cannot act on one occasion as we would on another. Here the time had come to unite for a common action. Any other action, however plausible it might be, would have entailed fatal consequences. It was time to put aside all else, even legitimate considerations, to unite around David. It was not the time to make endless war against the remnant of Saul's house as Joab had been doing; the time had come to own David alone as chief and center. One might invoke the respectable legitimacy of the son of Kish and of his successors, or perhaps the necessity of lying low and waiting for events to unfold; but no such consideration could be of any value. It was a matter of David: the moment had come; one banner alone had the right to wave before all eyes. The children of Issachar had understanding of the times: in giving their opinion, they themselves acted according to God's true purpose to unify the dispersed tribes with Jesse's son as center.
Were not the Christians at Rome to whom the apostle Paul addressed himself true children of Issachar? "This also," he told them, "knowing the time, that now it is already time that we be aroused out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, and the day is near" (Rom. 13:11-12). The day of our David's triumph is near at hand; night will soon give place to light; let us awake! Soon the morning star will rise, that star which is already shining in our hearts. Listen to the children of Issachar. If we lack their discernment, let us bear in mind that God has provided for our assistance the wisdom and the counsel of our brethren who understand what Israel ought to do—what is appropriate today for the people of God! "All their brethren were at their bidding." May we be like them and listen to those whom the Lord has qualified for counseling.
The children of Zebulun were prepared for battle. If battle would break out, they would not be taken by surprise. They had "all weapons of war." Moreover, they were supportive of one another, keeping rank; none of them acted in an independent manner, for they realized that unity was their strength. And in addition they were "without double heart"—their affections were not divided. Is not a frequent cause of our defeats a heart wavering between the world and Christ, between our interests, our temporal advantages, and the unique service of David's Son?
Naphtali is a bit like Judah: they bear the spear, or rather the sword and shield, similarly to those men who had built the wall under Nehemiah.
Dan was "armed for war" rather than for battle like Zebulun. This infers that these men were ready to rally at the first call, once war had been declared.
Asher was familiar with strategy. The Asherites could "set themselves in battle array."
The tribes beyond Jordan came last, as we have said, but even their position at a distance proved to their advantage. They had "all manner of weapons of war for battle." If distance created difficulties for them in the matter of replacing their weapons, it provoked them to make careful provision.
That which characterized the tribes at this blessed period of their history is that all (1 Chron. 12:38) came to Hebron "with a perfect heart," without guile, with a single purpose, and that all in Israel who were constrained by circumstances to remain behind "were of one heart to make David king."
Lovely beginning! Blessed awakening! The fact of having but a single person, the Lord's anointed, before their eyes, was enough to produce this miracle. In this way all divisions can be prevented among God's people. The sovereign safeguard against division is to have Christ before the eyes of faith.
The Spirit of God here delights to show us the effects of grace in the heart. While 2 Sam. 5:1-3 treats this subject in three short verses, God is pleased to develop it here in all its fullness.
There is still more: brotherly love finds a rich occasion for exercise. "And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brethren had prepared for them; and those too that were near them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, provisions of meal, fig-cakes and raisin-cakes, and wine and oil, and oxen and sheep, abundantly; for there was joy in Israel" (1 Chron. 12:39-40). Nothing was spared where it involved their brethren's well-being, and at the same time they showed their attachment to David. They indeed added love to brotherly love (2 Peter 1:7). This harmony was undergirded by joy, the true motive for all devotion. "Rejoice in the Lord always," Paul said to the Philippians, for he knew that in order to remedy the discord threatening them, joy must be the prime component in their hearts.