Tag Archives: 1 Chronicles 11

Chapter-a-Day

Glory Days

2 Comments

Glory Days (CaD 1 Chr 11) – Wayfarer

When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.
1 Chronicles 11:3 (NIV)

In a few weeks, I will attend my 40th high school class reunion. I graduated in 1984. I came of age in the Reagan years. I entered high school the year Reagan took office and finished college the same year Reagan completed his second term.

It’s common for people to look back at their high school and college years as the “Glory Days” of life. Bruce Springsteen even wrote a song about it. I do find it humorous to think back about what life was like in those days. I get a lot of memes in my social media feed about growing up in the 1970s and 1980s and they always make me laugh. Life has certainly changed a lot in 40 years.

In today’s chapter, the Chronicler begins his description of the reign of King David. With both his words and his choice of details, he paints a “Glory Days” picture of Israel’s great King.

Twice in the first three verses of the chapter, the Chronicler chooses to say that “all” of the people and elders asked David to be their king. He then chronicles the capture of Jerusalem and David making it his capital city. The Chronicler then highlights David’s “mighty warriors” including the trio of nearly comic book-worthy heroes known as “The Three.”

Unity, power, and strength are the themes the Chronicler establishes immediately in his Cliff Notes condensed version of events. While it is true that his contemporary readers knew the more detailed accounts of Samuel version of history it is worth noting that the Chronicler chooses not to deal with the fact that David was named King of Judah years before the rest of the tribes asked him to be king over them. David united the tribes into one Kingdom, but history has taught me that no leader has 100 percent support. Even Walter Mondale took two states in 1984.

It’s also fascinating that the Chronicler puts David’s “Mighty Men” right up front in the narrative, while the author of Samuel placed it near the end almost as an appendix to David’s story. Again, there is a bit of glorification being presented in the Chronicler’s retelling.

Yet in the quiet this morning I can’t help but once again think about the Chronicler’s place in history. His generation was born and raised in exile. He’s known nothing but subservience to foreign empires. Now, he’s returned to Jerusalem which lay in rubble to rebuild a Temple that was also burned and turned into rubble. Our of the realities of defeat, destruction, exile, and subservience he is trying to find a way to rally his people to put their faith in God and have some pride in their national identity. So, he’s focusing on the unity, power, and strength that their great King David had back in the glory days.

And, I get it. It’s human nature to glorify our past. I certainly wouldn’t mind if Ronald Reagan was on the ballot this November.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Small Detail; Big Implication

2 Comments

The Uriah Letter
The mighty men were…
…Uriah the Hittite
1 Chronicles 11:26a;41a (NIV)

Great stories, both real and fiction, are layered with complexities and meaning. As both a reader and a writer, I am always fascinated and inspired with small details that add meaning to the overall story.

Weeks ago we read the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), in which David sleeps with the next door neighbor he’d been voyeuristically watching from his roof. She became pregnant and, to cover up his sin, David conspires to have her husband killed so that he can marry her. Her husband was Uriah, the Hittite. In today’s chapter we come across a small detail that adds layers of complexity to the story. Uriah’s name is listed in the roles of David’s “Mighty Men,” a group of elite special forces. Think about it: Uriah wasn’t just come random, no name infantryman. Uriah was one of David’s most trusted warriors and a member of “The Thirty.” When David arranged to have Uriah killed, it was a man he knew and with whom David had fought battles side-byside. Uriah was one of the best of the best, and a man in whom David entrusted his life. Killing Uriah wasn’t just a king using his power to whack some nameless peasant. Killing Uriah was a personal and professional betrayal in the most heinous sense. This is Judas’ kiss. This is Michael and Fredo. This is Iago and Othello.

I love that a little factual nugget buried in a “boring” chapter of lists can spark my imagination to contemplate so many additional layers of complexity to a story I thought I knew so well. No wonder Uriah lived in a building next to David’s palace. As a member of “The Thirty” he was the king’s body guard. David wrote orders to his commander-in-chief, Joab, to have Uriah killed and then sent it with Uriah back to the front line (talk about a Hollywood moment). This was probably a common. As a member of David’s body guard, Uriah was likely used to carrying messages. I also wonder if David’s orders created an erosion of respect from General Joab. There is a camaraderie among soldiers that is even tighter among special forces. Having Uriah killed would not have been popular move among his men. David’s mistake with Bathsheba was tragic failure on multiple levels.

Today, I’m thinking about how life imitates art and art imitates life. I’m thinking about David’s epic failure in light of my own epic failures. I’m enjoying thinking new and fresh about an old story I’ve known for years, and what that means to both the story and its meaning for me.

 

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day 1 Chronicles 11

Leave a comment

Wilderness These are the chiefs of David's Mighty Men, the ones who linked arms with him as he took up his kingship, with all Israel joining in, helping him become king in just the way God had spoken regarding Israel. 1 Chronicles 11:10 (MSG)

Great leaders aren't great leaders without great followers.
Great followers are made when a leader earns their devotion.

The prophet, Samuel, anointed David as God's choice for king when David was just a young boy. David did not ascend the throne of Israel until he was 40. Between his being anointed king and his ascension to the throne, an epic story unfolds. After his initial headline grabbing defeat of Goliath, David's rise to fortune and fame was short lived. King Saul, jealous of David's popularity and God's favor on him, puts a price on David's head. David spends the better part of 20 years on the run living in caves in the desert with a rag-tag band of warriors and mercenaries.

It was in the Judean desert that God prepared David for the throne. It was in the wilderness that David became a great leader. As he and his men scratched out a living and hid from Saul's army, David earned the respect and devotion of his men. A select group of highly gifted warriors rose from the ranks. Like comic book heroes, the Mighty Men became legendary and helped David inherit the promise God made to him in his youth.

Life's journey has its share of stretches through the desert and wanderings through the wilderness. They are difficult paths to walk and they often seem endless. Nevertheless, they acheive God's purposes for us. They prepare us for what God has in store down the road. They prove us and refine us. They develop maturity and wholeness. King David would never have been King David unless he'd spent half of his life in the desert earning the respect of the men who were single-heartedly devoted to him.

Press on. There's a reason you find yourself in a difficult place.