1Ch 21:1

1Ch 21: Outlined: (1) David is moved to number Israel, paralleled with 2Sa 24 (vv 1-7); (2) David recognizes he has sinned (v 8); (3) David has to choose between three curses from God (vv 9-13); (4) The sword of the angel of the Lord slays many in Jerusalem, stopping over the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (vv 14-17); (5) David buys the threshing floor and sets up an alter because the plague is stayed (vv 18-30).

SATAN: Ref to an enemy: Cp with 2Sa 24:1: “And HE incited”; or, “One incited” — indefinite. Is this an angel of the LORD who acts as the “adversary” here? (Cp Mat 16:22,23: Peter called “Satan”.)

1Ch 21:25

Is there a discrepancy between 2Sa 24:24 and 1Ch 21:25? No. The difference in prices may be resolved in this way: the price of the threshing floor alone was 50 shekels of silver (2Sa 24:24), while the price of the entire “site” or “place” (that is, the holy place or sanctuary) of mount Moriah — where the threshing floor was located — was 600 shekels of gold (1Ch 21:25).

1Ch 18:1

// 2Sa 8: In 2Sa 8 and 10, David’s victories over the seven surrounding kingdoms (Zobah, Philistia, Moab, Syria, Edom, Ammon, Amalek) secure his own kingdom. In this they may be compared to the seven thunders of the Apocalypse — in which Christ’s kingdom subjugates the whole earth (Rev 10:3): (1) David first cleared Zion of enemies; (2) then brought “ark” to Zion (in Last Days terms, this may signify the glorified saints being established in Jerusalem); and (3) finally, the seven campaigns extend and secure the kingdom.

When David was seen to be firmly established as king over the twelve tribes, all the surrounding Gentile nations took fright, and as one man they determined to crush him before the combined resources of twelve united tribes made him invincible.

The first trials of strength (vv 1,2) came from the west and the east — from Philistia and Moab. The Philistines especially had reason to panic at the prospect of David reigning securely in Jerusalem. The campaign against Moab (v 2) was only a preliminary trial of strength.

And so David fought well against “Aram-zobah” (a small independent kingdom in the general locality of Damascus: 1Sa 14:47; 2Sa 8:3) and “Aram-naharaim” (Syria of the “two rivers” — ie Abana and Pharpar, or Euphrates and Tigris) (2Sa 8:3-6; Psa 60, title).

But while David was rounding off this highly successful campaign a long way from home in the north, he was shocked to learn that Judah, left almost defenseless in his rear, had been invaded by the Ammonites, the Moabites again, and the Edomites.

David’s acute despair in a related psalm (Psa 60:1-3) suggests how severe the inroads of these southern invaders were; and the mention of Shechem in 2Sa 8:6 shows that not only were the eastern tribes in peril but that now their threat was felt west of Jordan as well as in the extreme south, from Edom. The “stab-in-the-back” tactics from Edom readily explains the strong resentment which the psa expresses. This antagonism is demonstrated in the unusual savagery of the campaign. God had promised David another great victory over the invading forces (Psa 60:6-12), and thus it came to pass (2Sa 8:13,14).

1Ch 18:4

HE HAMSTRUNG ALL BUT A HUNDRED OF THE CHARIOT HORSES: That is, he rendered them useless as war machines. So whilst he retained chariots he was careful to avoid violating the injunction of the Law of Moses in Deu 17:16.

1Ch 18:11

KING DAVID DEDICATED THESE ARTICLES TO THE LORD: When we receive blessings of this temporal sort from God, do we dedicate them to the Lord? David did. Every aspect of our lives should be performed to the glory of God. It really should be our first thought to dedicate all to the Lord. Cp Mat10:8 with Rom 8:32.

1Ch 19:2

The historical event that David is remembering is in 2Sa 17:27. He is recalling an event which would not have been readily known by all his subjects.

1Ch 19:3

The way that the servants of David were treated shows that the Ammonites did not understand how David thought and behaved. This was a recurring feature of the way that men responded to David — thus showing that the mind of the flesh (seen in others) could not understand the mind of the spirit (seen in David).

1Ch 19:5

JERICHO: “We tend to think of Jericho, because of its association spiritually with worldliness and lack of godliness, as a desperate place, but in fact it was a fenced city in the midst of a vast grove of palm trees — a very desirable place indeed” (PC).

1Ch 19:18

SEVEN THOUSAND: The parallel text in 2Sa 10:18 has 700.

1Ch 13:3

David should have consulted God instead of his captains (v 1) about transporting the ark. His plan was good, but his methods were not well thought out. (Did David KNOW what to do? Did he simply choose to do something different, but “just as good”? Did he believe that there would be a new, spiritual priesthood — over which he might preside — with new rules? Was this a sin of ignorance, or a sin of presumption? Either way, this first attempt to bring back the ark proved disastrous: v 10.)

1Ch 13:7

ON A NEW CART: The priests and Levites of Israel were copying the Philistines, not the law of Moses: 1Sa 6:7; 2Sa 6:3.

1Ch 13:8

// Psa 68:25,26.

1Ch 13:11

THEN DAVID WAS ANGRY: But he later came to understand the lesson: 1Ch 15:13; Psa 30:11,12.

PEREZ UZZAH: “An outbreak against Uzzah” — the individual who had profaned the ark (cp 1Ch 14:11).

1Ch 13:14

AND THE LORD BLESSED HIS HOUSEHOLD AND EVERYTHING HE HAD: Since this happened in just 3 months, these blessings must have been quite sudden — an obvious miracle to those who observed. Perhaps something along the lines of Pro 3:9,10: “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

1Ch 14:2

DAVID KNEW THAT THE LORD HAD ESTABLISHED HIM AS KING OVER ISRAEL: In a sense, as we understand, David saw this kingdom as the “kingdom of God”, in fulfillment of the promises of Deu 28:1.

1Ch 14:4

1Ch 4:4-7: The 13 sons of David, born in Jerusalem:

1Ch 15:1

1Ch 15 outlined: (1) David prepares to bring the ark from the house of Obed Edom to Jerusalem (vv 1-3); (2) David assembled the priests for the task (vv 4-11); (3) David speaks to the Levites about bringing the ark to Zion (vv 12-16); (4) The singers appointed (vv 17-24); (5) David brought the ark to Zion (vv 25-28); (6) Michael, David’s wife, Saul’s daughter, despised David (v 29).

1Ch 15:2

The lesson of 1Ch 13:11.

1Ch 15:13

“We see here an interesting series of lessons. First, we must do things the way that God has decreed; and second, we must accept this even if we feel it is not necessary. David was angered by the breach which God brought upon Uzzah for touching the ark when it was not his place to do so, but this chapter shows how the man after God’s own heart puts aside his own emotions on the matter and accepts that God’s law must not be challenged. This is a very great lesson that we should all learn to counter the arrogance of thinking that we know better than God” (PC).

1Ch 15:20

ALAMOTH: “Alamoth” is the plural of “alma”, which may mean: a hidden one, a covered one, or a virgin (Isa 7:14; Gen 24:43; Exo 2:8).

According to Thirtle, in his work “The Titles of the Psalms”, “Alamoth” appears as a subscription — or “postscript” of Psa 45 (not as it SEEMS to be: a superscription — or “introduction” — of Psa 46).

Probably this means that Psa 45 was assigned to be sung by a choir of maidens (1Ch 15:20), or else they provided accompaniment for it. Such a designation is appropriate to Psa 45, which was plainly a wedding hymn (Psa 45:9,14). The “maidens” described in the psalm (called also “kings’ daughters” and “honourable women”: v 9) are the counterpart of the “daughters of Jerusalem” or “Zion” in Song 1:5; 2:7; 3:5; etc.

And so there were, it is supposed, other psalms and temple songs that were especially composed and prepared for the “maidens’ choir”.

1Ch 15:21

SHEMINITH: “Sheminith” is the plural of the Hebrew for “eight, or the eighth”. Possibly (this can only be guesswork!) it was used here as a reference to circumcision, performed on the eighth day (Gen 17:12; Lev 12:3; Luk 1:59; 2:21; Act 7:8; Phi 3:5). Since, of course, males only were circumcised, this may indicate a “male choir” — the counterpart of the “maidens’ choir”. And of course, other psalms and temple songs were especially arranged to be sung by the males.

1Ch 15:29

MICHAL… DESPISED HIM IN HER HEART: “The last time that we saw Michal at a window she was lowering David down to escape the wrath of her father (1Sa 19:12). On that occasion she risked her life for her husband. On this occasion she ‘despised him in her heart’. David had grown spiritually whilst he was away from her. She had degenerated spiritually. So the wilderness was a better growing environment that the court of the king” (PF).

1Ch 16:1

1Ch 16 outlined: (1) David brings the ark to Zion (vv 1-6); (2) The psalm that David delivered at that time (vv 7-36), consisting of: (a) Psa 105:1-15 (vv 8-22), (b) Psa 96 (vv 23-33), (c) Psa 106:1 (v 34), and (d) Psa 106:47,48 (vv 35,36); (3) The names of the priests left before the ark in Zion (vv 37,38); (4) The names of the priests left before the tabernacle in Gibeon (vv 39-42); and (5) Those who had come to worship went home (v 43).

1Ch 16:8

Vv 8-22 = Psa 105:1-15.

CALL ON HIS NAME: What name? The Covenant Name, of course! All the emphasis is on this, esp in the first portion of the psa (Psa 105:1,3,4,7,19,45). Yet His people, who should pin their faith upon His Covenant Name and esteem it more than their necessary food, exclude it from their synagogue service and prayers. And a sizeable portion of the New Israel argues about its precise pronunciation (and misses its intrinsic meaning?).

1Ch 16:11

LOOK TO THE LORD AND HIS STRENGTH: That is, the Shekinah Glory resident in the Ark of the Covenant (Psa 78:61; 132:8; 2Ch 6:41). The Ark of God’s Glory was called His “Strength” because it was the sign of His kingship in Israel, and the focal point for the display of His person in the midst of the nation (Psa 26:8; 63:2). David’s use of these words in 1Ch 16:8-22 — when he was bringing the Ark to Jerusalem — substantiates this.

FACE (of God): In Pss, always ref God’s presence in ark/tabernacle/temple: see VL, Pss, God’s face.

1Ch 16:12

THE JUDGMENTS HE PRONOUNCED: Not the Ten Commandments, but the Promises to the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, called also “word” (v 8) and “law” (v 10). The context requires this.

1Ch 16:13

SONS OF JACOB, HIS CHOSEN ONES: In ct with Esau (Mal 1:2,3).

1Ch 16:15

FOR A THOUSAND GENERATIONS: Cp Exo 20:6: “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Should this read “unto thousands”, or — as in Psa 105:8,9 — “unto a thousand generations”? Notice the italics in Exo 20:5: “generations” is added there, by the translators, to give the sense; and so it prob should be here also. At any rate, Psa 105:8,9 (and Psa 103:17,18; Deu 7:9; 1Ch 16:15; Isa 51:8; and Luk 1:50) provide divine warrant for this interpretive addition. But is not a thousand generations a gross exaggeration? By any reckoning, there cannot have been more than about 300 total generations since Adam. True, unless these passages mean spiritual “generations” in Christ, which can be “begotten” in rapid succession. The enthusiastic convert to the truth in Christ loses no time in converting a friend or relative to the same faith. And so on, and so on, until God’s mercy has been shown indeed to a thousand such “generations”! (WBS 186,187).

1Ch 16:16

The covenant was made with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3; 13:14-17), and confirmed by an oath (Gen 22:16); renewed to Isaac (Gen 26:3) and to Jacob (Gen 28:13; 35:12). As a token of his participation in this covenant, Jacob was given the new name Israel at the ford of Jabbok (Gen 32:28).

1Ch 16:18

TO YOU: Singular. The Promise was made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob separately as individuals. But note “you [plural] will inherit”; it will be fulfilled to all of them collectively. But here is a promise to the patriarchs not yet fulfilled, either in the past or the present (Act 7:5; Heb 11:8,9,13).

1Ch 16:19

Quoting Jacob in Gen 34:30, when he had first come into the Land with his sons (cp v 13 here). God esteems faith in His faithful remnant far more than formality in the mass of the people. “There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few” (1Sa 14:6).

1Ch 16:20

The wandering life of the patriarchs is thus described: Gen 12:1,9; 13:18; 20:1; Heb 11:9.

1Ch 16:21

KINGS: This plural is accurate: Pharaoh in Gen 12:17, and Abimelech king of Gerar in Gen 20:7; 26:11.

1Ch 16:22

MY ANOINTED ONES: The LXX has the singular: “my Christ”; but most versions give the plural: “my anointed ones”. Who was (were) the Anointed One(s)? The fathers, along with Sarah, in the general sense of having been specially selected by God. And so God saw that, wherever the fathers went, they would be protected by His Providence, and if necessary by divine decree given to Gentile rulers.

Or — as singular — the “Messiah” in the womb of Sarah (Gen 20:3,7; cp Gen 18:14), on the general principle of Heb 7:9,10 (Levi paying tithes while still in the loins of his father Abraham)? This is the same point David was careful about re Saul: Never would he lift up a hand against the Lord’s anointed (1Sa 24:6,10; 26:11,23).

Did David learn this psa — and this attitude — from Samuel? (If so, then here is a point in favor of Mosaic authorship for the psa, or at least for the first part.) And it was because of “the anointing” (Isa 10:27) of Hezekiah (as David’s successor and Jesus’ predecessor) that the Assyrian army — having swept through all of Judah (vv 28-32) — was at last turned aside short of its ultimate objective of Jerusalem (vv 23,24,33,34).

DO MY PROPHETS NO HARM: A quite remarkable addition to the Gentile account, yet strictly true: Both Abraham (Gen 22:8; 17:17; Rom 4:19) and Sarah (Gen 21:10,12; Gal 4:30) were “prophets”! And so also were Isaac (Gen 27:27-29) and Jacob (Gen 48:15-22; 49:1-27).

1Ch 16:23

Vv 23-33 = Psa 96:1-13.

Psa 96:1: Historic setting: The mighty “Theophany” in Hezekiah’s reign. Cp Psa 33:3; 40:3; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isa 42:10. This v matches Isa 38:20. Note also the marked similarities between Psa 96 and Isa 42:10-12 (and v 9 suggests that the great divine deliverance will have its greater future counterpart).

ALL THE EARTH: “All the Land!”: Hezekiah’s appeal to all 12 tribes.

1Ch 16:25

Vv 25,26: Scornful expressions about idols, because the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem was essentially a challenge to Jehovah by the “gods” of Nineveh (Isa 36; 37). The outcome was foreordained: Jehovah is to be feared above all gods.

1Ch 16:26

FOR ALL THE GODS OF THE NATIONS ARE IDOLS: There is a marvelous play on words here: “gods”/”idols” = elohim/elilim. Elilim is a pun and parody on Elohim; the word means “worthless” or “useless” (Job 13:4; Jer 14:14, sw). So Paul writes that “an idol is nothing” (1Co 8:4). Psa 96:13 is cited by Paul on Mars’ Hill (Act 17:31). There the main thrust of his discourse was to undermine the supposed authority of the many idols in Athens — so this psa (and esp v 5 here) would naturally come to mind.

THE LORD MADE THE HEAVENS: That is, even the sun, moon and stars which the heathen invaders worshiped. Not only was He greater than the other “gods”; He MADE the other “gods”! And He “will make” the “heavens”!: see Isa. 65:17,18; cp Isa 51:16; 66:20,22; Rev 3:12; 21:2,10; Heb 12:22,23; 2Pe 2:13.

1Ch 16:29

ASCRIBE TO THE LORD THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME: “To divest ourselves of all pride of achievement and to humble ourselves before the Father is a prerequisite to worshipping Him for this ought to be our first reason for praying to Him. The scientists who unravel some of the secrets of the molecule and the genes; the astronomer who peers out into frighteningly vast space; and the astronauts who photograph the beauties of nature’s colours on earth, all proclaim the wondrous and mighty works of God. They unfold for us a multitude of reasons for our humble worship of the Father and the Psalms must often put into words for us what we feel about His Majesty” (TNL 94).

1Ch 16:31

LET THE HEAVENS REJOICE, LET THE EARTH BE GLAD: In Heb, this reads something like: Yismehu Hashshamayim Wethagel Ha’arez (“Rejoice, heavens; be glad, the earth”). The Massoretes have pointed out that the first letters of these four words form the Tetragrammaton YHWH. Not counting this v, the Covenant Name occurs 11 times in Psa 96 (vv 1,1,2,4,5,7,7,8,9,10,13); counting it, the Name occurs a much more satisfying 12 times!

1Ch 16:32

LET THE SEA RESOUND, AND ALL THAT IS IN IT: Cp Psa 98:7-9, but altogether at variance — as a figure of speech — with the more common usage of Psa 93:3,4; 46:3; Isa 5:30; 57:20; Jer 50:42; and Luk 21:25. Here (and in Psa 98) the roaring sea is a picture of great rejoicing, but elsewhere it is a picture of turmoil and war and revolution.

1Ch 16:33

This fig language is almost lit — the God-given fruitfulness of the Year of Jubilee which God had promised to the wasted Land (Isa 35:1,6,7; 41:18; 43:19; 44:23; 55:12,13; cp Psa 67:6; 81:16; 85:12; 107:35-38; 147:8,9).

1Ch 16:34

Vv 34-36 = Psa 106:1,47,48.

Yahweh is a God who keeps His promises, even though (as this ps emphasizes) His people prove unworthy of His kindness.

1Ch 16:35

This v invites comparison with 1Ki 8:49,50. One fulfillment of this desired deliverance from captivity was in Ezra and Nehemiah; but such Scriptures as Isa 49:8-26 indicate that the massive captivity rounded up by Sennacherib (as described in the Taylor Prism) had an early and happy release, thanks to the unquenchable faith of Hezekiah.

1Ch 16:43

“Then each went to his own home. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives” (Joh 7:53; 8:1).

1Ch 17:1

AFTER DAVID WAS SETTLED IN HIS PALACE: Having achieved peace with all his enemies round about (2Sa 7:1). The juxtaposition of two items — David’s bringing of the ark to Jerusalem (1Ch 13), and his desire to build a “house” for Yahweh — indicates that, wrapped up in kingship, is the idea of the special access to Israel’s God enjoyed by the king (cf Psa 2:7-8; 110:1; Jer 30:21). This is brought out in the “sonship” language of the promise.

The position of the promise in the record may remind us that David’s darker moments, yet to come (2Sa 11-18), and known to the writer, will not obscure nor cancel the promises made to him and his house.

1Ch 17:2

Clearly Nathan is imposing his own view upon God here: Why WOULDN’T God want David to build Him a glorious house?

1Ch 17:4

YOU ARE THE ONE TO BUILD ME A HOUSE TO DWELL IN: Or, a question: “Are you the one…?”

“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1Ki 8:27). “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or where will my resting place be?’ ” (Act 7:48,49).

So David does not build a “house” for God, but God builds a “house” for David (1Ch 17:10).

1Ch 17:9

THEY CAN HAVE A HOME OF THEIR OWN AND NO LONGER BE DISTURBED: It is clearer from this record than the Samuel one that the reference to the house, although obviously referring to the great temple that Solomon would build, is, in a larger way referring to Jesus and his work. This house is made of people, and Jesus is the chief corner stone. Unlike the house that Solomon built for God, it will last for ever. To build an actual house, where moth and rust corrupt, is clearly a futile exercise, but the house that God will provide Himself is built for eternity.

1Ch 17:10

The promise that Yahweh would build a sure house for His priests is taken up and used to speak of David also: 1Sa 2:35; 2Sa 7:27; 1Ch 17:10.

1Ch 17:11

I WILL RAISE UP YOUR OFFSPRING TO SUCCEED YOU: David plainly understood this, in the first instance, to be fulfilled in his son Solomon: 1Ch 22:6-11.

1Ch 17:13

I WILL BE HIS FATHER, AND HE WILL BE MY SON: The Virgin Birth in the OT: Psa 71:6; 89:26,27; 110:3, LXX; Gen 3:15; 49:1,25; Isa 7:14; 49:1; Jer 31:22; Mic 5:1,2; 2Sa 7:14.

Plural application: to those in Christ: Gal 3:29; 2Co 6:18; Psa 89:30,32; 132:12. Also poss ref to Solomon: 1Ki 2:4,24.

1Ch 17:14

This will happen after David dies, but in his presence: 2Sa 7:16 (AV).

MY HOUSE: The royal house of David: In this covenant is revealed the selection of David’s house as the family through whom the Messiah was to come: Note the development of the covenant:

1. Adamic covenant: Gen 3:15.
2. Abrahamic covenant: Gen 13:14-18. Immortal seed of Abraham will inherit the land of Palestine.
3. Jacob’s prophecy: Gen 49:8-10. Selection of the tribe of Judah as the royal tribe.
4. Davidic covenant: 2Sa 7:12-16. Selection of the family of David as ancestors of the Messiah.
5. Gabriel’s visit to Mary: Luke 1:26-35. Selection of the virgin to bear the Son of God.

MY KINGDOM: = David’s kingdom, of Israel, called also the Kingdom of God, and the kingdom of the Lord: 2Ch 13:8; 1Ch 28:5.

The key points are: (1) David’s throne will be eternal (Psa 89:34-36; Isa 9:6,7; 55:1-3). (2) It will be established through a natural descendant of David (2Sa 7:12; Psa 132:11; Jer 33:17-21; Isa 11:1-5; Acts 2:30,31; 13:22,23; Luke 1:30-34). (3) Who would also be the Son of God (2Sa 7:14; Psa 89:26,27; Heb 1:5; Luke 1:32). (4) After David had died (2Sa 7:12,19; Act 2:29). (5) But in his presence (AV has “before you”, instead of “before me”): Isa 24:23; Acts 15:16; Jer 30:9-11; 2Sa 23:5; Isa 9:6,7; Luk 1:32,33.

1Ch 17:16

David sat as a worshiper (2Sa 7:18), lay as a penitent (2Sa 12:16), and, stood as a servant (1Ch 28:2).

Sitting: for rest (Luk 8:35); for communion (Song 2:3), as disciples (Deu 33:3), in worship (2Sa 7:18-27), in resurrection (Eph 2:6), in glory (Rev 3:21).

“WHO AM I, O LORD LORD, AND WHAT IS MY FAMILY…?”: “When we take the lowest place and ‘seek not high things’ we need have no fear of falling. Pride is the destroyer of men’s souls. We rise in the balloon of our own self-esteem, only to fall to earth when our vanity is punctured. Most of our ‘taking offence’ and our super-sensitivity at criticism are but flowers which thrive in the garden of pride. The Man who became the world’s outcast and bore the scorn of a people who should have reverenced him, had no pride to lose. He took no offense. Having become the servant of all, he had taken the lowest place. From the height of heaven the Spirit of God came to his lifeless body in the tomb of Gethsemane and called him to come forth. ‘Friend, come up higher,’ the words of the Lord’s own parable, were exquisitely fulfilled in the Master himself. Exalted and given a name which is above every name, he received the blessing of immortality and was caught up to heaven to the presence of God the Father” (TMD 35).

1Ch 12:16

Vv 16-18: At this time David was probably in the stronghold of Ziklag, which the king of the Philistines had given to him. Here he received a welcome addition to his band. David was an exile; and it is not every man who cares to cast in his lot with a banished prince. He was an “outlaw”, and his king would have killed him with his own hand if he could have found opportunity. The many who were on Saul’s side, because of its convenience and ease, spoke very bitterly of David, and, wishing to curry favor with the king, they slandered him whenever possible and for the least offence. Few respectable people care to associate themselves with a person who is in evil repute, no matter whether he may be on the side of right. Many to whom he had done no harm were eager to betray David, and sell him into the hand of his enemy. So it has always been, that men seek their own gain, and do not really care to whom they “sell out”, so long as they get a good price. In these circumstances, it was no small thing for a band of men to unite themselves with a man with a price on his head. And there were potential betrayers all around: the men of Keilah plotted to deliver him up to Saul. The fortunes of David were at a low ebb, and so when these men came to David they did a very brave thing — which he would be sure to remember in the later days of his triumph and glory.

At the present moment our Lord Jesus, the Son of David, is “in hiding”, so to speak. Among the men of this world he is not yet enthroned, and they care little for him — if they even give him a passing thought. Though he is “king” in God’s heaven, yet before the eyes of the majority of men he is still despised and rejected. His people are yet a feeble few, and often in serious straits themselves; his kingdom is ridiculed, his claims are scoffed at by the intelligentsia, and his yoke — though easy and light — is rejected. This is an age of blasphemy and of rebuke for our Lord the King. And so they are the brave and the few, the band of brothers who will stand with Christ in the day of his exile. Men will be greatly rewarded in the future if they take up his cause now, and go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. Blessed are they who are not ashamed this day to bear the name of Christ, and to profess him in the sight and hearing of the world. They will be mine, he says, in the day when he assembles his “jewels”.

1Ch 12:17

WHEN MY HANDS ARE FREE FROM VIOLENCE; Given what we know of David’s life, and what we are told of his attitude, we see that the only way that he can make this statement about himself is by his faith in the grace and forgiveness of God. When our sins are forgiven by God, they are completely wiped away. God does not remember and bear a grudge like our fellow man might do. We can forget our past sins that are forgiven as if they never existed. Let us remember this and not be borne down by them.

1Ch 12:18

“God’s power was at work here. We know because we are told. But did Amasai know? I suspect not. This is God’s way of telling us that he was ensuring that David had support, even from the brethren of Saul, but also of showing us that He is behind it, orchestrating the events — a matter we do well to remember and always put our lives in His hands: Dan 4:17,25,32; Jer 27:5-7” (PC).

The Spirit of God: in Daniel (Dan 5:11); in Joseph (Gen 41:38); clothed Gideon (Jdg 6:34); clothed Amasai (1Ch 12:18); clothed Zechariah (2Ch 24:20); came upon Balaam (Num 24:2); came upon Saul (1Sa 10:10).

1Ch 10:1

Vv 1-14: The death of Saul at the hands of the Philistines. The book of Chronicles dismisses the whole of the reign of Saul in one ch. No mention of any of his activities. Chronicles is concerned with the line of David. Hence Saul is passed over so quickly.

1Ch 10:6

ALL HIS HOUSE DIED TOGETHER: 1Sa 31:6 says, “all his men”, ie those who immediately surrounded him in the battle. There were others, both of his sons and his troops, that managed to survive (2Sa 2:8; 21:8).

1Ch 10:7

THE PHILISTINES CAME AND OCCUPIED THEM: Now the Philistines were living in the very heartland of Israel (the valley of Jezreel). Cp 1Ch 22:18: by the end of David’s reign there was “rest on every side”; David had retaken these lands, and reorganized the kingdom (1Ch 27:1,25).

1Ch 10:11

Vv 11,12: The men of Jabesh Gilead had been delivered by Saul (1Sa 11:1-13); this explains their valiant actions.

1Ch 10:12

JABESH: Sig “dried up, withered”. Saul = the natural kingdom, which failed.

1Ch 10:13

SAUL DIED BECAUSE HE WAS UNFAITHFUL TO THE LORD: “This shows the nature of unforgivable sin. It is a matter of heart. No sin is any worse than any other in the sense that the smallest sin leaves us in need of God’s grace. It is certain that the sins which are recorded of David would prevent his entry into eternal life, were it not for the grace of God. So we have to conclude that it is not the presence or absence of sin which affects our salvation, but the attitude of humility and contrition which God requires, which was not present in Saul” (PC).

1Ch 10:14

INQUIRE: What looks to be a contradiction may be explained by recourse to the meaning of the underlying Hebrew words. In 1Ch 10:14, we are told that Saul “did NOT inquire of the LORD”, whereas in 1Sa 28:6, we are told that he DID “inquire”. The explanation is fairly simple: (1) The word translated “inquire” in 1Ch 10:14 is “darash”, which signifies “to follow after, and especially to worship”. (2) The word translated “inquire” in 1Sa 28:6 is “shaal”, which signifies “to request, or (even) to demand” (incidentally, it is related to the meaning of the name “Saul”).

So, Saul did “inquire” of the LORD in making requests or demands (1Sa 28:6), but he did NOT “inquire” of the LORD in the sense of truly seeking after Him (1Ch 10:14)! [However, Saul DOES “seek out diligently” (the Hebrew “darash”) the witch of Endor: 1Sa 28:7! Now there’s a sad commentary.]