FRAMEWORKS:
1 Chronicles 11: David as king & his warriors
[Introductory
Notes: Following Saul's death, the recorder jumps seven
years to cover David becoming king over all Israel and takes Jerusalem
as his capital city. The second part of the chapter recounts the
mighty warriors that David had who made him such a strong king.
We might take these men for granted but they were, in fact, a
large part of the reason behind David' success against his enemies.
We might suggest three reasons for David's overall success:
i)
The Lord was with him [see v.2],
ii]
David had clearly built up a loyalty in his men from the time
they first went out with him in the early days when Saul was still
pursuing him,
iii]
The subsequent courage of this inner group of mighty warriors
who became so famous that they are recorded for posterity in these
records.]
PART
ONE: v.1-9: David becomes king over all Israel and takes Jerusalem
v.1-3
David becomes king over Israel
v.1
All Israel
came together
to David at Hebron and said, ‘We are your own flesh and blood.
v.2
In
the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel
on their military campaigns. And the Lord
your God said
to you, “You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become
their ruler.”'
v.3
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.
[Notes:
Having been king over Judah for seven and a half years,
reigning from Hebron [2 Sam 1:4,11] now the northern tribes want
him to be king over them as well.]
v.4-9
David conquers Jerusalem
v.4
David
and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus).
The Jebusites who lived there
v.5
said
to David, ‘You will not get in here.' Nevertheless, David captured
the fortress of Zion – which is the City of David.
v.6
David
had said, ‘Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become
commander-in-chief.' Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so
he received the command.
v.7
David
then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the
City of David.
v.8
He
built up the city around it, from the terraces to the surrounding
wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.
v.9
And
David became more and more powerful, because the Lord
Almighty was
with him.
[Notes:
Jebus [Jerusalem] had been an outpost of self-rule [even
since Joshua's day – Josh 15:63] and didn't want David to rule
over them and so [perhaps to create unity in the land] David determined
to take the fortified city. Joab led an attack up through a water
tunnel [see 2 Sam 5:8 for more detail], and became David's army
commander. Then they built up Jerusalem, what became known as
David's city [2 Sam 5:7,9, 1 Kings 2:10, 14:31,15:8, 22:50 etc.]
PART
TWO: v.10-47: David's warriors who formed his main support &
strength
v.10
David's top mighty warriors' brought strength and support to David's
rule
v.10
These
were the chiefs of David's mighty warriors – they, together
with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it
over the whole land, as the Lord
had promised –
v.11-25
David's star warriors' exploits from the early days of David on
the run
v.11
this
is the list of David's mighty warriors:
Jashobeam,
a Hakmonite, was chief of the officers; he raised his spear against
three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.
v.12
Next
to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite,
one of the three mighty warriors.
v.13
He
was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there
for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley,
the troops fled from the Philistines.
v.14
But
they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended
it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord
brought about
a great victory.
v.15
Three
of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave
of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley
of Rephaim.
v.16
At
that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison
was at Bethlehem.
v.17
David
longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink
of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!'
v.18
So
the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from
the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David.
But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the Lord
.
v.19
‘God
forbid that I should do this!' he said. ‘Should I drink the blood
of these men who went at the risk of their lives?' Because they
risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.
Such
were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
v.20
Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the
Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he
killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.
v.21
He
was doubly honoured above the Three and became their commander,
even though he was not included among them.
v.22
Benaiah
son
of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits.
He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors. He also went down
into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.
v.23
And
he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits tall. Although
the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's rod in his hand, Benaiah
went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's
hand and killed him with his own spear.
v.24
Such
were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous
as the three mighty warriors.
v.25
He
was held in greater honour than any of the Thirty, but he was
not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his
bodyguard.
[Notes:
First we see the nature of the exploits that made these
warriors so famous.]
v.26-47
The Mighty Warriors who gained fame are named
v.26
The
mighty warriors were:
Asahel
the brother of Joab,
Elhanan
son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
v.27
Shammoth
the Harorite,
Helez
the Pelonite,
v.28
Ira
son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
Abiezer
from Anathoth,
v.29
Sibbekai
the Hushathite,
Ilai
the Ahohite,
v.30
Maharai
the Netophathite,
Heled
son of Baanah the Netophathite,
v.31
Ithai
son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin,
Benaiah
the Pirathonite,
v.32
Hurai
from the ravines of Gaash,
Abiel
the Arbathite,
v.33
Azmaveth
the Baharumite,
Eliahba
the Shaalbonite,
v.34
the
sons of Hashem the Gizonite,
Jonathan
son of Shagee the Hararite,
v.35
Ahiam
son of Sakar the Hararite,
Eliphal
son of Ur,
v.36
Hepher
the Mekerathite,
Ahijah
the Pelonite,
v.37
Hezro
the Carmelite,
Naarai
son of Ezbai,
v.38
Joel
the brother of Nathan,
Mibhar
son of Hagri,
v.39
Zelek
the Ammonite,
Naharai
the Berothite, the armour-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
v.40
Ira
the Ithrite,
Gareb
the Ithrite,
v.41
Uriah
the Hittite,
Zabad
son of Ahlai,
v.42
Adina
son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and
the thirty with him,
v.43
Hanan
son of Maakah,
Joshaphat
the Mithnite,
v.44
Uzzia
the Ashterathite,
Shama
and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
v.45
Jediael
son of Shimri,
his
brother Joha the Tizite,
v.46
Eliel
the Mahavite,
Jeribai
and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam,
Ithmah
the Moabite,
v.47
Eliel,
Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
[Notes:
These mighty warriors recorded for posterity in Israel's
early history.]
Continue
to Ch.12