1 Chronicles 17-20
What I Noticed Today (1 Chronicles 17-20)
1 Chronicles 17
In verses 1-15, David was determined to build a house for the Lord.
- Nathan, the prophet agreed, but God came to Nathan that night with specific instructions that David was not to build the temple.
- Rather, God said David could provide the materials to build the temple but that the building of the temple itself would be left to one of David’s sons.
- God’s message in 1 Chronicles 17:3-14 promised David a dynasty of many generations of kings that would follow him.
Note: There are 9 “I wills” in this short section (vv. 3-14) that define all the things that God promised to do for David and his sons (similar to 2 Samuel 7:1-17).
In verses 16-27, when David heard all this from Nathan, he went in and sat before the Lord
Note: In this section (vv. 16-27), David refers to himself as “God’s servant” 10 times.
- David claimed God’s promises by faith, always seeing himself as God’s servant following God’s commands.
1 Chronicles 18
1 Chronicles 18:1-13 describes battles between David and the enemies of the Israelites.
- Wherever David went, he conquered their enemies because the Lord was with him.
- David defeated the Philistines (v. 1), the Moabites (v. 2), King Hadadezer of Zobah (v. 3), and the Arameans (v. 5).
- Abishai (Joab’s brother) defeated the Edomites (v. 12).
1 Chronicles 18:14-17 records the key administrators in David’s kingdom: Joab was over the army, Jehoshaphat was the recorder, Zadok was the secretary, Benaiah was over the Cherethites and Pelethites, and David’s sons were chief officials.
1 Chronicles 19
1 Chronicles 19 recounts the death of Nahash, king of the Ammonites who had been friendly with David.
- David planned to be friendly with Hanun, Nahash’s son, but Hanun humiliated David’s sons and insulted him.
- When Hanun realized his mistake, he hired Aramean mercenaries to serve in his army.
- David sent Joab and the army who defeated the Ammonites and the Arameans (Syrians) whom the Ammonites had hired to help them in the battle.
1 Chronicles 20
In verses 1-3, (continuing from chapter 19) Joab and the army went out and battled against the Ammonites, besieging Rabbah and overthrowing it.
- David remained in Jerusalem.
- When the Ammonites in Rabbah were defeated, David plundered the city and put the people to work for him.
In verses 4-8, after that, Joab went to war with the Philistines whom they defeated, as well as the Gaths.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- David and Nathan both had good intentions in their desire to build a temple for God, but they got ahead of themselves, and God had to give them specific instructions about His plan. David took God’s instructions to heart, seeing himself as God’s servant, prepared to do God’s will.
- Because of David’s willingness to obey God, God was with him and gave him success and prospered David and the people of Israel.
- How easy it is for us to run ahead of God with our plans. We have the best of intentions but fail to consult with God to see if our plans align with His. If we maintain a servant’s heart, like David, we will see and accept God’s plan over our own! His plan is always bigger and better than our own!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.