1 Chronicles 12 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
1 Chronicles 12 Short Summary:
1 Chronicles 12 is about the growth of David’ personal military in the days before he became king. Many men deserted to him when he was on the run from King Saul. The second half of the chapter is a record of all the Israelite warriors who went to Hebron to appoint David king after the death of Ishbosheth, who had briefly declared himself king of Israel.
What is 1 Chronicles 12 About?
WHEN:
The Book of 1 Chronicles was written several hundred years after King David’s reign.
David became king of Judah in approximately 1055 B.C, the year Saul died. David’s reign spanned approximately 40 years (1055-1015 B.C.). He reigned over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, before becoming king over all Israel. His reign over all Judah and Israel lasted 33 years.
The first part of 1 Chronicles 12 steps back in time from the previous chapter to document David’s time in Ziklag (before he was king). He lived in Ziklag when he was hiding from King Saul, who was constantly trying to kill him.
CHARACTERS:
Saul – The first king of Israel. He was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel the prophet.
David’s Band of Fighting Men – During the reign of Saul, a reasonably large group Israelite men deserted from Saul and joined David, forming a sizable army under his command.
WHERE:
When on the run from King Saul, David lived amongst the Philistines in Ziklag.
The Israelites met in Hebron to appoint David king.
David would eventually make Jerusalem his capital city.
OUTLINE:
DAVID’S FIGHTING FORCE GROWS WHILE HE IS ON THE RUN FROM SAUL (12:1-22):
When David was on the run from Saul, men from several tribes joined up with him.
They gave their allegiance to David and promised to fight for him. Many of these men knew David had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel.
When he lived in Ziklag, he was joined by a group of Benjaminites. They are described as archers and slingers who could sling stones with both hands.
A group of Gadites joined David when he was in the stronghold (exact location debated). The men were “mighty and experienced warriors… whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains… the least was a match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand” (12:8-14).
Other groups, from Judah, Benjamin, Manasseh, joined up with David.
“For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God” (12:22).
ISRAEL GATHERS TO MAKE DAVID KING (12:23-40):
This section skips forward in time approximately 7.5 years, to when David was appointed king over all Israel and Judah.
Warriors from all over the nation gathered in Hebron to swear their allegiance to their new king.
Verses 24-37 record the tribes and commanders and how many warriors came with each group.
They brought flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, and spent 3 days feasting with David.
APPLICATION:
God’s people aren’t always the ones society wants to claim. They are often the outcasts of society and the people on the fringes.
2 Samuel 22:2 says this about the men who joined up with David, “And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.”
David’s men were deserters, rebels, and debtors, but God still used them to get David to the throne.
The same was true for many of the people who accepted Jesus. They were often poor, sick, distressed, and not highly respected by “proper society.”
For application, if you’re forming a team to undertakes some work in the Kingdom of God, it would be a mistake not to consider candidates on the fringes.
People on the fringes are often more open to letting God lead them.
People who are traditionally qualified for a role have a tendency to think God’s work will be accomplished by their capabilities, rather than by God’s capabilities.
