DBG - May 13 - I Chronicles 19-22

In this chapter the Ammonite War begins.

vs. 1-5 – This parallels to II Samuel 10:1-5.  Hunan mistreats the envoys of David.

vs. 6-15 – This parallels to II Samuel 10:6-14. Joab defeats the combined forces of Ammon and Syria.  We have in vs. 6-7 some additional details not found in II Samuel. First, the amount of the payment:  1,000 talents of silver ($25,599,161).  Second, the breakdown of soldiers is different, but the result is the same. In II Samuel 10:6 there are 33,000 men, and here 32,000 men and an unspecified number from Maacah. Obviously Maacah supplies 1,000 troops to make the two  accounts match.  Third, the soldiers are here reckoned as “chariots” and in II Samuel as “footmen”.  There is no contradiction here.  The troops were likely hybrid units that were brought in on chariots but fought on foot.

vs. 16-19 - This parallels II Samuel 10:15-19.  The Syrian counterattack to avenge their lose, and they are defeated a second time. Another supposed discrepancy is found in comparing II Samuel 10:18 and I Chronicles 19:18. II Samuel has the men of 700 chariots and 40,000 horsemen being defeated and I Chronicles has 7,000 men which fought in chariots and 40,000 footmen being defeated. The difference between the horsemen and footmen we addressed in the previous section, so there is no real contradiction there.  The bigger issue is the difference between 700 and 7,000 chariots/charioteers.  My best guess at a solution for this supposed discrepancy is that it reflects a change in warfare from this battle in 1039 B.C. to the time of writing II Chronicles around 450 B.C. In David’s day it was far more impressive to take out 700 chariots, but after the Captivity it was far more impressive to take out 7,000 charioteers. This does leave a question about the ratio of charioteers to chariots, and the 10 to 1 ratio is very high. This could include auxiliaries or support units, which would lower the ratio. It is also probable that any wounded or slain charioteers were replaced in the battle, so that each chariot could have had multiple sets of charioteers slain.

In this chapter we see the victory over the Ammonites and various giants.

vs. 1-3 – This parallels to I Samuel 12:26-31.  The conquest of Ammon is complete and Rabbah is captured.  The story of David’s sin with Bathsheba is omitted in the Chronicles account.

vs. 4-8 – This parallels to II Samuel 21:18-22.  The focus of the Chronicles account is about to shift to the preparation for the Temple and the organization of the Kingdom. This account of the giant killers is therefore moved from later in David’s life to here.

In this chapter David numbers the people and builds an altar on Mt. Moriah.

vs. 1-17 – This parallels to II Samuel 24:1-14.  David sins in performing a military census.

vs.  18-30 – This parallels to II Samuel 24:15-25. A significant difference in the accounts is observed in regard to what David purchased. In II Samuel, he pays 50 shekels for “the threshing floor and the oxen” (II Samuel 24:24). This is about $432.  In I Chronicles, he pays 600 shekels of gold for the threshing floor, oxen, threshing instruments, and wheat. This is about $423,387.  This supposed discrepancy is easy to explain. First, it is obvious that the different amounts are given  not for the same purchase. Much more was purchased with a much greater price in II Chronicles than in II Samuel. II Samuel is just a portion of the total transactions. Second, knowing the rest of the history and that this will be the site of the Temple and its vast footprint, it is beyond reasonable to assume the larger amount in II Chronicles is for the entire plot of land (over 20 acres) around Mt. Moriah.

In this chapter David begins preparing for the Temple.

vs. 1-5 – The Chronicles account skips past the court intrigue of Adonijah’s attempt to seize the throne. We simply move to Solomon being the heir apparent.  The events of the previous chapter provoke David to action, and he prepares for the construction of the Temple. Though he himself was banned from building it, he looked forward to and prepared for the day that Solomon would build it.

vs. 6-19 – David charges Solomon and the princes to build the Temple after his death. 

One of the most interesting things in today’s reading is not what we read but what we did not.  One of the most famous events in David’s life is his sin with Bathsheba, yet there is no mention of it here.  It is not that David is portrayed as perfect.  For instance we see his sin in numbering the people.  Why leave Bathsheba out?  Basically, it does not fit into the scope of the book.  The purpose of this history is reestablishing Jewish identity and Temple worship.  Its primary theme is that the best path forward for the nation was found by looking back at the examples of the kings, especially those that truly loved and served the Lord.  David, imperfect as he was, fits that category.  The religious viewpoint that Chronicles is written from is far more concerned with his preparation for the Temple than any other actions he made.  Might I add also that David and Bathsheba had truly repented of their sins.  God no longer held them accountable for what He had forgiven and they had paid such a steep practical price for. 

Our hymn today is “Give to the Winds Thy Fears”.  It was originally written in German by Paul Gerhardt in 1656 and was translated into English by John Wesley.  It challenges us, like David did to Solomon in 22:13, to bravely follow God’s command.

Give to the winds thy fears,
Hope, and be undismay'd,
God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears,
God shall lift up thy head;
Thro' waves, and clouds, and storms,
He gently clears thy way;
Wait thou his time, so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.

Still heavy is thy heart,
Still sink thy spirits down;
Cast off the weight, let fear depart,
And ev'ry care be gone.
What tho' thou rulest not,
Yet heav'n, and earth, and hell,
Proclaim God sitteth on the throne,
And ruleth all things well.

Leave to his sov'reign sway
To choose and to command,
So shalt thou wond'ring own his way,
How wise, how strong his hand!
Far, far above thy thought
His counsel shall appear,
When fully he the work that wrought,
That caus'd thy needless fear.

Thou seest our weakness, Lord,
Our hearts are known to thee;
O lift thou up the sinking hand,
Confirm the feeble knee:
Let us in life, in death,
Thy stedfast truth declare,
And publish, with our latest breath
Thy love and guardian care.