I Chronicles Chapter 11
Please read: I Chronicles 11 –
David had been told by Samuel the prophet that God was anointing him to be the next king of Israel long before he actually took the throne. And in those years prior to his kingship, God was molding in David the skills of being a good leader. He had been the youngest of his siblings, but God saw great potential in him because he was a man who spent time talking and listening to God.
For many years of Saul’s reign, the Philistines had been encroaching upon the promised land, and God saw fit to utilize David to lead warriors to attack the enemy. David’s victories over the Philistines became known amongst all of Israel. When Saul was defeated on Mount Gilboa, it made perfect sense to the elders to anoint David as their next king even though he was not a son of Saul. The Bible says that the elders already knew that God had said that David should be, “shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.”
Let's Reflect
1. From what city was David anointed by the elders to be the king of Israel?
2. Jerusalem had not yet been made the capital of Israel because it was still in the hands of the Jebusites. What was the name of the city prior to David’s victory over the Jebusites?
3. What are two other names given to the city in verses 4-9 besides Jerusalem?
4. David could not have been a great leader without those who would follow his leadership. There was a group of 30 men who were considered the mighty men of David. They didn’t start out that way. They had come to David when Saul was still on the throne as broken, defeated and scared men. But under the leadership of David, they were now called mighty men. Who became the chief of these mighty men and how did he become chief?
5. The chronicler gave specific attention to naming these 30 men and even others who were influential men during David’s reign. These men had been loyal to David for a long time, especially 3 of the 30 men named. Who were the two men named of those 3 loyal followers of David?
6. The chronicler describes a time when David and his men were hiding from the Philistines in a cave at Adullam. The Philistines had occupied David’s home where he grew up, Bethlehem. David recalled the sweet water of Bethlehem and wished that he could taste it. There were 3 of his men who decided that they were going to make this wish come true for David and so they risked their lives to get him some water from Bethlehem. This shows how loyal these men were to David. Verses 18-19 tell us that David was honored by their act of kindness but did not feel worthy to drink the water they had brought to him. What did David do with the water?
7. The remaining verses go on to list men who were valiant men under the leadership of David. Men who had once been just poor and scared leaderless men now were great warriors. Verse 20 and 22 name two men who were of particular note of being valiant. What were their names?
