Journal Through the Bible: Week 90 Friday

From Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible courtesy of Logos Bible Software

I Chronicles chapter 18

This chapter is almost II Samuel chapter 8 verbatim although the verse numbering is slightly different. There is also a notation made in today's chapter concerning Solomon's usage of the precious metals captured when David defeated his enemies. (See verse 8.)

Just an observation of mine, a parenthetical thought: those military successes that David had over the Philistines and later the nations like Zobah that had 1,000 chariots had to have been Providential (as mentioned in verse 5) because during the reign of Saul the Philistines had kept the Israelites from having weapons of iron. That's why the men took their home and garden tools to the Philistines for sharpening. David was able to subdue nations much stronger than Israel during his reign and to bring the latest military equipment into the young nation, as witnessed by verses 1-4 of this chapter.

David took large quantities of gold and brass as the spoils of war and dedicated them to the LORD. Solomon then used those metals when he built the Temple.

This chapter names some of the principle people in David's kingdom. This would have been the contemporary Who's Who of David's day. These people are named in the genealogy records found earlier in this book.

Does God issue any commands?

• God did not speak.

Does God make any promises?

• God did not speak but it is noted that God preserved David whithersoever he went. This was the fulfillment of a promise that God made to David.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Just as God was with David and preserved him everywhere that he went, so was God the Father with Jesus and preserved Him everywhere that He went. Both David and Jesus were kept because of the promises of God.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• Even when faced with profoundly larger and better equipped armies than themselves, God's people were able to easily overcome them because God fought the battles through them. The battles that the saints of God will face in the last days against forces that seem to have the major strength to overpower them will not be lost because God has already determined the outcome! That's why Revelation tells of the armies of Satan and this world being annihilated at the very words of Jesus. He will speak and they will perish.