1 Chronicles 11:1-47

David had been a valiant warrior in Saul’s army, but had to flee from him because of Saul’s extreme jealousy and distrust.  Samuel had already anointed David as the next king but David would not be disloyal to Saul despite Saul’s harsh treatment.  Now that Saul is dead, David takes his rightful place as King and the people recognize him as such.  Even before he was king, David was a powerful and influential man with a significant following.  He was surrounded by men who were loyal to him and were willing to make great sacrifices and take great risks to their own personal safety in order to protect and serve David.  It is important for us to recognize that David was really never alone in his struggles against Saul or in His taking over of the kingdom.  God was always with him, but besides the Lord, David was surrounded by a dedicated group of men.  We must never take on the “Lone Ranger” mentality in our service to the Lord.  God designed for us to function as a body in cooperation with one another.

THE PEOPLE RECOGNIZE DAVID AS THEIR KING: Once Saul is dead, the nation turns to David as their king.  They had heard of Samuel anointing David, but as long as Saul lived he was their king.  It was obvious that Saul wanted David dead, so the people had to wonder how all of this would play out.  God already knew the answer to that and despite Saul’s best efforts to remove David from the picture; God protected him and established him as king just as He promised He would do.  The people remember David’s valiant leadership of the army under Saul and now they recognize that God has established David as their new king.  Jonathan, Saul’s son was a very close friend of David’s and he may have made a great king, but there was no division in the nation because Jonathan and his brothers were all killed in the same battle as their father.  We can trust that the Lord knows what He is doing and no matter how bleak things may seem, He will work things out according to His sovereign plan.

THE JEBUSITES REJECT DAVID AS THEIR KING: David was in Hebron when he was made king.  However, the capital was in Jerusalem.  The problem was that Jerusalem had been taken over by the Jubusites as a result of the defeats that Saul suffered at the hands of the Philistines.  These men rejected David’s right to rule the nation and refused to yield the city to him.  David offered a reward to the man who would lead the men in battle and Joab stood up to the challenge.  The Jebusites were removed and David was able to take over the city.  I find it interesting that David faced opposition very early in his reign.  We must not think that just because we are doing the Lord’s work we will not face opposition.  The greatest men of God have always faced hardship and difficulty.  It is what builds character in our lives and that is God’s ultimate goal.

THE MIGHTY MEN RESPECT DAVID AS THEIR KING: We have a list of the three mighty men that accompanied David along with thirty other great warriors that made up his personal body guard.  Two of the thirty are singled out as having been almost at the same level as the top three.  Good leaders always have a formidable staff that is loyal to them.  They also have different levels of leaders around them.  It is impossible for us to have the same level of relationship with all of the people around us unless it is a very small group.  Good leaders are surrounded by faithful men to whom they delegate great responsibility and then trust them to accomplish the challenges that they have been given.  David was not threatened by or jealous of these men and their abilities; he was just thankful that they were on his side.  Insecurity will cause leaders to try to control every situation and doubt the motives of the people on his team until the team is either completely useless or destroyed.  God’s desires that we work together as a team that respects and serves one another under His ultimate authority.