Day 118. 1 Chronicles 11-13

Much of this material we have read before, but the writer of Chronicles retells the story of David, highlighting his own themes and concerns as he does. One of those themes, as we mentioned yesterday, is the unity and accord Israel experiences in the time of David. The Books of Kings present a rather fragmented and unharmonious picture of David's rise to power, but here in 1 Chronicles oneness and unanimity reign supreme. The tone of this passage is summed up in the first verse of chapter 11: "Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said [to David], 'See, we are your bone and flesh. For some time now, even when Saul was king, it was you who commanded the army of Israel. The LORD your God said to you; It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be ruler over my people Israel'" (11:1-2). It is faithful David and not faithless Saul who has been king of Israel; his anointing by Samuel at Hebron only ratifies the situation that prevailed for some time (11:3). Everyone recognizes this. Immediately David sets out to capture Jerusalem, and the campaign is presented as a crusade in which the whole nation willingly takes part (11:4).  The capture of Jerusalem is a highly symbolic moment. From the beginning the city bears his name, and the city is a reflection of the king. David builds and fortifies it "all around," and Jerusalem becomes "greater and greater" at the same time that David does (11:9). Now there follows a list of David's warriors—the Three and the Thirty (11:10ff). This does not need to detain us long, except to note that here again the chronicler uses the occasion to reiterate the "strong support" that these heroes "together with all Israel" give David that culminates in making him king (11:10). He comes to the throne because warriors of many tribes and clans flock to him while he is still an outlaw living in the wilderness. Even men of Saul's own tribe of Benjamin defect to David's cause (12:2). There is no talk of "having no part in David" as there was in the Book of 1 Kings. Here representatives of tribes from both north and south are listed among David's early, whole-hearted supporters. The passage ends with the little hymn of praise that "the spirit" puts in the mouth of Amasai, "chief among the Thirty." It speaks of the absolute loyalty his troops share with their commander. "Peace, peace to you," he says to David, "and peace to the one who helps you" (12:18). Here the word "shalom" means more than just peace; its meaning also includes oneness, wholeness and a sense of purpose. Israel finds meaning and integrity in its absolute loyalty to David, the one whom the Lord favors. And the "shalom" he brings draws more and more of the people to his cause. We are given a picture of warriors flocking to David's cause—such is his charismatic power that people "from day to day" keep on coming "to David to help him, until there [is] a great army, like the army of God" (12:22). In fact this is "the army of God" soldiers are gathered to him in their thousands from all the tribes of Israel (12:23ff). They come "equipped with all the weapons of war to help David with singleness of purpose" (12:33). They gather at Hebron "in battle order . . .with the full intent to make David king over all Israel; likewise all of rest of Israel [is also] of a single mind to make David king" (12:38). And this single-mindedness—together with lots and lots of food—imparts "joy" to the multitude (12:40). This joy is an integral part of the "shalom" David brings to a nation once divided by tribal loyalties. In the midst of all this concord David proposes to the people that they should "bring the ark" to Jerusalem, since they had not turned "to it in the days of Saul" (13:3). Saul's failure as king is attributed to the fact that he had ignored the ark of God, and by extension, God himself. Now the people acclaim the idea, and the ark is loaded "in a new cart" (13:7) and the journey begins.  David and "all Israel," we are told, dance before God "enthroned between the cherubim" singing to the accompaniment of "lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets" (13:8). But in the midst of all this joy and celebration, there is tragedy. One of those driving the cart that carries the ark, a man by the name of Ussah, thoughtlessly reaches out to steady it because the oxen shake it (13:9). The anger of the LORD is kindled, and the unfortunate Uzzah is struck dead "because he put out his hand to the ark" (13:10). The incident is as troubling to David, apparently, as it is the modern reader of this story. He is "angry"(13:12), we are told,  and "afraid of God" (13:13). We can't explain this story away because it makes us uncomfortable. There is always uneasiness in the relationship between God and human beings, and misunderstanding on both sides. The LORD is more different from us than he is like us; always God, he cannot ever be taken for granted.  And there must always be a reverent distance maintained between the creator and the creature. Our peace depends on it.  As a result of the Uzzah incident, David is uneasy. He decides "not take the ark. . . into the city of David" (13:13)—not yet anyway. It remains in the house of a certain Obed-edom, where, during the three months it resides there, its power blesses "his household" and "all that he had" (12:14) (Although we can be sure the lady of the house thought twice before she ventured to dust it.)