Favour

The next part of our #WhatMatters series

In Chapter 13, we’ve seen the Ark of the Covenant stay at Obed Edom’s house and he is blessed.  Will the absence of the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem and David’s care deny him blessing?

Rather than move to the conclusion of the account with the ark returned immediately, the Chronicler takes time to answer this question by inserting an account of God’s blessing for David (unlike 2 Samuel 6 where the full account is given in one episode). It is possible that these events amount to a summing up of events during David’s reign rather than all happening between the events of chapter 13 and chapter 15.

Allies, houses and wives (v1-6)

  • Hiram offers to help David build a house for himself.  David’s house/palace is set as a contrast throughout Samuel/Kings/Chronicles with the lack of a house for God.
  • David takes wives and fathers children -note the mention of Solomon.  This summing up covers up a multitude of sins (no mention of Bathsheba)

Responding to a  known enemy (v 8-16)

  • Notice the pattern
    • Philistines attack
    • David enquires of God unlike Saul.[1]
    • God says “go”
    • David obeys
    • The enemy are defeated and their ‘gods’ destroyed.
  • God breaks out against the enemy ( v11)  -compare with ch 13 where he breaks out against his own people.
  • David receives specific instructions from God (v14 -15)
  • God fights for his people (v15)
  • The result is fame and fear (v17)

Blessing and favour

  • David is blessed as God provides
    • Allies
    • A home
    • Sons – in contrast to the end of Saul’s dynasty[2]
    • Victory
  • This happens because David continues to seek God
  • This happens ‘with or without’ the Ark being present.

We may conclude then that rather than David needing to have the Ark with him in order to obtain God’s blessing, he receives the ark as a mark/evidence that God is already with him and blessing him.

Discussion

  1. Is there a danger that we might interpret this passage as encouraging expectation of material blessing and prosperity in response to faith/obedience?  Is there a place for acknowledging material blessing? How do we guard against prosperity Gospel thinking?
  • Jesus said ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Meditate on those words in the light of 1 Chronicles 14.

[1] C.f. Braun, 1 Chronicles, 179.

[2] C.f. Selman, 1 Chronicles, 163-164.