Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 11

Verses 1-47

Chapter 11

David became the king, and so in chapter eleven,

All of Israel gathered themselves to David in Hebron ( 1 Chronicles 11:1 ),

And it tells the numbers of people that gathered. Huge force of people from all of the tribes gathered to David. Hundreds of thousands actually gathered down in Hebron, and the mighty men, men of war and so forth. Now they said to David,

Behold, we are your bone and flesh. And moreover in times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one that led us out and brought us in: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people ( 1 Chronicles 11:1-2 ).

Now the twofold commission of God to David. Number one: you shall feed my people. And, you shall be ruler over them. David was called a man after God's own heart. Because David had the heart of a shepherd. And would to God that every leader over the people had the heart of a shepherd. He was a shepherd made king. But coming from that background he made an ideal king. Because his interest was always in the sheep. And of course, the primary need of the sheep is to be fed.

Now in the New Testament that thought is carried over as Jesus said to Peter, "Do you love me?" "Yes." "Feed my sheep" ( John 21:16 ). Later, Peter wrote, "Feed the flock of God which is among you" ( 1 Peter 5:2 ). Jeremiah, the Lord said, "And in that day I will give them pastors who will feed them in the knowledge of God" ( Jeremiah 3:15 ). And so the command to David to feed the sheep as you rule over the people.

And how important it is for a pastor today to teach the people the knowledge of God. To feed the sheep.

Therefore the elders came to Hebron; made a covenant with David before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel ( 1 Chronicles 11:3 ).

Now they did it again. He had already been anointed earlier.

And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem; and the inhabitants, [the Jebusites who were in Jerusalem] said, You can't come in here ( 1 Chronicles 11:4-5 ).

And David said, "You just think I can't."

And he took the castle of Zion, and he said, Whosoever smites the Jebusites first shall be the chief and the captain over the men. So Joab [his nephew] went up first, and he became the chief. And David dwelt in the castle; and they began to call [then Jerusalem the south slopes] the city of David. And David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him ( 1 Chronicles 11:5-7 , 1 Chronicles 11:9 ).

The secret behind David's greatness: the Lord of hosts was with him.

Now we get a list of some of David's mighty men, and it's interesting this first one that is listed is Jashobeam, verse eleven, and he was the chief of the captains. Now in the other records, nothing is spoken in Kings of this guy Jashobeam, and yet, he was a pretty powerful guy, because in one battle, he lifted up his spear against three hundred men whom he killed. I mean, three hundred to his credit in one battle. So he was not to be messed with.

Now, after him also one of the three mighties, of course, Joab was the first. And then Eleazar was the third. He was one of the three mighties.

And David was at Pasdammim, and the Philistines were gathered together in battle. And there was a parcel of ground that was full of barley; and all of the people fled from before the Philistines ( 1 Chronicles 11:13 ).

And David and this other fellow Eleazar stood in this field of barley while the Philistines attacked. And David and Eleazar defeated the Philistines.

The LORD saved them by a great deliverance ( 1 Chronicles 11:14 ).

David is a very interesting person. He has... really there's much in David to be admired and, of course, there's much to identify with because David was a man and he was subject to the same problems and temptations. And David wasn't a perfect man by any means. In fact, because of some of the things that he did, he was rejected from building the temple unto God though it was in his heart to do it. But yet, he was an admirable, and here the Philistines are attacking, everybody flees, and David and Eleazar stand the ground there in the barley field and wipe out the Philistine attackers.

And so then it lists some of the others of the great. David, it speaks of how that they were near the cave of Adullam, and the host of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

And David was with them there in this fortress, and the Philistines' garrison was then occupying Bethlehem. And David said, [Oh boy,] if I only had a drink of water from the well that's at the gate of Bethlehem! So three [of David's buddies] broke through the ranks of the Philistines, and got him a pitcher of water from the well there at Bethlehem, and they brought it back to David: and David [said, Oh, no, can't believe it. They] took the water and he poured it out [on the ground. He said, I can't drink this. You guys hazarded your lives. You shed blood for this water. I'll give it to God. I'll pour it out] to the Lord ( 1 Chronicles 11:16-19 ).

And so he poured the water out on the ground because he just felt unworthy to drink that water. He felt that those guys that were willing to hazard their lives for a thing like that better that they give it to the Lord. So he poured it out to the Lord, verse eighteen.

God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? And for the jeopardy of their lives they brought it to me. Therefore he would not drink it. But these things did these three mightiest men. And Abishai who was the brother of Joab, he was the chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had his name among the three. So yet he was not he did not attain to the first three ( 1 Chronicles 11:19-21 ).

Benaiah, one of the second three along with Abishai had done many acts. He killed two lion like men of Moab. Now whatever that may be. Probably hairy guys with bushy hair and beards.

Also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. And he slew an Egyptian, who was a giant, [seven and a half feet tall]; who had a spear that was like a weaver's beam; and he took and with his spear knocked the spear out of the [guy's] hand, and then he killed him ( 1 Chronicles 11:22-23 ).

And so he became one of the three, but not as mighty as the first three. And then the other thirty of the mighty men of David. He had thirty who were just really outstanding guys. And so their names come in for special mention. "