“And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him.”
~ 1 Chronicles 11:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you hoping to be famous one day? Are you hoping to be a hero one day? James – are you hoping to be a great soldier one day who killed hundreds of guys? When David took over being the king over the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids after Saul killed himself after getting wounded in a battle, David picked guys to be his army commanders who had shown to him that they were obviously loyal to him and were not scared to die in a fight against an enemy country’s army. If you are ever asked to be or made a leader, what would be the qualifications of the guys who you would pick to help you be a really good leader? Would you pick the kid who is your best friend even though you know that the kid who is your best friend is not liked by other kids? Would you pick a kid who you know is really smart even though you do not know the kid very well? Would you pick the kid who you know is the toughest kid around even though you do not like the kid? Samuel was a prophet 3,000 years ago to God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Samul 3,000 years ago anointed a kid by the name of David to be a future king over God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. Because a guy by the name of Saul was already the king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, David would not be able to step right into the king job. David really was not ready to be a king. When Samuel poured anointing oil on David’s head, your grandpaa thinks that David was still a teenager. David was the youngest of the seven boys who were in his family. David’s only life experiences were taking care of his dad’s sheep and killing a bear and a lion with his bare hands. David proved to himself when he was a kid that he could take care of himself. When Samuel anointed David to be the next king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, David had never experienced what it was like to be a leader. God made sure that David got plenty of experiences of being a leader when after a series of incidents, David found himself having to hide from Saul because Saul wanted him dead. Saul had come to realize that David was more popular than he was with the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. God had David become the leader of a gang of has-beens, outcasts, wannabes and even lawbreakers. While he was the leader of his small gang of guys, David and his gang of guys fought against enemies of the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. David learned how to lead. David had his small gang of guys become really loyal to him. David saw guys among his gang of guys showing real bravery in battles against enemy people group’s guys. By the time that David was officially anointed – after Saul’s suicide, as the next king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, God had taken David through enough life experiences for David to be ready to take on being the second king over God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids.
1 Chronicles 11 recounts the days after David officially took on the king job over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. After Saul killed himself by falling on his sword after being mortally wounded during a battle against the Philistine people group’s guys at Mount Gilboa, David met in Hebron with guys from all over Israel. These guys anointed David to be their next king. David ruled from Hebron the first seven years that he was the king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, When David decided on another place – a city called Jebus, to rule as the king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals, David said that he would make the guy his commander-in-chief who would lead the attack against Jebus. Joab led the attack against Jebus. David captured Jebus even though the Jebusite people group’s guys said that their city could never be captured. The guys who lived in Jebus had made their city into a fortress. David moved to Jebus to live. Jebus became known as the City of David. The City of David became known as Jerusalem. Verse 9 says this about David, “And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him.” God blessed David because David put God first in his life.
When David was officially made the king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals by the guys who met up with him in Hebron, David chose guys to come alongside him who he explicitly trusted. These guys would help David become a powerful king. Your grandpaa does not think that David started his king job wanting to be or even thinking about being powerful. When David started in his king job, David wanted to make sure that he had guys around him who were unequivocally loyal to him and who would die for him if . . . David made Jashobeam – a guy who had killed 300 guys at one time with his spear, his chief of the officers. David made Eleazar – a guy who took a stand alongside him in the middle of a barely field at Pas Dammim where they experienced God giving them a miraculous victory over the Philistine people group’s guys, as another one of his top leaders. Abishai and Benaiah were two other guys who David picked to be his top leaders. Abishai was Joab’s brother. Abishai killed 300 guys with his spear. Benaiah killed two of Moab’s best fighters, climbed down into a pit on a snowy day to kill a lion and killed a seven and a half foot tall Egyptian soldier. Your grandpaa really likes reading books that have been written by Mark Batterson. Mark Batterson has written a couple of books about how you can be a Benaiah. The chronicler includes the names of David’s mighty men – guys who your grandpaa believes that David trusted in and counted on to help him in his king job to become a good and powerful king. There will be a day when you will be asked to be a leader. When you become a leader, who will you choose to help you lead? Your grandpaa is a leader. When your grandpaa chooses a guy to help him lead, your grandpaa chooses a guy who he knows will do what is right to do.
1 Chronicles 11 (331)