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[0:00] is 1 Chronicles 11 starting in verse 10 and then going all the way through the 12th chapter which gets us to verse 40 of the 12th chapter. A lot of verses I know, but again, stay with me, okay, because I won't read every one of them. I'm trusting that you can go back, you can read these names, you can see some of them are names of great feet, some of them, many of them are names we've already read about, but I want you to see what is here in the text before us. It says, now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom together with all Israel to make him king according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. These constitute the list of mighty men whom David had. I do want to read just the first few.

[0:46] Joshua being the son of Hakamonite, the chief of 30, he lifted up his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time. After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Hohoite, who was one of the three mighty men.

[1:00] He was with David at Pasadim when the Philistines were gathered together there to battle and there was a plot of ground full of barley and the people fled before the Philistines. They took their stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines and the Lord saved them by a great victory. Now three of the 30 chief men went down to the rock of David into the cave of Adullam while the army of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephim. David was then in the stronghold while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. David had a craving and said, oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem, which was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord.

[1:48] And he said, be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives for at the risk of their lives, they brought it. Therefore, he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. As for Abishad, the brother of Joab, he was chief of the 30 and he swung his spear against 300 and killed them. And he had a name as well as the 30 of the three in the second rank. He was the most honored and became their commander. However, he did not attain to the first three Benaniah. You should know this is one of my favorites.

[2:21] Benaniah, the son of Jehoadiah, the son of a valiant man of Kabzil, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Joab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. These things Benaniah, the son of Jehoadiah, did and had a name as well as the three mighty men. Behold, he was honored among the 30, but he did not attain to the three and David appointed him over his guard. The rest of the 11th chapter is just a listing of the names. So let's go to chapter 12, verse one. Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul, the son of Kish, and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. They were equipped with bows using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow. They were Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin. Again, we have a listing of names.

[3:26] The names are important, but go with me to verse eight. From the Gadites, there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.

[3:44] It gives a listing of the names in verse 14. It says, these of the sons of Gad were captains of the army. He who was least was equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand. These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west. Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. David went out to meet them and said to them, if you come peacefully to me, to help me, my heart shall be united with you, but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide. Then the spirit came upon Amaseh, who was the chief of the 30, and he said, we are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse, peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you. Indeed, your God helps you. Then David received them and made them captains of the band. From Manasseh, also some defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them for the lords of the Philistines. After consultation, sent him away, saying, at the cost of our heads, he may defect to his master Saul. As they went to Ziklag, they were defected to him from Manasseh, Adna,

[5:01] Jozebub, Jadiel, Michael, Jozebub, Elihu, and Zilthai, the captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh. They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were almighty men of valor and were captains in the army. For day by day, men came to David to help him until there was a great army like the army of God. Verse 23, now these are the numbers of the divisions equipped for war who came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him according to the word of the Lord.

[5:36] There's a reckoning and accounting of each one. Go down to verse 38. All these being men of war who could draw up in battle formation came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king. They were there with David three days eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had prepared for them. Moreover, those who were near to them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. Great quantities of flour cakes, fig cakes, bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep. There was joy indeed in Israel. I want you to see this evening a committed and united people. A committed and united people. In 1 and 2 Chronicles, David plays a very prominent role.

[6:38] For coming out of captivity, they knew who they were as a people, but they also knew who was to be the king that would reign over them. It would be the seed of David. So as they take time retrospectively looking back at the reign of David, knowing that he is the king whose seed is promised to reign over them, they're looking forward to that coming king. David is the example and he is the model of the king of the nation. The author here of Chronicles now stops and in just a chapter and a half, really it's more about chapter and three quarters, describes for us the men that were around David from the time of his fleeing from the wrath of Saul until the day he was anointed king over all of Israel. And we see it in stages that when he's in the stronghold, men are gathered around him. When he's in Ziklag, when, you know, right after he feigned insanity and all these other things, men are gathered to him. When he goes to Hebron, men are gathered to him. And we see what the author is showing us is that there was joy indeed in all of Israel, that it was this commitment and this unity of the people that led to the joy of the nation. So as the nation is coming out, having been dispersed among the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and now answering the call according to the decree of King Cyrus to come back into the land, and they are still kind of interspersed. If you read the book of Nehemiah and the books of Ezra and

[8:05] Nehemiah, you will see that not many people are living inside the city of Jerusalem. See people over there, some people over there. One of the things Nehemiah did was have everybody come together, right? Let's work on the wall. One of the strongest things that we find in Nehemiah is the fact that people are united, that there are men and women and leaders and religious leaders and all these people side by side working on the wall of the city together. And it is this theme that is even found here in these pages, that it is the commitment and the unity of the people that leads to the joy of the nation. And it is the application that we have today, that when the people of the Lord are committed and united with one another, there is joy indeed among the people of God. And I want you to see, I know I am normally a man of four points, but I have five and I will go through them really quick.

[8:57] That is what I told you. I will make, I added an extra one to you. It is a bonus night, right? I have an extra point in less time, so what about that? So we will get through them quickly. But I want you to see, this will mean you will have to go back and do a little bit of digging on your own. What does it look like to be committed and united people where there is joy indeed?

[9:15] Number one, we see their dependence. We see their dependence. They are all committed and united around one person. That is David. David is a type of Christ. He is not the ultimate aim. He is not the king we're looking for. We're looking for the king of kings and lord of lords. But we see that each one of them's commitment and unity is dependent upon the person of David. They are all attracted to that one person, right? David is the unifier of these people, that there are many in this number that would not be together. You remember when people were called to David from when he was in the stronghold, it was not the best of society that was called to him, right?

[9:56] It was those who had problems with Saul or those who were indebted or those who had issues. It was people with problems that were united to one another and committed to one another because of the person David. They were joined around one individual in like manner. It is the church is dependent upon Christ to unite them and commit them to one another because for it not be for Christ, there would be no commitment to one another. There would be no unity in the body. It is the one person.

[10:28] It is the one Lord that we are dependent upon to unite us alongside one another. But also what is striking in the passage? And it says it in verse 10. Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had. These are his men that David had. And we praise God for that. But look at what it says.

[10:46] Who gave him strong support in his kingdom together with all Israel to make him king. David was dependent upon these men. And you say, well, that's really a wild thing because look at what it says.

[11:01] According to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. When we were going through 1st and 2nd Samuel, we saw the reality that Saul was the chosen king. But because of Saul's disobedience, and we had, there was a two phrase, two word phrase there that we said concerning David. David was the anointed and appointed king, right? He had been anointed by Samuel. He had been appointed by God.

[11:25] He was the anointed and appointed king. But what's amazing is this anointed and appointed king was dependent upon all these men to make him king. Because we see in this application that no individual walks alone. We cannot be what we are called to be on our own. We are dependent upon one another.

[11:51] Now, as certainly as Christ does not depend on us to make him king, for he is king, even if no one acknowledges him as so, right? He says that if the children were to be silent, the stones would cry out.

[12:07] That's what he said in his triumphal entry. But he has committed to us that the exaltation of him as king would depend upon our testimony about him to a world, right? He has so committed himself to his people that it is our testimony and the proclamation and the declaration of the gospel which would lead people to proclaim him as the king. And we see here that David is dependent. It reminds us even in verse 1 of chapter 12. Now, these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still restricted because of Saul. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. David, this mighty warrior, the one who slew Goliath, who cut off his head, the one who took the foreskins of the Philistines and paid the extra dowry. This mighty man saw it slain his thousands, but David has slain his tens of thousands. Remember what they sung? But this man, David, had to be helped by these other men.

[13:11] It is good and beneficial for us to be reminded of our dependence upon one another because, my friend, we are a stark, independent people. We love to do it on our own. But when we open up scripture, everybody we find in scripture needs someone else. We cannot walk in obedience even to what the Lord has anointed us and called us to do without other people. We see dependence. Number two, these are disciplined people. These are disciplined people. Not only are they dependent to unite around David, they are, David is dependent upon these, but these people who come to him are disciplined people.

[13:54] Again, it is not the best warrior. Saul had the warriors in his army, right? Saul had the trained people with him. Saul had all these, but these people, these outcasts of society were all gathered to David. But we read just a few of the accounts and the grand valor that's displayed by the three.

[14:12] And I always talk about the man who went down into the pit on a snowy day and killed a lion and all these cool things that they did. But what do they show us? Do you notice when they're doing these cool things? It's when everybody else runs away. They're not moved by fear. They're not discouraged by everybody else's departure. When they're in this field of barley or lentils, whatever your translation calls it, it's a notice that everybody else left, but this man took his stand with David in that field. He would not leave. I love the way, uh, second Samuel 27 tells us he swung his spear.

[14:48] He swung his sword until his arm got tired and he kept swinging. They were disciplined people because it's not always going to be easy. Discipline is a word I read recently in a quote from an individual. Discipline is a word that we no longer use very often in our church settings because we, again, as much as we love to be independent, we also love to be undisciplined.

[15:12] In context, he was speaking about spiritual disciplines, the spiritual disciplines of study, the spiritual disciplines of prayer, the spiritual disciplines of solitude and silence. I finished reading today, I was reading today on the discipline of solitude and silence and how hard it is in the world in which we live just to sit in silence. But it's a spiritual discipline, right? It's amazing how many times in scripture when our Lord would go away and just be in solitude and silence. We don't like silence because silence is the one that really speaks to us and it is there that the Lord searches and reveals who we are. But it is the disciplines of the individuals that really shape and fashion and mold them. It tells us here that these people were equipped, it tells us in verse 2 of chapter 12, they were equipped with bows using both the right hand and the left and to sling stones. These are the men of Benjamin. They were renowned for their discipline and warfare that they could use either hand. They were known for that. This is not a discipline that comes easy, but it was a discipline that was beneficial at that time.

[16:24] They were a dependent people, but they were also a disciplined people. Just as we shared this morning, we fight the good fight. We take hold. How do we do it? Through the disciplines of faith. It's not being legalism. That means a willing subjection to these realities that will benefit us spiritually.

[16:44] Number three, not only do we see their dependence, we are reminded of their discipline. Number three, it is astounding at their diversity. These are people that are called to David's side in three different grand scenes of his journey to become king. The chronicler, whoever he is, has a habit of going across a lot of time really quick. So we see the men that are called to him in the caves of Adullam. We see the men that are called to him when he is feigning obedience and he's in Ziklag, not feigning obedience, feigning insanity. And he's in Ziklag of the Philistines and he's hiding from Saul. And we see the men that are called to him in Hebron when he's there and he's reigning for seven and a half years there as king of just that small remnant of people. But what we notice is really at each stage, the people that are called to him are a diverse people.

[17:42] If you miss it, the ones that first came to him, when it's about 600 men that are with him in the cave, we only meet three and then we meet his mighty men, which is a number roughly between 36 and 41.

[17:58] I think there's 40 plus counted for us here in Chronicles if we read every name. And you say, well, I thought he only had 30 mighty men. Well, yeah, some of them die because in that it's Uriah the Hittite, David had him killed. And so the replacements are named as well. And then, so we're not trying to, we have them all recorded for us. Some of them die in battle. They're, you know, they're not invincible, but these are the men that are there. Asahil is one of them and he's killed by friendly fire and he's killed by one of his own. But what we notice is the diversity. We see it really when we read in the record of them in Samuel and even into Kings. And it is such a diverse group of people that don't really belong together. As a matter of fact, they don't really get along with one another. You remember that, right? They're not really always getting along. But did you ever notice in reading your texts when the problems, because some of them do end up fighting with one another, they do end up killing one another. But when do those matters happen? After David is king.

[18:59] It's because of the thing that united them in their diversity was their focus on their calling. And before David's king, all these diverse people are there and we'll get to that focus in just a minute. But before David's king, all these people are there to make him king, to make him king, to make him king. And they're gathered around so much so that when we get to the 12th chapter, it tells us that there are people who come from Benjamin. Now that's striking because we know that Saul is from Benjamin. And you would assume that after the death of Saul, the Benjamites would want to maintain position and possession of the throne. So they would have put their own. But these warriors from Benjamin came. And then it goes on. Then there were the Gadites who came from Gad. And then there were the sons of Judah who came as well. And then there are those from Manasseh who came to it as well.

[19:48] There are all these people from all over the land of Israel that are gathered together around him. The diversity of the people. It is one man holding a diverse group of people in the midst of really what is a civil war that is so astounding. Because when David first ascends to the throne, the nation, if you remember, is in the middle of a civil war because there is a descendant of Saul that is put upon the throne of a part of the kingdom. And David is made king down here. And there's all these battles that are going on. But what we see is that it is a diverse, mixed group of people united around a common individual, much like the church. The church is such a place. It ought to be a place of diversity.

[20:40] It ought to be a place of uniqueness. And that a diverse group of people can gather together around one individual. And that individual be Jesus Christ. And he so unite them and bond them and put them together that their differences are laid aside because now all of a sudden they have one even greater. We notice their diversity. David had a wide group of people around him.

[21:06] And it is astounding how amazing they can battle together and fight together. And they're fighting for a common thing, which tells us the fourth thing.

[21:20] We see that they are a dependent people, a disciplined people, a diverse people, but they are people with a direction. They are people with a direction. It tells us in verse 10 that these are those who supported him in his kingdom to make him king. In verse 10 of chapter 11, it tells us in verse 1 of chapter 12, these are the mighty men who helped him in war so that he may become king. It tells us when we go over in verse 23 of the 12th chapter, now these are the numbers of the divisions equipped for war who came to David Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him according to the word of the Lord. That is, they were people with direction.

[22:04] These people who had been separated from everybody else and were gathered around David had a reason for their separation. They were making David king. The thing that committed them and united them to one another was the direction they were given. The word of God had declared that David would be king.

[22:25] Again, he was anointed and appointed. Samuel is already dead. He's no longer there. He is the one who is positioned to set up on the throne. And these are people who know that reality and they hear according to the word over again and again, according to the word of the Lord, according to the word of the Lord, according to the word of the Lord. So here is their command that is given them. And this is the direction in which they're headed. They are focused on one goal.

[22:57] That is to make David king. They gather around him to support him and strengthen him so that he may become king. They come and aid him when he's coming back, going to Ziklag and the marooning band had come through and taken their wives and children captive. And they join with him because he's going to be king.

[23:14] They come to him when he's a Hebron in order to make him king. These are people who are united to him for one purpose so that he will be king of all of Israel because that is what God had said.

[23:26] As we've already said, the problems arise among the men and the problems arise among the nation after David's king. David is king.

[23:38] And it's because there they lose direction. Now, the goal has already been accomplished. David is king. And after the goal is accomplished, if you read the accounts that we have recorded for us in books prior to this, you will see that then all of a sudden they begin wrestling for jockeying for personal position. Once we get him as king, now I want to ensure that I'm in the right position.

[24:01] This is where the jockeying for personal position begins to take place because they have already attained their direction, what they were aiming at. This is why it is so important for the people of the Lord to keep their focus on the goal that they're trying to accomplish.

[24:17] It is to glorify the king of kings and lord of lords and to ensure that he sits upon the throne. Wherever we fall in the midst of that, so what? Even the disciples whom Jesus called around him, if you look and see when they get in trouble, it is when they are jockeying for personal position.

[24:37] It's when he's on his way to Jerusalem and they're arguing about who's the greatest among them in the kingdom of heaven. Jockeying for personal position. They lost the focus of exalting the king.

[24:48] Later on, after his death and their loss and they go back to fishing, they're jockeying for personal position until Christ restores them and redeems them and renews them and again gives them a focus.

[25:04] That's what the great commission is until the end of the age. Now their mandate and their mission to the people of God never ends until Christ appears again.

[25:16] It is the direction of the people that is maintained according to the commandment of the word of the Lord that ensures their commitment and unity to one another. So as the people of God, we ought to be people of direction.

[25:31] I love the way Paul says it. Paul says we are intent on one purpose. Paul is going in a lot of different places. He's going to a lot of different locations.

[25:42] He's establishing churches. He's raising up elders. He's leaving behind individuals. There's a lot of things that Paul could do. But Paul says we are intent on one purpose.

[25:55] Maintain our direction. Because there are a lot of things, I promised my friend, that could distract us and get us off course. But unless we are intent on one purpose, we lose direction and we begin to jockey for personal position.

[26:08] Fifth and finally, we're going to get all of them, right? So we see there are dependent people, disciplined people, diverse people, people of direction. Number five, there are people of dedication.

[26:20] There are people of dedication. These people that are dependent upon David to unite them.

[26:36] They are disciplined to fight with him. They are diverse in their backgrounds, geographical, political, social, in every way. They're diverse. They know the direction they ought to be going.

[26:50] Look at what it says in verse 38 of the 12th chapter. All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle formation. So many men that were able to fight any battle that needed to be fought, came to Hebron.

[27:03] Look at this. With a perfect heart. With a perfect heart. That means a complete heart, a true heart. They came with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel.

[27:18] These were men who were dedicated to the calling. Their heart was completely set upon the reality that David needed to be king. They were people of a perfect heart.

[27:31] A complete heart, a full heart. They were loving the Lord their God with all of their heart, with all their soul, with all their being. That's the implication there. Their heart was set on that one purpose. But when their heart was set, these men who could draw up in battle.

[27:45] It didn't have to, but those men who could, whose heart were set on this one purpose. Look at what it says. And all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king.

[27:57] When those who gathered around him had a perfect, complete, full heart, it impacted the people around them. When their heart was set to do what they knew they ought to do, it says then all the rest of Israel were of one mind.

[28:13] In a time where the land could have been divided, in a time where the land was kind of cast to and fro between the house of Saul and the house of David, there were these men who gathered around whose heart was set to do what they knew was right.

[28:27] And since their heart was set to do what was right, all of a sudden the mind of everyone around them became united and one. And then it tells us that they not only were dedicated to do it, they stayed to see it through.

[28:39] They were there a number of days celebrating this anointing of him as the king of all of Israel. And then it tells us, And there was joy indeed in Israel. Why?

[28:51] Because those who were gathered around the king had a heart set to do that. They were dedicated to the command that was given, that was according to the word of the Lord. Friend, the need is for dedication.

[29:03] People that would be individuals of a perfect heart, set to make sure that Christ is exalted, set to make sure that he is magnified, that their heart would be completely set upon that and that alone, so much so that the minds of the people around them would be affected with that reality.

[29:22] All of a sudden, they would be committed and united to one another, and there would be joy indeed. I can assure you that if you ever walk into a congregation in which there is a lack of joy, you will also see these five things missing.

[29:44] You will see that they are not really dependent people because they love to rejoice in their independence. They love the personal Savior more than they love the Savior.

[29:58] Now, he is your personal Savior, but he's also the Savior of the world. You will not see a discipline in that body of believers because they will not be steadfast to make sure that they fight the battles that ought to be fought, even if everybody else flees.

[30:13] You will not see much diversity because they would be more concerned making sure that everybody looks like them, lives like them, and acts like them because it would really kind of offend them if it was too diverse.

[30:24] You would not see much direction because they had already maintained their direction because they had achieved their personal position. And you would not see much dedication because the moment it began to deviate away from what they wanted, they wouldn't be there.

[30:39] And there would be no joy. There would be no commitment, and there would be no unity. But what we see is when the people of God are committed and united people, there is joy indeed.

[30:54] There is joy indeed. Jeremy is going to go. I'm going to let him go on back and start getting ready. We're going to pray in just a moment. And then I'll get ready. There will be a moment of pause.

[31:06] You guys will have to wait patiently. It's not like on Sunday mornings where we get to have announcements and singing and all that, but it's okay. We can have that discipline of talking and waiting, right? It's not a bad thing.

[31:18] But we see from the Word of God that the people of God ought to be committed and united to one another. We need one to do that to us, and that one is not David because that commitment failed, but rather that one is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

[31:37] Let's pray, and then I'm going to go back here and get ready, and then we will celebrate and rejoice in the baptism of a brother in Christ.

[31:47] Let's pray. Oh, Father, we thank you so much for this day, rejoicing in the opportunity that we have to be here as your people.

[31:58] Thank you for the commitment and the unity that we can celebrate as we commit around you and we unite around you. So, Father, I pray that we would keep our focus, the world is full of distractions, the enemy has much that would cause us to stumble, but may we be people of direction for the glory of the King, realizing it's not about who we are, but it's about who you are.

[32:26] So, Lord Jesus, as we live our lives intent on one purpose, as Paul says, may that purpose be to magnify the name of Jesus among everyone we come into contact with.

[32:38] We thank you. That we have the opportunity to see your name magnified through the stirring of the baptism waters. We thank you. That we have the opportunity as a body of brothers and sisters in Christ to take of the Lord's Supper together.

[32:53] So we ask in these next few moments you would search our hearts and tries and test our minds. Help us to take it in a worthy manner. Help us to take it in a whole manner.

[33:03] We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

[33:34] Thank you.

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[38:34] Thank you.