Military Divisions
When we
turn to chapter 27 we can see that our time with the priests and Levites is
over. We turn to the military leaders
who served in the protection of Jerusalem, the protection of the king, and the
protection of the temple. There were
divisions formed with each division serving for a single month out of the year.
What is
good to notice about this portion of the text is that the majority of the
leaders of the divisions are names that appeared earlier in the chapter on
David’s mighty men. Of course it would
make sense that David’s mighty men would play a prominent role. You would want to divide up their fame and
reputation and include them the whole year around.
Furthermore,
you would want the people with the reputation to be among the leaders. Inexperienced troops will follow the
experience of another and feel as though the leader’s experience transcends to
them automatically. Confidence is gained
by being in the presence of those with great skill. As the leaders age, the hope is that the
leaders will pass on their skill and wisdom into the next generation. As leaders in God’s kingdom, we should be
about passing along what God has given to us to those who will serve after us.
Leaders of the Tribes
In
desiring to set Solomon up for even greater success, David leads the tribes
into a position of understanding their own leadership. David creates a hierarchy. David creates order and structure so that
Solomon will understand who is in charge and how the flow of power will work in
his kingdom. Again we see David trying
to set up his son for success.
At the
end of this list of tribal leaders, notice the mention of the ill-advised
census that David ordered. However, the
chronicler does give David a little credit here. As ill-advised as the census was, at least
David knew enough to call it off and not start it up once the angel of the Lord
had been called off. As I said back in
the chapter where it was discussed, at least David repented true when he had
the opportunity to recognize his mistake.
King’s Wealth
As we
close out this chapter, we also see a discussion about the king’s wealth. First, notice that David has managers of his
own wealth. God’s blessing upon him was
far more than he could possibly manage – especially when you consider that he
was also leading a newly emerging country!
Second,
remember that David was attempting to set Solomon up for success. Solomon wouldn’t have the maturity to manage
all of the personal wealth. By putting
advisors in charge of the wealth, there would be a greater chance of success as
Solomon transitions into leadership.
There would also be a greater chance of having a perception of prosperity
for the Hebrew people as they undergo a transition from a popular and
successful king to a young prince. David
really does manage the transition well for the sake of both his son and his
country. David is being a good steward
of what God has given to him and his people.
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