1 Chron. 12

The Lord Jesus himself identifies with David, and as we consider King David, I want to apply this to David’s greater son, and what we think of Christ.

If you happen to look into some young person’s bedroom, if you can get near it! you will soon discover what team they support, what music they like, they identify quite easily with their heroes.

I was reading about one Elvis fan, Carol Frazer, she worked to have a street named after her hero, and eventually succeeded, Miss frazer was so excited that she wanted to celebrate, she didn’t know what to do!

She wanted to see an Elvis movie but she had watched them all before, Love Me Tender 107 times, Loving You 110 times, King Creole 91 times and Jailhouse Rock 79 times. She moved from New Orleans to live in Memphis to be near Elvis, she has 40,000 pictures of him and one cardboard cutout over looking her bed.

It is wonderful what devotion someone will show to an icon, I wonder how devoted we are to the Lord Jesus Christ?

As I considered King David, I was thinking about how some people treated him, what some people wanted to get out of David and what others did for him. I want us to look at four different responses to David.

Remember that we want to challenge our attitude not towards King David but towards David’s greater son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s think about Saul, he was one who was bitter towards David.

In verse one we find David in hiding because of King Saul, I wonder is their anyone with this attitude towards Christ? An attitude of bitterness, as far as the Lord goes, you still have rejected him, still disowning him, still outside his fold and family?

David had been good to Saul, he had risked his life for him had fought for him, had faithfully served him, but Saul hated him and wanted to get rid of him.

In spite of all that the Lord has done for you, dear lost soul, as far as Christ is concerned there is hardness bitterness and rejection. What think ye of Christ?

Remember the mercy David showed Saul at Engedi in 1 Sam 24.

1 Samuel 24:8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

1 Samuel 24:10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed.

1 Samuel 24:11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

1 Samuel 24:11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

Surely again you have been reminded of Christ’s goodness towards you.

His humbleness, forgiveness, innocence and evidence, we could sum it all up in one word, Calvary.

As David held out that token of his mercy to Saul, Christ would have you glance back to Calvary, What think ye of Christ? Bitterness?

Then we want to look at Ahithophel for he betrayed David.

David was in the hold, commentators are not sure if this was the cave of Adullam or some other place, often we found David in hiding, he was the rejected king, on one occasion he had to flee from his son Absalom.

Also on Absalom’s side was a man called Ahithophel.

2 Samuel 15:12 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

1 Chron. 27:33 And Ahithophel was the king's counsellor: and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion:

He was David’s close friend and trusted advisor, but he betrayed David, what do we know of him?

David writing about him in Psalm 55 said this:

Writing of him in Psalm 41 David said:

Ahithophel listened to David, talked to David, fellowshipped with David, broke bread with David then he betrayed David.

2 Samuel 15:31 And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

Ahithophel was Bathseba’s grandfather, it seemed he could never forgive David and betrayed him.

We would never have any good reason for betraying the Lord and yet it could be that we have an unforgiving spirit, towards some other brother in the lord and because of what has happened in our lives we have betrayed the Lord, and no longer enjoy that sweet communion, what think ye of Christ? Betrayal?

Some who were bitter, some who may betray, then there were those who needed to be borne by David.

1 Samuel 22:1-2 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. [2] And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Look at those who needed to be borne by David.

Distress and anguish, in the original means a narrow place, some of them had been in a tight spot. Are you in a tight spot? You can come to David’s greater son and be borne along by him.

Debt, these people were in debt, have you some need that you cannot see around?

Then there were those who were discontented, it means literally bitter, they had a bitter experience and it led them to seek David.

Are you going through a bitter experience?

Genesis 27:34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

1 Samuel 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

Esther 4:1 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;

Job 10:1 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

I wonder have you had a bitter experience lately?

God led his redeemed people to a bitter experience.

What was the remedy?

Exodus 15:25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

Do we need in the midst of our bitter experiences to look to a tree? See once again what Christ did for us and how he must have loved us.

Praise God we can be borne by him.

Bitter, Betrayal, Borne and then finally those who would Battle for David.

It is good when we can see what the Lord can do for us, but what about seeing what he can do through us?

Here in this chapter we read of those who took sides with the rejected King, will you stand with the rejected King?

1 Chron. 12:1 Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.

1 Chron. 12:16 And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold unto David.

They came, they were not forced.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I beseech you, I don’t command you, do you love the Lord enough to join the battle?

1 Chron. 12:16-17 And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold unto David. [17] And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it.

Let’s continue to see who battled for David.

1 Chron. 12:8 And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;

It was a choice between Saul and David, no neutral ground. If you want to do battle for the Lord then you cannot serve two masters.

1 Chron. 12:15 These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all his banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west.

How easy it would have been to turn back. How many of us have set out to do battle until we reached the first hurdle? What overflowed and scared you away?

1 Chron. 12:18 Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

Thine are we, will we surrender ourselves over to the Lord?

Can we honestly sing?

1 Chron. 12:38 All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

These men had one aim, one objective, one desire, to make David king.

Is that our goal? That Christ’s lovely name would be exalted and glorified? It must be if we want to battle for the Lord.

Are we like the men of Issachar?

1 Chron. 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

Do you understand the times in which we live?

Days of darkness, declension and departure.

What think ye of Christ? Will you do battle for him? Is he worth it?