Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; Sermons
I. THAT WE MAY SOMETIMES SERVE GOD BEST BY PATIENT WAITING. For some years after David knew that he was to be King of Israel, he had to "bide his time." His duty was to "keep himself close" (ver. 1). Any positive effort to acquire the royal seat would have been premature; it would have been disloyal, and would only have defeated his own end. There are times when we have to wait for opportunity to offer (e.g. the missionaries of Madagascar until the death of the cruel Ranavalona). Patience as well as zeal is a factor in the service of the Supreme. "All things come to him who knows how to wait." Our eagerness must not run into impatience; activity should be early, but not premature. II. THAT IN THE ACTIVE SERVICE OF GOD WE SHOULD EMPLOY ALL OUR AVAILABLE RESOURCES. The men of Benjamin "could use both the fight hand and the left," etc. (ver. 2). "Of the Gadites there separated themselves... men of might, and men of war, fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler," etc. (ver. 8). These soldiers of the army of David were men that were thoroughly and perfectly equipped for their work. No mere "food for powder" were they; they were trained and skilled, competent to do all that was possible in the military achievements of the age. As soldiers in the nobler spiritual campaign for which we have enlisted, we are to be masters of the art of war; we are to be able to do all that is possible to skilled and faithful men. To be this we must: 1. Serve with all our spiritual faculties; cultivate strength and speed, be as the lion for one and as the roe for the other; we must summon all our mental and moral capabilities to the work - memory, reflection, reason, imagination, emotion, etc.; we must employ argument, wit, illustration, remonstrance, entreaty, etc. 2. Turn our physical as well as our spiritual faculties to account. 3. Know how to defend as well as to attack, how to use shield as well as sword (ver. 8). 4. Lay hold on favourable occasion (vers. 15, 19-21). And in thus putting out all our talents (Matthew 25:14-30) we must remember that (1) only patient continuance in holy effort will make us skilful and serviceable; the Benjamites must have had to go through much discipline before they could shoot as well with one hand as with the other. We must not be daunted or discouraged by the crudeness or even the clumsiness of our first attempts. (2) Faithful service will make its mark on ourselves as well as others (ver. 8); we shall acquire the lion-face, the countenance which will say, without words, "Let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Thus will the strength of our soul pass into our eye, and body and spirit will be allies in the cause of the King, III. THAT WE MUST BE READY TO TAKE THE PLACE FOR WHICH GOD HAS FITTED US. "Of the sons of Gad, one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand "(ver. 14). It is in our human nature to covet the highest place; but we are to learn of Christ - of his example and of his Word - to take with cheerfulness the humbler seat. And we may do this, not only because it is essentially Christian, but also because (1) it is right and reasonable that they who have the greater qualifications should occupy the more responsible posts; and because (2) it will contribute to our own peace and joy of heart to have as much as, but no more than, we are able to execute placed in our hands. IV. THAT THE CAUSE OF GOD IS ONE THAT GATHERS STRENGTH BY CONTINUAL ACCESSION. (Ver. 22.) There may come times in the history of the great spiritual struggle in which the Church is occupied when large accessions are made to the ranks of God. But this triumph has been preceded by long, incessant toil; moreover, it is not the rule, but the exception. "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation;" it is "day by day" that souls come in, until the army of the great King is made and the "host of God" is complete. - C.
All these men of war. I. THE CAUSE OF JOY.1. United under one king. 2. A king chosen of God. 3. Universal loyalty to the chosen king. II. THE MANIFESTATION OF JOY. 1. In unity of purpose. 2. In sincerity of feeling. 3. In social fellowship. III. THE EXTENT OF THE JOY. (J. Wolfendale.) For there was Joy in Israel The man who was the darling of the people, and from whose administration they had raised expectations, being now, by Divine appointment, made king over all the tribes, "there was joy in Israel." There is abundant reason for much greater joy in the spiritual Israel, on account of David's illustrious son, the King Messiah, the Saviour of His people (Zechariah 9:9; Isaiah 25:9).I. THE CAUSE OF JOY OF ISRAEL, WITH RELATION TO THE KING MESSIAH, THE SON OF DAVID, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. 1. This coming in the flesh is a matter of joy, as He then appeared King of Israel, and the Saviour thereof. Salvation is the source, the foundation of spiritual joy in Israel. (1) (2) (3) (4) 2. The spiritual coming of Christ in the hearts of His people at conversion is another event that causes joy in Israel. 3. In the latter day, when Christ will be more manifest, and, like David, will be King over all the house of Israel, and over the whole world, then there will be joy and gladness. II. WHERE AND AMONG WHOM IS THIS JOY? Not only in Israel but in the whole world. Christ is not the God of the Jews only. III. THE NATURE OF THIS JOY. 1. It is spiritual. 2. It is the joy of our Lord. 3. It is the joy of faith. 4. It is a joy that the world knows nothing of. 6. It is unspeakable. 6. It is a joy to be continually exercised. 7. This joy will be at last full and complete. (J. Gill, D. D.) (G. Turner.) "I had lived," says the Countess Schimmelmann, "all the spoiled child of the Court; so much so that the Crown Priam (afterwards the Emitter) Frederick introduced me to a stranger as 'the most highly favoured young lady of Germany, and of several other kingdoms besides.' These worldly honours had never satisfied me, and the longing for something higher and better became increasingly stronger. My prayers at that time always culminated in the cry, 'O God, give me but a drop of the love of Christ and a spark of the fire of the Holy Ghost.' A short time after, in response to my prayer that I might love Jesus and Jesus only, I heard the Saviour say to me, 'My child, thy salvation does not depend upon thy love to Me, but upon My love to thee, just as thou art.' Then broke upon my heart a sun of joy, in the beams of which I still rejoice, and whose light will shine upon me eternally."9People Aaron, Aaronites, Adnah, Ahiezer, Amasai, Asher, Attai, Azareel, Azmaveth, Bealiah, Benjamin, Benjaminites, Berachah, Danites, David, Eliab, Eliel, Elihu, Elkanah, Eluzai, Elzabad, Ezer, Gad, Gadites, Gedor, Gibeon, Ishmaiah, Ismaiah, Israelites, Issachar, Isshiah, Jahaziel, Jashobeam, Jediael, Jehoiada, Jehu, Jeremiah, Jerimoth, Jeroham, Jesiah, Jesse, Jeziel, Joash, Joelah, Joezer, Johanan, Josabad, Jozabad, Kish, Korahites, Korhites, Levi, Levites, Machbanai, Manasseh, Michael, Mishmannah, Naphtali, Obadiah, Pelet, Reuben, Reubenites, Saul, Shemaah, Shemariah, Shephatiah, Simeon, Simeonites, Zadok, Zebadiah, Zebulun, ZilthaiPlaces Anathoth, Gederah, Gedor, Gibeah, Gibeon, Hebron, Jordan River, ZiklagTopics Chief, 12, Gederathite, Gibeon, Gibeonite, Ishmaiah, Ishma'iah, Ismaiah, Jahaziel, Jaha'ziel, Jehaziel, Jeremiah, Jishmaiah, Johanan, Joha'nan, Josabad, Jozabad, Joz'abad, Leader, Mighty, ThirtyOutline 1. The companies that came to David at Ziklag23. The armies that came to him at Hebron Dictionary of Bible Themes 1 Chronicles 12:4 1654 numbers, 11-99 Library Drill and Enthusiasm'[Men that] could keep rank, they were not of double heart.'--1 CHRON. xii. 33. These words come from the muster-roll of the hastily raised army that brought David up to Hebron and made him King. The catalogue abounds in brief characterisations of the qualities of each tribe's contingent. For example, Issachar had 'understanding of the times.' Our text is spoken of the warriors of Zebulon, who had left their hills and their flocks in the far north, and poured down from their seats by the blue waters … Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Channel of Power. God's Answers Beneath his Banner Epistle xxxix. To Anastasius, Bishop . The King. Watching the Horizon 'The Waters Saw Thee; they were Afraid' The Section Chap. I. -iii. Chronicles Links 1 Chronicles 12:4 NIV1 Chronicles 12:4 NLT 1 Chronicles 12:4 ESV 1 Chronicles 12:4 NASB 1 Chronicles 12:4 KJV 1 Chronicles 12:4 Bible Apps 1 Chronicles 12:4 Parallel 1 Chronicles 12:4 Biblia Paralela 1 Chronicles 12:4 Chinese Bible 1 Chronicles 12:4 French Bible 1 Chronicles 12:4 German Bible 1 Chronicles 12:4 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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