1st Chronicles 12 DIVERSITY - UNITY As those who returned from Babylon were about to begin the rebuilding of their nation including the cities, walls, temple and their own homes, they would have been very interested in their second king David, who many generations before had been and outcast in his time before he became the leader of the nation. There were many useful principles of leadership, and practices of rebuilding a failing society in the account the chronicler wrote for their learning - and ours. The three areas of David's movement before he became king of Israel and could move in and take Jerusalem as his capital city were the cave of Adullam, Ziklag, in Philistia and Hebron. The first mentioned in this chapter is the second in time. The narrative begins by identifying who was needed by David and why. He needed "helpers in battle" or perhaps better stated, "helpers in war," because war does not always include the confrontation of a battle.
As those who live in a world whose god is adamantly opposed to our God, and whose kingdom of darkness cannot coexist with the kingdom of light of which believers are a part, we move daily through the world as lit up torches that cannot be hid and who expose the "hidden things of darkness" that men love rather than light that are all around us. We are helpers of our heavenly David in this place "outside the camp" of popular opinion and acceptable "Christian religion" that appeals to those who want to be identified as Christians but do not want to be "despised and rejected of men" as He was. They want to be known as those who love the golden rule and want to be accepted by everyone.
This chapter then tells of those who went to be with David when he was first rejected and was living in a cave, and concludes with David at Hebron where he had been ruling over Judah for seven years before becoming king of the whole nation for which he had been anointed by Samuel years previously. "Our Lord is now rejected, and by the world disowned." But for those who love Him and are loyal to Him, we owe our support in spite of where we are and what other people do. Even evangelical groups will find our support of our Lord Jesus Christ and our loyalty to Him offensive because they think we are extreme and fanatical in our commitment to His word. We are not part of a movement but are members of His family. What happens to Him happens to us. What happens to us is important to Him. Our affection for Him and our convictions as to how best to serve Him while we are in this world, are indissolubly linked. What my heart feels controls how my body acts. Conviction and affection enable us to stand firm with our Lord in times of opposition.