In 1 Chronicles 12:23-40 we read of the men of war of the various tribes of Israel coming to Hebron to acknowledge David as their king after the death of Saul. David is well known to us as a type of Christ, and the characteristics of his soldiers mentioned in these verses provide lessons for us who are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
The men of Judah "bore shield and spear." The shield is an instrument of defense. Our shield is the shield of faith with which we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Faith must be firmly built on God’s Word. The spear is a weapon of offense. Our weapon of offense is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." We see the importance of God’s Word in both our defense and offense toward our enemy. The men of Judah were "ready armed" or "prepared" to the war. How important is Bible study_always having our weapons ready_-in being a good soldier of Jesus Christ!
The men of Simeon were mighty men of valor or courage. Weapons are only part of the full equipment of a soldier. He must have the courage to advance upon the enemy and use the weapons. Courage (or "virtue" which had the same meaning at the time of King James) is urged upon God’s people in 2 Pet. 1:3,5. It is not enough to read and understand God’s Word. We must have the courage to practice it in the midst of a society which considers Biblical standards ridiculous, and to speak out uncompromisingly for God’s truth in a society that does not believe in absolutes of doctrine or behavior.
The tribe of Levi reminds us of the priestly character of all believers. Priests and Levites were often in the forefront of battle formations in the Old Testament (Josh. 6:12, 13; 2 Chron. 20:20-22). Prayer is mentioned in connection with the Christian’s armor (Eph. 6:18) and is a way of spreading God’s influence and limiting Satan’s (Eph. 6:19; 2 Thess. 3:1,2). Praise, another priestly or Levitical function, always abounded in Israel whenever a victory was won (Exod. 15:1-21; Judges 5, for example). We should rejoice whenever a victory over the enemy is won, whenever a soul is saved, or whenever a backslider is restored, for example. We can worship Christ, the Captain of our salvation, at all times, for He has led captive a host of captives (Eph. 4:8) and has disarmed rulers and authorities and triumphed over them through the cross (Col. 2:15).
The men of Benjamin were a triumph of grace. Because of natural ties they had formerly been allied with Saul and his house, but now they pledged their loyalties to David. All of us were by nature servants of sin and Satan before God’s grace and the power of His Holy Spirit turned us to Christ. Let us make sure we are His servants in deed as well as in name.
The tribe of Ephraim sent a large group, all of them "famous throughout the house of their fathers." Fame, whether because of wealth, talent, or position, will often make us proud, and pride will make us disruptive. The pride of Ephraim had threatened or caused disruption on at least two occasions in the years of the judges (Judg. 8:1-3; 12:1-6). On the occasion of David’s coronation they seemed willing to subordinate their fame and pride to David’s rule for the good of the kingdom as a whole rather than to use it for their own self-glory. Some of us may have talent, wealth, or intelligence; but any of these things is a gift of God and is to be used for His glory and the benefit of the body of Christ. Whatever our status, we are to have the mind of Christ who "made Himself of no reputation" in order to minister to us.
If we all had the mind of Christ we would be of one mind and disruptions among us would cease. How much more effective we would be as soldiers of Christ if there were no disruptions among us.
The men of Manasseh were expressed by name. Although we are called to be of one mind, we remain individuals. We are members of one body, but members in particular. Our God loves individuality. We see this expressed in His creation. No two snowflakes are exactly alike, no two zebras have exactly the same pattern of stripes, no two human beings have exactly the same fingerprints. In Revelation 2:17 we read, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." Evidently each person’s "stone" will be different; each person will be recognized as an individual throughout eternity. Each Christian’s name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. Each one is individually responsible to God:there can be no "hiding in the crowd" with Him.
Only two hundred men of Issachar came to this gathering, but what men they were! They had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. Besides having personal wisdom they were true delegates of their brethren. These relatively few wise men may have been more valuable than all the armed men of David, for in Ecclesiastes 9:18 we read, "Wisdom is better than weapons of war." We are commanded not to be "unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). The word of wisdom is a gift of the Spirit. Would that more of us had it. More of us could have wisdom if we realized our need of it and asked God to give it to us (James 1:5).
Zebulun’s soldiers were experts in all the strategies and instruments of war and in addition they could "keep rank" (or "set the battle in array") and were not "of double heart." Paul commended the Colossians for their "order" (or "orderly array") and "steadfastness" (or "solid front") (Col. 2:5). The Greek word used in Colossians 2:5 for "steadfastness" is a military term referring to the Greek phalanx. The Greek phalanx was a body of heavily armed infantry which stood in ranks with overlapping shields. They moved as a unit and always kept a row of these overlapping shields facing the enemy. In Ephesians the shield of faith is to be used to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. In the phalanx formation referred to in Colossians 2:5 each person’s shield would protect not only himself but also his neighbor. Unity among Christians defeats the purposes of the enemy. Satan and his allies try to cause divisions among God’s people, knowing this injures the testimony of the Church as a whole and isolates individuals who are then more susceptible to personal attacks. How well our enemies have succeeded over the centuries! When we argue with and criticize one another we are doing Satan’s work for him. How much better to stand against him in orderly array. Sometimes Christians feel that words like "keeping rank" and "maintaining order" imply stuffiness and conformity and blind adherence to tradition; however, God has designed the unity of the body for the protection of its members. We have seen from the thoughts on Manasseh that Christians do not give up their individuality because they are united in the body of Christ. The balance to this is that we are to help one another and to work together to resist the enemy because a united effort is more effective than a multitude of isolated individual efforts. In a practical way, the phalanx idea is carried out as we are concerned for one another, pray for one another, and minister God’s Word to one another (Eph. 6:18,19) in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Another description of the men of Zebulun was that’ ‘they were not of double heart." This reminds us of James’s remarks about the double minded man who is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8) and needs to purify his heart from love of the world (James 4:4-8). The good soldier of Jesus Christ does not entangle himself in the affairs of this world so as to please Christ. No one can love the world and love God. No man can serve two masters. We must be single-mindedly devoted to Christ to serve well as His soldiers.
The captains or leaders of Naphtali are given special mention. Some groups of Christians make too much of their leaders; some do not make enough. Rulers and governments are included in the lists of spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Let us hearken to the counsel and direction of those gifted to lead.
The list in 1 Chronicles 12 concludes with the tribes of Dan and Asher and those from the east of Jordan. No one was left out. All Christians are called to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let us each ask ourselves honestly whether we have responded to that call.
(This article was adapted from "Making David King" in Help and Food, Vol. 10.)
FRAGMENT "Lest. . . the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt" (Exod. 13:17). Some people falter the moment they learn there is opposition. They have been taught that the Christian life is only comfort and prosperity. Love, joy, and peace are indeed the fruit of the Spirit, but the same Spirit has told us we struggle against wicked spirits in high places (Eph. 6:12), and we should endure hardships as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3).