1 Chronicles 14 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence

After David’s unsuccessful attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem that ended with the death of Uzzah and the new king’s deep humiliation in the previous chapter, the Lord now confirms David’s calling and shows why He has chosen him in the first place. Even though the Lord had abundantly blessed Obed-edom as long the ark remained in his household outside Jerusalem, He still had reserved many blessings for the humbled king that proves once again that God’s blessings are not tied to our obedience but to God’s sovereign choice. For in the beginning of the chapter we see how God has moved the heart of Hiram, the king of Tyre to bring David a generous supply of cedar trees along with a number of masons and carpenters to begin building a palace for the new king in Jerusalem. And we’re told in v.2 that this unexpected blessing served to reassure David of God’s favor as well as to exalt his reign in the eyes of his subjects. Additionally, we see in vv.3-6 that God is blessing David with a great abundance of fruit in terms of his children. If Jacob himself had twelve sons, David already has thirteen. And just like with Jacob, David’s previous sins and failures cannot and will not override or revoke the blessings of God.

Then, in vv.8-12 we see David undergoing a similar test that King Saul faced during his reign. For when the Philistines had heard that David had been anointed king over all of Israel, he sought to attack and divide his kingdom just as he had done against Saul. But unlike Saul, David did not take matters into his own hands. He did not do what was right in his own eyes, nor did he make any rash decisions as he had done previously in seeking to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. Instead, David humbled himself and brought these matters before the Lord to determine His will, instead of merely carrying out his own will. When the Philistines made their first attack, David asked the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines?” And the Lord gave him His blessing assuring him of victory. And this time, instead of the Lord’s anger breaking out against one of David’s men like Uzzah, it breaks out against his enemies and completely overwhelms them so that the Philistines abandon their idols, which David then burned in the fire. Significantly, the chronicler points out in comparison to the events in the previous chapter where the place of David’s failure was called Perez-uzza to show how God had broken out in wrath against Uzzah because of David, here the battle field is now named Baal-perazim (the plural form of Perez), to signify that God had instead broken out in wrath against the Baal gods.

Vv. 13-17 are not simply a rehashing of similar events, but a demonstration of David’s growth in wisdom and trust in the Lord. For when the Philistines again make a second raid against Israel, David did not make any assumptions concerning the strength of his army or the blessing of God. Instead, he humbled himself again to ask for the Lord’s guidance and will, and this time, God told David not to pursue the enemy directly but to move circumspectly behind them in a clump of trees and to await the sound of marching, which could very well be the sound of angel boots on the ground, for the Lord of hosts was going out before David to lead him to victory. And unlike King Saul who was unwilling to wait for the Lord’s servant to arrive before engaging in battle, David waited and waited until he had the assurance of the divine aid that would grant him the victory over his enemies. Consequently, the fame and fear of David came upon all of Israel and all the surrounding nations.

Ultimately, David is meant to point us to Christ, the Son of David, who came to do his father’s will and to conquer sin and death. He did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for sinners. And for that to happen, he needed to obey God perfectly, not relying upon his own power and wisdom but solely upon the Lord, which Jesus did at all times. Of course, none of us is like Jesus in that manner; instead, we have something in common with David himself. There are times in which we walk in the blessings of obedience, but there are also times in which we sin and fail miserably when we take our eyes off of the Lord. This passage should encourage us to know that even though we don’t sense God’s favor and blessing during times such as these, it has not and will not be taken away from us. We have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ due to our faith in his perfect obedience. So even when we have been utterly humiliated by our sin and experienced something of God’s discipline, we must not give up hope in the irrevocable blessings of God. Therefore, let us lift up our drooping hands and strengthen our weak knees and make straight paths our feet once again that we might walk once again in the blessings of God under the Lord’s guidance.