Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 13:1-14.  Let’s go!

1 Chronicles 13:1-4 (NIV) 
1  David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
2  He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us.
3  Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.”
4  The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

On verses 1-4:  When considering whether or not to bring the ark back to Jerusalem, David confers with his leaders to determine the best course of action.  What can we learn from this?  When making an important decision, get good advice.    As Proverbs19:20 (MSG) says, “Take good counsel and accept correction— that’s the way to live wisely and well.”  Is there a decision you are in the process of making where you would benefit from consulting others?

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 12:1-22.  Let’s go!

1 Chronicles 12:18 (NIV) 
18  Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands. 

On verses 1-22:  In these verses we see gifted and outstanding leaders from various tribes of Israel – from Benjamin (v1-7, 16), Gad (v8-15), Judah (v16) and Manasseh (v19-21) – rallying around David.  They came at a time when David was running for his life from a jealous King Saul and masquerading as an ally of the Philistines.  You can sense the pressure and hurt David has been through when he says in verse 17, “If you have come to me in peace, to help me, I am ready to have you unite with me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.” It’s because David has been hurt before by people he trusted, so now David is wary of too trusting others too quickly. 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 11:20-47.  Let’s go!

1 Chronicles 11:22-25 (NIV) 
22  Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.
23  And he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
24  Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men.
25  He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

On verses 21-25:  Continuing his description of David’s mighty men, the Chronicler turns his attention to Abishai  and Benaiah.  Benaiah was the son of a priest and a valiant fighter, whose exploits in verses 22-23 could be made into a movie.  Benaiah was so trustworthy and loyal to David that when David’s son Solomon became king, Solomon made Benaiah his own commander-in-chief over Israel’s army (1 Kings 4:4).  It’s appropriate that Benaiah’s name means “edified” for he certainly edified King David and King Solomon.