1 CHRONICLES 12

I read this chapter today and had some thoughts concerning our battles with sin and how this chapter related.  The chapter is listing out all of the men from all of the different tribes that came to David at Ziklag to help him in fighting against his enemies.  It is a very descriptive chapter, telling us what the men specialized in and who and how they were acquainted with both David and his enemies.  If thought of from a military standpoint, one can see that David would have received much intelligence as to Saul's military weaknesses and strengths.  In verse 2 it speaks of bowmen, who, coming from the tribe of Benjamin were Saul's kinsmen, which means they probably had information concerning Saul that could be relayed to David.  Information that may have gone unknown had these so close in relation to Saul not come to David's side in the conflict.  Verse 8-15 speaks of an elite group of warriors from the Gadites who apparently were extremely lethal on the battlefield, given the description in verse 14.  We see the truth in this description because of the special mission they were given in verse 15.  They were the first to cross the Jordan and enter into the fight, putting to flight all those who were camped there.  This has the sound of Special Ops, which, always enters the enemy territory prior to the larger invading force.  These men must be many times harder than the average soldier.  In verse 18 we see the Spirit of God coming upon men and leading them to assist David in whatever he plans.  And in verse 22 it sums up what has been happening by saying:

For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army like the army of God.

 And I thought about the phrase, 'day by day'.  David must have experienced some anxiety in these days.  He was waiting for the Lord to provide for him and daily he was seeing God's provision, growing his army until it was large enough to win the battle.  The hearts of many men were changed at different times, causing them to trickle into the camp of David over a period of time and not all at once.  And is this not a picture of the Christian walk?  Were we at once, upon conversion, fully armed and ready for battle?  I do not think so.  Are we not daily being added to, in knowledge and wisdom, with the weapons of our spiritual warfare that we have decided to engage in?  And yet, we must wait for God in this battle.  We must wait for the resources to trickle in, day by day, so we can wage war successfully.  The Lord provided for David enough men with the right tactics and training to successfully fight a war and he will do no less for us.  But, we must do what David did and wait for our army to be built by God.

Verse 38 tells us:

All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king.

The provisions from God will be of a perfect heart able to help you abstain from the fleshly lusts that are waging war against your soul.  They will, so to speak, make you King and ruler over this body of death.  Sin will no longer reign, but you will reign as King.  Let us seek the Lord for help in this battle of the ages.