1 Chronicles 11:1-3
Verse 3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.
Our reading today marks a widening of the accounts of David. He is going from being the shepherd boy who killed a giant to the man who is becoming Israel’s second earthly king. While the writer of 1 and 2 Samuel 1 filled us in on David’s pre-royal life from now on we can consult from more sources for the details of his reign from the very first day following his official anointing.
Now that David, his men and their families were in Hebron the leaders of Judah come to him with the sole purpose of making him their new king. They may not have known about David’s anointing as a boy, though they reference his being God’s chosen, but they had definitely made the decision that he was the man for the job. They knew about him and his character. They had heard the retelling of the battle of David and Goliath as many times as the average modern Sunday school child and knew he was fighting for God’s honor. He was a hero and that is just the kind of guy they wanted leading the country.
They make sure he knows that they are claiming him as family, his issues with the late king and the fact that David had been out of fellowship with his own countrymen didn’t cloud their claiming him as one of their own. They even go as far as saying they thought of him as a leader of their nation even when Saul was king. As far as they were concerned, David was born a leader.
The elders didn’t just make a plea for David to be the king, they were serious enough to want to make a covenant with him as king. Covenants were not to be entered into lightly and these men would have known that, therefore they desire to enter into a covenant with him before officially making him their king to prove they were serious about their request.
The moment of anointing may have brought memories of David’s first anointing. The sound of his brothers sneering because of his original anointing and even the voice of his friend, the old prophet, Samuel. This day had been so long in coming but God had been faithful in the process. There had been many opportunities to learn the lessons he would need to know to lead God’s people well.
Making It Personal
What day in your life did you look forward to and it felt like it was never going to come? Are you looking forward to Jesus coming? What are you doing to prepare for it?
Making It Personal Kids
What kind of things do you wait for? Do they sometimes seem like they aren’t going to happen? What helps you wait?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for being faithful to Your promises. We may have to wait for things You say will happen, help us to be faithful servants for You while we await Your timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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