1 Chronicles Bible Lesson 4
1 Chronicles
Bible Lesson 4
“So David grew greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.”
(1 Chronicles 11:9)
What does it mean that “David grew greater and greater”?
If we read from chapter 11:10 to 13:22 in this book, we can understand the answer.
In chapter 13:22 the Scripture says:
“For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.”
In other words, men who helped David kept joining him day by day. That was the sign of his continual growth.
The List of Those Who Joined David
The Bible mentions David’s Mighty Men in detail in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11. These were warriors who risked their lives for David during his reign.
1. The Three Chief Mighty Men
These were the most famous:
Jashobeam – he killed 300 men at one time.
Eleazar, the son of Dodo – he fought against the Philistines.
Shammah.
2. The Other Three Mighty Warriors (not among the first three)
Abishai (Joab’s brother) – he killed 300 men with his spear.
Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada – he struck down two mighty warriors of Moab. He also killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and he defeated an Egyptian with the Egyptian’s own spear.
(In our Tamil “Power” translation, the phrase “two mighty warriors” is wrongly rendered as “two lions.”)
3. The Thirty Warriors (1 Chronicles 11:25)
In all, 37 mighty warriors joined themselves to David.
Apart from them, David’s army commander Joab was also a very great warrior. He helped David to capture Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 11:6) and won many battles to establish David’s kingdom.
The Secret of David’s Growth
In chapter 12 we also read that when David was hiding at Ziklag from Saul, the son of Kish, many warriors came to support him in battle.
Thus, God raised up strong men and leaders to support David. When God chooses a man to fulfill His purpose, He also provides every help needed for that ministry — including human help.
Who is a true great leader?
He is the one who can recognize good captains, unite them with him, and accomplish God’s purpose. “A single tree cannot make a forest.” Likewise, to build a church or an organization, a leader must receive the right helpers whom God provides.
Example of Jesus Christ
Even Jesus Christ grew in human stature. From God’s perspective, it is wrong to think that one man alone can accomplish everything. For every ministry, human help is also needed to fulfill it.
In the same way, to build David’s kingdom and to fight his enemies, God gave him all the skilled warriors he needed. That is why he grew stronger day by day.
His army multiplied.
Lessons on Leadership
The important truth here is that, just like David, great warriors submitted to his leadership. Except for troubles that came through his own sons, no one rebelled against his authority during his lifetime.
Leadership is very hard. But being a skilled person and still working under a leader is even harder. In fact, sometimes it is easier to be the leader than to be the talented subordinate.
That is why in ministry, playing “second fiddle” is often very difficult. But David’s men did not face that problem — because David valued and honored his fellow workers. Even when Joab, his army commander, did things that displeased him, David did not remove him from his position. Instead, he left the responsibility of punishing Joab to his son Solomon.
Because of this, the mighty men under David’s command were happy. This was also one of the major reasons why David’s kingdom expanded.
So when the Bible says “David grew greater and greater,” it was both God’s grace and David’s leadership qualities working together.