1 Chronicles 14

Although David was angry and afraid as a result of the death of Uzzah and the failed attempt to bring the ark of the Lord home, it was not as if God had not already greatly blessed David. The events in 1 Chronicles 14 did not necessarily take place in the three months between the first failed attempt to transport the ark and the second successful event described in 1 Chronicles 15. This brief chapter simply notes some of the different ways in which God had already blessed David.

Hiram, a Gentile king, was sending supplies to David for the building of his house. “The Lord had established him as king over Israel.” Hiram's willingness to serve the king of Israel was a sign of God's favor to David.

The Lord also blessed David's family. He gave the king many descendants, including Solomon and Nathan, two sons of David who would both be mentioned in the genealogies of the coming Messiah.

The Lord gave David direction in battle that led to astounding victories over the Philistines. David was certain that his success against the nation's enemies was from the hand of God. The Lord had broken through Philistine lines of battle “like a bursting flood.” The Philistines abandoned their gods in their retreat. David burned their idols as an act of devotion to the Lord.

God gave David direction that made all the difference in his endeavors. If the Lord told him to make a frontal assault, David followed that command. If God told him to go around the enemy and wait for another sign, he attended carefully to that Word. Either way the Lord knew what to do, and He brought success to His chosen one. God went before him and David's fame increased “into all lands.”

If God had shown such favor to David even without the ark, surely the Lord would help the son of Jesse in his desire to know the presence of the Lord through this appointed holy object. In the next chapter we will continue the story of the ark and see what lessons God had for His servant. But the Lord's good intentions for David were not dependent upon ceremonial righteousness or the king's devotion to any holy object, even one as important as the ark of the covenant. At the root of the Lord's goodness to David was the settled intention of God Himself. He would bless whomever He was determined to bless.

The glory, fruitfulness, and military success of David were astounding. Yet the Messiah King who would come from David's descendants would achieve far more than His great ancestor. Kings would bow before Him. Those who would be counted as His offspring would be far beyond number. He would utterly defeat an entire empire of supernatural evil by following His Father's instructions to the letter. He was obedient even when His Father told Him that the pathway of victory would come through His own death on the cross. The Lord's commitment to the success of His Son was not magic or the result of having the right holy objects nearby at the worst moments of temptation. The Messiah was the ultimate chosen King. We will be forever blessed because of the Lord's settled love for Jesus, the perfect Servant of the Lord.