1 Chronicles 19 & 20: Be Of Good Courage
Verse of the Day: (19:13) Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.
1. Comfort (19:1-5)
And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him. (19:2)
King David was kind to Hanun, the son of King Nahash of Ammon, when he sent his messengers to comfort him after the death of Nahash, who had been kind to him. However, Hanun, upon the advice of his princes, shamed David’s messengers by shaving their beard and cutting off their garments. They had thought the worst of David that he had sent spies to check out their land before launching an attack, and instead of being comforted, Hanun was suspicious of David’s motive. Let us thus comfort one another knowing that the best comforter is our God who knows our sorrows. (2 Corinthians 1-4)
2. Courage (19:6-19)
Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blesses, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever. (17:27)
David sent Joab and his army to battle against the Ammonites as Hanun hired the army of Syria to strengthen his army as they launched an attack against Israel. When Israel was surrounded by the armies of the Ammonites and the Syrians, Joab commanded Abishai, his brother, to split into two forces so that they could help each other depending on the outcome of their battle. Eventually, Joab and Abishai won the battle against their enemies because of their courage and teamwork, and above all, the God of Israel was with them. Indeed, let us be courageous and put on the whole armour of God in order to have victory over the devil and to yield ourselves as His servants of righteousness. (Ephesians 6:10-19)
3. Crown (20:1-8)
And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David’s head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city. (20:2)
The crown of a king is a symbol of his authority and power. After the defeat of the Ammonites, David took the crown of their king and put it on his head signifying that he was now their ruler. However, the best crown for all who believe in Jesus is the crown of righteousness that one day He shall bless us with, as we look forward to His appearing when we shall be with Him forever in His home in glorious heaven. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please grant me the courage to overcome the devil for Your glory.
