1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led out the army and ravaged the country of the Ammonites and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. And Joab struck down Rabbah and overthrew it. 2 And David took the crown of their king from his head. He found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone. And it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 3 And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and axes. And thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
4 And after this there arose war with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the giants, and the Philistines were subdued. 5 And there was again war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 6 And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. 7 And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, struck him down. 8 These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. – 1 Chronicles 20:1-8 ESV
First Chronicles 20 parallels 2 Samuel 11, where the story of David's sin with Bathsheba is recorded in great detail. Interestingly, both chapters start out the same way, "The following spring, the time of year when kings go to war…," but then they each take a slightly different path. The 2 Samuel passage goes on to say, "…David sent Joab and the Israelite army to destroy the Ammonites. In the process they laid siege to the city of Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem" (2 Samuel 11:1 ESV).
Chapter 20 of 1 Chronicles states that "…Joab led the Israelite army in successful attacks against the towns and villages of the Ammonites." But in both cases, the authors clarify that David didn't go into battle, but remained in Jerusalem. At a time of the year when kings would normally be waging war, David chose to send his troops into battle while he stayed safely ensconced in his capital city. He sent Joab to do his dirty business, while he stayed behind in Jerusalem. This decision led to his sin with Bathsheba and, ultimately, his murder of her husband Uriah.
But in 1 Chronicles, the author leaves out what happened while David was back in the capital and concentrates his attention on the victory over the Ammonites. If you just read this chapter alone, and not in association with chapter 11 of Second Samuel, you would be led to believe that this was just business as usual for David. He was sending out his troops and then going to meet them after the battle was over like all good kings do. But when you know what David was up to while Joab and his men were busy fighting for David and the kingdom, this story takes on a whole new light. And when you read that "David and his army returned to Jerusalem," it should kind of turn your stomach a little bit. Here is David, who has just committed adultery with Bathsheba, attempted to cover it up, and in desperation, had her husband killed by abandoning him in battle, leading his troops triumphantly back into town to the cheers of the people, as if he had been there all along. He is enjoying the accolades and attention that come with victory when his life was actually marred by his moral lapse with Bathsheba. It is the height of hypocrisy.
What stands out in this passage if that there is no mention of David fighting the enemy. Joab, Sibbecai, Elhannon, and Jonathan are all listed as men who led, fought, and gained victory over the Ammonites. But David seems to take all the credit and more. "Then David went to Rabbah and removed the crown from the king’s head, and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold and set with gems, and he found that it weighed seventy-five pounds" (1 Chronicles, 20:2 NLT). When taken in conjunction with 2 Samuel 11, this paints an even grimmer picture of David. Not only has he committed adultery and murder, but he comes across as someone desperate for attention. He wants to stay at home in the safety and luxury of his palace in Jerusalem, but bask in the glory of the victory that others have brought about. He covets the benefits and blessings of victory without the risk.
In the second half of chapter 20, the chronicler goes on to describe the Israelite victory over the Philistines, but David is noticeably absent from the story until the closing verse.
…they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. – 1 Chronicles 20:8 ESV
David gets the glory without doing any of the work. But why does the Chronicler seem to stress David’s victories but leave out the entire story about David and his illicit affair with Bathsheba? It’s unlikely that the chronicler was attempting to cover up David's infamous sin because it would have been well-known to all of his readers. More than likely, he omitted the details of this less-than-flattering event in David's life because his purpose for the chapter was to highlight David's victories over his enemies at the beginning of his reign. But that one phrase, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle” stands out. It tells us that Joab, the commander of David's army, led the troops into battle while “David remained at Jerusalem” (1 Chronicles 20:1 ESV). While David should have been busy defeating the enemies of God, he was falling victim to “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness” (Colossians 3:5 ESV). David had been God-ordained to be the king of Israel and lead the people of Israel.
“You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.” – 2 Samuel 5:2 ESV
But in the story of his affair with Bathsheba, we have a case of David losing sight of his real objective. He became distracted from God's intended purpose for his life. While David would experience great victories in the years ahead, he would also suffer tremendous losses within his own household as a consequence of his sin.
The chronicler obviously knew well the sin of David with Bathsheba, but his real objective was to write of God's activity among His people through the kingship of David. Despite David, God was still at work, providing the nation of Israel with victories over their enemies. He was still giving them His divine assistance in conquering the nations that occupied the land of Canaan. His efforts would be so effective that by the time David's son Solomon took over the throne, his kingdom would experience a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity. But even with all his wisdom, riches, and obvious blessings from God, Solomon would prove to be unfaithful, allowing his love of women to lead to his worship of false gods. He would lose sight of the fact that God had given him wisdom so that he might lead the nation of Israel wisely. God blessed him with abundant resources that he might provide for the people of God.
Both of these men had been chosen by God to lead His people and they were not to be like all the other kings of the world. They were never to forget that they had the God of the universe on their side and that their actions and attitudes were to reflect their unique relationship with Him. God wanted to bless their reigns and provide them with victories over their enemies and peace and prosperity for their people. God would provide both men with the assurance of His abiding presence and power.
David and Solomon both illustrate man's unique capacity to focus on that which is earthly and temporal. In Colossians 3, Paul provides a short, but relatively comprehensive list of what constitutes an earthly, rather than a heavenly mindset: “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness” (Colossians 3:5 ESV).
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul provided an even longer list of what he calls the “works of the flesh”: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, division, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV).
Together, these two lists serve as a compendium of a life lived with an earthly, rather than a heavenly focus. Paul goes on to tell his readers to put to death what is earthly in them. These are internal issues that emanate from within. Jesus Himself said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19 ESV).
David's sin with Bathsheba was an outflow of an internal problem in David's heart. Solomon's idolatry and unfaithfulness were the direct result of his own heart condition. James points out the danger of this internal source of temptation and distraction.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. - James 1:14 ESV
But Paul gives the antidote to the problem.
…set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. – Colossians 3:1 NLT
Our focus, interest, and primary concern is to be on eternal, rather than temporal things. We are to desire the things of God instead of the things of this world. Paul reminds us that, because of our relationship with Jesus Christ, we are equipped to live differently and distinctively.
…you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. – Colossians 3:9 NLT
The tense he uses in this sentence suggests that this is a past event; it has already taken place. We have been given a new life in Christ. We are new creations.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Paul's emphasis seems to be that we are to recognize our new identity as redeemed, renewed creations and live accordingly. In other words, our conduct should begin to reflect our new status as children of God. We are “being renewed” daily – an ongoing process by which we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Paul would have us remember that our job is to live in keeping with who we are in Christ.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. – Colossians 3:12-13 ESV
My relationship with Christ should transform every area of my life.
In whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. – Colossians 3:17 ESV
I am to live with a heavenly mindset, not an earthly one. I am to live a life that reflects my new identity in Christ and my new Spirit-empowered capacity to reflect His holiness and righteousness. I don't have to live according to my old sinful nature. Yes, it is still there and is alive and well but God has given me a new nature that can effectively counteract my old nature. Paul puts it this way:
…walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. – Galatians 5:16 ESV
I can live by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit. I can bear the fruit of the Spirit. But I must set my mind on the things above. I must seek God's will and saturate my mind with His Word. I cannot live like Christ if I attempt to exist on a steady diet of earthly things. If I fill my mind with the things of this world, I will bear the fruit of this world. So Paul encourages us to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16 ESV).
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.