JOY IN ADVANCE OF VICTORY
All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king. They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joyH8057 in Israel.
1 Chronicles 12:38-40
Chapter 12 lists the mighty men and leaders who came out to join David’s army when he was exiled from Saul’s kingdom and staying at Hebron. It records the fact that tens of thousands of men were unified in supporting David as the future king of Israel.
12:38–40 The report of David’s widespread support closes with the observation that the people at Hebron, and the rest of the nation, were of “a single mind” in their support of David. They celebrated their new king with joy and feasting. ESV Reformation Study Bible
ESV Reformation Study Bible
The people celebrated what we might call a “dinner on the grounds of biblical proportions”—a fantastic feast with provisions being donated from their kinsmen far and wide. Food had to be brought in on beasts of burden to provide for such a large army and the other people there celebrating the man God had chosen to be their new king. The Lord had brought together people from several of the tribes leading them to unite for the common cause of making David king. Saul is not yet defeated. David is not yet on the throne. Yet the people are celebrating with joy, trusting that God will make it come to pass.
The Bible tells us that we as Christians are victorious. We may not feel victorious in this moment, but we can rejoice in knowing that God will make us so. Whatever God has called us to do, He will enable us to complete. We will win the battles by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. As Paul wrote, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39). We can celebrate with joy today even before seeing the completion of what God has called us to do because we trust in His ability to finish what He has started in us (Philippians 1:6).
Father, You may not have called us to join an army to support an earthly king, but You have called us to be Your army serving King Jesus. Help us to be faithful and to know we can rejoice in the victory over sin and death even now because You are our Commander, and You will never fail.