27 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
27 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
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title = "1 Chronicles 12:23–40"
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date = "2024-01-11"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/1Chronicles12.23-40)
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In addition to the mighty men, many of the regular troops went over to David's side to fight under his banner.
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Chapter 12 shows us that every tribe of Israel sent men to acclaim David as king of Israel, even the Benjaminites who had supported their kinsman Saul.
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To a modern eye, the numbers given don't really mean much, but they are actually enormous considering what we know of the population at the time.
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There are a few possibilities that allow us to reconcile what looks like a contradiction.
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It is possible that the word "thousand" is military jargon for a group of fighters somewhat less than a literal thousand.
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It is also possible the Hebrew consonants could be read as "chiefs" if different vowels are used.
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This would make the verses read something like "six chiefs with 800 armed troops" for verse 24.
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Finally, our knowledge of the time period could be woefully incomplete, and our population estimates are way off.
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After all, it was only recently that extra-Biblical evidence was discovered for King David.
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Skeptics have thought he was a mythological figure, like Romulus and Remus, for a long time.
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Just because the Bible doesn't agree with your understanding of the world doesn't make it wrong.
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The last verses emphasize how unified and overjoyed the people of Israel were about making David their king.
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All twelve tribes were in agreement, and the coronation festivities lasted for three days.
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Not only did the soldiers throw a big party at Hebron when David became king, but their relatives brought even more food and drink after them.
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* * *
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We can trust Your Word to be reliable and true for all time.
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