King David and the warriors who came to him
And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD. The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed to the war. Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for the war, seven thousand and one hundred. Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred. And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred; and Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father's house twenty and two captains. And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul. And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout the house of their fathers. And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name, to come and make David king. And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart. And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand. And of the Danites expert in war twenty and eight thousand and six hundred. And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand. And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand. All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them. Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.-1 Chronicles 12:23-40***Over 300 years after Joshua led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the Promised Land, Samuel the priest, prophet and judge was born into the tribe of Levi to Elkanah and Hannah. When Samuel was elderly, and his sons Joel (Vashni) and Abiah (Abijah) were not obeying the commands of the Lord God, and King Nahash and his Ammonite army were preparing to attack, the Israelite elders demanded that Samuel appoint a king to lead them, and Samuel anointed Saul to reign, according to the command of the Lord God. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, descended from Jacob (Israel) and his 2nd wife Rachel, and Jacob and Rachel's 2nd and last son Benjamin. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, descended from Jacob and Rachel's firstborn son Joseph and his wife Asenath, and Joseph and Asenath's 2nd born son Ephraim. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that sometime after 147-year-old Jacob moved with his family from Canaan to Egypt, the country wherein Joseph was second-in-command, he proclaimed Ephraim and Ephraim's older brother Manasseh to be his own sons, and the tribe of Joseph became the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim. The Israelites in the tribe of Levi, and the tribe of Reuben, and the tribe of Simeon, and the tribe of Judah, and the tribe of Issachar, and the tribe of Zebulun descended from the other sons born to Jacob and Leah. The Israelites in the tribe of Dan and the tribe of Naphtali descended from Jacob and Bilhah, Jacob's maidservant. The Israelites in the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Asher descended from Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. At least twice, Saul did not obey the commands of the Lord God. While Saul reigned, the Lord God sent Samuel to anoint David, from the tribe of Judah, to reign as king. When David's skills, strength, appearance, and favor with the Lord God were mentioned to Saul, Saul commanded that David's father Jesse send David to him, and David began serving as a musician and an armor-bearer for Saul. After David killed Goliath the gigantic Philistine, David and Jonathan, Saul's son, made a covenant. The Israelite women sang of David higher than they sang of Saul, and Saul was angry. Saul wanted to kill David, and became afraid of David, and sent David on missions to get killed, and commanded others, including Jonathan, to kill David. Saul's daughter Michal was married to David and helped David escape from their home. When David reached Ahimelech the priest in Nob, other Israelite men were with David. In the cave in Adullam, and in the stronghold in the desert wilderness, and when David was living in Ziklag, in the land of the Philistines, more Israelite men joined David. After the Philistines killed Jonathan and his brothers Malchishua and Abinadab (Ishui?), and Saul's self-inflicted death on the same battlefield, David sought the will of the Lord God, and the Lord God told David to go to Hebron, in the portion of the Promised Land allotted to the tribe of Judah. The men with David brought their families to Hebron, and men from the tribe of Judah anointed 30-year-old David, and David began to reign only over the tribe of Judah. Saul's son Ishbosheth (Eshbaal) ruled over the other Israelite tribes. Sometime after Ishbosheth was murdered, the Israelite elders went to David, and David made a covenant with them. The elders anointed 37-year-old David, and David began to rule over all of the Israelites in the Promised Land, the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. At least 950 years after Solomon, a son born to David and Bathsheba, became the 3rd king to rule over all of the Israelites, John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, were born. John the Baptist was born into the tribe of Levi to Zechariah (Zacharias) the priest and his wife Elizabeth (Elisabeth). Jesus the Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Elizabeth's relative Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ were born, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world, and testified that Jesus is the Son of God. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach, teach and perform miracles among the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. When Jesus was among a group of Pharisees, Jesus taught about David and the men with David.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Samuel 1:1-3:21, 8:1-31:13, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1:1-11:43, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 8:1-40, 9:35-29:30, 2 Chronicles 1:1-9:31, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
Click the link below to read more posts in this category: