Thousands of men described in terms such as, “armed with bows, using both the left hand and the right hand in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow”, “whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains”, “valiant”, “mighty men of valor, famous men”, “fit for war”, “loyal”, “expert in war”, “stouthearted men who could keep ranks”, “who could keep battle formation”, and “with shield and spear”.
I can picture these thousands – tens of thousands – gritty, scarred, and battle-ready men converging on
What - or who - could tame such a gathering?
In the midst of this crowd we find, “…the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command…” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
These men were knowledgeable in interpreting the weather, the signs, the seasons, the political climate - and their understanding and experience with the interplay of these elements made them critical to David's cause. He would need both the bruteness of the warrior and the diplomacy of understanding men in order to secure the kingdom.
These elements are not exclusive, but complementary. And they live in us.
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12) and, "therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
To lay claim to what God has set before us we must be prepared to be both strong and wise. To honor God with these traits requires David-like devotion.
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