Theme:
WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?
Text: “Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.” – 1 Chronicles 12:18.
Comment: While David was in Ziklag, where he sojourned to hide from the wrath of Saul, several warriors from various tribes of Israel came to join forces with him, believing that God was with him. These people had seen that God’s favour was no longer with Saul; they had seen that David had the spirit of God and showed excellence of character compared to Saul. The faith of these men moved them to make sacrifices and suffer inconveniences for being on the Lord’s side.
However, when a number of men from the lineage of Benjamin (Saul’s kinsmen) came to David and pledged allegiance to him he was suspicious of them, warning them of the consequences of double-dealing in the eyes of God. This prompted the statement in the text for today made by Amasai, chief of the captains of Judah and Benjamin which was meant to reassure him. They told David “for thy God helpeth thee”.
Since God had promised to lift David to become King, He also gave him men of various talents to work with him. The most important quality those who are on the Lord’s side should have is strong faith in God which they hold on to uncompromisingly. (Hebrews 11:6) They are not afraid of the power of the enemy. David said, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” – Psalm 118:6.