The Chronicler now lists those officials who had authority over the military and the individual tribes as well as those men who were members of David’s inner circle. It may seem to us and the original audience that the Chronicler did not need to emphasize this group because the community returned from exile had no need for such officials. They did not have an army or even a militia. There were no tribal governments. The Chronicler may have included them as a reminder of the covenant which the Lord made with Abraham as well as with David. This covenant had not been nullified by the events of the preceding. The Lord still pledged to protect them and fight their battles.
The Chronicler was also looking at the past with an eye on the future. The present circumstances of the returned exiles appeared unfavorable and disturbing. They needed to know that the Lord was with them even as He is with us. Here in our contemporary world there are people, powers and circumstances that seem to be threatening to overcome the church. We fight against a culture which calls evil good and good evil. Yet those circumstances that are seen do not represent spiritual reality. The spiritual warfare being waged against Satan and evil in being waged by the Lord who uses us to fight in the trenches. We can take heart by realizing that the victory is already ours, won by the Lord on Golgotha. This awareness can carry us through the times of darkness when the Lord seems far away. In reality He is with us in that darkness.
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