1 Chronicles Chapter 14
David’s Throne Is Secured at Jerusalem
A. David’s home in Jerusalem
1. (1 Chronicles 14:1-2) The royal palace of David
“Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house. So David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, because his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.”
Hiram king of Tyre sent skilled craftsmen, fine cedar timber, and diplomatic representatives to David, a gesture that revealed just how far David’s influence had spread. Kings do not send their own laborers and resources unless they recognize genuine authority and stability. The alliance with Hiram also demonstrates that David was more than a battlefield commander. He understood statecraft, political relationships, and the strategic value of peaceful cooperation with neighboring nations. The building of David’s palace by foreign craftsmen symbolized that God had elevated David’s name even among the surrounding Gentile powers.
The text goes on to say “So David knew”. This knowledge was not arrogance, nor was it political self-confidence. It was spiritual clarity. David knew two crucial truths that every godly leader must recognize. First, he knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel. David’s throne was not won by natural ability, cunning, or force of arms. It was given by God’s sovereign hand, promised through Samuel the prophet, and fulfilled in God’s perfect time. Second, David understood that his kingdom was lifted up on high for the sake of God’s people Israel. David was exalted not for his own glory, but as a vessel through whom God intended to bless the nation. A godly leader understands that the position they occupy is not for personal advancement, but for service to God’s people. David’s humility in acknowledging this truth contributed greatly to the strength and righteousness of his early reign.
2. (1 Chronicles 14:3-7) The sons born to David in Jerusalem
“And David took more wives at Jerusalem, and David begat more sons and daughters. Now these are the names of his children, which he had in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, Ibhar, and Elishua, and Elpalet, Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, Elishama, and Beeliada, and Eliphalet.”
The chronicler records that David took more wives, an action that stands in direct contradiction to God’s command in Deuteronomy chapter seventeen verse seventeen, which states, “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.” Though David was a man after God’s own heart, this area of his life demonstrates a pattern of compromise. His increasing number of wives and concubines not only violated the clear command of God but laid the groundwork for strife, jealousy, rebellion, and bloodshed that would later erupt within his household. The chronicler does not mention the sin with Bathsheba, yet she became one of the additional wives taken in Jerusalem after David arranged the death of her husband.
The birth of many sons and daughters would have been viewed at the time as evidence of God’s blessing upon David’s reign, yet the presence of blessing does not negate the presence of disobedience. These children, born to many different wives, became the source of some of David’s greatest personal sorrows, from Amnon’s wickedness to Absalom’s rebellion to Adonijah’s ambition. The text reminds us that spiritual compromise often sows seeds that bear bitter fruit later, even during seasons of prosperity and apparent success. David thrived under hardship and adversity, relying upon God’s strength, but he struggled more during seasons of comfort, advancement, and victory. It is often easier for believers to cling tightly to God in hardship than in prosperity, yet prosperity can be spiritually far more dangerous when it weakens vigilance and softens obedience.
B. Victory over the Philistines
1. (1 Chronicles 14:8-10) David seeks God in battle against the Philistines at the Valley of Rephaim
“And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David. And David heard of it, and went out against them. And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David enquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines, and wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto him, Go up, for I will deliver them into thine hand.”
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they moved immediately to destroy him before his throne could be fully secured. The enemies of God’s people have always understood that leadership anointed by God is a threat to their power. David’s rise to unified kingship alarmed the Philistines, because they had prospered during the weakness and instability of Saul’s reign. They knew David’s military skill and spiritual favor, and therefore all the Philistines went up to search for David, mobilizing their forces with the goal of striking him quickly and decisively.
David responded to this threat not with fear, but with courage. The text states that he went out against them, demonstrating that godly leadership does not cower before spiritual or physical opposition. Yet David’s greatest strength was not his courage, but his dependence on God. The Philistines spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim, a broad and strategic plain southwest of Jerusalem, forming a natural approach to the city. Payne notes that this valley, forming part of the border between Judah and Benjamin, may also correspond to the phrase “Valley of Baca” mentioned in Psalm eighty four verse six, named for the balsam trees that dripped sap like tears, hence their title “weepers.”
David did not rely upon military judgment alone. Instead, David enquired of God, asking two direct questions. First, “Shall I go up against the Philistines?” David would not fight without divine approval. Second, “Wilt thou deliver them into mine hand?” David understood that victory depends entirely upon God’s intervention. The Lord responded with clear direction and absolute promise: “Go up, for I will deliver them into thine hand.” David’s humility, dependence, and refusal to act apart from God stands in stark contrast to Saul, who repeatedly acted in presumption. When the leader seeks God first, God grants guidance, power, and victory.
2. (1 Chronicles 14:11-12) David defeats the Philistines at Baal Perazim
“So they came up to Baal–perazim, and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters, therefore they called the name of that place Baal–perazim. And when they had left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.”
The battle took place at Baal Perazim, and the Lord fulfilled His promise exactly. David defeated the Philistines so decisively that he described the victory as a breakthrough of waters, a force like a dam bursting and a flood sweeping away all opposition. David gave God full credit for the triumph, declaring, “God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand.” Though David wielded the sword, the power behind the victory was divine. David recognized that without God, no military success was possible. The place was therefore named Baal Perazim, meaning “Lord of Breakthroughs.” The Lord who once broke out in judgment against Uzza now broke out in blessing toward David, Israel, and Obed-Edom. As Selman notes, the same God who judged disobedience also grants overwhelming victory to those who seek Him and walk in His ways.
The Philistines brought their idols into the battle, believing that their gods would empower them. When the Philistines were defeated, they left their gods there, abandoned and useless. David, understanding the wickedness represented by these idols, commanded that they be burned with fire. This act fulfilled the principles of Deuteronomy chapter seven verses five and twenty five, where Israel is told to destroy the idols of the nations thoroughly. David would not allow Israel’s victory to be tainted by the presence of pagan idols. He ensured that the glory of the triumph belonged to God alone and that no false god was left standing in the land.
3. (1 Chronicles 14:13-17) David defeats the Philistines again
“And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley. Therefore David enquired again of God, and God said unto him, Go not up after them, turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle, for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines. David therefore did as God commanded him, and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer. And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.”
The Philistines, undeterred by their earlier defeat at Baal Perazim, returned to challenge David once more. Scripture says, “the Philistines yet again spread themselves in the valley.” Satan often returns to attack at the very place where he was previously defeated. He does not surrender ground willingly. When the enemy came again, David responded with the same humility and dependency that marked his earlier victory: “Therefore David enquired again of God.” This is the mark of a true man of God. David did not presume that yesterday’s guidance guaranteed today’s direction. Many would have assumed the method for the second battle should be identical to the first. David knew better. He understood that even familiar battles must be fought with fresh dependence on the Lord.
God’s answer to David was different from before. The Lord said, “Go not up after them, turn away from them.” David was not to charge directly as he had previously. Instead, God gave him a new strategy: “Come upon them over against the mulberry trees.” The lesson is clear, even against the same enemy, battles are not won by human strategy or past experience, but by obedience to God’s voice in the present. Adam Clarke observes that the reason we do not receive such specific guidance today is because men do not ask for it, do not expect it, and ultimately lack the faith that God is willing to direct His people. Unbelief keeps men from divine direction far more than divine silence.
God then promised David a supernatural sign: “When thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, then thou shalt go out to battle.” This sound of going was not merely a breeze among the branches. As Meyer beautifully notes, it was the march of angelic hosts going before David into battle. The armies of heaven moved ahead of the armies of Israel. God Himself advanced upon the Philistine camp, and the rustling in the trees was the divine signal that the Lord was fighting for His people. David was to wait, watch, and listen for the sign of God’s activity. When he heard it, then he was to bestir himself and advance.
This principle has profound application. When God is at work, when the Spirit begins to stir, when conviction, repentance, awakening, or providential movement is evident, that is the time for decisive obedience. Spurgeon loved the phrase “bestir thyself” from Second Samuel chapter five verse twenty four, noting that many Christians try to stir others rather than stirring themselves. True obedience begins with personal action. The moving of the mulberry trees symbolizes the inward stirring of the Spirit. When God moves, His people must not remain passive. The crisis of a nation, the stirring of a church, the movement of conviction in a believer’s heart, all call for immediate obedience and action.
David obeyed without hesitation: “David therefore did as God commanded him.” The victory that followed was complete. Israel pursued the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer, breaking their strength decisively. The chapter concludes by stating, “the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.” The respect given to David by the surrounding nations was not merely political. It was spiritual. They recognized that God was with him, guiding him, empowering him, and fighting for him.
David’s victories came from his humility, his dependence on God, his sensitivity to God’s voice, and his swift obedience. A leader who continually seeks the Lord cannot be defeated by the returning attacks of the enemy.
