1 Chronicles 20 Explained - 5 Minute Bible Study

1 Chronicles 20 Short Summary:

1 Chronicles 20 is a short chapter with only 8 verses. The first 3 verses inform the reader about David and Joab’s conquest of Rabbah, a city of the Ammonites. The last 5 verses document a few of Israel’s battles with the Philistines, and how the champions of Israel defeated 3 formidable Philistines who were descendants of the giants.

What is 1 Chronicles 20 About?

WHEN:

• The Book of 1 Chronicles was written several hundred years after King David’s reign.  

• David became king of Judah in approximately 1055 B.C, the year Saul died. David’s reign spanned approximately 40 years (1055-1015 B.C.). He reigned over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, before becoming king over all Israel. His reign over all Judah and Israel lasted 33 years.

CHARACTERS:

• David – The second king over all Israel and Judah.

• Joab – Commander of the army of Israel.

• 3 Philistine Champions – These great Philistine warriors were descendants of the giants. They were killed by champions of Israel.

WHERE:

• Joab fought with the Ammonites at Rabbah, east of Jordan.

• Israel battled with the Philistines at Gezer and Gath.

OUTLINE:

• ISRAEL CONQUERS THE AMMONITES (20:1-3):

  • In the spring of the year, Joab led David’s army to battle against the Ammonites at Rabbah.

  • When Joab was about to conquer the city, he called for David to come from Jerusalem to the battlefield (2 Sam 12:26-31).

  • David led the army in the capture of the city, took the crown of the Ammonite king, and made the Ammonites his servants.

  • Afterwards, Israel went on to subjugate all the cities of the Ammonites.

• THE PHILISTINES AND THEIR CHAMPIONS ARE DEFEATED (20:4-8):

  • The second section of the chapter documents some of Israel’s victories over the Philistines and 3 Philistine giants who were killed in the fighting.

  • At Gezer, Sibbecai killed Sippai, who was a descendant of the giants.

  • Elhanan killed Lahmi. Lahmi’s spear was said to have a shaft like a weaver’s beam.

  • In Gath, there was a man “of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot,” and he was also a descendant of the giants.

  • He taunted the Israelites until Jonathan, David’s nephew, killed him.

APPLICATION:

• Did you notice anything significant missing from the story of David and Joab conquering Rabbah?

• Although not mentioned in this chapter, David’s first encounter with Bathsheba took place during the time Joab was besieging Rabbah (2 Sam 11).

• I didn’t catch this the first time I read the chapter, and it shows how easy it is for an author to skip over details and events without the reader noticing.

• To be clear, the author of 1 Chronicles didn’t skip the story of David and Bathsheba for nefarious reasons, it just wasn’t immediately relevant to what the author was trying to document.

• But we need to be aware that there are less ethical authors, authors with nefarious motives who skip over important details when those details don’t fit into their biases and intended framing.

• This is especially true when it comes to critics of the Bible.

• There are many secular historians and scientists who gloss over facts that prove the Bible is historically and scientifically accurate.

• They interpret their selection of the facts according to their worldview and avoid those that resist fitting into it.

• They love to claim they write as unbiased practitioners of science/history, but it is almost never the case.

• If you read their books exclusively, you’ll be missing out on some important details.

• This is why its important to read widely and consider a broad range of perspectives when evaluating any truth claim.